Podcast Summary: “The Sound of Fallout: From Iconic Games to Prestige TV”

Podcast: Twenty Thousand Hertz
Host: Dallas Taylor
Guests: Mark Lampert, Sue Cahill, Daniel Coleman, Steve Busino, Keith Rogers
Release Date: December 3, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Dallas Taylor explores the legendary sound world of the Fallout franchise, from its roots as a cult-classic post-apocalyptic video game to its adaptation as a prestige television series on Amazon. Through conversations with key sound designers and editors from both the games and the TV show, the episode dives deep into the challenges and delights of creating the sonic identity of the Fallout universe, highlighting the analog, mechanical aesthetic that sets it apart from more typical “slick” sci-fi sonics. The episode is rich with behind-the-scenes stories, practical approaches to world-building through sound, and reflections on how sound memories connect games, TV, and fans alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dallas’ Fallout Origin Story and Early Collaboration

• Dallas shares his personal Fallout fan history and how it led to meeting Mark Lampert (Audio Director for Fallout 3, 4, 76).

• A chance meeting and mutual professional respect led Dallas to mix the Fallout: New Vegas trailer, launching a continued studio relationship.

  Notable Quote:

  • "I remember internally exploding … But externally, I was like, play it cool, play it cool, play it cool." — Dallas Taylor (04:04)

2. The Sonic World of Fallout Games

• Mark Lampert describes how Fallout’s “frozen-in-1950s” future required an analog approach—think metal, hydraulics, CRT screens, and mechanical clicks.
• The team eschewed generic sci-fi sounds in favor of grounded, industrial textures to make the world tangible and immersive.
• The design for the iconic “vault doors” needed to feel like massive real machines rather than digital Hollywood fantasy.
  • "[Vault doors] should sound like what it is doing. It is two big pieces of metal... there's some sort of hydraulic assistance." — Mark Lampert (08:41)

3. Game Sound Design: The Everyday and the Extraordinary

• Footstep design: about 250 unique sounds, meticulously tailored so that nothing becomes annoying or stands out negatively, despite endless player repetition.
• The sounds of mundane actions (walking, opening doors) provide a believable sound bed; the special moments (power armor, weapons) stand out by contrast.
  • "We don't know how much it's going to happen. It's up to the player. The player has total freedom." — Mark Lampert (09:39)

4. Signature Technologies and Creatures

• Pip Boy: Built from real-world mechanical sounds, especially hard drive ticks, to evoke a tactile, analog gadget.
  • "A lot of the hard drive ticks that you hear... that's just an old 7200rpm hard drive booting up." — Mark Lampert (12:35)
• Power Armor: Transformed from an instant suit-up to a full vehicle-like entry process, with evolved sounds to match the new mechanics and add drama.
• Dogmeat: The beloved dog companion is voiced with authentic recordings of a designer’s German shepherd, River, capturing play, eating, and organic behavior (15:50).

5. Transition to Prestige Television

• In adapting Fallout for TV, the sound team (led by Sue Cahill and Daniel Coleman) faced the challenge of honoring iconic game sounds while elevating them for cinema.
  • "The overall sound was not in the sci-fi digital world. It was in the analog mechanical world." — Sue Cahill (21:27)
• The team referenced Bethesda’s original assets and even had a color-coded system to track which show sounds came from the game, were built new, or were temp (“offline”) placeholders (24:52).

6. Reimagining Creatures and Effects for TV

• Vault Door & Pip Boy: Small samples from games were referenced or sampled directly for authenticity; the Pip Boy in particular is “about 90% from the game” (24:26).
• Yao Guai (mutant bear) & Gulper (giant salamander): TV reimagining of creatures required nuanced differences and creative flexibility; Daniel Coleman was hired after demonstrating his range on these creatures (28:26).
• Collaborative spirit: multiple sound designers contributed, multiple design approaches combined, and even director Jonathan Nolan did throat gurgle performances for final versions!
  • "He's just practically eating the microphone, making all these throat gurgly sounds." — Daniel Coleman on Jonathan Nolan recording for the Gulper (33:27)

7. Iconic Character and Weapon Sounds

• Knight’s Power Armor Voice: Each line was custom-treated to calibrate comedic and menacing tones, especially for the helmet-off “reveal” (35:19).
• The Ghoul’s Gun: Started as a game-faithful shotgun, but evolved with creative liberty to an explosive “potato cannon” to fit the show’s unique needs (38:12, 39:43).
  • "It made this iconic sound that is very far away from anything that exists in the game." — Daniel Coleman (40:17)

8. Sound as Memory and Emotion

• Both game and show sound teams reflect on how small, authentic audio moments trigger “scent memory” and fan nostalgia (41:36).
  • "...A little through line for players who are going to instantly feel and recognize that familiarity, almost like a scent memory." — Mark Lampert (41:36)
• Daniel Coleman muses on how sound arose before images as storytelling’s primal vehicle:
  • "We get much more emotional content and sense of ourselves through sound than we ever do through visual media.” — Daniel Coleman (42:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It is really worth spending a lot of time on. Because if there is anything stand out about any of the individual samples that make up those footsteps... you’re going to hear it. Eventually.” — Mark Lampert (10:40)
• “The shortest path is the answer.” — Mark Lampert on recording creature sounds with the human voice, in both games and the TV show (34:57)
• “Stay close to this game sound... it’s really great to know, okay, we can experiment, we can go to extremes.” — Daniel Coleman (40:37)
• “It’s the fundamental part of storytelling ... we get much more emotional content and sense of ourselves through sound than we ever do through visual media.” — Daniel Coleman (42:08)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [03:08] — Mark Lampert recounts joining Bethesda and the bootstrapped start of Fallout sound.
• [08:41] — Designing sounds for Fallout’s analog technology.
• [10:14] — The work behind “mundane” game sounds.
• [12:35] — Creating the Pip Boy from real, old hardware sounds.
• [15:50] — Recording real dog River for Dogmeat’s sound.
• [21:22] — Sue Cahill on bringing Fallout’s analog soundscape to TV.
• [24:10] — Referencing and adapting iconic game assets for TV.
• [26:23] — Building the Yao Guai and Gulper for television.
• [33:27] — Director Jonathan Nolan provides creature vocalizations for the Gulper.
• [35:19] — Customizing the Knight’s power armor voice for humor and character.
• [38:12] — Crafting the Ghoul’s signature gun for TV.
• [41:36] — Mark Lampert on sonic nostalgia and memory.
• [42:08] — Daniel Coleman on sound as the primal form of storytelling.

Conclusion

This episode captures a vibrant, affectionate, and technical look behind two of the most ambitious soundscapes in entertainment—the Fallout games and the streaming television adaptation. Through candid interviews and deep dives into the creative workflow, listeners experience how authentic, analog, and lovingly detailed sound transforms post-apocalyptic fiction into a place that feels both familiar and unforgettable. The camaraderie between creators past and present, and their shared reverence for sound’s emotional and memeorial power, make this a must-listen for fans of Fallout, film, and the art of sound.