Video: How To Make Sound Effects Completely From Scratch:

How to record sound effects from scratch - video guide

Posted September 2, 2024 by Asbjoern Andersen in Recording

Looking to add new sound effects to your arsenal? Brent Richard shares his tips on how to capture source sounds to work from - from scratch:

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How to Make Sounds Completely From Scratch (Really)

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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, 23 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.

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Magic & Fantasy Sound Effects MAGIC: Organic Twinkles & Shimmers Play Track 87+ sounds included, 36 mins total $69

Unheard Sounds releases their first sound pack titled ‘MAGIC: Organic Twinkles and Shimmers’!

This extensive library of organic, unprocessed, ‘magic-sounding’ props and textures can be a go-to for any sound design that needs some raw, magical character to it!
Beautiful, unique materials on mobiles, interesting whooshes, bowed cymbals with vibrating textures… and all recorded with a Sennheiser 8040ST pair and a Sanken CO-100K for pristine quality! See sound list below for details.

Get a taste of our product by listening to the design demo (which exclusively uses sounds from the pack) and by watching the trailer here:

Includes Various Organic Source Such As:
• Rain Stick Performances (Some Movement with Less Pebbles and Glass Debris)
• Bowed Cymbal Performances (Some with Glass Rattling on Cymbal, Some with Muted Crown or Side for Unique Character)
• Garden Cultivator (Movement, Hits & Ring-outs)
• Sea Glass Shards (Mobile Movement)
• Obsidian Needles (Large and Small Mobile Movement)
• Whooshes and Twirl Movement (With Violin Bow and Various Gauge Guitar Strings)
• Weaponry (Slides and Scrapes)

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Environments & Ambiences Stadium Crowd Vol. 1 Play Track 45 sounds included $37

Stadium Crowd Vol. 1 captures an immersive symphony of emotions reverberating around a UK stadium packed with over 80,000 people. The library includes a cacophony of cheers, jeers, groans, and moans, giving a genuine sense of the passionate energy in the stands.

This library was recorded during a professional wrestling event, making it an ideal choice for productions featuring exhilarating sports scenes filled with heightened excitement. Experience the resonant thuds of body slams, the distinct chime of bell dings, and the vibrant chorus of crowd chants.

These sound effects are not only suitable for productions infused with pro wrestling themes, but can also elevate any scene with an enthusiastic stadium crowd.

Combine these sounds with our Football SFX Bundle Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 to build a myriad of enthusiastic fanfares.

All sounds are delivered in 24Bit 96kHz format allowing further sonic manipulation, and have been meticulously edited and tagged with extensive UCS compliant metadata for ease of use.

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Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:

Game Audio Packs - Game Sound Effects Libraries 8-Bit and Retro Game Sounds Play Track 532 sounds included $29
Looking to transport your audience straight to the 1980s? Need to build the perfect atmosphere of a buzzing shopping mall arcade? Want to capture the vibe of those early living room gaming sessions?

Whether you’re recreating vintage console-style environments or crafting your own retro-inspired game audio, the 8-Bit and Retro Game Sounds library has you covered.

Experience the classic 8-bit sounds from 1980s arcades and home gaming systems – including effects from gameplay actions, item pickups, battles, catchy chiptune melodies, beeps, and other nostalgic retro gaming audio.

With more than 500 lo-fi, gritty sound effects, this collection delivers over 2 gigabytes of meticulously crafted audio – packed with authentic retro and 8-bit game sounds:
- accents (achievement, danger, error, game over, score counting, points, select)
- in-game actions (bouncing, falling, jumping, using items, pick up, teleport)
- in game items (alarms, communications, computers, machines, force fields, vehicles, robots)
- combat (hits, explosions, guns, lasers)
- melodies (bonus round, boss fight, dungeon crawl, final stage, new wave, win)
- tones (going down, going up, ascending, descending)
The package features authentic 8-bit game sounds alongside retro-style clips that have a more contemporary twist.
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Environments & Ambiences Ancient Caves Ambiences Play Track 8 sounds included, 24 mins total $13
Transport yourself to the tranquil depths of ancient caves with this atmospheric soundscape collection. “Ancient Caves Ambiences” features 8 serene tracks that capture the essence of solitude and peace in the heart of the earth. With a total duration of 25 minutes and 11 seconds, this pack brings together soothing elements such as the subtle sound of water dripping, distant birds, and the gentle resonance of a meditation bowl. Perfect for relaxation, meditation, or setting a calm, mystical atmosphere, these tracks invite you to unwind and connect with nature’s quiet beauty.

