Game audio future Asbjoern Andersen


Senior audio director/sound designer Ben Minto at EA DICE in Stockholm, Sweden has spent the last 10 years working on their AAA-game franchises like Battlefield and Star Wars Battlefront. The audio team at DICE has won several awards for their sound work, most recently the 2017 D.I.C.E. award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design on Battlefield 1. And the year before, they won that D.I.C.E. award for their sound design on Star Wars: Battlefront.

But success hasn’t sent Minto to rest on his laurels. With every new release, he and the team at DICE are looking for ways to push the boundaries of sound, to take the next step to delivery an exemplary sound experience to game players. Here, Minto shares his thoughts of what’s happening in the game sound industry, what opportunities lay ahead, and what can help future game sound pros to get into the industry.


Interview by Jennifer Walden



 

What’s one advancement you’ve seen in game sound in the past year that you’re excited about?

Ben Minto (BM): For us at DICE, being able to render our final audio output in either object or traditional channel-based audio has been the most recent advancement that has had the largest impact across the audio team and in the products we deliver.

Senior Audio Director & Sound Designer Ben MintoAs far as content creation, design, and implementation in the Frostbite engine, little has changed to date. One notable exception was removing an old “shortcut” or assumption that we used to make. That is, when only rendering to a flat horizontal plane of channels (e.g. 7.1 surround or stereo), we would ignore the real-world height component from most audio-only emitters, i.e. those without a visual reference. For example, the “invisible” birds in trees we would spawn X meters away from the listener but in the same horizontal plane, as in the end we would be ‘compressing’ our 3D soundscape down into a 2D plane with no height information. Now, the ‘added’ height dimension details are great when trying to sell the overall audio experience.

Global DSP effects (e.g. low-pass filtering most sounds for low health), reverb returns, mixing and mastering, and other topics in the domain of object audio have all presented their own challenges and will continue to provide rich pickings for R&D and improvements for the foreseeable future.

Object audio is a format that many working with game audio will soon be working with, if they haven’t already embraced it

Moving to object audio early enabled us to become familiar with the format, to revisit and challenge old channel-based paradigms and to be ready with our first pass solutions, and in most cases a few iterations more, to address the previously mentioned challenges in time for embracing Dolby Atmos and shipping the first two titles, Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefield 1, with full Dolby Atmos over HDMI on the PC.

Being able to provide the Star Wars Battlefront codebase, already running object audio, to our colleagues at Criterion enabled them to build upon our work and further develop their own extensions they needed to deliver the audio experience for their PlayStation VR Title, Star Wars Battlefront – Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission.

With Dolby Atmos coming to Xbox One and Windows 10, as part of their Windows Sonic platform, object audio is a format that many working with game audio will soon be working with, if they haven’t already embraced it.



Battlefield 1 Official Gameplay Trailer


The trailer for Battlefield 1, one of the games Ben Minto has worked on


 

What’s the biggest challenge for game audio at the moment? How do you see that resolved in the future? Tech wise, what would you want to see for game sound?

BM: In the general case, the complexity and scope of core assets is expanding exponentially with each iteration. The number of cars, guns, blasters, etc. in most titles are increasing with every console generation. This growth is being further compounded by DLC (downloadable content), service models and customization options.

The underlying audio models which handle the sound for these assets are also constantly increasing in complexity. For example, ten years ago a single weapon may have had its firing audio covered by a hand full of variants, or maybe even a single lone variant of ‘gunfire.wav.’ Today a weapon patch may combine many different layers at runtime, with each layer having the ability to play different content relating to various runtime game parameters, for example, different reflections based on environment type or different tails depending on distance from the listener.

If you go down the path of having a unique patch and unique sample data for each core asset, then the total number and complexity of each asset types increases, thus the number of patches and amount of sample data increases, maybe even exponentially! Handling the content creation, data management, consistency, debugging, etc. will become more and more time consuming and expensive.

Content sharing is the first step. For example, with weapons we could maybe share the layer “pistol tails” across all pistol models, whilst keeping some components unique for each individual gun asset. This will save on the total amount of unique sample data needed and give consistency across the pistol family.
 
