# What are Your Favorite Reasonably Priced Sound Effects Companies and Why?



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 26, 2021)

Obviously, I know I can buy great stuff from pro companies like Boom. But I'm not a professional sound designer, just somebody who likes to horse around with FX in my YouTube videos and the short films I do for my own amusement. I make music with them occasionally.

I have collected a lot of sound effects over the years, both paid and free, and am considering a subscription to Soundly.com, just to make life easier.

I previously did a *thread about free sound FX sources**.* What do you recommend in the "don't break the bank" category?
For example, I love the GlitchMachines FX. They list outside my price range, but every now and then they are extremely discounted at PluginBoutique, and I pick up a few of them. 

I'm going to make some recommendations in a new video I'm working on, so I'd like to know your thoughts.

Finally, I include sound design/FX companies in my yearly *Tiger the Frog Black Friday post*, but I know I'm not getting them all. I'd like to improve my list.

Thanks!

Reid


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## doctoremmet (Feb 26, 2021)

EDIT: Sorry - I misread the question. My bad. Answer does not relate to the Q.

I want to recommend three developers here:

1. BABY Audio
Why? Very reasonable prices, and they do even better sales. Very original approach, their effects aim for very specific types of sound and coloration, and they do that well. SuperVHS... wow! Also, do not forget to grab their freebies.

2. Denise Audio
Why? Check Perfect Room and Perfect PlateXL. Then YOU tell me why. Just today they released a pretty interesting new “tonal” compressor. God Mode, Bad Tape. All brilliant.

3. Unfiltered Audio
Why? With PA vouchers and monthly (weekly...) sales nowadays their effects can be bought for very sharp prices. BYOME or TRIAD for 30 bucks?! Insane value. But frankly, SpecOps, Zip or Sandman Pro are equally “creative”. Also, they are always offering tons of semi-modular patching and modulation options.


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## Double Helix (Feb 26, 2021)

I will add to the doctor's recommendations the *Valhalla* family of plug-ins. Looks like they are all $50, even a couple for free. https://valhalladsp.com/


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## doctoremmet (Feb 26, 2021)

Double Helix said:


> I will add to the doctor's recommendations the *Valhalla* family of plug-ins. Looks like they are all $50, even a couple for free. https://valhalladsp.com/


Of course! Everyone owes it to themselves to have SuperMassive in their arsenal. It’s free! I also urge you to check this video on UberMod by Sami Rabia aka Aiyn Zahev:



Excellent suggestion.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 26, 2021)

Thanks, Doctor and Double.

To be clear: by sound effects I mean foley, recordings of environments, cartoon sounds, booms, whooshes. Audio files. The raw material that you can then process with plugins. Or not. Like me, you may just use the sound effects.

If you open the idea into all aspects of sound design, then you have to include every synth that is sold.


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## doctoremmet (Feb 26, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> Thanks, Doctor and Double.
> 
> To be clear: by sound effects I mean foley, recordings of environments, cartoon sounds, booms, whooshes. Audio files. The raw material that you can then process with plugins.
> 
> If you open the idea into sound design, then you have to include every synth that is sold.


Gotcha. Then I shall retract my two posts.


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## Rory (Feb 26, 2021)

I think that the main market for this is people making videos. At this point, I would tell someone who wants inexpensive sound effects to check out a subscription to a music service that also offers sound effects. A good example, popular among people who make YouTube videos, is Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/

In any event, if you're going to make a YouTube video on this subject, including Epidemic Sound and other services that are widely used by YouTubers is probably a good idea.

I'm not a fan of websites that offer free or cheap sound effects.The quality is very uneven, and it's a way to waste a lot of time. I think that one is better off going to a professional site and buying single effects as needed. It isn't that expensive. See, for example, Pro Sound Effects: https://www.prosoundeffects.com/

I see wooshes and similar effects as a special category. A package may make sense. YouTuber Alex Knickerbocker works in the film industry and offers these kinds of effects at attractive prices: https://www.alexknickerbocker.com/s/Shop


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## MisteR (Feb 26, 2021)

https://www.sound-ideas.com (they have occasional 50% off sales, especially around Black Friday)
https://hissandaroar.com/ (look for the Birthday Sale--August?)


