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Newest sound effects libraries • Overall most popular sound effects libraries • Search for SFX
More sound design resources:
Books about sound design • Podcasts about sound design • Audio events • Sound design jobs • Find sound designers • Showcase your audio skills • Sound design on social media • Branching out: Free 60+ page guide: How to succeed in 18 types of audio jobs
Sound design guides and resources:
10 Second Technique: Tips to Improve Your Sound Design by Barney Oram
Sound designer Barney Oram shares the 10-second technique he uses to improve his sound design skills:
5 surprising sound sources for interesting sci-fi engine sound design – by Paul Stoughton:
Paul Stoughton shares some of the surprising sound sources for his Advanced Propulsion sci-fi library:
5 Useful Tips for Upcoming Sound Designers and Sound Editors
Sound designer Philip Moroz shares five useful tips for those of you just starting out as sound designers and sound editors (+ includes three bonus reads):
Charles Maynes’ 10 Inspiring Notions For Great Sound DesignSound designer Charles Maynes has worked on blockbusters like Spider-Man, Total Recall, After Earth and many more – and here are his 10 essential notions for great sound design
Creative Sound Design: When Glitches Are A Good Thing
Sound designer Stuart Keenan introduces the concept of Databending, a creative way of getting some unique new sounds
Defining Your Creative Goals with Audio Storyboards:
Bryan Higa shares inspiring insights on how to use audio storyboards in your creative process:
Designing The Sound Of Sports
The sound of sports is a much more designed experience than most people think. Find out what goes on behind the scenes:
How Darren Blondin takes sound to the next level – with sonic contraptions, experiments and custom tools:
Sound designer Darren Blondin shares his unique and inspiring approach to sound design:
How to be a successful sound designer – exclusive video featuring Scott Gershin:
Veteran sound designer Scott Gershin shares his insights on what it takes to succeed in sound design:
How to create horror sound effects that are truly scary (and gory!)
Find out how to create your own horror sounds, brutal gore sound effects, scary ambiences and ghoulish monster vocalizations in this exclusive guide:
How to create impressive fire and ice magic sound effects
Learn about tools, techniques – and surprising props – for creating magic sounds in this in-depth video tutorial:
How to create sound for commercials – insights from an award-winning sound team:
Discover how the team at Factory Studios creates their critically-acclaimed sound work:
How to Design Awe-Inspiring Robot & Mech Sound Effects
Learn how to create robot and mech sound effects – and get 22 free SFX in the process:
How to Design Fierce Creature Vocals
Chase Steele returns with an excellent new tutorial on creature vocalizations (and he throws in 26 free sound effects for you too as a bonus!):
How To Design Futuristic Vehicle Sound Effects
Sound Spark’s Chase Steele shares his approaches and ideas for designing futuristic vehicle sound effects:
How To Design Stellar Spaceship Sound Effects – an Essential Sci-Fi Sound Design Guide:
Find out how to create fantastic spaceship sound effects in this special, in-depth guide – complete with examples, free sounds to design from and much more:
How To Design Superb Sci-Fi UI Sound Effects:
Discover the key to excellent Sci-Fi UI sounds in this guide by Ruslan Nesteruk – with additional insights from veteran sound designers Mark Camperell, Jason Cushing and Ivo Ivanov:
How To Design Supreme Sci-Fi Weapon Sound Effects:
How do you design awe-inspiring sci-fi weapon sound effects? This in-depth sound design guide will show you how:
How to get (much!) more out of your existing sound design projects
Useful tips, tricks and approaches for reinventing your existing content to strengthen your sonic arsenal:
Inside the Creative Mind of Documentary Sound Designer Peter Albrechtsen
Check out this talk with inspiring documentary sound designer Peter Albrechtsen:
Make the most of NUENDO as a sound design tool – an in-depth guide:
Make the most of NUENDO as a sound design tool – an in-depth guide:
Make the most of REAPER as a sound design tool – part 2: Workflow
Find out how to get the optimal workflow in REAPER, in this new guide by Anne-Sophie Mongeau:
Make the most of REAPER as a sound design tool – part 1: Getting Started
