Whale Sounds

Animal music specialist and musician David Rothenberg teams up with his son Umru, an established experimental pop producer, to record a variety of whale species using hydrophones and underwater recording techniques. David has travelled to the far reaches of the world to submerge mics and capture the melodic and rhythmic sounds of belugas, sperm whales, humpbacks and more. The results have been presented both in raw and musically sequenced forms.

You may be surprised by just how well the sounds of whales fit into productions of all types across and beyond genres. Rothenberg says, “beluga whales have always been interested in human music, so much so that they’d hang around boats when sailors were singing. Their songs contain so much sonic diversity that they can be turned into almost anything. From echolocation creaks to social whistles and grunts, these white whales have it all.”

Use these sounds for your soundscapes, scores, experimental or electronic tracks—whatever these majestic sounds inspire you to compose.

David Rothenberg is a composer, clarinetist, and artist who has dedicated his career to the relationship between humanity and nature. David has traveled the world recording the sounds of various animal species including birds, whales, and insects with an ongoing interest in understanding other species through sound and playing music with them.

Umru Rothenberg is an Estonian-American music producer and sound designer who publishes music under the artist name Umru and has released two successful sound packs on Splice.

Portions of the proceeds of this pack will be donated to Whale Trust (whaletrust.org), an organization on a mission to promote, support, and conduct scientific research on whales and the marine environment.