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## NekujaK (Feb 26, 2021)

@TigerTheFrog Quite honestly, the sources you listed on your free thread are more than sufficient for most folks. Super high-end sound designers working on blockbuster films or massive video games will probably want to use premium sou nds, but included in that free list are plenty of high-quality sound FX appropriate for any professional level.

Sound FX are a funny thing. Unless you're regularly doing sound design or foley work, they only come into play occasionally. But even if you just use them once in a while, it's important to have a large selection to choose from, because for a sound effect to be effective (no pun intended) it should match the particular situation as closely as possible. So having a vast array of choices to browse through is crucial. And that's why I rarely pass up an opportunity to get my hands on freebie or low cost sounds.

But I digress... to answer your question more directly, here are some sources for sound FX that are priced fairly reasonably:

- *Zero-G*: they have quite a few sound FX samples spread throughout their various cinematic libraries.

- *Krotos*: their top end stuff is a little too pricey for me, but they're a company that focuses only on sound FX, with heavy emphasis on vocal-type sounds.

- *Omnisphere*: although most people don't necessarily think of synths for sound FX, a varsatile titan like Omnisphere actually offers a lot of useful sound FX among its patches.

- *SampleTraxx*: they primarily focus on cinematic FX.

- *KeepForest*: more cinematic FX.

These are what immediatley come to mind, but I'm certain there are many others out there...


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## MisteR (Feb 26, 2021)

Also: https://tonsturm.com


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## Pier (Feb 26, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> For example, I love the GlitchMachines FX. They list outside my price range, but every now and then they are extremely discounted at PluginBoutique, and I pick up a few of them.


Those are great.

I've bought some of their unprocessed recording libraries like Idiom for a couple of bucks on sale at PB.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 28, 2021)

Thank you everybody for your help. 

It's much appreciated and it's why I love this forum!


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## timprebble (Feb 28, 2021)

Sound FX and AMB Libraries:

I second Tonsturm, they do great work





Sound Effects and Software by Tonsturm


TONSTURM releases royalty free, high quality sound effect libraries and plug ins for film, game or advertisement sound designers.




tonsturm.com





Frank Bry (esp useful for gun nuts!)








Home - The Recordist


The Recordist produces high quality professional high definition sound effects for film, video, broadcast, video games and multimedia. We are one of the largest boutique sound effects providers and offer unique and hard to find audio assets.




therecordist.com





Rabbit Ears








Rabbit Ears Audio · High Resolution Sound Effects Collections


Rabbit Ears Audio aims to be a home for your “off the beaten path” sonic needs. We might also throw in some on the beaten path sounds too.




rabbitearsaudio.com





Paul Virosteks Airborne Sound:





Sound Effects Library | Airborne Sound


Sound effects libraries recorded with care, diligently mastered, and curated with care.




www.airbornesound.com





Pauls search engine for indie sound libraires:





Add a Sound Library


Do you have a sound library you'd like to share with others? Interested in listing it on this website? Enter the details below. We'll list your libraries on Sound Effects Search shortly after receiving your message. Note: this page is meant to list individual sound libraries. List your entire...




www.soundeffectssearch.com





with all companies websites listed, approx 100+





Find a Sound Library Website


Browse indie sound effect Web shops. Click site name links to visit each Web shop.




www.soundeffectssearch.com





Gearslutz thread of new indie releases I started a decade ago thats got 1600+ replies
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/post-production-forum/489796-new-sound-fx-library-releases-54.html
Reddit list of new releases etc





r/SFXLibraries


r/SFXLibraries: Sound Effects Libraries A subreddit for discussing SFX libraries, sound effect vendors, and sound effects for film, television, and …




www.reddit.com






BBC (check useage terms)








BBC Sound Effects


BBC Sound Effects




sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk





Then there are the companies/supermarkets who resell other peoples libraries:









