Free sound material: The treasure sound effects website Ive saved over the years

In the past few years of making videos, I have stepped on the sound effects trap a lot.

At the beginning, I used the next sound effect from the Internet. As a result, I received feedback from Party A that I received a copyright warning. At that time, the whole person was confused. Since then, I have become very cautious about the source of sound. Over the years, I have tried many websites one after another. Some of them have been used for a period of time, and some are still in my favorites. This article will sort out the really useful ones, all of which are actually used by themselves, and share some experience of stepping on pits by the way.

Let's start with the most important thing: Don't get away with copyright

To be honest, most people don't think about copyright issues when using sound effects, including me in the past. But copyright really cannot be sloppy:

• Sound effects taken from movies, games, and anime are infringed when used, without ambiguity.
• Many of the "free sound packages" searched for by Baidu are unknown and feel uneasy after using them
• Platforms such as YouTube and B all have copyright testing, which can be removed from the shelves at the light point or points deducted at the serious point.

So what sound effects can I use with confidence? About these:

• CC0 agreement: It's equivalent to giving up copyright and just taking it and using it without even using a signature
• CC BY agreement: It can be used for free, but it is best to indicate the source
• The website clearly states "free commercial": read the terms clearly and confirm that there are no additional conditions
• Recorded by yourself: It's the safest thing. You can even record the sound of a door closing on the street

Don't touch trial versions of unknown sources that read "For Learning Only" or stolen from paid websites. The money saved is far less than the cost of a copyright dispute.

website recommendation

Freesound

I have recommended this website on many occasions for the simple reason: it is really easy to use.

Freesound is the largest sound community in the world. To put it bluntly, it is a place where everyone contributes sound. There are basically all types of sounds you can think of-natural environment, daily life, technological electronics, human voices, animals, transportation. The classification and labeling are all very detailed, and the search supports English keywords, so things can be found quickly.

The website has a rating and comment system, so there is not much junk content. You can try it first before downloading and choose the one with good quality. Most of the sound effects are licensed by CC0 or CC BY, so just pay attention to it when using it.

There are no restrictions on downloading after registering an account. The only minor drawback is that there are many types of copyright. The authorizations for different sound effects on the same website are different. You have to confirm them one by one before using them. But for most daily needs, this is basically your first stop.

Zapsplat

If Freesound is "big and comprehensive", then Zapsplat is "fine and good."

Many of the sound effects on this website were recorded by professional sound engineers, and the sound quality can really be heard differently. Especially the Foley sound effects (that is, the sound of footsteps, the friction of clothes, the opening and closing of doors, etc.) are used on this directly to a higher level of texture. There are also some transition sound effects, Logo sound effects, and atmosphere sounds that have a strong cinematic feel, which are particularly effective when making Short Video or short films.

Free users can download 10 sound effects per day. To be honest, most people use 10 a day every day, and it's not like they're doing large-scale projects every day. If you happen to have a lot of sound needs or need more professional licensing, you can also consider paying-but the free version is really not shabby.

YouTube Audio Library

People who make videos must know this. It is simply a reassurance.

The YouTube Audio Library is in YouTube Studio, and you can find the "Sound Effects" tab by clicking on the left menu. The sound effects and background music inside are all officially provided by YouTube, and are 100% copyright-free. They can be directly used for commercial projects and monetization (making money through videos). The most critical point: using it will not be misjudged as infringement by the Content ID detection system.

Its shortcomings are also obvious-it has relatively few resources, with more than a thousand sound effects and music. But the categories you commonly use are basically covered: natural sound effects, daily sound effects, technological sound effects, human voices, transition sound effects, etc. Moreover, there is Chinese on the interface, so the operator does not need to register any additional accounts.

If you want to post your work on YouTube or B, the sound effects here are the most worry-free choice.

Sound Effect Network (Domestic)

This domestic website is very convenient when English is not very good or you just want to quickly find a common sound effect.

The classification is very down-to-earth. The major categories such as nature, animals, life, transportation, and machinery are clear at a glance. Just click on them and find them. Domestic servers have fast download speeds, and most of them can be downloaded directly without registering.

However, there is one thing to note: the quality of resources on the Sound Effect Network is uneven, and the authorization information is sometimes not clearly marked. When using it, be sure to pay attention to whether there is a "free commercial" label. It is best not to touch anything that is not marked. It's good to use it as an alternative library, but the main sources still recommend using the above ones.

SoundBible

An old free sound website is still being maintained.

There are not many sound effects on SoundBible, but the advantage is that almost all of them are CC0 protocols. This means that you can download it and use it directly without having to worry about signing at all. Common basic sound effects-bird chirping, thunderstorm, clocks, switches, footsteps-are all available here, and it is very convenient to search and audition, so you don't have to register to download directly.

