Related link: http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/index.php
Searching for free sound samples online is a pain. Even when you find interesting stuff, it’s rarely clear whether it’s actually legitimate for use in music production. And until now, I knew of only one audio search engine that displayed waveforms of the sounds it found. With practice, you can often tell by looking at the waveform graphic whether the sound will be worth downloading to audition.
But now the Freesound Project, online since May, solves both of those sample-search problems. It displays waveforms, has a multi-parameter search engine, and licenses all of its sounds under a Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 license. That means you’re free to use the sounds, even in commercial music production, as long as you credit the source. You just can’t use them in advertising without obtaining permission from the source.
But because all site users (uploaders and downloaders) have to register, contacting the creator is simple. The database also keeps track of the specific files you download, so you can go back later if you need to negotiate usage rights for your jingle.
In addition to basic searches, you can also search for audio files that sound similar to or different from the current one. A forum lets users share recording tips and sample requests. And did I mention the cool preview interface? You see a colorized version of the waveform, along with Flash playback and looping buttons. Here is one result of my search for “forest”:
Because the search form takes a few moments to find, I’ve duplicated it here. Enter a word below to search for related sounds. The extended search form on the site provides many more options.
Where do you get your sounds?
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Audio
Comments (3)
Read More Entries by David Battino.
Awesome site, but
I just can't see myself reading COPYING files before I include a sound in my palette. The whole "libre music" concept seems half-baked to me; it was definitely not concocted by a sample-based producer.
Layering Tip
The FreeSound Project site also allows auditioning layers of sounds.
For example, let's say you are building a cityscape ambient background. Search on a keyword - such as "city" - and FreeSound will present a list based on your search criteria. From the list you can conveniently hear combinations of SFX by playing the sound and selecting the "loop" button for each SFX that you'd like to layer. Turn each sound off or on to hear layers.
It's not perfect - there are no volume adjustments and you cannot slip the start time for each sound. But, it will give you a quick idea of how well the combination works.
Speaking of Free Sounds. . .
I just ordered the Spectrasonics New Orleans Strut drum-loop library I mentioned in “Doing What You Can as a Digital Musician” (http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/7788). There’s some groovy stuff in there, in styles I wouldn’t have investigated if I hadn’t been seduced by the developer’s policy of giving 100 percent of the sales to charity.