Sounddogs


My Description




www.sounddogs.com




sounddogs are useful as they sell individual sounds,
which is more expensive but handy for a quick mix fix or one-off need etc









Home - We Sound Effects


Professional sound effects libraries for your film, game and multimedia projects.




wesoundeffects.com












A Sound Effect - The Place For Independent Sound Effects


Unique sound effect libraries from the world's best sound designers - preview, browse and get the sound effects you need.




www.asoundeffect.com









BOOM Library | Professional Sound Effects - Royalty-Free


Professional Sound Effects for Games, Trailers, Movies, TV-Shows and more. Recorded and edited by award-winning sound designers. Royalty-Free.




www.boomlibrary.com












Pro Sound Effects Library - Bring Your Ideas to Life with SFX


Find the sound you need now - 100% royalty free. Tell any story with professional sound effects libraries and software for all creators.




prosoundeffects.com





Also Freesound is useful but be aware of licensing requirements for any 'free' sounds
eg some freesound sounds require listing in the projects credits for use
which may or may not be appropriate.





Freesound - Freesound


Freesound: collaborative database of creative-commons licensed sound for musicians and sound lovers. Have you freed your sound today?




freesound.org






But the best sound library is your own personal recordings!
Every sound editor & sound designer should own a record kit,
that is where the best 'free' sounds come from, in front of your microphone...


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## wst3 (Mar 1, 2021)

I agree with many (most) of Tim's suggestions. I think it interesting that he left his own, excellent, collection off the list.

My list:
sound-ideas.com - this is where I started collecting SFX almost 30 years ago. Their catalog continues to grow, and I suspect there are very few sounds you can not find here. They are not free, or even cheap, but they do have sales from time to time.

These days I check out these four sites first. Actually, I am on their mailing lists, Tim offers most of his libraries at a discount when they are released, I've picked up quite a bit of interesting material that way.
hissandaroar.com
asoundeffect.com
airbornesound.com
therecordist.com

tonsturm.com & boomlibrary.com offer outstanding libraries! I don't own a bunch of them, but if I were just starting out I probably would.

A word about sounddogs.com - when they first arrived on the scene they were brilliant, they really shook up the scene. And they offer effects from all the big players as well as their own. I still go there if I need one or two very specific sounds, but their search engine is falling behind these days.

Happy Hunting! (And thanks for some new ideas @timprebble


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## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 1, 2021)

In my BF post this coming November, I'll have links to any of these sites above that have sales. I have not done a good job in this area in the past. 

My video is aimed mainly at YouTubers. It will only be about free and (some) cheap stuff that has no strings attached. Nothing that requires attribution or complex user requirements, beyond not allowing resale.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 1, 2021)

One more thing. If you sign up for the Boom or Krotos mailing list, you get free Sound FX every month. Are there any other companies that offer this? 

Thanks!


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## Kent (Mar 1, 2021)

I have yet to purchase this, but here is a recent discovery:

https://www.moonechoaudio.com/vintage-anime-sfx
seems to me they've *nailed* it.


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## timprebble (Mar 1, 2021)

Might I add, despite all of the vast collections listed in this thread, today I started work on a project and we need authentic regional natural ambiences from the island of Montserrat, and even finding good quality ambiences from Jamaica seems near impossible. Despite access to many terabytes of recording and hundreds of field recordists, there is always a need for more!



TigerTheFrog said:


> One more thing. If you sign up for the Boom or Krotos mailing list, you get free Sound FX every month. Are there any other companies that offer this?
> 
> Thanks!



Almost *every sound library company does exactly that* i.e. give away free sounds and/or discount codes via subscribing to their mail list. It is a standard way of building a mail list and I would be more surprised if a company didn't use such techniques.


