I’m pleased to announce the launch of my first-ever sound effects library. In Hydroelectric Power, witness the power of water in this collection of recordings captured at and inside historic hydropower plants and massive concrete dams in the United States.
In the American West, water scarcity and allocation are hot topic issues. Gain access inside a working powerhouse along the Boise River as one of three generators, producing over 1,000–kilowatts of power, crank up from a cold start in advance of the irrigation season. Get hit in the face with spray from Shoshone Falls, a waterfall taller than Niagara Falls, during a high water event. Stand 100 yards downstream from the massive Bonneville Lock and Dam along the Columbia River in Oregon as 3,487 Kgal/sec rush past, generating 624 megawatts of power. Listen to the thunderous sound of Gorge Dam along the Cuyahoga River. Yes, the river that caught fire. This decommissioned 60-foot tall, 400-foot-wide dam has sat idle for over 50 years. Plans are in the works to remove it, thereby freeing up the flow of the snaking river from its headwaters to Lake Erie.
Admittedly, waterfalls and dams recorded up close can sometimes sound a lot like white noise. Yet there are distinctions. In Hydroelectric Power, each sound takes on the character of its environment, making it unique to that space and time.
These recordings, captured by field recordist Richard Alan Hannon, will complement your documentary, film and game design needs until, unfortunately, the rivers run dry. Seamless loops have been meticulously crafted from sounds that allow for it, providing more opportunities to utilize these sounds in your projects.
Library Details
- 28 sounds, including loops (when sounds allowed for them)
- 2.87 GB total
- Approx. 83 minutes total
- Pristine 24-bit/96 kHz quality
- Includes metadata
- Universal Category System (UCS) format compliant
- Sound Devices 702 and Sony PCM D100 recorders
- binaural, A/B and SASS microphone techniques
Location Details
Boise River Diversion Dam and Powerplant
- along the Boise River east of the city of Boise, Idaho
- Sound Devices 702 with Clippy EM 172 in binaural head and SM 58, plus Sony PCM D100
- 68 dBA 192 feet (59 m) downstream from the spillway, 73.5 dBA inside the powerhouse at the turbine
- the dam, measuring 68 feet (21 m) high and five hundred feet (152 m) in length, was constructed in 1908 to divert irrigation water into the New York Canal
- 3 turbines in the powerhouse generate 3.45 MW of electricity. Only one is operating in recordings.
Learn more at the Bureau of Reclamation, and Wikipedia.
Arrowrock Dam
- along the Boise River
- Sound Devices 702 with AT 3032s in SASS
- captured April 15, 2021, 1,231 ft downstream from the dam, 53.5 dBA
Learn more at the Bureau of Reclamation and Wikipedia.
Shoshone Falls
- along the Snake River in south-central Idaho
- Sony PCM D100 with Luhd PM-01AB on quasi-binaural head
- captured May 2, 2018, 1,140 feet (348 m) from the waterfall
- discharge over falls, 8,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)!
Shoshone Falls, along the Snake River in Twin Falls, Idaho, is 212 ft (65 m), taller than Niagara Falls. Spring runoff in May 2018 was particularly high. Much of this water is used for hydroelectric power and irrigation. Read more at Wikipedia.
Bonneville Lock & Dam
- along the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington
- Sony PCM D100
- recordings are 978 feet (298m) downstream from the spillway, and above the fish ladder
- captured May 12, 2018
Learn more at Wikipedia.
Idaho Falls
- along the Snake River in Idaho Falls, Idaho
- Sony PCM D100 with Luhd PM-01AB on quasi-binaural head
- captured May 1, 2018
Learn more about how the city of Idaho Falls harnesses the Snake River here.
Gorge Dam
- along the Cuyahoga River in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
- captured 100 feet downstream at the observation deck and in a nearby cave
- the decommissioned Gorge Dam is scheduled for demolition by 2026, thereby freeing up the river from its headwaters to Lake Erie