[tweet_box]The Future Of Game Audio – with Ben Minto[/tweet_box]  

Building hierarchical families of sound patches can be an optimal way of reducing the overhead needed for maintaining a large number of patches. For example, we may define a master weapon patch, and then from this define a child patch, e.g. pistol, which references the parent patch but only stores the differences from the parent patch (or where it deviates). Then from this child, we can have a further child (or grandchild to the original master patch). For example, a Walther PPK pistol would only store information about how it deviates from its parent ‘pistol’ patch.

In the example case of having to add a silencer to all weapons, then we just add that to the master weapon patch and in doing so it will propagate down through all generations

Now whilst each weapon will have its own patch, these are not entirely unique and will have varying degrees of shared behavior and content. The power of using a system like this comes when we discover a bug, or when we need to add new functionality such as a silencer to all weapons, or when we add more assets to the system, say through DLC. In the example case of having to add a silencer to all weapons, then we just add that to the master weapon patch and in doing so it will propagate down through all generations (as needed). Compare this approach to having to manually add and maintain silencer behavior and content for each individual weapon patch. The possibility for human (copy/paste) error and the time it takes are going to be a function of the total number of assets.

These are areas that we have faced at DICE over the years and we have successfully implemented processes and pipelines, together with the Frostbite development team, that can handle this continual growth in the complexity and total number of assets within a given project without the ‘costs’ growing exponentially. (For further reading see GDC 2015: Martin Loxton – “Smart Sound Design Using Modularity and Data Inheritance”)

So, as a more DICE specific challenge, carrying on from this, is the ability we now have to create ‘monsters.’ Due to the way we cull sounds even before they are created, based on their perceived inaudibility as determined by our HDR (mixing) solution, we can play fewer more ‘expensive’ sounds at runtime, compared to if we didn’t pre-cull sounds. A DICE 64-player MP game may want to play hundreds of sounds at any given moment (e.g. Foley for each player, weapons fire, vehicles, voice over, destruction, etc.), and yet we are usually only rendering around 20 or so sound patches at any given time.


Popular on A Sound Effect right now - article continues below:


Trending right now:

  • Environments & Ambiences Geophonic Sound Effects Play Track 98+ sounds included, 32 mins total $15

    This audio library features low-frequency drones, powerful impacts, metallic scrapes, resonant vibrations, and other rare audio textures.
    All sounds were recorded using the LOM Geofón, a device that captures low-frequency surface vibrations that conventional microphones cannot detect.

    The recordings were made with the TASCAM Portacapture X8 at 192 kHz/32 bit, ensuring maximum detail and sound quality.

    50 %
    OFF
  • Forged in Fury Vol. 1: Modular Sounds for Epic Combat

    Break down, customize, and master every detail of your combat effects with Forged in Fury Vol. 1, a collection of 394 brutal sounds in 192kHz/24. Includes katana, heavy axe, metal claws, and layer-by-layer edited vocals for total control.

    🔪 Katana (193 sounds):
    Double whooshes, precise slashes, impacts, blood splatters.
    Mix layers of edge and secondary effects (e.g. combine a quick whoosh with a feminine scream).

    🪓 Heavy Axe (96 sounds):
    Powerful whooshes, crushing blows, equip sounds, blood effects.
    Combine the roar of metal with the sounds of breaking bones.

    🔗 Metal Claws (37 sounds):
    Mechanical opening/closing, scratching, cutting whoosh.
    Ideal for fast movements and surprise attacks.

    🗣️ Male & Female Voices (68 Sounds):
    War cries, moans of pain, grunts of effort.
    Use them alone or synced with weapon effects.

    ✨ Key Feature:
    Each sound includes its own editable layers (e.g. whoosh + impact + blood). Do you want a bloodless ax swing? only the whoosh of a katana?, only blood? Modify it instantly.

    🎚️ Studio Quality:
    Recorded in 192kHz/24-32 bits, delivered in 192kHz/24 bits. Perfect for toning down, adding distortion or manipulating without losing clarity.

