This passion project started as a kicks-and-giggles experiment with animal noises, but slowly progressed into a much more serious and scientific study regarding how various creatures produce such various sounds.

We still don't know a lot about dinosaurs. Much less in regards to the kinds of noises they made. But we do have a loose framework in which crafting their possible vocalizations is possible. Using their closest living equivalents - large birds, crocodilians, lizards, and large terrestrial animals - along with the limited information we can obtain from fossils, creating the sounds of dinosaurs becomes much less impossible.

This project revolves around the 'Big Four' when it comes to popular dinosaurs:

Tyrannosaurus rex

Triceratops horridus

Apatosaurus ajax

Velociraptor mongoliensis

Please keep in mind these noises are made with a great deal of extrapolation, and that they are meant to showcase my skills in sound design and audio editing more so than scientific understanding. Thankfully, due to the enigmatic nature of dinosaurs, designing audio that still fits in the realm of possibility is quite achievable.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX

Known for loud and ear-piercing roars in the majority of popular culture, this infamous animal has gained a very large reputation - and for good reason. It stands as one of, if not the largest land predator to ever exist.

However, it's large presence was more than likely accompanied by some not-so-boisterous vocalizations. Roaring, as we know it, is a mammal-specific trait. Instead, Tyrannosaurus was more likely to have made deep booms and bellows suitable for a large carnivore that didn't want to give away its position. These sounds would not only be heard, but felt, capable of traveling long distances. In this track, I used recorded sounds from Emus and Nile Crocodiles, along with inorganic noises like foghorns and steam locomotives to give T. rex the sound of thunder that it very much deserves.

TRICERATOPS HORRIDUS

Large mammals have been the go-to sounds for many herbivorous dinosaurs like Triceratops in films and other media. Surprisingly, this isn't too far off from what this animal sounded like in life. Large mammals use a larynx for most sounds, but many are able to be produced without any vocal organs - with air being pushed out harshly through nasal passages.

With Triceratops in particular, CT scans of its braincase allows us to understand its hearing range. Animals are tuned to the noises produced by their own kind, and low frequencies in the 290 Hz range are what Triceratops is best adapted to hear. The sounds I have designed were made with this in mind, amplified to be more audible to human ears. Vocalizations from an Elephant, Hippopotamus, American Bison, and other large animals were used for this, along with various birds and even my own voice.

APATOSAURUS AJAX

One of the largest animals to ever walk the Earth, Apatosaurus holds a very special place in popular media. Its often characterized by singing wails and grumbles, not unlike Elephants. Though a very key aspect that feels missing is the consideration of their giant necks and air passageways.

With enormous lungs shoving air in and out of their nostrils, the necks of sauropods would act like 6-meter resonating chambers, capable of producing anything from low rumbles to tremendous short booms to communicate with members of the same species. Since large sauropods announced their presence with every step, they likely didn't worry about staying silent when 'talking' over long distances.

VELOCIRAPTOR MONGOLIENSIS

The most bird-like of the 'Big Four,' Velociraptor is typically depicted making noises that reflect its avian nature. This is a rare case in which pop-culture miraculously gets dinosaurs right, with chatters, screeches, and hisses being the norm.

Many birds of prey, such as the Steller's Sea Eagle, Bearded Vulture, and the Andean Condor have similar skull structures compared to Velociraptor. They also shared ear canals that resonate with similar frequencies. Because of this, they likely produced similar sounds with similar vocal organs. Birds use a syrinx to create vocalizations, pointing to small avian-like dinosaurs such as Velociraptor having that same organ (or at least something similar to it). These noises were made using various birds of prey like the ones listed above.