Krotos

Krotos built its name on high quality sound and tools for sound designers and creatives.
When the team launched Krotos Studio, a new subscription app, the challenge was to grow that library fast without losing what made it valuable: sound captured with care, from real environments and real designers, made accessible to every kind of creator, from veteran sound designers to complete newcomers.

Summary

Role

Sound Designer

Team

Jemma Hayman, Brand Direction
Matthew Collings, Head of Product
Pierre Griscelli, Sound Designer

Timeline

March 2023 - Present

Create the perfect sound in just a few clicks

Create the perfect sound in just a few clicks

One sound source becomes thousands of variations, depending on how you move, click, or drag.

One sound source becomes thousands of variations, depending on how you move, click, or drag.

Try it out below.

Try it out below.

Squelch Mode: Activated

Squelch Mode: Activated

Squelch Mode: Activated

Controlling the ooze, one gross detail at a time.

Controlling the ooze, one gross detail at a time.

Wham! Bam! Foley Slam!

Wham! Bam! Foley Slam!

Wham! Bam! Foley Slam!

Where sound hits hard.

Where sound hits hard.

Galactic Gear, Custom Made

Galactic Gear, Custom Made

Galactic Gear, Custom Made

Designing sci-fi arsenal worthy of a galaxy far, far away.

Designing sci-fi arsenal worthy of a galaxy far, far away.

Bake It Till You Make It

Bake It Till You Make It

Bake It Till You Make It

Cooking up rich, real sounds from the kitchen.

Cooking up rich, real sounds from the kitchen.

Trusted by

Trusted by

Trusted by

Design any sound you can imagine.

Design any sound you can imagine.

Design any sound you can imagine.

Complete, versatile and powerful.

Complete, versatile and powerful.

The project at hand

Krotos' vision was to open up high-quality, interactive sound design to every kind of creator, without losing the authenticity that real recordings bring.

Krotos' vision was to open up high-quality, interactive sound design to every kind of creator, without losing the authenticity that real recordings bring.

Krotos Studio became the tool to do that: giving creatives of all backgrounds the resources to shape their own projects, without the traditional barriers of costly software or specialist training.

Behind every preset sits a commitment to real-world sound. We expanded the library to cover a huge range of use cases, built from professionally recorded, performable audio not synthetic shortcuts.

Krotos Studio became the tool to do that: giving creatives of all backgrounds the resources to shape their own projects, without the traditional barriers of costly software or specialist training.

Behind every preset sits a commitment to real-world sound. We expanded the library to cover a huge range of use cases, built from professionally recorded, performable audio not synthetic shortcuts.

The direction was clear: inspire, enable, and elevate every creator, while protecting the integrity and origin of every sound in the library.

The direction was clear: inspire, enable, and elevate every creator, while protecting the integrity and origin of every sound in the library.

Preset planning

In every release, my aim was to sharpen the experience.
Flexibility, usability and efficiency, giving users the power to shape sound in real time.

Each content pack was built around a theme and a UCS category. I researched trends, analysed the most-used categories, and mapped out a monthly release plan that balanced creative vision with technical priorities. Keeping each month thematic also meant tighter alignment with marketing, for sharper, more focused releases.

The image featured at the top of the about us page #2
The image featured at the top of the about us page #2
The image featured at the top of the about us page #2
The image featured at the top of the about us page #2
The image featured at the top of the about us page #2
The image featured at the top of the about us page #2
The image featured at the top of the about us page #2
The image featured at the top of the about us page #2

AI ambience generator

As a sound designer on the AI Ambience Generator, the first tool of its kind, I played a central role in shaping how AI and real-world sound recordings come together to serve creativity, not replace it.

Built into Krotos Studio, this tool lets users describe a scene with text or an image, and hear it come together instantly built entirely from real recordings. The engine searches our library in real time and assembles matching sounds into personalised, project-ready ambience that adapts and evolves as the user works, all rendered locally in high-quality audio.

My contribution went far beyond supplying sounds. I rethought the entire recording process from the ground up. Because each ambience is assembled from isolated layers, I needed to record individual components, wind through trees, birdsong, flowing water, insect chatter, as building blocks. This gave the engine real, recorded material to search, mix, and respond to user input with, enabling endless possibilities for unique soundscapes.

Every sound was captured by our team, and the engine works exclusively from our own library.
That meant no synthetic shortcuts just expertly recorded, real-world audio crafted with care and intention. This approach guaranteed both the sonic integrity of each ambience and the creative freedom of the user.

Our aim?

Our aim?

Type it.

Type it.

Hear it.

Hear it.

Shape it.

Shape it.

I'm proud to have helped make that possible. This project sits at a new frontier for sound design, one where the foundation is real recordings, made with precision and intent, and where the tools built on top of them still care for the sound recordists and creative communities behind every sample.

Goals

It was about more than sound. It was about building a platform that empowered creators while helping shape Krotos' identity as a bold, accessible, and future-facing leader in sound design.

