Creating sounds is fun. It’s a joy, a creative process that sees you learning everyday while exercising your creativity.
Like many disciplines, it rewards effort and practice with new skills, faster workflow, and an ever expanding horizon of possibilities. I love it, I do it pretty much every day, therefore creating sounds as part of a sound library seemed a logical move.
I’d thought about it for years, but hadn’t actually put anything together. The decision to go for it came about a year ago now.
Twelve or so months to go from “let’s make sound libraries and sell them!” to actually having anything worth selling. It was something I didn’t take lightly, and was definitely a journey.
Part of the reason for the time taken to get to this point is that there already exists a wealth of amazing independent sound effect libraries out there that are doing a great job at providing quality, useful sounds. Guys such as Tim Prebble, Frank Bry, Paul Virostek, Stephan Schutze, the guys at Echo Collective, there are too many to list.
They all provide quality sounds, well edited, named and organised and professionally promoted. Joining these guys requires considerable effort to present similar high quality work.
Because there are so many already doing it, there are less useful things yet to be recorded. You need to be creative, or unusually perceptive in figuring out what sound post professionals might need.
I would sometimes find an area where sound effects libraries were lean or didn’t exist
For me working on so many varied game audio projects meant I had to provide incredibly varied sound design, and I would sometimes find an area where sound effects libraries were lean or didn’t exist.
I would note these for the future.
But I still felt a little insecure putting myself in the presence of those guys, knowing the level of quality I would need to provide.
Also, figuring out what sounds to create is only part of the problem, and probably one of the more ‘fun’ issues you will face. Next comes the hard graft.
Testing the waters
I tested the waters by creating a user interface collection for Unity users as my first experiment in sound effect library creation.. In hindsight I think over-complicated it.
The UI Collection is made up of 14 separate sound packs. Each contains sounds that sit together nicely, and each contains various types of ‘enter’ ‘select’ ‘scroll’ ‘back’ and ‘error’ sounds. Each sound also has subtle variations for replayability.
My thinking was that this would give an efficient way of quickly providing a cohesive User Interface experience with all the required sounds sitting well together, ready for implementation.
Seemed like a good idea. But the amount of editing, cataloging, exporting, file-naming was incredible.
A ProTools session containing just the audio files used for the previews for the UI soundpacks
Keeping everything consistent and labelled in such a way that it was obvious what sounds fitted where, what their functions were, and including variations and different sounds with the same function. A nightmare. I got through it, and learned a huge amount in the process.
I will be adding the library to the available libraries as I hope people will find use for it, but I think the pain in creating it overshadows its usefulness. I guess the market will decide!
Time for fun
With that project wrapped, the next I tackled and our first release was the Toots & Squeaks collection. As we have been working on a number of children’s games for iOS, we’ve needed fun, sometimes comedic, sometimes just accents, or descriptive vertical and horizontal type sounds.
I had a difficult time sourcing them, so these sounds became our first library.
Tools of the trade
I was a lot more prepared for the task ahead with this library. I knew I had to be organised, consistent, and well-planned in order to present something at a level required to compete in this market.
Each recording session I set up in the same way, with the tracks all being fed from the same mics to the same channels.
I would dump, edit and label the recording sessions before booking the next one. This made a big difference to my workflow. It doesn’t sound like much, but I get a bit crazy and single-minded and probably a bit manic when I have a mountain of boring, menial work to get through.
Exporting and naming files is for me just that. But it is important – really important. It has to be done right.
So splitting it up into the smallest, most manageable chunks works really well for me. Being consistent with the file-naming and metadata is also very important. It took a few goes for me to figure out a system.
If anyone is about to attempt it, have a plan, then go through adding all your metadata, but be mentally prepared to go back and edit up your early work.
Often a good system doesn’t really present itself till a quarter or a third of the way through all the files.
This could just be me, others may be better at organising and compartmentalising, but I found I would need to go back and redo a lot of my work to be sure it all felt consistent enough for release.
There was a great sense of relief having completed all that, but then the next step is just as important – the packaging.
Preparing to ship
I used WinRAR to compress the libraries, as it gets far better compression than zipping achieved. I created sample files that can be compressed to mp3 to help people decide whether the library is right for them.
Some of the people creating sound libraries use videos, and I think this can create more buzz and be more accessible for a lot of people thinking of buying the library.
It is something that I would like to do in the future, but right now I have no way of creating high quality footage, and anything but high quality material would cheapen the product, so I decided to stay with mp3 files for previews. I hope this provides a level of preview people are happy with.
If you have the means, planning video capture of your recording session into your workflow would be hugely beneficial later on in the shopfront, preview and promo phases.