Learn how to get started with REAPER for sound design, in this special guide by Anne-Sophie Mongeau:
Randy Thom, On Being Creative:
Film sound legend Randy Thom on the creative process, inspiration, discovery – and what sound design is all about:
Randy Thom: Designing A Movie For Sound
Here’s Academy award-winning sound designer Randy Thom’s insightful plea for sound to be taken as seriously as visuals in film storytelling:
Recording and Designing the Winter Sound Effects for SNOW
How do you create great winter sound effects? Here are the clever ways Swedish sound designer Max Lachmann did it:
Rule of Thirds: A Sound Design Approach by Barney Oram
Sound designer Barney Oram shares his approach to making the creative process easier:
Sound Advice: The Key to Outstanding Animation Sound Design
Experienced animation sound designer Jeff Shiffman shares his tips, tricks and insights for outstanding animation sound design:
Sound and the Internet of Things
Here’s how sound can greatly enhance how we experience and interact with the Internet of Things:
Sound Designer Tormod Ringnes’ 4-Step Approach to Great Film Sound
Here’s why (and how) Tormod Ringnes applies his 4-step approach to all sound design projects, no matter the size of the production:
Sounds for Robots: An in-depth guide to great robot sound design
Dr. Iain McGregor explores the opportunities, considerations and challenges we face when designing sound for robots:
Ten Creative Ideas for Sound Effects Creation with the No-Input Mixer Technique:
Stuart Keenan shares 10 useful tips for creative – and surprising – sound design results, using the no-input mixer technique:
The Essential Guide To Recording Weapon Sound Effects – With Watson Wu
Few people on this planet have more experience with weapon sound effects recording than Watson Wu, and in this exclusive guide he shares how you do it right:
The Essential Primer to Recording Car Sound Effects
Max Lachmann and the team at Pole Position Production have spent a decade perfecting their car recording methods. This is how they do it today:
The Psychology of Sound Design – with Ai-Ling Lee, Will Files & Craig Henighan:
Insights from Ai-Ling Lee, Will Files & Craig Henighan on the fundamentals of film sound:
UI Sound Design: Henry Daw, on The Small Sounds That Make A Big Difference
Henry Daw presents a clearly defined set of principles for successful UI sound design in this interesting talk – and much more:
Behind the horrifying sound of ‘Alien: Covenant’
Go behind the scenes on the sound for Alien: Covenant – the latest installment in the genre-defining sci-fi franchise:
Checking out the Sound of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’
Here’s why The Queen’s Gambit is so satisfying from a sound perspective:
Crafting Ghost of Tsushima’s Tremendous Sound
Go behind the gloriously grounded sound of Ghost of Tsushima – with Audio Director Rev. Dr. Bradley D Meyer and Senior Sound Designer Josh Lord:
Creating the crystalline sound of Frozen 2:
How Frozen 2’s sound design, songs and score were woven into a fluid, immersive soundscape:
Constructing the Soaring Sound of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020:
Find out how the stunningly-realistic sound of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was made in this huge interview:
Crafting the sound of the final season of ‘Game of Thrones’:
Go behind the multi award-winning sound of Game of Thrones – with Tim Kimmel, Onnalee Blank, Mathew Waters, and Paula Fairfield:
Designing Half-Life: Alyx’s Superb VR Sound:
How the Valve sound team expanded the sound of the beloved Half-Life 2D-game into the VR realm:
Dark and gritty: The sound of Joker – with Oscar-winning Sound Supervisor Alan Robert Murray:
Sound Supervisor Alan Robert Murray on creating a symphony of sound for Joker’s descent into madness:
Designing the deeply disturbing sound of ‘Midsommar’:
How Midsommar’s discomforting and disorientating sound was made:
Delightfully vintage: Shaping the sound of ‘Cuphead’ – with Samuel Justice
Samuel Justice takes you behind the scenes on the sound for this striking indie game:
From Gladiators to Bog Bodies: How inventive, evocative museum sound design is created today:
Sound designer and composer Soren Bendixen shares the inside-story behind the evocative sound of museums today:
Go behind the Wildly Creative Sound of ‘Raised By Wolves’
Sound designer Jamey Scott takes you behind the creative sound of ‘Raised By Wolves’ here:
