popular sound effects 2018 Asbjoern Andersen


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:
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Magic Elements Vol.1
 
  • Magic & Fantasy Sound Effects Magic Elements vol.1 Play Track 770 sounds included $119

    Please Note: You get a better deal by buying this library in the Magic Elements vol 1 – 2 bundle here

    ‘Magic Elements’ is a detailed collection of designed & source sounds of organic elements, actions, characters, items, spells & atmospheres in the realm of Magic.


    DESIGNED:
    In the designed section you will find 326 carefully crafted sounds.
    Volume 1 of this magic saga is comprehensively focused on 6 elements:
    Earth, Ice, Fire, Air, Black, and Generic.

    Each element comes with a variety of spells, actions/movements such as whoosh, impacts, atmospheres, projectiles, along with many variations in intensity and speed.

    All these sounds are carefully designed, edited and meta-tagged.

    The ‘generic’ category contains handy neutral go-to sounds that are useful for any project.

    SOURCE:
    The source folder is packed with 444 useful sounds that cover a large spectrum; thoroughly edited and meta-tagged. They will support your creativity with materials such as choirs, dissonant metal, creatures, papers, debris, drones, cracks, textures, friction, LFE sub sweeteners,…

    What’s inside:

    • Impacts, Whoosh, Air Swirls,
    • Fireball, Deflagration, Flame Thrower, Deep Sub Whoosh
    • Aura, Energy Stone, Old Grimoire, Healing,
    • Earthquake, Constant Debris, Falling Rocks, Ground Friction,
    • Haunted Books,Laboratory, Magic Box, Potion
    • Huge Ground Opening, Eerie Drones,
    • Dark Choir, Ominous Creatures, Dark Dissonant Metal Scrape,
    • Iceberg Destruction, Ice Scrapes, LFE Sub Sweeteners,


    Choose how you want your sounds!
    2 DOWNLOAD OPTIONS INCLUDED:

    • GLUED (Multiple variations of the same sound glued in one file)

    • SEPARATED (Each variations of sound are separated in different files)

'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
 
  • Materials & Texture Sound Effects Glacier Ice Play Track 300+ sounds included $32

    Glacier Ice is a library containing over 300 high quality sounds of ice cracking, breaking, shattering in various sizes of blocks – recorded entirely in the Italian Alps over the course of two winters.

    The library contains sounds of all dimensions, from ice cubes being dropped in a drink to a designed iceberg collapsing.

    The majority of the material was recorded at 192 KHz with a Sanken CO100K and a stereo pair of Sennheiser MKH8040, making this library greatly flexible for pitch shifting and all sorts of heavy processing.

    A small section recorded at 96KHz features sounds recorded exclusively with contact microphones placed directly on the surface of a frozen water stream.

    Bonus: Two extra libraries included for free:
    This library also includes two additional releases from Mattia Cellotto - for free: Crunch Mode delivers 230 crunchy sounds made with a variety of vegetables, fresh bread, pizza crust and a selection of frozen goods. The Borax Experiment gets you 158 squishy, gory, slimy and gooey sounds.
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'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)
 
  • Firearms Sound Effects Sci-Fi Weapons (Principle Sound) Play Track 2626 sounds included $50

    The Sci-Fi Weapons library delivers more than 2600 futuristic weapon shots, charges, ricochets and other related sounds.

    All of them were designed using exclusively recorded Foley sounds, synthetic layers, various sound manipulation and morphing techniques.

    Single shots and automatic fire, reloading ammo, energy blasts, impacts and explosions, surface hits – it’s all there, ready to be used in your sci-fi projects!

    Version 1.5 is out:
    In v1.5 update we add 11 new weapons and two new reloads/ricochets packs. The total number of sounds in the library comes up to 2626.

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'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
 
  • City Life Sound Effects Diffuse City Play Track 116+ sounds included, 752 mins total $75

    Diffuse City is the unique urban ambience sound effects library you didn’t know you were missing. It captures the urban environment in its many forms – all based around the idea of diffuse ambience.

    The Diffuse City library is purpose-built for the times an environment needs to be felt, but not be distracting.

    Every track in Diffuse City was recorded with some sort of real life “filter” in mind; be it distance, elevation, time of day, physical material – Anything to provide the feeling of city life with out the specificity of many urban ambience libraries. No distracting close car pass-bys or people talking; only great natural ambience beds.

    Diffuse City was recorded in big cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural settings over a span of two years. It was largely recorded over very late nights, when very few people we’re around. Occasionally, however, a car would pass by… a gun would go off… While these were edited out of the recordings, they are included as “extras” in the library. Perfect for adding some flavor to a moment that’s authentic to the environment it was recorded in.