    More about the pack
    – Intuitive file naming
    – All you’ll ever need regarding katana, heavy ax and claw [Use them again & again]
    – Use the sound effects over and over, in any of your projects or productions, forever without any additional fees or royalties. Use the SFX in your game, in your trailer, in a Kickstarter campaign, wherever you need to, as much as you want to.
    – Totally mono compatibility
    – All sounds have several variations.
    – Use your imagination and feel free to use any sound for a other than the one described, remember that the world of sound is totally subjective.

    24 %
    OFF
  • Bicycle Sound Effects Skid and Drift Play Track 755 sounds included, 78 mins total $56

    Are you looking for skid sounds for your next action movie? Well, this sound library is made for you.

    “Skid and Drift” is the result of 4 years of recording work. It is a complete collection of skids from various vehicles, recorded from multiple perspectives, on all types of surfaces, and in high quality (dirt, dry and wet concrete, gravel, etc.).
    You will find skids from race cars recorded during the French National Drift Championship, skids from go-karts, motocross bikes, bicycles, skateboards, ice skates, rollerblades, as well as foot skids.
    These sounds were recorded in both stereo (XY and ORTF position) and mono, depending on the case, using the following microphones: Schoeps CCM4, Neumann U87, DPA4061, Lom MikroUsi. All sounds are recorded in 24-bit. The sampling frequency is 48kHz for scuffing footsteps sounds, and 96kHz and 192kHz for other recordings.

    The metadata is precise and complete. All sounds are in UCS format.

    20 %
    OFF
  • Another electromechanical-focused library from SkewSound! Our reel2reel Sound Library features a professional tape machine from the 1980s. We captured all the sounds this little (well, actually quite large and heavy) piece of gear could create.

    DC motors, servos, tape spinning, metal impacts, and more can be found within this library.

    And if you are on the hunt for some huge, analog style mechanical buttons, you should hear what this library has to offer.

    75 %
    OFF

Latest releases:

  • Motorcycle Sound Effects Scooters Play Track 197+ sounds included, 164 mins total $99

    SCOOTERS features various sound effects recorded from 7 different scooters, ranging from general scooters to a scooter with a modified exhaust. An old two-stroke scooter with high-pitched brake squealing sounds is also included, along with on-board riding sounds (including revving and speeding), pass-bys, idling, approaching, pull-away, engine cranking, and varied mechanism sounds. SCOOTERS sound library helps you create different types of scenes with scooter riding.

    The recorded scooters include:

    ・KYMCO VJR 110
    ・YAMAHA BW’S 125
    ・YAMAHA BW’S R 125
    ・YAMAHA FORCE 155
    ・YAMAHA Super Four (with a modified exhaust)
    ・YAMAHA VINO 50 (Two-stroke scooter)
    ・YAMAHA VINO 50 FI

    This library includes total 197 files, consisting of 170 mono files and 27 stereo files recorded in ORTF at 96 kHz. Approx. 2 hour and 44 minutes total.

    Certainly, this library was carefully tagged with rich Soundminer metadata, including marks in the recordings highlighting interesting sounds.

    All the recordings were recorded, edited and mastered with love and care.

  • City Life Sound Effects Quiet Streets 3d Play Track 100 sounds included, 580 mins total From: $135 From: $78

    Quiet Streets 3D is the latest chapter in Articulated’s Quiet Streets series, offering a meticulously crafted collection of quiet urban ambiences. Designed with both creativity and precision in mind, this library captures the essence of urban stillness through the advanced Schoeps 3D ORTF recording technique, resulting in multi-dimensional soundscapes that reveal both horizontal and vertical spatial details.

    This library features 100 files delivered at 96kHz/24-bit. With a total size of 74.8 GB and over 9 hours and 40 minutes of carefully curated ambiences, Quiet Streets 3D is a comprehensive resource for creating immersive urban soundscapes.

    A Global Journey Through Quietude

     

    The recordings span cities across three continents, capturing the unique characteristics of urban environments in Paris, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Bangkok, Naples, Kuala Lumpur, Montreal, Regensburg, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Strasbourg, Singapore, and more. Each location offers its own subtle yet distinct textures, from the hushed buzz of a late-night street in Bangkok to the subdued murmurs of a Parisian alley at dawn.