Handling the Sound of The Handmaid’s Tale:
Jane Tattersall, David McCallum, and Brennan Mercer discuss the sonic details of Season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale:
How The Last of Us Part II’s incredible sound was made:
The Naughty Dog sound team gives you the full story behind the sound for The Last of Us Part II here:
In-depth: The story behind Tim Nielsen’s brilliant sound design for The Little Prince
‘The Little Prince’ is the biggest success ever for a French animated film abroad, and here’s Supervising Sound Designer Tim Nielsen’s story behind the sound:
Making Mank’s vintage Hollywood-magic sound – an in-depth interview with Ren Klyce:
Ren Klyce shares the surprising stories & methods behind Mank’s vintage sound:
Making the weird, wonderful sound of ‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ – with Dean Hurley and Ron Eng:
Venture into the brilliant/mad sonic world of David Lynch and ‘Twin Peaks: The Return’:
Perfecting Parasite’s award-winning sound – with Ralph Tae-Young Choi:
Go behind the sound for Parasite, the most-awarded film at the 2020 Oscars:
Richard King on Inventing Inverted Sounds for ‘Tenet’:
Oscar-winning Supervising Sound Editor Richard King shares his approach to designing inverted sounds for ‘Tenet’:
Shaping Sound of Metal’s extraordinary – and ‘Best Sound’ Oscar-winning – audio:
How the Oscar-winning sound for ‘Sound of Metal’ was created:
Shaping the spectacular sound of ‘Dunkirk’ – with Richard King:
Get the full story on how Dunkirk’s rich, dense, and immersive sound was created:
The edgy sound of Netflix’s ‘Dark’
Here’s how the edgy and unsettling sound of Netflix hit series ‘Dark’ was made:
The growing, evolving sound of ‘Stranger Things’ Season 3 – with Craig Henighan, Will Files and Mark Paterson:
Craig Henighan, Will Files and Mark Paterson take you behind the sound for the ‘Battle of Starcourt’ episode:
The Poetic Sci-Fi Sound Of ‘Arrival’:
Get the full story behind the elegant – and surprisingly poetic – sound of ‘Arrival’:
The Secrets to Creating Jurassic World Evolution’s Excellent Game Audio:
Interested in what goes into creating outstanding sound for games? This interview on the sound for Jurassic World Evolution is a must-read:
The sound of ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of The Lost Ark’ – with Ben Burtt, John Roesch, & John Williams
Don’t miss this feature on the sound for ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of The Lost Ark’ – with film sound giants sound designer Ben Burtt, Foley artist John Roesch & composer John Williams:
What Made ‘Moana / Vaiana’ Sound So Good:
Discover how the impressive sound of ‘Moana’ was made:
Why ‘Chernobyl’ sounds so sublime, authentic – and haunting:
Here’s how Chernobyl’s haunting – and eerily accurate – sound was made:
Independent sound effects:
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This bundle includes THE ARCANE: ELECTRIC SPELLS and THE ARCANE: FIRE SPELLS.
More than 1200 sound effects fully focused on electric and fire spells.
622 meticulously processed stereo electric and lightning spells sound effects recorded in 96 khz and 24 bits for high audio definition.
The collection comes with hundreds of variations, more than 1 hour of content and many different type of spells. It also includes raw files for more flexibility for your projects.
This collection is perfect for any films, video games or trailers.
The library is fully focused on electric, thunder and lightning spells. You will find simple one shot electric impacts, powerful high level thunder spells, magic weapon enchantments and so on. Spells such as lightning strike, electric blast, thunderbolt, magnetic field, thunder hammer, electric sword, lightning projectile, etc. are included in this library.
Recorded assets: Thunder, big and small adhesive tapes, inflated balloon, styrofoam, cellophane, various clothes, baseball glove, winter gloves, metal objects, aluminum foil, oven door, etc. Analog/digital synths and ultrasonic/geophone usage for more variety.
638 meticulously processed stereo fire spells sound effects recorded in 96 khz and 24 bits for high audio definition.
The collection comes with hundreds of variations, more than 1 hour of content and many different type of fire spells. It also includes source sounds for more flexibility for your projects.
This collection is perfect for any films, video games or trailers.