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Latest releases:
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Game Audio Packs & Bundles Dirt & Asphalt Series: Motorbikes Bundle Play Track 365 sounds included, 305 mins total$116.66$99.17Dirt & Asphalt Volume 1 is the first addition of vehicle and transportation recordings from Output Audio. This library contains a selection of recordings from 3 road bikes, with additional bonus content from other road motorbikes. The library also contains acceleration ramps for use in granular playback engines.
Road bikes included:
• Yamaha 450cc Thumper
• Triumph 600cc Dual Fuel Injection
• Aprillia RST 1000cc Futura
• A selection of bonus pass-bys and externals from a range of high performance bikes
Dirt & Asphalt Volume 2 is the second addition of vehicle and transportation recordings from Output Audio. This library contains a selection of recordings from two motocross events and two practise sessions, with additional bonus content provided as race atmospheres.
Library highlights:AMCA Motocross Classes Included:
MX1/MX2/Experts/Seniors Unlimited classesEngine Sizes Included:
85cc/125cc/250cc/450cc engines
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Ui Two is the sequel to our overwhelming popular Ui One collection, this collection contains 377 original sounds uniquely crafted for creating user interfaces, telemetry, gadgetry and more.
Empty Sea’s Mark Camperell, carefully crafted these sounds using a variety of beepers, boopers and other sonic tools. A sample of which include synths, samplers, spectral editors and more. Each sound was recorded at 48k/24bit. Planned, processed, mangled and otherwise destroyed, every single tone was tweaked until it was something new, original, and exciting.
As usual, we meticulously edited, mastered and embedded the files with metadata. This collection is priced to move, so don’t hesitate. If you’re tired of the your same old UI inspiration, Ui Two from The Library by Empty Sea is a great addition to your library.
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An electric car sound library with a range of FX from the Hyundai SUV, Kona.
The library includes numerous driving FX on both gravel and asphalt including pass-bys, take offs, corners, approaches and skids.
It also contains a large range of interior recordings from driving at highway speed all the way to buttons and switches.
Multiple FX on each track – recorded in Sydney, Australia
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car interiors library is a great supplement for all the car engine sounds that you already own. That way the action on the inside of the car is not stale at all. Dashboard buttons, seatbelts, automatic windows, switches, switching gears, brake, clutch and gas pedals, vents, turning signals. They’re all here!
Got a whole bunch of roaring car engine sounds but then realised that you’re not equipped with all of the boring stuff like:
car door handles, seatbelts, turn signal, air vents, buttons and switches, seats, storage compartments, horns, windows, pedals (gas, brake, clutch), handbrakes wend
and all other Car Interior sound effects? Well then.. look no further! This is just the pack for you.
160 wav files with over 400 single sounds in total. Car Interiors will spice up that car interior scene with real, crisp sounds, recorded from over 6 cars in total!20 %OFFEnds 1574981999 -
Destruction & Impact Cinematic Strikes Play Track Up to 4140 sounds includedFrom: $119From: $95.20ENORMOUS SOUNDING PERCUSSIVE HITS
CINEMATIC STRIKES joins the BOOM Library Cinematic Series – and it focuses on big sounding drums. A whole world of cinematic percussive sound design lies a few clicks away: From devastating cracks and stomps over crisp swells and rolls to epic ensemble hits – you will be sure to find and build just what you are looking for.
With the ultimate flexibility of different microphone positions, single and ensemble hits, flams and swells using various drums and beaters, you couldn’t be better equipped to design huge blockbuster and trailer hits – or simply place ready-to-use DESIGNED sounds into your timeline and feel the earth shake.
CINEMATIC STRIKES – CONSTRUCTION KIT:
FLEXIBLE SOUND DESIGN TOOLKITThe Construction Kit offers you one of the most comprehensive drum hit packages ever recorded. Carefully planned to satisfy and complement every spot in the frequency range, you will never run out of low end booms, aggressive cracks, mid-range body impacts, reverberant tails and excellent sweeteners to top it off.
PERSPECTIVE & RHYTHM
Not only are you able to produce impressive sounding hits, but also transition into, out of and between peaks. Control the attack and release of each sound, using rolls, flams, double hits and other meticulously performed techniques. Three coherent microphone positions make spatial adjustments a breeze.
Files: 618 • Sounds: 3708 • Size: 13 GB
CINEMATIC STRIKES – DESIGNED:
MAXIMUM PUNCH – AND THEN SOMECINEMATIC STRIKES – Designed is what you get when layering and processing Construction Kit sounds BOOM Library style.
From rumbling low-end BOOMS, soft and natural sounding WHOOSH HITS to aggressive, frontal CRACKS and PUNCHES, the Designed library showcases what’s possible, while saving precious time and budget on a tight schedule.
This package is particularly useful for filmmakers and trailer sound designers.
Files: 108 • Sounds: 432 • Size: 1.4 GBCINEMATIC STRIKES BUNDLE:
THE BUNDLE – The best of both worlds at a discounted price.