    A Commitment to Quality

     
    Over two years, our team travelled to these cities to document quiet moments in urban life. Recordings were made at various times of day and across seasons, capturing the interplay of natural and environmental sounds. The ambiences feature layers of biophony (birdsong, rustling leaves), geophony (wind, distant rain), and faint traces of anthropophony (passing footsteps, distant traffic). Care was taken to minimize intrusive noises, ensuring that these recordings integrate seamlessly into projects that require clarity for dialogue or sound effects. Note: at times some distinctive authentic events were kept in order to give the choice for the editor to use them in their projects. These are tagged as marker on the spectrogram.

    A Versatile Tool for Storytelling

     
    The library’s 8-channel 3D ORTF format provides an intricate sense of space, making it ideal for surround sound configurations in film, video games, and immersive media. For those working in stereo, we’ve included a high-quality downmixed version of every file, offering flexibility without compromising quality.

    Recorded with the acclaimed Schoeps 3d ORTF system, it has a total of 8 discreet channels, 4 on the lower plane arranged in 2 pair of ORTF similar to a IRT-Cross, and doubled with a higher plane of 4 more microphones. The channel layout of the sound recorded and delivered is as this: L R Ls Rs hL hR hLs hRs (whereas h stand for high). Learn more about this configuration here: https://schoeps.de/en/products/surround-3d/ortf-3d/ortf-3d-outdoor-set.html

    Every file is embedded with UCS-compliant metadata, allowing for intuitive searching and streamlined integration into your workflow. The metadata includes detailed descriptors, location names, and environmental characteristics, making it easy to find the perfect ambience for any scene.

    A Timeless Collection for Any Project

     
    Whether you need the intimate quiet of a European alley or the expansive stillness of an Asian metropolis, Quiet Streets 3D provides a rich palette of urban soundscapes. This library is not just a collection of audio files—it’s a carefully curated journey through the subtleties of urban life, designed to enhance the emotional depth and spatial realism of your projects.

    With Quiet Streets 3D, you’re investing in a resource that will remain relevant across countless future projects.

    42 %
    OFF
    28 %
    OFF
    28 %
    OFF
  • All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with RØDE NTG1, Line Audio Omni1 and FEL Clippy XLR EM272 microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II recorder. Library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.

  • Electricity Sound Effects Massive Thunder Play Track 616 sounds included, 217 mins total $29.99

    MASSIVE THUNDER – 616 files of Thunder sound effects, at varying distances and intensities. From low and slow rolling distant rumbles to violently fast and bombastic direct cracking impacts. Massive Thunder comes in at over 3 hours and 37 minutes of short and long scenes of thunder and lightning for every occasion. Recorded during several storm seasons and dozens of independent thunderstorms, with indoors and outdoors perspectives. Massive Thunder’s filenames are in the Universal Category System format with additional Metadata baked-in.

    Don’t need a Massive amount of Thunder and Lightning sound effects? We offer ‘Mini’ sound effect libraries as companions for all of our ‘Massive’ sound effect libraries. All recordings are unique to each library with no overlap. Go Mini today, and upgrade to the corresponding Massive library later, when you need more of that particular sound effect.

    40 %
    OFF
  • Car Sound Effects Jaguar XJ 2010 full size car Play Track 46 sounds included, 60 mins total $65

    All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with RØDE NTG1, Line Audio Omni1, FEL Clippy XLR EM272 and JrF C-Series Pro+ microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II recorder. The library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.

Need specific sound effects? Try a search below:


As our CPU and memory budgets grow, so do these patches. As of today, these patches are manageable, readable and workable, but it feels like we are quickly approaching the human limitations of complexity. Whilst we have migrated to shared and hierarchical driven systems, somewhere at the heart of it all the ‘monster’ master patches dwell — behemoths constructed from conditional logic, events, sample players, DSP, mixing, output routing, etc., in all their glory. Most day-to-day work is carried out at the child level (or even great-great-great grandchild level!) in the hierarchy, but some days you just need to get in there and wrestle with these master patches.

