The sounds in TOMU’S SOUND LIBRARY are recorded and created by the site owner, TOMU. About three quarters of the sounds with a recorded location were recorded at home (an apartment in Shimo-Meguro). The rest were recorded in parks, at stations and along rivers around Meguro, Tokyo. This guide shows the gear and environment used, with real photos and sounds.
What you will find in this guide
- Recording Gear and Setup
Photos of the iPhone 11 Pro and ZOOM iQ7 used outdoors, and the Steinberg UR22C, condenser microphone and recording space with sound-absorbing material used indoors. Manufacturer information and the owner’s own way of working are kept separate.
- Field Recording Guide
The flow of recording ambient sound in parks, at stations and along rivers, with what the owner actually does kept separate from the manufacturer’s official information. You can also listen to and download sounds recorded this way.
Where the sounds are recorded
Outdoor recording is centered on Meguro, Tokyo: Rinshi-no-mori Park (more than 100 sounds), around JR Gotanda Station and along the Yamanote Line, the Meguro River, and around Fudoson. Indoor recording is done in a recording space at home with sound-absorbing material installed, and covers guitar, voice and everyday-object sound effects.
Listen to these sounds as examples of places. The recording date and place are on each sound’s page.
Find and use the sounds
The recorded sounds are organized into the categories Nature Sounds, Everyday Sounds, Transportation, Musical Instruments and Voice. For how to use downloaded sounds in your own work, see Using Sound Effects.