We've had the ability to play K.K. Slider's music in our houses since the beginning, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons now offers the chance to turn your rooms into a "soundscape". If you've got a nautical-themed room, add the pleasant sounds of seagulls, or if you have a little café, add the bustle of people doing café things!
This feature existed in Happy Home Designer, where it was called "Sound Scenery", and included eight different options, many of which are returning:
But good news: There are more now!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise Soundscapes Guide
How do I unlock the Soundscapes ability?
After finishing 15 home designs, Lottie will inform you that Wardell is on a break — and that he's probably outside watching the ocean, as he usually does. Head to the back of the island to find him sitting on a log. Sit beside him, and he'll tell you about the ocean, and how peaceful it is to listen to the waves.
This will give you the idea to use soundscapes.
After decorating more houses, you'll unlock more soundscapes — Lottie will tell you that Wardell is outside again, and you'll have to chat with him to get inspired.
How do I use Soundscapes?
When decorating a house interior, open up the design menu by pressing left on the D-Pad, which will also let you change the lighting, room size, and windows.
You can then choose from a range of soundscapes to add to the general ambience of the room.
What does the Soundscapes feature do?
They add ambient noise — instead of music or silence, you can add the sound of the ocean, or an echo, or the sound of rain outside. They're useful for creating atmospheres in rooms that don't necessarily need music — or that need more than just music.
Can I use Soundscapes in my house?
Yes! Once the feature is unlocked, you can use it in your own house back on your island.
Can I use Soundscapes without buying the DLC?
No. The DLC is what unlocks the feature, sadly. However, if you bought the DLC through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, and then cancelled your subscription, you keep all features and furniture that you unlocked while playing the DLC, so you'll have soundscapes on your island still.
What are the Soundscape options?
There are 24 soundscapes in total, and you'll unlock them in waves as you decorate.
Wave One
None
The default silence.
Echo
Adds a spooky echo to the room, like you're in a cave.
Ocean
A gentle waves-lapping-on-the-shore noise, plus seagulls.
Fields
Sounds like a breeze rustling through a meadow. Birds chirping in the background.
Jungle
The noise of a rainforest, with exotic birds, cicadas, crickets, and frogs, layered over each other.
Wind
Wind howling through the trees.
Rain
The sound of a soft rain outside, accompanied by the drips of water off a gutter. Sounds more like rain outside the window than rain on the roof.
Space
A creepy sort of void-noise, like the background of a spaceship in a sci-fi film. Occasional spacey noises, like whoosh and sparkle, with unsettling thrumming. Hard to describe, really.
Wave Two
Park
Similar to Fields, with a light breeze through the trees, but with the addition of birds and children playing nearby.
City
A low hum of city noises, including the occasional car beep and bell ringing.
Chatter
Quiet café-type chat, like something you'd hear if you were in a classroom and everyone else in the hall is going to lunch.
Cheering
Cheers and clapping from a stadium of happy fans.
Construction
Pneumatic drills, but relatively low-key; more like a construction site that's a block down from your house.
Forest
A little more windy than Fields, with more tree-rustling in a lower timbre. A timber timbre, if you will.
Healing
Extremely gentle celestial sounds with a relaxing vibe. If you've been to a spa, it sounds like that.
Creaking
HauntedHouse.wav, basically. A general cavalcade of hinges and floorboards in need of some TLC.
Wave Three
Underwater
A bloopy underwater sound. Fish don't really make much noise, y'know?
Cave
Like echo, but with more ambient cavey noises, like dripping and
Storm
Like Rain, but more. Includes deep, far-off rumbles.
Rumbling
An unnerving low rumble, like a stampede or an earthquake.
Train
The sound of a train going relatively slowly past the house, with that distinctive ca-chunk-ca-chunk of wheels on tracks.
Factory
Conveyor belts and buzzing, like the hum of electronics and things that go "bzzzt" when something is faulty.
Alley
Ambient city noises at night, plus stray dogs howling.
Cyber
The kind of noises you'd expect when someone just entered a real-life video game in a movie, with all the techy-sounding zips and zaps, like listening to a dial-up modem noise sung by a robot.
There you go — that's how to find and use all 24 soundscapes in your homes.
This article is part of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons walkthrough, which includes a Complete Fish List, Complete Bug List and Complete Sea Creatures List. If you're looking for specific fish or bugs, we can tell you how to catch the elusive Coelacanth, Mahi-Mahi, Giant Trevally, Stringfish, Golden Trout and all the Sharks and Beetles, along with a full list of critters leaving at the end of the month (unless you visit Kapp'n's Boat Tour islands, of course!).
We can also help with How to Spot Redd's Fake Paintings and Statues, How to Make Bells Fast, How to Breed Flowers, How to Get more DIY Recipes, How to Upgrade Nook's Cranny, where and when to find special characters like Gulliver, Sable, Label, Wisp, Celeste, Pirate Gulliver and Jack, plus tips on using the Star Wand, Tool Ring, Rock Trick, Cutting Down and Moving Trees, using amiibo on Harv's Island, How to Back Up Your Island Data, How to Time Travel, How to Get a 5-Star Island Rating and a whole lot more.
If it's new content you're looking for help with, we can help you find gyroids, unlock Brewster's café, use the new Pro Camera App for selfies, enact new ordinances, get the beloved Froggy Chair, and even learn How to Cook.
And finally, Where to Buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch, if for some reason you haven't yet picked up the game, and How To Buy The Happy Home Paradise DLC, too!
Comments 1
I can almost hear them all, great explanation
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