    Metadata – and markers:

    In addition to thorough metadata, each ambience in Diffuse City is embedded with markers highlighting unique moments that aren’t easily visible in a waveform. Software like Soundminer v4.5 and Reaper can display these markers, making it easy to identify distinct sonic moments in an otherwise nondescript waveform.

    reaper-markers-example

    Markers in Reaper

    There are 10 areas of focus in Diffuse City:

    Elevated City • Distant Highways • Underground City • Distant City • Under Bridges • City Rumble • Empty Parking Lots • Alleys • Industrial • Window Contacts

    Hear examples and learn more about each one below

'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.
 
Mobile Game
 
  • Game Audio Packs Mobile Game Play Track 578 sounds included, 30 mins total $42

    Inspired by app market hits like Clash of Clans and Candy Crush, we present to you Mobile Game – a truly fun and genuinely gameplay inspired sound effects library. Filled with a thorough selection of popular game ready audio assets, Mobile Game gives you sounds that you can quickly implement inside any game to give it a familiar “hit app” game feel.

    • Includes 578 files
    • All files in .Wav 96k 24bit
    • Plus game ready mp3 files
    • Inspired by today’s best App Games
    • Includes Soundminer metadata
    • 891.9 MB of samples

    Mobile Game features sounds such as:

    Bubbles • Building • Coins • Crafting • Mechanisms and Contraptions • Musical Stabs • Objective Completes • Pick Ups • Potions • Tonal Designed Organic fx • UI/Menu • Upgrades

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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.
 
Swordfighter
 
  • Cold Weapon Sound Effects Swordfighter Play Track 479 sounds included $25

    Swordfighter is a robust package with sharp sounding swords, heaps of variations and all the extras you need to make a fight come alive. Build unique sword swings with various hits, swooshes, schings, different fighter vocals and impacts on various surfaces. All up there are 137 sword sounds, 93 surface impact sounds, 15 knife throwing sounds, 48 swooshes and 180 fighter vocals.

    This version includes two sub-folders: one optimised for a film & TV workflow and the other optimised for video games workflow. Plus a few bonus sounds of a charging army.

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
 
  • Firearms Sound Effects Bullet Impacts Play Track 320 sounds included $35

    Prepare for impact! This EFX Bullet Impact collection features a huge number of impacts into cars, metal, walls, water, body impacts, as well as passbys, ricochets and underwater passbys.

    A must-have for for actual bullet and combat sounds – and for adding oomph to many other types of impact sounds too!

'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
 
  • Sci-Fi Sound Effects High Tech Interface Sounds Play Track 290 sounds included $30

    Looking for futuristic interface sounds? The High Tech Interface Sounds library is a targeted solution for just that. It features 280 sound effects in categories like Beeps, Buttons, Clicks, Data Processing, Micro High Tech and more – created by Sergey Eybog, who recently won an award for his user interface sound design.

'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.
 
Footstep And Foley Sounds
 
  • Footstep & Foley Sounds contains 511 high quality professionally recorded footstep sounds. Surfaces included: concrete, dirt, grass, gravel, metal, mud, water, wood, ice and snow. Plus 141 Foley sounds covering a variety of character movement sounds. A perfect addition to add realism to your footstep sounds.

    This pack also includes a variety of 160 bonus sounds effects from our full library Pro Sound Collection. ALL sounds from Footstep & Foley Sounds are included in Pro Sound Collection so if you need more sounds be sure to check it out before purchase.

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!
 
Animal Hyperrealism Vol I
 
  • Animal Sound Effects Collections Animal Hyperrealism Vol I Play Track 290+ sounds included $170

    Animal Hyperrealism Vol I is a library containing sounds themed animal vocalisations, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 1300 individual sounds in 290 files.

    The sounds were partly recorded with animals trained for media production, partly recorded in zoos and wildlife centers. The asset list includes but is not limited to: african lions, bengal tigers, horses, donkeys, cows, exotic birds, owls, bobcats, pumas, dromedaries, wolves, dogs, geese, lemurs, gibbons and many more.

    All the content has been recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K plus a Sennheiser 8050 for center image and a couple of Sennheiser MKH8040 for stereo image. All files are delivered as stereo bounce of these four mics, though in some instances an additional couple of CO100K was added to the sides.

    The resulting ultrasonic spectrum is rich and allows for truly extreme manipulation of the content.

    Bonus: Two extra libraries included for free:
    This library also includes two additional releases from Mattia Cellotto - for free: Crunch Mode delivers 230 crunchy sounds made with a variety of vegetables, fresh bread, pizza crust and a selection of frozen goods. The Borax Experiment gets you 158 squishy, gory, slimy and gooey sounds.
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
 
  • Fire Sound Effects Designed Fire Play Track 255 sounds included, 34 mins total $25

    Designed Fire features 255 cinematic fire sound effects, ambiences, swooshes, whooshes, fly-bys, drones, textures, glitches and more, that range from heavily designed to basic elements. It explores the further sonic realms of a powerful element.