01

The sound of Innovation

Craft a distinctive sonic identity that captures Krotos' innovation and energy.

02

Expanding the library

Develop a consistently expanding, UCS-mapped sound library with ongoing value to subscribers, strengthening platform loyalty.

03

Where real sound meets AI

Use AI to help organise and connect real recordings, not to generate or replace them.

My goal was to design presets that empowered every kind of creator - filmmakers, game devs, content creators, not just sound designers, giving them a fast route to immersive, professional-grade soundscapes. The team's focus stayed on user-driven creativity: sound packs that solved real problems while leaving room to explore.

Premium field recordings were the foundation. I combined them with smart, optimised controls to build libraries with genuine realism and depth, across games, film, and virtual environments.
Every preset had to be flexible, easy to use, and worth the download, so users got great results with a minimal learning curve, all built on sound that was actually recorded, not synthesised.

The key challenges

Build a diverse range of high-quality sound presets across multiple UCS categories, fast enough to keep users engaged.

Help shape new product features and interactions, expanding what the Krotos software could do.

Protect the role of human creativity. Addressing a real fear in the industry that AI would replace sound recordists and designers.

Our answer: use these tools to make sound creation faster and easier, while giving users the reassurance that every sound still pulls from real recordings, made by real people, in real places.

Final outcomes

Sound stopped being a fixed asset and became something living and responsive.

Through Krotos Studio, I helped build a sound library that's responsive, intuitive, and rooted entirely in real recordings, giving users more creative freedom without ever compromising authenticity. Field recording technique sat right alongside AI-assisted workflows, but the AI's job was always to help connect and shape sound, not create it. That combination broke down real barriers in sound design, putting genuine, high-quality audio in more hands than ever.

This project also shifted my own practice. Moving from static audio to interactive, responsive assets meant rethinking every stage of my process, how I record, how I edit, and how sound gets triggered and layered by someone else, in real time.

Hearing my recordings turn up in games, films, and most recently Netflix's The Four Seasons has been a career highlight. It's proof that recording real sound, and building thoughtful tools around it, has genuine impact, and a reminder that protecting the source material matters as much as the technology built on top of it.

Chances are, you've probably heard Krotos sounds in some of your favourite TV, movies and games

Chances are, you've probably heard Krotos sounds in some of your favourite TV, movies and games

Chances are, you've probably heard Krotos sounds in some of your favourite TV, movies and games

NAB

NAB

Award 2024

Award 2024

4.5

4.5

USER RATING

USER RATING

6.11M

6.11M

sounds created so far

sounds created so far

400+

400+

customisable presets

customisable presets

The image featured in the middle of the about us page

Impact

Krotos Studio marked a shift in how creators approach sound design, putting flexibility, speed, and creative control into the hands of users at every level, without losing sight of where the sound actually comes from.

The packs and presets I helped design became central to that experience: high-quality, interactive tools built from real recordings, used everywhere from indie studios to Apple, Disney, and Warner Brothers.

Along the way, I rethought how sound gets created, used, and experienced, isolating real recordings into elements for interactivity, then letting AI help organise and connect them into something new. The result was a platform that didn't just streamline production, it kept the human, recorded source material at the centre of the process.

Sound design shouldn't be a luxury, and it shouldn't lose its roots either. With 400+ presets behind me, all built on real recordings, I'm helping creators work faster, think freer, and keep pushing the boundaries of sound, together.

Molly is an exceptional Sound Designer whose craft spans from intricate, expressive Foley to bold, cinematic soundscapes that shake the room and transport audiences. She has also led the audio direction for organic marketing content, always ensuring that each project feels fresh, distinctive, and true to its vision.
But her talent is only part of what makes her stand out. She brings strong leadership and organisation skills while remaining one of the warmest and kindest people you could have on a team. Molly is a breath of fresh air; honest, humble, hardworking and above all, a genuinley kind person.

Molly is an exceptional Sound Designer whose craft spans from intricate, expressive Foley to bold, cinematic soundscapes that shake the room and transport audiences. She has also led the audio direction for organic marketing content, always ensuring that each project feels fresh, distinctive, and true to its vision.
But her talent is only part of what makes her stand out. She brings strong leadership and organisation skills while remaining one of the warmest and kindest people you could have on a team. Molly is a breath of fresh air; honest, humble, hardworking and above all, a genuinley kind person.

Molly is an exceptional Sound Designer whose craft spans from intricate, expressive Foley to bold, cinematic soundscapes that shake the room and transport audiences. She has also led the audio direction for organic marketing content, always ensuring that each project feels fresh, distinctive, and true to its vision.
But her talent is only part of what makes her stand out. She brings strong leadership and organisation skills while remaining one of the warmest and kindest people you could have on a team. Molly is a breath of fresh air; honest, humble, hardworking and above all, a genuinley kind person.

Jemma Hayman - Brand Direction

My story

Curious to learn about me as a creative and the person behind the sound?