Boom Library · 3D Surround
Thunderstorm Chaser
The Sound Of Nature’s Fury
Six years of chasing storms across the United States, and one session that came close to a lightning strike.
208Files with stereo included
45.2 GBSurround plus stereo
8Supercardioid mics
6Years of chasing
+And more
Thunder●Rolling rumbles●Lightning cracks●Rain●Hail●Wind●Foliage●Drips●Distant storms●Reverberant tails●& more
ORTF-3D, eight channelsStereo included in the surround editionNo layering, no post-production embellishment
Most thunder libraries are built; this one was waited for.
Matt Mikkelsen spent six years tracking storms, consulting meteorologists and setting up recording rigs in conditions that nearly cost him a strike. What came back is unprocessed: no artificial layering, no enhancement, just the dynamics the storm actually had.
At a Glance
- Both columns close 104 + 104 = 208 files and 36.1 + 9.1 = 45.2 GB — the surround edition plus its bundled stereo copy
- Surround edition 104 files, 36.1 GB, and the same recordings in stereo included by default
- Stereo edition 104 files, 9.1 GB, sold on its own at a lower price for anyone who does not need surround
- Eight mics, eight channels Lo L · R · Ls · Rs and Hi Lh · Rh · LSh · RSh — counted off the track layout, and matching the eight supercardioids named in the prose
- Twenty-five keywords Counted by splitting the field’s own list on commas
- Nothing is layered Recorded in real storms across the United States, with no post-production embellishment
Content & Detail
01The Two Editionsand the arithmetic between them▾
3D Surround104 files · 36.1 GB · ORTF-3D, eight channels
Included stereoThe same recordings in stereo, bundled with the surround edition so no conversion is needed
Surround total208 files · 45.2 GB with the stereo copy counted
Stereo on its own104 files · 9.1 GB, identical recordings at a more affordable price
Files close104 + 104 = 208, matching the stated combined figure
Size closes36.1 + 9.1 = 45.2 GB, matching to the decimal
FormatWAV — 24 bit — 96 kHz, Windows and Mac
02The ORTF-3D Arraywhat the eight channels actually buy you▾
The arrayA Schoeps ORTF-3D setup: eight supercardioid microphones, four low and four high
The layoutLo: L · R · Ls · Rs, Hi: Lh · Rh · LSh · RSh — a height layer above the horizontal one
Where it plays5.1 surround, Dolby Atmos, Ambisonics and VR, or folded down to stereo
What height addsThunder arrives from above as much as from around; a horizontal array flattens exactly the axis this subject needs
PlacementEight discrete channels mean the strike can be positioned in the mix rather than blended into it
MetadataEvery file is labelled with structured metadata, which is what makes 45 GB searchable rather than merely large
03Six Years Of Chasingand what else came back besides thunder▾
The chaseSix years, thousands of miles, storms tracked across Colorado and beyond with meteorologists consulted before each run
The riskOne session ended with the recordist nearly struck by lightning — the field states it plainly rather than as a slogan
Before the stormDistant rumbles and the eerie silences that precede them
The strikeExplosive lightning cracks close in
Around itPounding rain, hail and howling wind — the full storm environment, not the thunder alone
The dynamicsUnfiltered natural range, left intact so the material still layers properly in a designed scene
Authenticity here is measurable, not claimed. A layered thunder sound can be built in an afternoon; six years of waiting buys the one thing processing cannot fake — a storm whose dynamics were never touched.
