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Free Sound Samples?
TwistedSquare asks: "I like to write small games from time to time, and have often wondered about adding sounds. Searching around on the internet, I can find loads of GPL sound libraries but no sound effects/samples that are both royalty-free and free (as in beer). Can anyone suggest how I could find such effects and does anyone else find it odd the contrast between the amount of GPL software and non-GPL-type items in areas such as sound effects?"
Use a microphone and an audio recording device.
To sample the sound of a person falling use a strategically placed bannana peel.
The sound of an automobile accident can be generated by using a wrench to unbolt a stop sign.
The sound of spectacular space battle explosion can be created by unplugging the microphone.
134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
I have sat through hours of DVD extras and have come to the conclusion that sound effects are done from scratch by sound gurus for every single movie. It's almost like professionals ALSO don't have a huge library to draw upon.
Ok, so maybe they don't do it from scratch every time, but they always talk about how they record everyday sounds and modify them, from swooshes for punching to clangs and ching sounds etc. I'm sure for a few dollars you can record your own high-quality sounds. Look at the "inside the matrix" DVD for one guy who describes the sound made by the keanu power-plant sphincter door (the one that keanu is 'flushed' through') as a 'choonk'ing sound comprising a heap of different sounds, everything from a tyre iron hitting an empty tire to a wet fish hitting a bench.
Try a search for 'foley' for a host of groovy techniques to make sounds.
/* affect != effect */ void affect(int *thing,int effect) { *thing += effect; }
(Responding to myself)
In case you need some ideas to get you started:
- Simple musical notes -- m(f) = sin(t/f) where f is the frequency. IIRC, 440hz = A natural below middle C, and you multiply by 2^(1/12) for every half-note higher.
- More realistic notes -- M(f) = (m(f) + c1*m(f*3/2) + c2*m(f*4/3) + c3*m(f*4/2)
... )*k1/(k1+t*k2), where the c's provide harmonics and the k's give a fade out.
- I'm sure a little googling will give even better formulas...
- White noise -- w = random
- Equipment -- w*c1*sin(t/f1) + w*c2*sin(t/f2)
..., where the c's & f's are used to modulate the white noise (because machines typically cycle)
- Rain -- w*w*w
- A waterfall -- c1*w + c2*w*w + c3*w*sin(t/f1+k*rand)
..., where you have 1) a steady roar, 2) some random splashes, 3) random, quasi-periodic fluctuation in flow, etc.
Heck,this could be more fun than writing the game!-- MarkusQ
Doing creative video production can be a lot like creating a game, and in this particular instance, what you're searching for is pre-made foley.
A lot of effects can be made simply by rubbing/banging objects together and then tweaking them, e.g., a grandfather clock is a piece of thick, taught cable hit lightly by a tire iron, slowed down 300%, and repeated. A sizeable personal effects library can be made by going around with even so much as a tape/MD recorder and a good mic just getting sounds from anywhere and everywhere. I'd recommend a boom mic if at all possible to prevent picking up background noise. But you might look a little weird doing it.
For "artificial" effects and maybe a little music, Korg's Electribe series of synths (EA-1 Analog Synth, ES-1 Sampler, ER-1 Rhythym Synth, EM[X]-1 "Music Production Stations" -- does all of the above to a limited extent) can provide endless resources, when properly played with, at least. I remember being in a crunch for a project and synthing out a perfect submarine "ping" in ten minutes on the ER-1. Obviously, more expensive synths will do more.
If you're really going for pre-made (despite my lectures to the contrary), try Opsounds -- Copyleft for audio. Make sure and contribute back, mmmk?
And of course, Sounddogs. The sounds (and even short-length compositions) are incredibly cheap -- we're talking $0.30-2.00 or so depending on length and license, high-quality, downloadable OR they can burn a CD and send it to you, and it's royalty-free forever at purchase. Considering they merely resell licensed effects, you'll probably find more than a few effects that you're trying to imitate in the first place.
http://www.flashkit.com -- there are tons of sound clips and music loops with various licenses. I think most (if not all) of them are available as MP3. A lot of them are available as free-with-credits, some are public domain, some have to be purchased.
Standing at the very edge of my imagination, I peered into the inky void and realised -- I couldn't think up a new sig.
Says their samples are 'copyright-free'.
URL: http://www.samplenet.co.uk/
lots of drums/synth stuff, but also an 'effects' section with odd noises. Use your favourite sound editor to tweak to your desire.
They used to have an FTP site where I would often 'mget' loads of wavs, but now it just seems to be http and mp3 files.... Maybe the FTP wavs are hidden away somewhere...
Baz
I just read an article about Creative Commons and how their license is all about creating this sort of thing. Their stuff seems to be the like GPL.
Anyway - found this site with lots of Creative Commons Licensed effects - most of which are professional quality as they were used on the author's radio program.
http://www.leoville.com/sfx.shtml