The Bundle gives you the full sound design power as it contains both – the DESIGNED and the CONSTRUCTION KIT edition at a discounted price.
Files: 726 • Sounds: 4140 • Size: 14.6 GB
Included sounds – keywords:
BASS DRUM, BOOM, BOX, CAJON, CONCERT TOM, CRACK, CRASH, DAIKO, DOUBLE HIT, ENSEMBLE, FLAM, FOOT, GONG, HARD BEATER, HIT, JAM BLOCK, KICK, KODO, LOG, MALLET, BIN, PUNCH, ROLL, SINGLE, SNARE, SOFT BEATER, SPLASH, STICKS, STOMP, SWEETENER, SWELL, TABLA, TAIKO, TAMBORA, THUNDER SHEET, TOM, WHIP, WHOOSH HIT, WOOD PERCUSSION, WOODBLOCK
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A Sound Effect Turns 5:
Get wild deals on sound effects right here
A Sound Effect Turns 5:Get wild deals on sound effects right here
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Aircraft - Jet/Propeller Planes B-25 Mitchell Play Track 115 sounds included, 71 mins total$199$99.50A large collection of authentic B-25 flybys, takeoffs, landings, taxis, startups, and shutdowns with both internal and external perspectives – for a total of 71 minutes of recordings.
This library was over 8 years in the making, and is the refined result of more than 30 field recording expeditions, including one recorded aboard a B-25 during flight. All sounds have been extensively quantified with metadata (action, event length, relative speed, perspective, microphone pattern, and much more) which will make it an ideal resource for those working in audio post production.
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The Cars In Motion sound library gets you exterior sounds of cars driving at different speeds, slow/medium/fast/very fast pass-bys, reverse sounds, accelerations, braking sounds and a lot of additional files. You’ll find different engines, and cars with different character.
From a small BMW 114i through to a powerful Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 V8 with Magna Flow exhaust, up to a fast twin turbo BMW 640D F12. In addition to cars there are also files covering big machines like tractors and excavator.
The library features 561 WAV files with total length of 340 minutes, recorded in 96kHz and 24 bits with a Sound Devices 702, two Sennheisers MKH 8040, Rode NTG3 and Sony PCM-M10.
Here are the cars included in this library:• Audi A4 Allroad 2.0 TFSI – 73 files – 73 minutes
• Audi A4 B8 2.0 TDI Avant – 11 files – 10 minutes
• BMW 114i E87 – 20 files – 10 minutes
• BMW 530D E60 – 55 files – 21 minutes
• BMW F12 640D Gran Coupe – 87 files – 49 minutes
• Excavator MF 860 – 30 files – 20 minutes
• Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 V8 – 62 files – 51 minutes
• Renault Kangoo 1.6 16V – 71 files – 32 minutes
• Renault Master II 2.8 dTi – 21 files – 13 minutes
• Renault Master F3500 dCi135 – 30 files – 12 minutes
• Tractor Case II CX90 – 15 files – 10 minutes
• Volkswagen Golf II – 26 files – 13 minutes
• Other Cars – 60 files – 23 minutes
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This bundle includes 4 different libraries.
The Baltic Sea sound library is compilation of 56 WAV files recorded with Sound Devices 702, Rode NTG3, Sony PCM-M10, two Oktavas MK012 set in MS, XY and ORTF setup. All the sounds were recorded far away from the cities and roads. Since most of the sounds were recorded in late winter, there are no insects or birds in background. There are few files that includes the sound of birds, but I left them on purpose, because of the overall feel of the files. In this library you will find beautiful sound of waves crushing on the rocks and shore, recorded from different perspectives in different stereo configurations, during calm and windy days. In addition to those sounds, there’s foley like walking, running and swimming in the water.
The Harbours Of Norway sound library features 25 files with ambients recorded in Myre, Sto and Nyksund, very small towns with direct access to the sea. Most of the sound effects were recorded at night, but since it’s a polar day time of the year, it was very pleasurable to walk and look for convenient places to set up my gear. Everything was recoded with ORTF setup built from two Sennheisers MKH 8040. Inside this library, you’ll find a lot of seagulls, waves crushing on the rocks and plants, windy ambients from the cliff, industrial sound from port in Myre with ship unloading the cargo, walla with steam engine boat and additional sounds from boat engine market and air cooling aggregates from food containers. Every file was recorded in 96kHz, edited (i removed any unintentional bumps, pops and unwanted sounds). I limited EQing to removing harsh frequencies, or enhancing a little bit the good sounding ones. At the end of the chain there is a small compression, for louder sounds.