Somewhere at the heart of it all the ‘monster’ master patches dwell — behemoths constructed from conditional logic, events, sample players, DSP, mixing, output routing, etc., in all their glory

In our Frostbite Editor all patches are represented in a graphical fashion — somewhat similar to a modular synth patch or something from Max/MSP. Currently in a sound patch all the base constituent nodes are always shown, e.g. ADSR, Sampler, Scale Clamp, Flanger, etc. and you navigate across the entire patch. In the future, simply being able to bundle groups of nodes into a prefab is going to be a simple solution to reduce the immediate visual complexity and improve the overall readability of our patches. Then these prefabs in turn can be used as nodes, which can then in turn be used inside larger prefabs and so on. The complexity will still exist, but not as a barrier. And, it should be that you never have to face the ‘monster’ head on unless you really want or need to.



Star Wars Battlefront: Death Star Gameplay Trailer


One of the trailers for Star Wars Battlefront, another game Ben Minto worked on


 

Creatively, what would you like to see in the future for game sound?

BM: I think that once the boundaries and constraints disappeared for how games can be delivered to their audience —moving away from a ‘single price point packaged hardware goods’ model to the plethora of deliver mechanisms we have today, e.g. boxed, download, free to play, browser, streaming, multi-price point,, etc., that gave game creators a multitude of stages and a greater opportunity to be heard.

Any creative style and direction now has the chance to be represented and delivered through the game medium, so that the only barrier is finding a title that fits/accepts a certain style and tone (or vice versa). And if you can’t find one, then learn Unity and make your own game to match your audio style!

At least once a week something new will prick your ears – the kickstarter for Narita Boy launched not long ago with a heavily stylized trailer (audio too!). Here’s hoping that tone carries through to the finished product.

Any creative style and direction now has the chance to be represented and delivered through the game medium

There are great pillars of audio creativity that have mainstream appeal and approval, like Inside, and many titles on the horizon like Cuphead that have the possibility of delivering very creative and unique soundscapes.

What would I like to hear in the future? More like this please! Lots of variety, uniqueness, being bold, being edgy, being different, etc.
 

In terms of your own titles, any exciting projects on the horizon you can talk about?

BM: For the current project I am working on, being part of a true sequel team — as in all members of the audio department that were on the previous title and its expansions are also part of the team we have today on the sequel, is a great experience. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever been part of such a team. The team’s existing bonds, relationships and muscle memory make everything flow so much more smoothly and elegantly. This combined with working with two sister studios, EA Motive and Criterion, makes for an even larger and even happier audio family on this project.

That’s all exciting for me. As an individual you can achieve a certain result, but being part of a well-oiled and functioning team working towards a unified and consistent goal brings its own rewards, where it always feels like the whole is greater than the sum of the individual talents.
 

Further reading:

Want to know more about the sound for Battlefield 1, the Star Wars Battlefront trailer sound design – or the future of game audio? Check out these A Sound Effect stories below:

• Behind the sound of Battlefield 1
• Behind the Star Wars Battlefront trailer sound design
• The Future of Game Audio – a Q&A with Matthew Smith

 

What opportunities do you hope VR will offer game sound pros?

BM: VR, by its very nature, relies on a more intimate relationship between the listener and the (audio) experience. The player is shut off visually and sonically from real ‘reality’. They are in a situation where they are supposed to believe that they are really there. The player is not an avatar or another playable character, but is ‘really’ being exposed to the stimuli that he or she perceives. That places a great importance on, amongst other things, having a convincing soundscape.

Many working within the AAA space and beyond already benefit from this acceptance of the value of audio as part of the whole package

A good VR experience demands ‘good audio.’ Hopefully with this understanding a greater universal importance will be placed on our audio craft, both on the content and on those who work within the field. Many working within the AAA space and beyond already benefit from this acceptance of the value of audio as part of the whole package. I feel that VR and its demands will only help push this mantra even further.

Once we bring such experiences closer to the player, we must get more things “righter.” Simple everyday sounds, which we are very familiar with in the real world, need to be carefully modelled inside VR, especially those, for example, dealing with detailed and very subtle, delicate, personal Foley (e.g. simply moving our arm or turning in a seat) and interactions with familiar objects (e.g. handling a cup or flicking a switch). Getting these ‘right’ can make the ‘fantastic’ that we usually deal with in games look relatively easy! There are plenty of opportunities here for improvement.
 