Included Elements:
- Water Dripping
- Birds in the Distance
- Meditation Bowl Resonance
With its immersive sound textures, “Ancient Caves Ambiences” creates a peaceful auditory experience ideal for meditation, deep focus, or creating a serene ambiance in any space.
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City Life Sound Effects Streets of Istanbul Field Recordings Play Track 12 sounds included, 26 mins total $16
Step into the heart of one of the world’s most vibrant cities with Streets of Istanbul, a rich tapestry of field recordings capturing the everyday rhythm, pulse, and energy of Turkey’s cultural capital.

From the echoing calls to prayer near ancient mosques to the lively chatter of open-air bazaars, this collection immerses you in authentic urban textures and atmospheric soundscapes. Hear the hum of the port, footsteps on cobblestone alleys and the ever-present hum of street life—crowds, vendors, passing trams, and distant seagulls.

Whether you’re a sound designer, filmmaker, game developer, or just a lover of sonic storytelling, these recordings bring Istanbul’s layered sonic identity directly to your ears.

Includes:
- Bustling bazaar ambiances with vendors and crowds
- Peaceful yet active park recordings with birdsong and families
- Atmospheric portside soundscape with waves, gulls, and distant horns
- Spiritual mosque exteriors with calls to prayer and community presence
- Daily life in the streets – footsteps, conversations, distant traffic
- Natural crowd recordings from squares and alleyways
Royalty-Free for Commercial and Personal Use

Bring the soul of Istanbul into your next project.
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Metal Sound Effects Moving Ship’s Steps Play Track 26 sounds included, 8 mins total $6

Haunting, metallic creaks and moans of a ship’s steps as it shifts with the sea in Reykjavik Harbour. Recorded with a LOM Geofon this sound library contains eerie, dissonant textures and deep resonant tones, ideal for abandoned, post-apocalyptic or ghostly atmospheres.

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Bundles Videogame Foley Essentials Vol. IV Play Track 1325 sounds included, 219 mins total $50
Continuing the popular Videogame Foley Essentials series (Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol.III), Vol. IV offers an additional 1325 individual sound effects all mixed at the same volume level, carefully cleaned of any unnecessary background noise and artifacts. These sounds are ready to be integrated into any audio middleware solution, such as Wwise or FMOD. Recorded with videogame development in mind, all sounds are short, snappy one-shots with dozens of iterations, making them ideal for layering, stretching and bending to achieve surprising results. The goal is to streamline the workflow for editors and sound designers by providing ready-to-use sound batches for their middleware projects, avoiding auditory repetition and fatigue for gamers while keeping them fully immersed in their upcoming adventures.

You’ll find in this library the following folders with clear nomenclature and corresponding metadata related to various interactions either with environmental objects or the characters in the game:
- Cameras: foley sounds of both analog and digital cameras, including manual and digital zooming, button pressing, photographic film and battery insertion, digital power-on and power-off sounds, shooting clicks, and the handling of all camera elements.
- Disks: CD, DVD and Blu-ray interactions, including the sound effects of respective players’ trays opening and closing, disk insertion and removal from various devices, button pressing, foley sounds of disks being placed, removed and inserted into different cases, and the handling of jewel cases and DVD cases. Also includes mechanical sounds of different recorders and players turning on and off.
- Radio: long takes of both AM and FM frequencies. AM frequencies prominently feature harsh static, noise and distortion, while FM frequencies include rapid radio station switching with garbled voices, brief musical stings, and smoother static sounds. These frequency types were recorded using both in-line and microphone techniques. Also includes short static bursts from a radio being turned off.
- Tape Cassettes: everything big, analog and noisy sounding; including cassettes, VHS and Betamax tapes being handled, inserted, and removed from various recorders and devices. Foley sounds of Walkman buttons, cassette and tape cases/boxes. Hums, hisses, ejecting and rewinding sounds from tapes and cassettes. Jack cables being inserted and removed from a tape deck.
- Vinyl: long takes of vinyl record grain loops, dozens of different needle drops, and over thirty audio files of genuine scratching, slowing down and speeding up sounds (with no digital pitch shifting or other software involved). Also includes foley sounds of records being removed and inserted into sleeves.
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