The Summer Ambients sound library contains 33 beautiful WAV files recorded with Sound Devices 702, Rode NTG3, two Oktavas MK012 in MS and stereo XY pattern. All sounds were gathered in different and beautiful places like forests, lakes, meadows or swamps. You can expect amazing ambients, textures, different birds, insects, forest during rain, calm and windy days. It’s a perfect library for designing background sounds. Everything was recorded in amazing Masuria in Poland.
Summer ambients Update – library got 2x bigger and heavier than the original library. 59 additional files, 123 minutes of high quality audio recorded with Sennheiser MKH 8040 ORTF setup, Rode NTG3, Oktava MK012 XY setup plugged into SD702 and Sony PCM-10. It features ambients from the forests, ponds, swamps, meadows, lakes and suburbs recorded is very quiet locations, mostly just before the sunrise, during the day and before sunset far away from the cities.
Water Flow sound library took me about six months to record, consumed about 15 thermoses of tea and 42 litres of gasoline to get to all locations. It offers 90 BWAV files recorded in different locations. Huge part of this library is based on the recording sessions on the rivers. Two completely different locations, recorded regularly for the last 5 months allowed me to create this unique sound library. Most of the recording sessions took place during winter just before the sun was rising to reduce the amount of unwanted sounds. Almost all recordings are completely clear and only few have birds in background, since it was my intention to record some location ambients with natural backgrounds.
You can see the metadata and sound list below.
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From all 4 earth’s corners, air streamlines the environment and shapes our stories. Discover the cinematic world of rare winds!
This sound library is the ultimate achievement of a really ambitious project of recording winds from very remote places across the world.
Included are authentic recordings from the Boreal region (North hemisphere: in Canada and Iceland), from the Austral region (South hemisphere: Tierra del Fuego in Argentina and the Last Hope province in Chile), on Islands in Mediterranean region (Thira in Greece), in the Sahara desert (Marocco), Isle-aux-Grues (Canadian winter), and more (see file list for more details)
These were recorded either in urban settings, countryside, or complete wilderness.Included is a set of useful synthesized, tonal, and designed winds.
The sounds are categorized into 3 folders: Designed, Indoor & Outdoor.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
- 102 stereo files
- Highly focused and meticulously edited sounds
- Ready to use Loop
- Urban area and Wild area
- Useful Designed & Synthesized Wind Sounds
- Recordings from the Boreal region (North) in Iceland & Canada
- Recordings from the Austral region (South) in Argentina & Chile
- Recordings from Islands in Greece & Canada
- Recordings from the desert in Marocco
- Abandonned houses and shelters
- Marina, lake, forest, car, flags, arctic, metal pole, prairie, street, mountain, grass, …
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Setting up shop
The shopfront and selling the libraries phase is currently where I find myself.
At first it was fairly daunting. Deciding on the correct method of delivery is difficult. I found a solution that works for me. It’s locally based so can deliver funds direct to our bank account, it uses Amazon’s S3 storage, so should be quick for people downloading, and payment can be made in a few convenient ways.
It’s called Selz, but as I say, its based locally to me, so may not be the best option for everyone. Do your research, there are many options out there.
For me the important aspects where allowing for PayPal but also having non PayPal options, having storage and download of digital goods as part of the package, and having a clean and neat look.
Being relatively simple to setup was also an important element.
All that’s left now is getting my libraries known to as many people as possible. It’s hard to say how effective one can be at this. I’ve built up some networks already, so am certainly not coming into this dry.
I know that the game audio and sound post networks are very supportive and are lovely people, so I am pretty sure I’ll be able to get the word out and connect with the people who could use the libraries I create.
I hope this has been some help to those thinking of also embarking on a similar journey. So far it has been a rewarding experience.
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You get 1,074 individual sounds, in 14 separate soundpacks containing variations on all the sounds.
Included are all commonly required sounds needed for a comprehensive UI experience.
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Industrial Ambiences – perfect for industrial settings, subtle intricate backgrounds, eerie man-made areas and horror ambiences. Features long, four minute files for extended scenes.
Industrial Disquiet highlights: • 53 Tracks Total (25 Day time Tracks, 28 Night time Tracks)
• High Resolution Photographs of Recording Locations Included
• Thorough metadata included in all files
• All tracks recorded and edited at 24bit, 96kHz
• Each Track around 4 Minutes in Length
• 5 GB compressed download, 7.1 GB uncompressed
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This library consists of hundreds of performances (581 files total) of toy whistles, clown and bicycle horns, slide whistles, melody pops, party blowers and squeeze toys.
Metadata has been meticulously added, and the material in this library is ready for immediate inclusion in your sound designs. Have fun!
Toots & Sqeaks highlights: • 581 broadcast wave files
• All at 24 bit, 96kHz
• 4.81 uncompressed gigabytes of audio data
• Most takes include stereo, mono and distant microphone perspectives
• Metadata carefully added to each audio file ready for efficient searching
from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement:
+ free sounds with every issue: