City Life Sound Effects

Sounds from a Transit System on Pause.
Underground Ambiences and Mechanical Atmospheres for Cinematic and Abstract Soundscapes.

The Still Line is a 139-minute sound effects library capturing the rare stillness and quiet pulse of an underground rail network paused in time. Recorded during a period of minimal traffic, as public life slowly returned after lockdowns, it spans resonant tunnels, hushed platforms, and moving trains, with subtle human presence woven throughout—footsteps, luggage wheels, and distant voices—adding life without disrupting the pervasive stillness. These recordings offer rich ambiences and precise mechanical textures, perfect for grounding a scene in reality, providing unique sonic textures, or reimagining it for something entirely new.

Step into an underground transit system where empty platforms, echoing tunnels, the mechanical heartbeat of infrastructure, and sparse human touches all coexist to create a cinematic soundscape.

This mini-library offers over two hours of recordings from quiet platforms, long tunnels, ticket halls, train interiors, and the subtle machinery that sustains the network. Freed from the usual crowd noise, every detail emerges: the tonal hum of escalators, the metallic sigh of air brakes, distant trains rolling through silent tunnels, and the layered resonance of vast, reflective chambers.

What’s Inside

• Full Ambiences – Richly textured recordings from across the network: quiet platforms, long tunnels, ticket halls, escalator corridors, and more; each with a distinctive acoustic signature.
• Onboard Train Rides and Transit – Interior and transit recordings capturing acceleration, braking, door sounds, and the unique mechanical atmosphere inside moving trains.
• Atmospheric Beds – Low-frequency rumbles, electrical buzzes, tonal drones, and air movement; ideal for naturalistic beds or stylised tension and mood building.
• Mechanical and Transit Detail – Train doors, brake releases, escalators, fans, and clanks of steel on steel; textures that can stand alone or be sculpted into abstract soundscapes.
• Human Touches – Sparse, unhurried footsteps, luggage wheels, and distant voices, present enough to imply life without disturbing the library’s quiet, cinematic character.

Whether you’re building a dystopian future, crafting cinematic tension, or repurposing urban textures for abstract sound design, The Still Line offers a unique palette grounded in reality yet open to transformation.