The library is fully focused on fire spells. You will find simple one shot magic firebolt, powerful high level fire spells, fire sword, berserker enchantments and so on. Spells such as fireball, firewall, rain of fire, meteor, fire nova, magma storm, pyroblast, sword of Avernus, etc. are included in this library.
Recorded assets: blanket, rainproof trouser, ski gloves, wind breaker coat, paperboard, thin and thick paper, bubble wrap, tap water, water in hot pan, pine cone, wood branches, various synth, etc.
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Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Four Elements – Elemental Magic Play Track 3050 sounds included, 251 mins total $149
Master the Art of Bending the Elemental Forces
Unleash the raw power of fire, water, earth, and air with this comprehensive 9 GB sound library featuring 3050 high-quality sound effects across 630 files. Whether you’re designing cinematic soundscapes or enhancing video games Four Elements delivers the tools you need to harness the energy of the natural world.
Construction Kit – 2443 Sounds
A treasure trove of raw, organic, and processed sounds including seamless loops divided into Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Explosion categories. Customize every detail with an extensive selection of sound components.
- Organic Fire: Campfire sizzles, torch whooshes, and flame bursts.
- Processed Fire: Distorted impacts and unique crackles.
- Organic Earth: Rock crashes, gravel scrapes, and heavy stone hits.
- Processed Earth: Stylized rumbles and granular textures.
- Organic Water: Ocean waves, hydrophone bubbles, and fluid splashes.
- Processed Water: Underwater whooshes and stylized liquid smashes.
- Organic Air: Bamboo swishes, cloth movements, and pressure bursts.
- Processed Air: Filtered gusts and dynamic noise sweeps.
- Explosion: Firework detonations, Butane bursts, and cinematic impacts.
Building Blocks – 416 Sounds
Game-ready sound layers featuring Impacts, Whooshes, and Textures as seamless loops. Elevate transitions and enhance atmospheres with loops and pre-designed sound layers.
- Fire: Explosive bursts, blazing infernos, and warm embers.
- Earth: Ground-shaking impacts, crumbling terrain, and heavy collisions.
- Water: Cascading waves, serene rivers, and underwater ambiences.
- Air: Whispering breezes, stormy turbulence, and slicing gusts.
Design Kit – 192 Sounds
A collection of ready-to-use sound effects divided into Attack, Bend, and Explosion categories for quick integration into your projects. Perfect for high-energy scenes and immersive storytelling.
- Fire: Crackling flames, fiery bursts, and roaring infernos.
- Earth: Crushing impacts, shifting ground, and massive land eruptions.
- Water: Splashes, fluid manipulations, and crashing tidal waves.
- Air: Slicing winds, swirling currents, and thunderous gusts.
Four Elements gives you complete creative control, blending organic recordings with processed sound layers to meet the demands of any project. Master the forces of nature with Four Elements. Let your creativity ignite.
Keywords:
Elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wave, Water, Liquid, Rock, Cast, Stone, Pebble, Torch, Gas, Flame, Campfire, Sizzle, Burst, Scrape, Whoosh, Impact, Texture, Attack, Bend, Bending, Explosion, Processed, Surge, Quake, Hit, Flow, Burn, Ignite, Drop, Smack, Destruction, Rumble, Hiss, Blow, Wind, Cloth, Movement, Underwater, Bubble, Ocean, River, Lake, Firework, Firecracker, Bang, Blast, Detonation, Magic, Fantasy, Forces, Fire Magic, Water Magic, Earth Magic, Fire Air, Fire Effect, Fire Whoosh, Water Whoosh, Seamless Loop, Loop, Fire Cast, Water Cast, Earth Cast, Air Cast
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More sound design resources:
AUDIO JOBS
– find audio jobs around the world:
Soundlister is home to 1000s of Audio Jobs, and we continously share new openings for sound designers each week. We’ve also added a new search tool to help you explore past opportunities + a way to see all posts tagged with a specific job title – effectively allowing you to browse by title.