    Designed Fire highlights:

    255 24bit / 96kHz WAV files / Meta-tagged (Soundminer)
    89 Swooshes / Wooshes
    75 Short elements
    29 Impacts
    28 Winds
    34 Textures

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'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
 
  • GRANULAR is the ultimate source library for anyone looking to add compelling and distinctive granular textures into their sound design; it contains designed sounds, a large collection of processed sounds, and some additional raw recordings.
    This library is the culmination of many hours of exploration and experimentation in the area of granular sound processing, using a variety of plugins, audio tools, recording techniques and processes.
    GRANULAR features 395 24bit / 96kHz WAV files, each embedded with full metadata.

'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
 
  • Environments & Ambiences Submersion – Underwater Library Play Track 377+ sounds included, 383 mins total $70

    Submersion is a sound effect library delivering over 1800 high quality sounds in 377 files (more than 10Gb), from bubbles and impacts over whooshes to ambiences, propellers sounds and many more, this collection has all you need to create an exciting underwater audio experience.
    From raw recordings to ready-to-use sound effects, all the content has been recorded and designed at 24bit, 96 KHz, all fully tagged with metadatas, by sound designers Arnaud Noble and Benoît Marsalone.
    This library is split in two different sections:

    The Raw section:
    Captured with the Aquarians H2a Hydrophone in different locations (pool, river or inside several props), the raw section allows you to sculpt, create, and edit your own sounds with more than 1300 individuals sounds, with many variations.
    This is your toolkit for all your underwater scenes and projects.

    The Designed Section:
    This section provides you ready-to-use sounds (over 593 individuals sounds in 172 files), all created and designed from the Raw section materials.
    From huge to tiny, this collection delivers Cinematic Impacts, Ambiences, Whooshes, Explosions, Propellers, Lava sounds, Sci-fi sounds and many more.

    Included sounds / Keywords
    Ambience – Impact – Explosion – Movement – Whoosh – Swim – Bubble – Propeller – Air release – Stream – Scrape – Squeak – Creak – Crack – Waves – Ice – Lava – Hot – Embers – Sizzle – Crackle – Acid – Soak – Quench – Combustion – Organic – Fizz – Pulses – Plunger – Bottle – Drip – Boil – Drain – Pour – Rattle – Bounce – Slide – Hollow – Crush – Plonk – Snap – Metal – Plastic – Wood – Realistic – Sci-fi – Abstract – Alien

'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
 
  • Electricity Sound Effects Polarity Play Track 975 sounds included $72

    Polarity delivers more than 950 sounds of electricity, science and technology – captured in several locations around the world, from electricity museums to science labs. About 50% of the library is all about electricity, with various types of Jacob’s Ladders, Tesla Coils, Ruhmkorff lamp and all sorts of impactful bursts of energy.

    Then we go through welders, plasma spheres, 3D printers, starting to cover a more broad technology theme – like old phones, telegraphs, dynamo wheels, rotary dials, whirling watchers, alarm, lab centrifuges, something scientists call a roller and a rocker, servo sounds, neon lights, a wimshurst machine and sparklers.

    Many sounds in this section were captured from vintage equipment, from a 1928’s tram to old telephone switchboards, high voltage levers and control surfaces.

    All content was recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K, a couple of Sennheiser 8040 and a Neumann 81i, translating into final assets that have plenty of ultrasonic content, ready for the most extreme manipulation.

    Bonus: Two extra libraries included for free:
    This library also includes two additional releases from Mattia Cellotto - for free: Crunch Mode delivers 230 crunchy sounds made with a variety of vegetables, fresh bread, pizza crust and a selection of frozen goods. The Borax Experiment gets you 158 squishy, gory, slimy and gooey sounds.
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'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!
   

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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:

  • COMPATIBLE WITH ANY VIDEO SOFTWARE
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    Introducing the Ultimate Sound FX Bundle – your all-in-one solution to level up your audio game! Say goodbye to wasting countless hours searching for the perfect sound effects, and hello to a seamless editing process that enhances your creativity.

    This bundle includes sound effects from different genres and subjects, so you’ll have everything you need right at your fingertips. Whether you’re working on a film, game, podcast, or music project, this bundle has got you covered.

    With the Ultimate Sound FX Bundle, you can speed up your workflow and take your creativity to new heights. Imagine having access to a vast library of high-quality sound effects that perfectly match your project’s needs, all in one place. No more time wasted on sifting through endless sound effect libraries – this bundle has it all.

    Don’t let sound effects be a pain point in your creative process any longer. Invest in the Ultimate Sound FX Bundle today and experience a smoother, more efficient workflow that unleashes your full creative potential.

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  • All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with Shure KSM137, 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.