Its style is a bit like a "boutique store", with a small quantity but reliable food. If you just want to find a few commonly used sound effects and don't want to read the license terms one by one, come here to worry about peace of mind.

Free SFX

This website has a large amount of resources, and the categories are particularly detailed-it is said that there are more than 2,000 categories, and you may find any wonderful sound effects.

One of the more distinctive features is that it can be packaged and downloaded according to categories. A set of UI sound effects and a set of environmental sound effects can be taken away directly from the entire package, saving the cost of each point. There are a lot of movie-style sound effects inside, which is very useful to check through when making trailers or needing a movie feel.

It is free for commercial use and has no psychological burden to use. However, we should also pay attention, because the quantity is large and the quality is not completely consistent, so listen to it more when selecting it.

99Sounds

Unlike several other websites, 99Sounds focuses not on scattered sound effects, but on "sound packages."

Each sound package has a specific theme, such as a movie trailer sound package, a science fiction atmosphere sound package, a game UI sound package, and a percussion sound package. Completed by professional producers, these sound packages are the highest of all the websites listed here in terms of style and quality. You download a sound package. All the sound effects in it are consistent in tone, style, and volume, and are particularly harmonious when used in the same project.

All free commercial. If you are working on a project with a relatively uniform style (such as indie games, animated short films), just grab a sound package and use it directly. It is very efficient and you don't have to spend your own time unifying the style.

By the way: Record your own voice

This is not a website recommendation, but it is indeed the most underestimated "sound source."

The mobile phone records the sound of closing the door, kneading the paper, and pressing the ballpoint pen. Import it into it, cut it, and stack it and change it. It will be a unique sound effect. Especially for those very specific sound effects that correspond one-to-one to your picture (such as collisions of specific materials, echoes in specific spaces), it is difficult to find a complete match on the Internet, and recording it yourself is faster.

Moreover, the copyright of the sound effects recorded by yourself belongs to you 100% and you use them most solidly.

How to choose different needs

In fact, which website you choose depends on what you are doing:

Short Video, Vlog: Use the YouTube audio library first to save trouble and avoid trouble. If you want high-quality transition sounds and atmosphere sounds, go to Zapsplat to pick up a few.

Independent game development: 99Sounds 'sound package is the first choice and has a unified style. Scattered UI sound effects and special effects sounds can be combined with Freesound.

Movies, micro-movies: Foley's imitation sounds go to Zapsplat, special scene sounds go to Freesound, and you can also try 99Sounds for the environmental atmosphere.

PPT, presentation: Just find a few of them in the YouTube audio library or sound effects network. After all, they are auxiliary use and there is no need to seek extremely high picture quality.

APP, Mini programs: Standard UI operation sound effects, 99Sounds 'UI sound package is very easy to use. Use SoundBible to add several small sound effects for CC0.

A few practical tips

Use English keywords to search for sound effects. Except for the Sound Effect website, the other websites are all English websites, and the English keywords found are more accurate. Don't be afraid of poor English. There are actually only a few keywords for sound effects: click, whoosh, transition, impact, ambient, etc. You will remember them if you use them too much.

Volume is more important than the sound itself. Many people choose good sound effects, but the sound is too loud or too low, which ruins the picture. Good sound effects should be "inaudible but feel", and the volume will not be obtrusive or steal the scene after mixing in. When stacking, the frequencies between the tracks should be staggered, so don't squeeze into each other.

Better be young than abusive. The most common mistake that novices make is to abuse sound effects. Everything in the picture will "Ding" when it moves, which is very noisy and cheap. Blank space itself is a sound design. The sound effects just need to be "finishing touch", not the more the better.

Use the same sound effects for the same project. Choose sound effects from a website or a sound package. They are naturally consistent in sound quality, style, and volume, and will not be inconsistent when put together. It's easy to sound like "pieced together."

Sound processing tool

After getting the sound effects, you usually need to deal with them briefly. The most commonly used scenes are: cutting heads and tails, noise reduction, adjusting volume, and fading in and out.

Audacity is my most recommended free tool. It is open source, fully functional, and has many tutorials. Basic operations such as noise reduction, EQ, and volume standardization are all quick to start.

If you want to process quickly online and don't want to install software, you can try AudioMass, which can be used directly in the browser and supports basic cutting and volume adjustment.

Adobe Audition is the industry standard for professional projects, but it is overkill for most people, and there is no need to install it specifically for this purpose.

last

The sound effects have gone from "don't care" to "be a little more careful", and the improvement of the texture of the work is visible to the naked eye.

Instead of collecting all the above websites at once, use Freesound and YouTube Audio Library first. The former has the most complete resources, while the latter has the most secure copyright. Wait until you have specific needs, and then find the corresponding website according to the directions mentioned above.

The most important thing is still the sentence: read clearly the authorization before using it, and don't take chances. What is saved is not money, but possible big trouble in the future.