Want to know what sound effects libraries that have amazed sound designers this year? Here are 14 of the SFX libraries that were most popular in 2018, in no particular order:
'Magic Elements Vol.1' by Articulated Sounds is the most recent release on this list, and it's not hard to see why it quickly became a favorite. With intense elemental magical sounds of earth, ice, fire, air and dark sorcery, this library will not only get you on your way to designing your mystical elements, it will also likely influence the direction of your project's soundscape! You even get two options when downloading to suit your workflow with similar sounds on their own or in a single track.
'Glacier Ice' by Mattia Cellotto is a classic library of Mattia's. You not only get sounds of ice shattering in the quiet altitudes of the Italian Alps, you also get crackling river surfaces and hollow ice, massive crashing chunks, exploding ice blocks, underwater sounds, and everything you need for a collapsing avalanche. Plus, on top of great sounds, you can stay inside this winter!
'Sci-Fi Weapons (PSD)' by Principle Sound Design is an extensive library that is a no-brainer for anyone needing some firepower from the future. With over 1,000 sounds, you'll have coverage for single-shot and fully automatic weapons, as well as explosions, surface hits, ricochets, charging and reloading, and more. As one happy customer discovered, you even get rarer weapons like bows!
'Diffuse City' by Collected Transients is the result of a quest to connect game and film scenes directly to reality. Each sound has incredibly detailed metadata and has been categorized into 10 focus areas. Not only do you know what recorder was used and where Stosh Tuszynski was when he recorded it, you also get markers in Reaper to note subtle details. If you're looking for accurate, no-fuss ambiences that will sit nicely in your projects, check this one out.
Epic Stock Media is another sound design team that is no surprise when they show up on popular lists. Their libraries are consistently well-rounded, and 'Mobile Game' is one of their finest. This sound library gets you 578 sounds that are musical in nature with mallet instrument stingers, retro pickups, friendly tones, triumphant power-ups, and more. You also get sounds of coins, bubbles, and other fun textures. If you want to give your game an inviting aesthetic, look no further.
For the third year in a row, 'Swordfighter' by Squeaky Fish has made the list of most popular libraries! And it's not hard to see why - in this collection you receive not only sounds of swords and knives being drawn, sheathed, thrown, and swung at various surfaces, but also vocals of male and female fighters and rowdy hordes. With a total of 479 highly useful sounds that have proven themselves year after year, you can trust the community on this one!
'Bullet Impacts' by Diegetix Sound LLC is an impressive collection that has also made the most popular list three times in a row! With over 300 sounds, you will hear impacts on cars, walls and bodies, making this a great library for video games and action films. You also get the elements you need for complex, accurate sound design with ricochets, underwater passbys, reverb tails, and near-misses. It's easy to see why this one has been so popular!
'High Tech Interface Sounds' by Lesser Vibes is the last sound library in this recap to be on the most popular list three years in a row. With 280 user interface sounds, this one runs the gamut of hi-tech scenarios. You get sounds of buttons, clicks, data processing, transmissions, bursts, crackles, alarms, sparks, drones, and more! Whether you are designing UI sounds for your player to interact with or the sounds of your characters' ship command center, this one has what you need.
With this library, Gamemaster Audio has tapped into our needs with a specifically highly useful collection for newcomers and pros alike. 'Footstep And Foley Sounds' has 511 footstep sounds on 8 surfaces, and it also includes 160 bonus sounds of clothing and gear movements. It's hard to pass this one up!
It seems Mattia Cellotto can do no wrong when he takes out his recorders, and with his second library on this list, 'Animal Hyperrealism Vol I', it's clear his dedication to recording useful, diverse animals has put his library on top. This collection features close-up, clean recordings of everything from farm animals to African fauna to snowy wildlife and so much more. It's no surprise why this library has received so many 5-star reviews!
'Designed Fire' by Gregor Quendel hit the sweet spot when it was first released, giving sound designers a unique blend of firey ambiences, swooshes, whooshes, textures, and drones that are realistic and dynamic with a hint of enchantment. With 255 sounds that can stand alone or be layered on top for delicious power-ups and magical abilities, give the demo a listen and see how you like it.
'Granular' by Barney Oram has been consistently popular since it was released. This collection takes you through Barney's creative process with raw sounds of grainy foods on different surfaces through the design pass with interesting textures and finally cut up into user interface sounds and impacts. As the description says, it came out of "exploration and experimentation" - two favorite tools of great sound designers.
'Submersion - Underwater Library' by Spectravelers is a library with expertly recorded textures that will give you the right elements for your... you name it! Designing a quiet scene with happy underwater creatures? What if an alien ship emerges from the depths only to be countered by an zealous defense system? You are covered with this artistically designed selection!
'Polarity' by Mattia Cellotto is a wonderful collection of all types of electrical and technological sounds. In it, you can find Jacob's Ladders, Tesla Coils, Ruhmkorff lamps, a Wimshurst machine, sounds of welding, dials, phones, wheels, alarms, servos, and so much more with nearly 1,000 sound effects. As Mattia's third library to make this year's list, you can trust you are getting the best!
