Back in 2022 we told you about composer and sound engineer Jordan Rannells’ amazing project – to create ‘an immersive audio soundscape‘ of music and ambient sounds, to be listened to whilst reading The Lord of the Rings.

For Tolkien Reading Day (March 25th) this year, Rannells teamed with the folks from ArdaCraft to create a live stream event, where parts of The Fellowship of the Ring were read over the corresponding chapters of Rannell’s A Long-Expected Soundscape.

The Towers Collection

Now, The Towers Collection (for The Two Towers) is available – and we have some promo codes for TORn’s followers! Read on below to find out more…

The Long-expected Soundscape is designed to be listened to whilst reading Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (and is timed specifically to sync up with the Andy Serkis audiobook recording). It is created with Dolby Atmos for full 3D immersion in headphones, and includes an original score, ambient nature and environment sounds, and designed and recorded sound effects. The soundtrack is downloadable at https://jordanrannells.com/ – and can also be accessed very easily through all usual podcast apps.

Ways to listen

Rannells suggests various ways to enjoy his creation:

1. Simply experience the atmosphere alone, without the books

2. While reading Tolkien’s works (yes you might read a bit faster, but all you have to do is wait and enjoy the music and sound effects for a bit until you hear the next significant sound or cue, and then keep reading)

3. Synced up (perfectly!) with Andy Serkis’ audiobook so you can enjoy them together (step by step process on how to do that on Discord)

4. Just as background for DnD, Lotro and so on…

Exclusive promo codes

If you’d like to get your hands on this wonderful soundscape, you can use the code TORN25 (for a discount on the whole collection), or TORN10 (for a discount on an individual book). These promo codes are good only until June 10th, so don’t delay!

Once you’ve experienced this beautiful aural world, you’re definitely going to want more! So you’ll be glad to know that Rannells has plans for The Hobbit and The Silmarillion soundscapes! He’ll be launching a Kickstarter for these, this coming December; if you’re interested in getting involved, and perhaps even having a small voice or performance role on one of those projects, join the Long-expected Discord. Happy listening!

Begun by The Tolkien Society in 2003, March 25th – the date of the downfall of Barad-dûr – is Tolkien Reading Day, a day to celebrate the works and worlds of the Professor. This year, something special is in the works, for your listening pleasure!

In May of last year, we let you know about an exciting project by composer and sound engineer Jordan Rannells. He is creating ‘an immersive audio soundscape‘ – music and ambient sounds to create a world around you, as you read The Lord of the Rings.

Tomorrow you can experience some of this incredible audio adventure. Rannells is joining with the folks from ArdaCraft to create a live stream event, where parts of The Fellowship of the Ring will be read over the corresponding chapters of Rannell’s A Long-Expected Soundscape. This 10-hour (or so!) stream will include guest readers from the Prancing Pony Podcast, James Tauber of the Digital Tolkien Project, and more – including TORn’s own staffer greendragon, who’ll pop in briefly early on in the proceedings! ArdaCraft will be providing the visuals.

The whole thing kicks off at 1pm EDT tomorrow, Saturday 25th March, and you can join the live stream here. The event will only be available live – you won’t be able to catch it later – but of course you can drop in and out as your day permits. Spend a little – or a lot! – of Reading Day immersed in Middle-earth, courtesy of these amazing, creative folks.

Watch the video below for a little more information about the event; then join the fun from 1pm EDT tomorrow.