The water sounds on this site and on our YouTube channel come from one mountain range: the Ile Alatau, also called the Trans-Ili or Zailiysky Alatau. It is the northernmost range of the Tian Shan, and the city of Almaty sits right at its foot. This page explains where and how we record.
Session details
| Range | Ile Alatau, Northern Tian Shan |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Almaty, Kazakhstan |
| Altitude | ≈ 1,500 m |
| Season | Spring 2026 |
| Audio | Zoom H5 handheld recorder |
| Format | WAV · 48 kHz · 24-bit |
| Video | iPhone 16 Pro, 4K |
The range
The Ile Alatau runs east to west for roughly 300 kilometres along the southern edge of Almaty. Its highest point, Talgar Peak, rises to about 4,973 m. Above the city there are hundreds of small glaciers, and their meltwater feeds the streams and rivers that cut down through the forested foothills.
We record around 1,500 m, in the foothill belt where the valleys narrow and the slopes are covered with spruce and broadleaf trees. At this height the water has already gathered into steady streams, but the valleys are still close enough to reach in a day trip.
Why spring
In spring, melting snow from higher up keeps the streams full and moving. A full stream breaks over rocks into a dense, even hiss. In late summer and autumn the same streams drop, and the sound becomes thinner and more uneven, with individual drips and splashes that are harder to sleep to.
How we pick a spot
Most of the work happens before the recorder starts. We look for three things:
- No traffic. Roads follow most valleys, so we walk far enough upstream that engine noise disappears. We record on weekdays, when the trails are empty.
- Even water. A stream that breaks into fine foam sounds steady. A single waterfall or a stone that knocks in the current adds impacts that ruin a sleep track.
- Distance from the water. Too close and the recorder hears every splash. A few metres back, the sound blends into one smooth layer.
We also learned not to judge a spot by how it looks. One stream that looked like a noisy cascade turned out to be the steadiest recording we have. Every recording is measured before we use it, and some, like dawn birdsong, do not pass.
Recording setup
Audio is recorded on a Zoom H5. We aim for a level high enough to keep the recorder's own hiss far below the sound of the water. Each take runs about 20 minutes or more, so a long sleep track needs as few loop repeats as possible. Video is filmed separately on an iPhone 16 Pro in 4K for our visual channel.
Behind the recording
A short clip from one of our sessions in the Ile Alatau: setting up the recorder by the water before a long take.
Listen
Recordings for creators
We are preparing packs of unpublished Ile Alatau recordings as clean 48 kHz / 24-bit WAV files for games, films and apps. They will use material that does not appear on our channels, so your project will not sound like a YouTube video.