Treyarch‘s Kevin Sherwood: The Man Behind Call of Duty‘s Iconic Zombie Sounds
The first thing every Call of Duty: Zombies player hears is the ominous moaning and flesh-hungry snarls of the undead. These iconic zombie sounds instantly engulf you in dread before the first zombie even appears.
So who is the mastermind behind these hair-raising sound effects that have come to define the horror game genre?
According to veteran Treyarch sound designer Kevin Sherwood, he is personally responsible for creating and evolving the bone-chilling noises of Call of Duty zombies over the past decade.
As an audio leader on World at War, Black Ops 1-4, and the upcoming 2024 title, Sherwood‘s pioneering sound design is what truly brings those decaying corpses to life.
In this deep dive, we‘ll explore the history of COD‘s zombie audio, how Kevin crafts these disturbing sounds from scratch, and why his work kickstarted the modern zombie zeitgeist. Grab your ray gun, it‘s time to unearth the secrets behind Call of Duty‘s iconic undead noises!
From Seal Calls to Screams: Making Sounds for the Undead
When Kevin Sherwood first started working on Call of Duty: World at War in 2008, the Zombies game mode as we know it didn‘t even exist yet.
Treyarch wanted to experiment with a Nazi zombie survival mode for fun. And someone had to create the sound effects for these fictional zombies.
That task fell to up-and-coming sound designer Kevin Sherwood:
"With the Ray Gun, I started with some animal sounds like seals and whistles and worked from there. For the zombies, there were no reference videos I could watch, so I had to create everything using my imagination."
Without any guides, Kevin crafted the core zombie sounds completely from scratch:
- Eerie moaning
- Disturbing growls
- Throaty grumbling
- Vicious snarling
- Spine-chilling screaming
He tweaked and layered animal noises, human vocals, and digital effects to produce the otherworldly sounds.
Little did he know this modest side project would birth the popcorn phenomenon of Zombies mode!
Expanding the Horror Audio Toolkit
Flash forward to 2022‘s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies:
| Zombie Audio Toolkit | 2008 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Moaning | ✅ | ✅ |
| Screeching | ❌ | ✅ |
| Roaring | ❌ | ✅ |
| Raspy Growling | ❌ | ✅ |
| Groaning | ✅ | More Variety |
You‘ll notice the zombies‘ vocal range has dramatically expanded thanks to Kevin‘s continual innovation.
The latest undead audio toolkit adds bone-rattling roars, chill-inducing screeches, and even more nuanced moans. Plus advanced editing makes the sounds more immersive in next-gen surround sound.
I don‘t know about you, but I‘ve literally jumped in my seat from an unforeseen zombie scream while blasting the Hordes. Kevin just keeps one-upping himself!
Crafting Audio Icons Through Expert Mixing
When asked about his creative process, Sherwood explained:
"I record and edit custom sounds, then balance and process them using plug-ins…to get unique tones and textures."
For example, by tweaking factors like:
- Pitch
- Distortion
- EQ
- Compression
- Reverberation
He sculpts incredibly realistic horror noises that ambush our senses.
Thanks to his hands-on approach instead of relying on libraries, Kevin‘s sounds feel more textured and dynamic.
No single zombie shriek, groan or snarl ever sounds the same. This adds greatly to the tension when you‘re swarmed and can‘t predict what noises those decaying vocal chords will unleash next!
Dark Experiments: Who‘s Laughing Now?
Aside from the core zombie sound palette Kevin produces, Treyarch‘s iconic Zombies mode also features the creepy laughter of a demonic announcer throughout the maps.
As fans know, this is the twisted laugh of Samantha Maxis – the daughter of a Nazi scientist who becomes corrupted by dark magic.
Her sadistic giggling echoes as you uncover secrets, advance rounds, or sometimes when a blighted horror sneaks up on you.
Adding mocking insults to literal injury!
| Map | Twisted Announcer |
|---|---|
| Kino Der Toten | Samantha |
| Ascension | Samantha |
| Call of the Dead | Samantha |
| Shadows of Evil | Shadowman |
Now while Sherwood lays the audio groundwork, characters like Demon Samantha inject the maps with extra creepy personality.
I‘d love to get inside Kevin‘s head to design sounds for these terrifying entities! Their laughter alone convinces me never to dabble in dark magic.
Spawning an Undead Phenomenon
When Call of Duty: World at War launched in 2008 with its secret Zombies mode, players had no idea how this fan project would reshape gaming.
Fast forward 15 years, and Treyarch‘s Zombies is now a cultural gaming phenomenon with over 5 billion playtime hours*!
*According to Treyarch
And audio maestro Kevin Sherwood is still crafting the zombie sound effects after all this time. Having worked on every Treyarch zombies title since the beginning.
Fans even credit 2012‘s Black Ops 2 Zombies as having some of Sherwood‘s most terrifying audio ever. With Shacknews stating:
"The noises of the zombies in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will haunt your dreams."
If you consider the creepy ambience, jump scares, and ever-present moaning…zombies modes activate our primal fear centers using sound alone.
Thanks to Kevin‘s alarmingly-real audio, Treyarch branded the modern zombie genre with their take on undead horror. Paving the way for spiritual successors like Left 4 Dead, Dying Light, and Back 4 Blood.
So while you sharpen your galvaknuckles before your next exfil, remember the audio unsung hero Kevin Sherwood setting the mood! We owe our nightmares to him.
Conclusion: An Audio Mastermind Composing Horror
When players boot up a Treyarch Zombies map, the harrowing sounds oozing from our headphones instantly ratchet up dread before the first maggot-bag lurches onscreen.
We have audio visionary Kevin Sherwood to thank for these anxiety-inducing noises that ensnare our senses game after game.
For over 15 years, Kevin handcrafted Call of Duty‘s iconic zombie sound palette, continuously evolving and perfecting it using custom editing tricks.
He layers animal calls, human screams, synthetic sound effects and applies advanced post-processing to produce unique horror noises never heard before. Far different than relying on prerecorded libraries.
These unexpected sounds subconsciously toy with our nerves.
A snarling laceration here.
A raging roar there.
Erratic moaning everywhere.
Treyarch‘s zombies modes sink their rotten teeth into our psyche using audio shock and awe thanks to Sherwood‘s efforts.
So whether you‘re blasting Omega Nocturnes in Black Ops 3‘s eerie Nacht Der Untoten or knifing screeching ghouls in 2024‘s unnamed Treyarch project…remember Kevin!
After all, his bone-rattling sounds have spawned countless imitators. But you can‘t replicate the organic audio mastery instilling Call of Duty‘s zombies with gruesome life year after year.
We salute you Mr. Sherwood. Now please promise not record any noises near my house, I still have trouble sleeping!
