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Sounds For Open Source Projects?

Posted by Cliff on from the bloop-beep-boop-bewm dept.

wmulvihillDxR asks: "In searching for more fun games to play on Linux, I have found that many developing projects need sounds for their games. FreeCiv and FreeCraft are two big projects that are definitely in need of sounds. My question is what can be done to help sounds become easier to integrate into games or programs? Are there 'Sound Archives' around that are free to use for anyone?"

14 comments

  1. Here's a sound you'll need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    No free-software game would be complete without this sound included somewhere as an easter egg or something.

    1. Re:Here's a sound you'll need by leo.p · · Score: 1

      Is that the same as why cooperation with RMS is impossible?

  2. Re:Making sounds isn't that hard... by cr0sh · · Score: 2

    Well, usually, those two are mutually exclusive - but sometimes you might take two samples, speed one up, slow one down, mix them, then adjust the speed until it sounds just right. This "blending" process is just like mixing paint - there is a lot of steps to go through until it comes out just right - you can't simply say "I need that sound at that speed, this one at this speed - and when I mix them together, what I get will be what I want". It just doesn't work that way.

    Worldcom - Generation Duh!

    --
    Reason is the Path to God - Anon
  3. Making sounds isn't that hard... by cr0sh · · Score: 3

    I made sounds for a game I created several years back - it just isn't that hard. Most of the sounds I created with my mouth alone. Some sounds were mixed, reversed, sped up or slowed down - sometimes all forms were used.

    When I am out and about, I try to listen for cool sounds, or sound locations - where I might be able to get a sound I couldn't get otherwise (one of the labs at MetroTech here in Phoenix has an air conditioner that rumbles like you wouldn't believe - the sound would be perfect for a background ambient loop for corridors in, say, a starship).

    The majority of sounds can be had for free - just go and get a good cassette deck, and a good microphone, and have some fun (BTW - try using other things instead of a microphone, like wiring a speaker in reverse - also, remember to use 60Hz hum to your advantage - near a motor, things can get wacky - like a fan).

    Getting sounds is the easy part - it's knowing when and where to integrate them into the game that is tough...

    Worldcom - Generation Duh!

    --
    Reason is the Path to God - Anon
    1. Re:Making sounds isn't that hard... by cheeserd00d · · Score: 1

      Some sounds were mixed, reversed, sped up or slowed down - sometimes all forms were used.

      Just out of curiosity, why exactly would you speed up AND slow down a sound? Wouldn't it defeat the purpose?

      --
      Two wrongs don't make a right, three lefts do!
  4. Gnome Sound Project by Zeni · · Score: 2


    This project slowed down over the Holidays, but it is still going. And it needs more people. A website was made, but it hasn't gotten put up yet.

    http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-sound-list/ in dex.html

    I hope to make a release in a few days.

  5. Re:dmoz knows by po_boy · · Score: 2
    then you're gonna blow your wad when you see this.

    Plus, it was in a front page story.

    I have seen a +5 FP before, but I just can't find it now.

  6. dmoz knows by po_boy · · Score: 3

    yes

    1. Re:dmoz knows by heytal · · Score: 1

      Oh man...

      The first FP that i've ever seen moderated up to 3 !!!

      congratulations..

      Moderators: Score: 3, Informative ;-)

  7. Sound Sample CDs by Tober · · Score: 1

    I have seen royalty-free sample-cds at clearance houses every once in a while.

  8. Lots of stuff... by gtada · · Score: 2

    At Flashkit. It's meant to be a resource for Flash users, but of course you can use the free sounds and loops for your own maniacal projects. ;)

  9. Sound production by theglassishalf · · Score: 3
    I don't know about standing, free librarys. I do know, however, that with a little bit of creativity, you can create almost any sound. For instance, if you place a Mic inside a paper bag and crush the bag, just by turning up the treble, it sounds just like a 2x4 being smashed over someone's back. (I did that for a video a few years ago.) Sound is so easy to create via Foly effects, it seems a waste to worry about finding an already existing library.

    Maybe what is needed is a "creativity exchange". Is there a site where open-source projects can submit requests for sound effects or artwork that is better handled by creative types? I have always been a beleave in the open-source/free software movement, but have never known how to contribute because I am not a coder. Does anyone know if this site exists? Someone want to start one and let me (us) know?

    -Daniel

    --
    Ownyourphone.com. Custom ringtones, cheap and easy
    1. Re:Sound production by rorlach · · Score: 1

      Yes, I do. As I'm interested in game coding (as a hobby) and do a lot of html / db coding (as a business) I plan to launch a site. At the moment I just neither have a name nor a couple of fellows for that project to lift off...

      --
      Don
  10. Remember Myst? by SanLouBlues · · Score: 1

    The guys who made that game were just totally ingenious when it came to sounds. Who in their right minds would think that blowing air out of a hose into a toilet would be a cool sound effect? People should make their own sounds, it can be a lot more rewarding and fun.