Recording Tatooine ambiences in Dubai for Star Wars

Recording Tatooine ambiences in Dubai for Star Wars


 

Beyond VR and AR, any other major trends you’re seeing?

BM: Rightly so, there is still a great drive to getting sounds to sit and propagate “properly,” or as expected, through our virtual worlds. As a note, this is another trend that’s seeing further drive from the push for compelling VR experiences. We still haven’t nailed it. There are a variety of different solutions being followed by different groups, from the purely DSP/run-time approach to fully content driven implementations and many other hybrids in between.

This is a great example of something we at DICE term “Awesome vs. Authentic.” Do we always want real world behavior? Does real always sound right? We have managed to improve the level of detail, consistency and information that we can encode, and that can be readily decoded by our listeners in our sounds: What was that? How far away was it? Where did it happen? Is it a threat? Was it important? There it is again! So, how do we want to go about encoding spatial information into sounds? Do we want to be more “correct” or more decodable (if a conflict exists)?

Do we always want real world behavior? Does real always sound right?

Working in a built-up city I’m still surprised by how often physics gets it “wrong” when a helicopter flies overhead or an ambulance approaches from a distance. All the “conflicting” reflections from the buildings make it really hard for my brain to pinpoint where the sound is coming from, its path and also its direction of travel. Is this something we want to replicate in our title or do we want to bend the rules to make the scenarios more readable?

At DICE we embrace a hybridized solution, based on specific content and runtime calculations and DSP, and that for every iteration, adds more functionality, depth and “awesomeness” (awesomeness being guided by what is correct, but regularly being bent so it sounds “right”).
 

For game audio pros, how do you see the landscape changing in terms of job opportunities, must-have skills, and platforms to focus on? Do you have any advice for the next generation of game sound professionals?

BM: In the short term, I don’t see very much changing from where we are today. We have quite a high demand on individuals to be able to touch all aspects of the audio development process. We don’t typically divide roles into creative or technical, although we know that everyone has their own place on the spectrum — some are better or happier working in one area or specialization. While that can be essential on a per project basis, being able to see the bigger picture and being more flexible with fit is going to be beneficial when working in either a large team, a smaller one, or even as a lone wolf.

The quality and experience we are seeing from applicants these days is exceedingly high. Even when looking for interns, where the internship is part of an ongoing course, we receive applications from people who have learned the fundamentals of FMOD, WWise, Unity, etc. They already have a game or two under their belts. They know every DAW and associated plug-ins. They regularly go out field recording and have their own custom libraries.

The quality and experience we are seeing from applicants these days is exceedingly high

They are very socially visible (blog, Twitter, etc.) and have been working with audio for quite a few years already and are pretty damn good at it! These were the criteria we used to use to filter sound design applicants a few years ago, whereas now the average experience bar has moved up significantly. Personal qualities like team fit, self-motivation and the desire to learn and push boundaries are highly prized, and can often be more valuable and essential than experience or technical knowledge in demanding team-based setups.
 

A big thanks to Ben Minto for his insights!

 

Please share this:


 



 
 
THE WORLD’S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:
 
A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:

  • Environments & Ambiences Geophonic Sound Effects Play Track 98+ sounds included, 32 mins total $15

    This audio library features low-frequency drones, powerful impacts, metallic scrapes, resonant vibrations, and other rare audio textures.
    All sounds were recorded using the LOM Geofón, a device that captures low-frequency surface vibrations that conventional microphones cannot detect.

    The recordings were made with the TASCAM Portacapture X8 at 192 kHz/32 bit, ensuring maximum detail and sound quality.

    50 %
    OFF
  • Forged in Fury Vol. 1: Modular Sounds for Epic Combat

    Break down, customize, and master every detail of your combat effects with Forged in Fury Vol. 1, a collection of 394 brutal sounds in 192kHz/24. Includes katana, heavy axe, metal claws, and layer-by-layer edited vocals for total control.

    🔪 Katana (193 sounds):
    Double whooshes, precise slashes, impacts, blood splatters.
    Mix layers of edge and secondary effects (e.g. combine a quick whoosh with a feminine scream).