I did the same at HISSandaROAR for the first few years, providing a free scaled down copy of each library as they were released, but I now take a more targeted approach rather than scattershot freebies. I send out 'early bird' discount codes for every new release, exclusive to the mail list and also eg have just finished a first call for a virtual artist residency, where people can pitch a project & resources that we can help with. It is specifically to encourage research, personal & non-commercial projects. But you wont hear about it at all (other than this now after its closed) without being on the mail list. We also gift a small free library at year end and have done so since we launched in 2010, but it is more to thank supporters rather than just a 'free for all'. All of these companies would not exist if 'free' was the only priority. It is also worth saying, every 'pro' sound designer was also a hobbyist at some point. I still use sounds I recorded back when I was an unemployed musician, pre film school. HISSandaROAR mail list is HERE


re your list of freebies, please do check that they include a EULA with useage rights listed. Free does not actually mean free sometimes... And license restrictions need to be kept with the files so that years later they aren't eg used on a commercial project (if that is explicitly disallowed, as many do)



Thanks for kind words too Bill - I do try not to overly promote my work, plus its in my sig  But I am also a consumer as well as a provider, and my motive for recording new sounds comes from 25 years of working on film and often struggling to find what I need.... or at least making note of what I need more variety of. That was one of the big changes the Internet brought - instead of libraries with only a few takes, we can now offer much broader options. Where this is very apparent is the development of cliches. For example there is a doppler horn in the Hollywood Edge CD libraries which became a cliche through over use & lack of options. That is exactly why I devoted a whole library to providing alternatives, so people can find a take that suits their project uniquely, rather than use the same old sound everyone has used... For many sound designers there are a long list of specific sound files to be avoided due to over use eg there is HE whistly wind that makes me cringe every time I hear it now etc...


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## timprebble (Mar 1, 2021)

Also maybe worthwhile thinking about how people work with sound libraries. Once you collect up & start to build your own sound library it soon becomes impractical to access & search it via a DAWs sound import browser. 
Most pro sound designers used Sound Miner or Basehead, which eg prescan folders & hard drives, building databases in the process and use a built in thesaurus, so searching for 'explosion' will also find 'bang' 'bomb' etc... They also allow you to spot directly to the timeline of your DAW, and do processing during transfer.

SoundMiner





Soundminer


Soundminer Asset Management System



store.soundminer.com





Bashead





BaseHead, LLC | Find Sh*t Fast!







baseheadinc.com





Sound Library audio should have metadata fields embedded in them, with more description, category tags etc... These library apps let you search those terms as well... While SoundMiner & Basehead may be too expensive for hobbyists etc there are also affordable alternatives that do a great job, Iced Audio AudioFinder would be a great example of this:

AUDIO FINDER


http://www.icedaudio.com


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## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 3, 2021)

There are tons of places to search for "free" sounds on the web, but nearly all of them require attribution or have licensing limitations, ie BBC. Some of them are "free" only if you don't use them on anything public. I know people don't pay attention to this stuff, but I will make an issue out of it in my video. Why worry about attribution if you can find what you need in one of the sites below. And if you can't, buy an effect. And if you're buying too much, get on a monthly plan.

The following four are the ones I plan to recommend as really being free in my video:

*FreeSound CC0* You must filter this library to only include the 240,000+ CC0 files that do not require any attribution. You can do that on the site, or you can use this link to do it directly

https://freesound.org/search/?g=1&q=&f= license:"Creative+Commons+0"

*Soundly* - A free membership gives you access to 2500 sounds, and the license is the same as a paid membership

*MixKit * Their license is very clear and if anything more open than some paid effects

*The YouTube Audio Library *Even though it's possible that YouTube will automatically place an attribution inside them (more likely with music) it's not something you have to worry about. I would just say YouTube only.

* They have a **YouTube Channel* for this, but the link they have there to download sounds doesn't work. To my knowledge, you can only access them from your YouTube account. (Red link at bottom)





https://getsoundly.com/
Am I missing anything?

I also am going to be listing a selection of free downloads, like *Soniss Game Audio*, and will not include anything where there is a posted limitation on commercial use or require attribution.