    Recording John Deere 1065 1981 combine harvester


  • Game Audio Packs 8-Bit Legend Play Track 543 sounds included $50

    Awaken sound designer, your 8-Bit Legend is about to begin! 8-Bit Legend is a heroic SFX library of retro sounds made using the Gameboy’s sound chip. After countless battles, and leveling up we captured the nostalgic sounds of the 8-bit era.

    In a quest to compile the ultimate 8-bit SFX library we traveled back in time to study the scrolls of sound from the legendary Sonic Sages.

    Though filled with trials and tribulations we returned to the present with our spoils, a treasure trove of recorded sounds compiled into the epic tome: 8-Bit Legend!

Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • ‘Cartoon & Animation Vol 2’ by Cinematic Sound Design delivers the ultimate sound effects library tailored for your comedic creations, cartoons, games, and music productions. Dive into a realm of whimsical wonders with this curated collection of handcrafted sound effects, featuring an array of delightful cartoon pops, boings, jumps, crashes, impacts and a lot more.
    Crafted and captured using top-of-the-line outboard equipment including the ‘Sound Devices 702’ field recorder and Neumann KM184 microphones, each sound is processed through an Apogee Symphony AD/DA for unparalleled clarity, depth, and impact. Discover an array of truly unique SFX meticulously crafted to infuse your projects with personality and charm with a selection of zany boings, energetic jumps, clumsy falls, quirky snaps, lively runs and playful mallets.

    Product Details:

    • 121 Designed Cartoon SFX
    • 24-Bit/96kHz
    • 100% Royalty-Free

  • Unleash the full potential of your audio production with the Tool Bag Foley Sound Effects Library. Meticulously recorded with precision, this library offers an expansive collection of sounds straight from the tool shed. Whether you’re in film, television, game development, or theatre, these sounds will enhance your soundscapes and bring your scenes to life.

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  • CRRRACK!!!

    Introducing “Wood Destruction” – a powerful sound library that brings the raw and intense sounds of wood breaking to your audio projects. This collection is designed to provide sound designers, filmmakers, and video professionals with an extensive range of wood destruction sounds. From small wooden objects to massive structures, every breaking sound is meticulously captured to deliver a sense of power and scale.

    The sounds in “Wood Destruction” are presented in a clean and isolated format, allowing for seamless integration into your projects without the need for extensive editing. Each sound is carefully labeled and categorized, making it easy to find the perfect wood destruction sound for your specific scene or sequence.

    From explosive demolition scenes to suspenseful moments of destruction, this library will be your ultimate resource for authentic and impactful wood destruction sound effects.

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  • Environments & Ambiences Natural Water Streams Play Track 10 sounds included, 30 mins total $18

    This meticulously crafted sound effects library is an essential tool for professionals in film, game development, and audio production who seek authentic and high-quality water soundscapes.

    Recorded using high-quality equipment such as Zoom H4N, H1, and H6, these sounds offer unparalleled clarity and realism. Whether you’re creating serene nature scenes or designing complex audio environments, ‘Natural Water Streams’ provides a versatile range of water sound effects.

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  • Industrial Ambiences Wind Turbines Inner Sounds Play Track 45 sounds included, 144 mins total $20

    Wind turbine rotations and motor movements recorded subterraneously, through wire fences, metal steps and the body of the turbine.

     The results are a selection of metallic movements, evolving eerie soundscapes, atmospheric hums, whines.

     Excellent design source and sound morphing material, eerie atmospheres and dystopian environments.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSGOZXKJWbc

    Number of Sounds : 45

    Number of Files : 45      

    Total Audio Time : 2 hours  22 minutes  18  secs  ( 142 minutes 18 seconds)

    Type : WAV Stereo

    Sample Rate / Bit Rate : 192 kHz / 24 Bit

    Mastered : No

    Normalised : No

    Size : 9.92 Gb

    Metadata : Files are stamped with detailed UCS compliant metadata in Soundminer

    Documentation Included : Copyright, EULA, Images, Metadata (exported in multiple formats)

    License : A Sound Effect EULA / Terms and Conditions https://www.asoundeffect.com/license-agreement/

    Recorders : Zoom F3 and Sound Devices Mix Pre 10 II

    Microphones :  LOM Geofon, Stille and Klang small spots, Sennheiser 8040’s and 8050

    Microphone Configuration : Magnetic, Spike, Contact. ORTF and Centre Mic

    KEYWORDS : Wind Turbine , Back, Wire Fence, Metal Steps, Underground, Rotate, Inner, Motor, Vibrate, Whirr, Bass, Hum, Whine, Pulse, Atonal, Disharmonious, Breeze

    FXNAME :  Abandoned Environment, Deserted Environment, Design Source, Dystopian, Eerie Atmosphere, Post Apocalypse, Sound Morph, Uninhabited, Wind Turbine


   

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