    🪓 Heavy Axe (96 sounds):
    Powerful whooshes, crushing blows, equip sounds, blood effects.
    Combine the roar of metal with the sounds of breaking bones.

    🔗 Metal Claws (37 sounds):
    Mechanical opening/closing, scratching, cutting whoosh.
    Ideal for fast movements and surprise attacks.

    🗣️ Male & Female Voices (68 Sounds):
    War cries, moans of pain, grunts of effort.
    Use them alone or synced with weapon effects.

    ✨ Key Feature:
    Each sound includes its own editable layers (e.g. whoosh + impact + blood). Do you want a bloodless ax swing? only the whoosh of a katana?, only blood? Modify it instantly.

    🎚️ Studio Quality:
    Recorded in 192kHz/24-32 bits, delivered in 192kHz/24 bits. Perfect for toning down, adding distortion or manipulating without losing clarity.

    More about the pack
    – Intuitive file naming
    – All you’ll ever need regarding katana, heavy ax and claw [Use them again & again]
    – Use the sound effects over and over, in any of your projects or productions, forever without any additional fees or royalties. Use the SFX in your game, in your trailer, in a Kickstarter campaign, wherever you need to, as much as you want to.
    – Totally mono compatibility
    – All sounds have several variations.
    – Use your imagination and feel free to use any sound for a other than the one described, remember that the world of sound is totally subjective.

    24 %
    OFF
  • Bicycle Sound Effects Skid and Drift Play Track 755 sounds included, 78 mins total $56

    Are you looking for skid sounds for your next action movie? Well, this sound library is made for you.

    “Skid and Drift” is the result of 4 years of recording work. It is a complete collection of skids from various vehicles, recorded from multiple perspectives, on all types of surfaces, and in high quality (dirt, dry and wet concrete, gravel, etc.).
    You will find skids from race cars recorded during the French National Drift Championship, skids from go-karts, motocross bikes, bicycles, skateboards, ice skates, rollerblades, as well as foot skids.
    These sounds were recorded in both stereo (XY and ORTF position) and mono, depending on the case, using the following microphones: Schoeps CCM4, Neumann U87, DPA4061, Lom MikroUsi. All sounds are recorded in 24-bit. The sampling frequency is 48kHz for scuffing footsteps sounds, and 96kHz and 192kHz for other recordings.

    The metadata is precise and complete. All sounds are in UCS format.

    20 %
    OFF
Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Motorcycle Sound Effects Scooters Play Track 197+ sounds included, 164 mins total $99

    SCOOTERS features various sound effects recorded from 7 different scooters, ranging from general scooters to a scooter with a modified exhaust. An old two-stroke scooter with high-pitched brake squealing sounds is also included, along with on-board riding sounds (including revving and speeding), pass-bys, idling, approaching, pull-away, engine cranking, and varied mechanism sounds. SCOOTERS sound library helps you create different types of scenes with scooter riding.

    The recorded scooters include:

    ・KYMCO VJR 110
    ・YAMAHA BW’S 125
    ・YAMAHA BW’S R 125
    ・YAMAHA FORCE 155
    ・YAMAHA Super Four (with a modified exhaust)
    ・YAMAHA VINO 50 (Two-stroke scooter)
    ・YAMAHA VINO 50 FI

    This library includes total 197 files, consisting of 170 mono files and 27 stereo files recorded in ORTF at 96 kHz. Approx. 2 hour and 44 minutes total.

    Certainly, this library was carefully tagged with rich Soundminer metadata, including marks in the recordings highlighting interesting sounds.

    All the recordings were recorded, edited and mastered with love and care.

  • City Life Sound Effects Quiet Streets 3d Play Track 100 sounds included, 580 mins total From: $135 From: $78

    Quiet Streets 3D is the latest chapter in Articulated’s Quiet Streets series, offering a meticulously crafted collection of quiet urban ambiences. Designed with both creativity and precision in mind, this library captures the essence of urban stillness through the advanced Schoeps 3D ORTF recording technique, resulting in multi-dimensional soundscapes that reveal both horizontal and vertical spatial details.