It's not really useful for me to tell amateur sound effect users that _everybody_ offers free samples with subscriptions, because there are so many developers. Personally I'm neither interested in signing up for too many--I get too many emails as it is. I will mention A Sound Effect, WeSoundEffects, Boom Library, and Krotos.

If you know that one of the other major developers or resellers does this, please let me know.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 3, 2021)

timprebble said:


> Also maybe worthwhile thinking about how people work with sound libraries. Once you collect up & start to build your own sound library it soon becomes impractical to access & search it via a DAWs sound import browser.
> Most pro sound designers used Sound Miner or Basehead, which eg prescan folders & hard drives, building databases in the process and use a built in thesaurus, so searching for 'explosion' will also find 'bang' 'bomb' etc... They also allow you to spot directly to the timeline of your DAW, and do processing during transfer.
> 
> SoundMiner
> ...


SoundMiner and Basehead are indeed expensive for amateurs I think. And Audio Finder is Mac only.

I think the free *ADSR Sample Manager* is quite useful for auditioning sounds and a certain amount of searching. It does show metadata. Obviously not on the level of the pro tools, but the price is right.



I like BOOM's *Soundweaver*, and will talk about it in a future video. It's a bit more expensive than the cheaper version of Basehead, but I like that it has a lot of easy to use features for stacking sounds. Sonokinetic's *Ibrido Zero* is also a nice tool for experimenting and combining samples after you have them.


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## X-Bassist (Mar 3, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> A Sound Effect


Asoundeffect.com is most of what I use. As I find bigger, more expensive libraries (including boom) tend to have a decent amount of “filler” (sounds you would rarely use but boost the volume size and price). I prefer smaller companies/designers who record for a film they are working on, then sell the recordings later. Those people are using the recordings themselves, so they work harder at getting usable material.

Before I start sound design on a film, I go through the on sale page of asoundeffect.com, then search for specific things I need, or grab things that are on deep discount (50-70% off) that I know I can use. So my library is about 400GB of just the stuff I really like and use. It does take listening to all the audio examples (I wish they had a walkthough of all the sounds), but most of the time the quality matches the examples without too much fill, and the price is much closer to earth.😄









A Sound Effect - The Place For Independent Sound Effects


Unique sound effect libraries from the world's best sound designers - preview, browse and get the sound effects you need.




www.asoundeffect.com





There are some duds, but after a little while of listening to examples you learn which developers are really sound designers and which ones are hacks. Then every once in a while you find gold for dirt cheap, like Text Robot for kontakt. Very cool for titles...









Textrobot | User interface Sound Effects Library | asoundeffect.com


165 User interface sound effects / recordings: TEXTROBOT is a NI Kontakt instrument designed to help you in the sound design of UI sounds and to produce retriggered samples for VFX text animations. All 165 sounds are easily accessible using a MIDI master keyboard from the first octave. You can...




www.asoundeffect.com


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## wst3 (Mar 4, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> <snip>
> Am I missing anything?
> <snip>
> If you know that one of the other major developers or resellers does this, please let me know.


While he isn't free,Tim P offers some of the best, and most creative sounds I've found anywhere. I know you like free, but I think people will be missing out if you don't mention HissandaRoar.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 4, 2021)

wst3 said:


> While he isn't free,Tim P offers some of the best, and most creative sounds I've found anywhere. I know you like free, but I think people will be missing out if you don't mention HissandaRoar.


The topic of the video is free sounds. This means free search and freebies.

Tim has announced on his site that he will be offering free sounds if you sign up. So I'll include that.
https://hissandaroar.com/v3/free-sounds/ 

I'll be doing more videos about sound effects, but not about buying sounds. This is a vast topic and one I know next to nothing about. I didn't even know enough to list the sites properly in my BF post.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 17, 2021)

Here's the video I did on places to search for free sound effects. Without question the best place to go is to Freesound.org with the Creative Commons 0 ("No Rights Reserved") filter Applied. You can either add that filter yourself, or get to it directly with this *LINK*. This gives you access to over 243,000 free sound effects available for commercial use without attribution.

​


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