AUDIO PODCASTS
– find great podcasts about sound
The newly-formed Audio Podcast Alliance features a carefully-chosen selection of the absolute best podcasts about sound out there. Discover the cream of the crop of what the community has to offer when it comes to audio-related podcasts below:
AUDIO PROFESSIONALS
– find talented audio professionals from around the world for your projects:
If you’re looking to grow your audio team or you’re looking for people to collaborate with, Soundlister offers an overview of 1000s of audio professionals from all over the world – including everything from sound designers, audio directors, composers, field recordists, foley artists, sound editors, sound designers, re-recording mixers, voice actors and more:
SOUND DESIGN BOOKS
– find great books about sound design:
There are lots of great books about sound design out there – here are a few examples:
• 100 Unusual, Novel and Surprising Ways to be a Better Sound Designer in Video Games – by Rob Bridgett (get the book here)
• Designing Sound for Animation – by Robin Beauchamp (recommended by Aakash Kulkarni – get the book here)
• Principles of Game Audio and Sound Design – by Jean-Luc Sinclair (recommended by Dave Raybould – get the book here)
• Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema – by David Sonnenschein (get the book here)
• Studying Sound: A Theory and Practice of Sound Design – by Karen Collins (recommended by Dave Raybould – get the book here)
• Tales of a Technical Sound Designer – by Damian Kastbauer (get the book here)
• The Game Audio Strategy Guide– by Gina Zdanowicz & Spencer Bambrick (get the book here)
Please share these resources:
If you’re finding these resources useful, please share a link to this page with your network so more people can benefit from them – thanks in advance!
SOUND DESIGN ON SOCIAL MEDIA
– find groups and conversations on sound design:
SHOWCASE YOUR AUDIO WORK
– showcase your skills and be discovered by those who need them, completely free:
As an audio professional, Soundlister lets you showcase your skills and be discovered by those who need them. It offers an easy way to present your showreel, highlight your favorite projects and let visitors know where to find you on social media:
THE AUDIO EVENTS CALENDAR
– find audio-related events around the world – and online:
Looking to find audio-related events such as audio industry conferences, community meetups, special events, Q&As, online courses and more? Check out the Audio Events Calendar, where we’ve shared more than 800+ events since its launch.
BONUS: Expand your skillset with the free Sound Success Guide:
Want to branch out beyond sound design? Learning new sound skills can open up opportunities for additional revenue – and with the (entirely free) 60+ page Sound Success Guide, you get insights from 20 industry experts on how to get started and succeed in 18 different types of audio jobs:
Click to download (.zip)
Click to download(.PDF)
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This bundle includes THE ARCANE: ELECTRIC SPELLS and THE ARCANE: FIRE SPELLS.
More than 1200 sound effects fully focused on electric and fire spells.
622 meticulously processed stereo electric and lightning spells sound effects recorded in 96 khz and 24 bits for high audio definition.
The collection comes with hundreds of variations, more than 1 hour of content and many different type of spells. It also includes raw files for more flexibility for your projects.
This collection is perfect for any films, video games or trailers.
The library is fully focused on electric, thunder and lightning spells. You will find simple one shot electric impacts, powerful high level thunder spells, magic weapon enchantments and so on. Spells such as lightning strike, electric blast, thunderbolt, magnetic field, thunder hammer, electric sword, lightning projectile, etc. are included in this library.
Recorded assets: Thunder, big and small adhesive tapes, inflated balloon, styrofoam, cellophane, various clothes, baseball glove, winter gloves, metal objects, aluminum foil, oven door, etc. Analog/digital synths and ultrasonic/geophone usage for more variety.
638 meticulously processed stereo fire spells sound effects recorded in 96 khz and 24 bits for high audio definition.
The collection comes with hundreds of variations, more than 1 hour of content and many different type of fire spells. It also includes source sounds for more flexibility for your projects.
This collection is perfect for any films, video games or trailers.
The library is fully focused on fire spells. You will find simple one shot magic firebolt, powerful high level fire spells, fire sword, berserker enchantments and so on. Spells such as fireball, firewall, rain of fire, meteor, fire nova, magma storm, pyroblast, sword of Avernus, etc. are included in this library.
Recorded assets: blanket, rainproof trouser, ski gloves, wind breaker coat, paperboard, thin and thick paper, bubble wrap, tap water, water in hot pan, pine cone, wood branches, various synth, etc.
17 %OFF -
40 %OFFEnds 1761606000