    This library features 100 files delivered at 96kHz/24-bit. With a total size of 74.8 GB and over 9 hours and 40 minutes of carefully curated ambiences, Quiet Streets 3D is a comprehensive resource for creating immersive urban soundscapes.

    A Global Journey Through Quietude

     

    The recordings span cities across three continents, capturing the unique characteristics of urban environments in Paris, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Bangkok, Naples, Kuala Lumpur, Montreal, Regensburg, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Strasbourg, Singapore, and more. Each location offers its own subtle yet distinct textures, from the hushed buzz of a late-night street in Bangkok to the subdued murmurs of a Parisian alley at dawn.

    A Commitment to Quality

     
    Over two years, our team travelled to these cities to document quiet moments in urban life. Recordings were made at various times of day and across seasons, capturing the interplay of natural and environmental sounds. The ambiences feature layers of biophony (birdsong, rustling leaves), geophony (wind, distant rain), and faint traces of anthropophony (passing footsteps, distant traffic). Care was taken to minimize intrusive noises, ensuring that these recordings integrate seamlessly into projects that require clarity for dialogue or sound effects. Note: at times some distinctive authentic events were kept in order to give the choice for the editor to use them in their projects. These are tagged as marker on the spectrogram.

    A Versatile Tool for Storytelling

     
    The library’s 8-channel 3D ORTF format provides an intricate sense of space, making it ideal for surround sound configurations in film, video games, and immersive media. For those working in stereo, we’ve included a high-quality downmixed version of every file, offering flexibility without compromising quality.

    Recorded with the acclaimed Schoeps 3d ORTF system, it has a total of 8 discreet channels, 4 on the lower plane arranged in 2 pair of ORTF similar to a IRT-Cross, and doubled with a higher plane of 4 more microphones. The channel layout of the sound recorded and delivered is as this: L R Ls Rs hL hR hLs hRs (whereas h stand for high). Learn more about this configuration here: https://schoeps.de/en/products/surround-3d/ortf-3d/ortf-3d-outdoor-set.html

    Every file is embedded with UCS-compliant metadata, allowing for intuitive searching and streamlined integration into your workflow. The metadata includes detailed descriptors, location names, and environmental characteristics, making it easy to find the perfect ambience for any scene.

    A Timeless Collection for Any Project

     
    Whether you need the intimate quiet of a European alley or the expansive stillness of an Asian metropolis, Quiet Streets 3D provides a rich palette of urban soundscapes. This library is not just a collection of audio files—it’s a carefully curated journey through the subtleties of urban life, designed to enhance the emotional depth and spatial realism of your projects.

    With Quiet Streets 3D, you’re investing in a resource that will remain relevant across countless future projects.

    42 %
    OFF
    28 %
    OFF
    28 %
    OFF
  • All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with RØDE NTG1, Line Audio Omni1 and FEL Clippy XLR EM272 microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II recorder. Library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.

  • Electricity Sound Effects Massive Thunder Play Track 616 sounds included, 217 mins total $29.99

    MASSIVE THUNDER – 616 files of Thunder sound effects, at varying distances and intensities. From low and slow rolling distant rumbles to violently fast and bombastic direct cracking impacts. Massive Thunder comes in at over 3 hours and 37 minutes of short and long scenes of thunder and lightning for every occasion. Recorded during several storm seasons and dozens of independent thunderstorms, with indoors and outdoors perspectives. Massive Thunder’s filenames are in the Universal Category System format with additional Metadata baked-in.

    Don’t need a Massive amount of Thunder and Lightning sound effects? We offer ‘Mini’ sound effect libraries as companions for all of our ‘Massive’ sound effect libraries. All recordings are unique to each library with no overlap. Go Mini today, and upgrade to the corresponding Massive library later, when you need more of that particular sound effect.

    40 %
    OFF
  • Car Sound Effects Jaguar XJ 2010 full size car Play Track 46 sounds included, 60 mins total $65

    All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with RØDE NTG1, Line Audio Omni1, FEL Clippy XLR EM272 and JrF C-Series Pro+ microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II recorder. The library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.


   

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

HTML tags are not allowed.