Recording Car Driving Sounds & Interstate Sound Effects from Orange County to Los Angeles at night!

The sound that I have for you today was a sound request from Daniel who would love to have an in-car driving sound from the Interstates for sleep reasons.

Libby was in Silverlake at the time and I drove the 45 miles in about one hour from Orange County up to LA and recorded this sound for him at night time around 11 pm!

Watch Me Driving To Los Angeles!!

How I Mounted The Pistol Grip?

Before I started I used a lot of tapes + the Pistol Grip from Rode and fixed it between the handlebars in the back of the car. The main concern that I had was the vibration but the Pistol Grip Shock Mount is designed to reduce handling noise when recording with shotgun microphones in handheld or boom pole mounted situations.

In my case, it was the tape and I think I did a pretty good job with the stuff that I had. I didn’t hear any vibrations in the recording.

I mounted the Grip upside down and used the Audio Technica Microphone because this mic picks up less Interference while driving underneath bridges.

The Interstates & The Different Sounds!

Street Sound is never the same and if you drive here around LA you can hear the difference so much.

Using different concrete or material to build these streets you will have a different sound. Going over a bridge is automatic a different sound.

Especially in the US when you change the lanes you hear this loud rumbling sound! These are this little white dots on the street. I think it is for security reason if you would fall asleep while driving!

If you drive in a different car you would hear the sound differently. But not only the car, different tires as well would create a totally different sound! For your information, I drove a 10 Years old Toyota Yaris! I also believe that the sound sounds different in November than let’s say in February!

For me was it important to capture this sound at night time. Going the same route at daytime and you will be stuck in traffic forever. So it is important to record at night time as well to get this typical night feeling.

I drove the 45 miles with headphones the whole time and what you hear is so intense and gives you new perspective how to process what you see.

Some people like Daniel use it for sleep, relaxation or ASMR reasons but a Sound Designer or a Composer, for example, can create something totally new and unique out of it! That is why you can download this soundscape for free.

The Interstates/Highways

Newport Blvd

I55

I73

I405

I605

I5

Highway 101

Silverlake Blvd

Road Map

“People say that the soul, on hearing the song of creation, entered the body, but in reality, the soul itself was the song.”

Hafiz

Download Car Driving Sounds On Bandcamp