sound effects ideas 2018 Asbjoern Andersen

Posted by Asbjoern Andersen in Sound design guides • 1 Comment


Looking for ideas for your next (or first) indie sound effects library? Good news, the results of our survey to gather inspiration for new sound effects libraries are in - and we've got more than 90 ideas for you in total!

A few ideas are carried over from past surveys, and these are marked with an *. We've also trawled various forums to see what people were requesting, and have added a selection of those ideas to the pool. For those ideas where existing libraries may already cover it, we've added some suggestions in brackets.

A huge thanks to everything who participated - and hope the list proves inspiring!

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Try a search below to see the very latest results:
The list below hasn’t been updated with the latest releases, so some ideas may already have been covered. Try a search below on the keyword(s) you have in mind to see what’s currently available.


 

Ideas for new sound effects libraries:

• Abandoned house ambiences – no activity
• African and South American walla (This might come in handy for African sounds, and this for South American)
• African-american walla
• Air from different environments for the center channel
• American and UK English office walla
• Animals that communicate outside of our hearing range, that are then lowered in pitch so they are audible, rats are particularly interesting / bat shrieks
• Anime Japan Sound Effects library
• Arctic / Polar / Greenland ambiences
• Arrows and medieval mechanisms (these bow & arrow SFX libraries could come in handy)
• Aztech death whistle
• Bar and restaurant Walla
• Beach buggy
• Big animals like bears, wolves, tigers, horses, owls (A few ideas: There are bears here, tigers here, wolves here, horses here)
• Birds from all over the world, a large collection of close-up recordings.
• Calm and subtle roomtones
• Camera flashes (there are a number of flash sounds in these camera sound effects libraries)
• Cars driving at a constant speed from the OUTSIDE
• Cartoon libraries like Hannah Barbera but fresh, high quality sounds.
• Cartoon vocals/exclamations
• Casual Game sounds. (e.g.: match 3, candy crush, gardenscapes) (a Casual game SFX library like this might be useful)
• Cemetery ambiences and atmospheres
• China Ambiences – countryside, no humans
• China, city ambiences
• Clocks
• Contact Mic Horse Hooves
• Crow presence (non-verbal)
• Dog foley – “footsteps”, panting, breath *
• Dolphins (high sample rate)
• Doors, doors and did I mention doors yet? Properly recorded and performed in a real way (there are a number of door sound effects libraries here)
• Edited animal sounds created with gaming in mind, 1000 different animals, all creatures great and small.
• European Windows – Open and Close
• Everyday quiet surround room tones
• Everyday things like household door open/close, new set (there might be something useful in the Household category here)
• Fire (there could be something useful in the Fire sound effects category here)
• Fishing sounds *
• Footsteps in Kontakt or Battery format, new collections
• Gentle transitions/swells (some of the simple/pure whoosh libraries could come in handy – like Tiny Transitions, Organic Whooshes or Pure Whooshes)
• Geographically unspecific exteriors
• Global events (Olympics, World Cup, Tour De France etc) *
• Go-kart engine & driving sounds
• Good variety of skids & swerves, various speeds and perspectives with minimal engine (this library features a lot of skidding/screeching)
• Grabbing or touching or knocking different items/things/surfaces with hands (metal, wood, ceramic etc.)
• Hands hit/slap/grab/touch a window. Like that hollow sound you get when someone is on the other side of a window tapping or banging on it.
• Human reactions and children’s voices – a wide range
• Hybrid cars
• Jumpscares
• Kids, not babies, both genders, multiple characters, solo, not field recordings, a wide variety of natural/not-hammy laughs, screams, emotes etc. Avoiding words/accents so as to remain internationally applicable *
• Kitchen and cooking Foley for cooking shows, extensive library (these kitchen sound effects libraries might be a good starting point)
• Light pedestrian backgrounds (small town or community) There’s lots of busy city stuff that’s too busy. How about some nice nature ambiances without a lot of birds… I’m tired of cutting around birds.
• Loop Group Walla – Different sizes, genders, races, moods/emotions – reactions for scenes requiring specific groups reactions rather than generic background walla.
• Metal cable hits, whips, pulls, drags
• Mexico Ambiences and Various Walla
• Mine hauler
• Modern car alarms
• Motorcycle, KTM 400
• New cars are always a challenge. Full set doors, switches, alarms. electric, and internal combustion.
• Non-Discernable-English PA announcements for Psychiatric wards and hospitals for use in building generic M&E’s
• Non-Discernable-English Walkie-Talkie call-outs for use in building generic M&E’s (crime scenes, police cars, military, etc.)
• On-board 5.1 ambience of a car driving less than 10 mph. Every 5.1 amb of a car driving I have sounds like it’s going 40 mph and those suspension bumps don’t match when the picture is less than 10.
• Penguin vocalizations
• People Moving – sitting down, getting up, single and groups
• Playing around with different small machines/thread/music boxes (small motor SFX libraries like this, or this, might be useful)
• Polar bear vocalizations and grunts
• Prarie ambiences
• Prius LFE bys
• Quiet crowds
• Ratchets. All sorts. Wood, metal, bone. Various lengths
• Rural and urban (definitely no birds)
• Scrapnel/debris, hitting a fuselage
• Servo sounds, extensive, high quality library
• simple smooth smartphone ui sounds -text, email
• Smoke alarms, emergency sirens, security systems (with proper rights clearance or soundalikes)
• Sound design elements to create different gui sounds for clicks, hover, select etc
• Sparse and distant Birds Library
• Street call outs
• Surround roomtones and variety of ambiences
• Synthy cartoon SFX (goofy or anime-style SFX)
• Touching skin, handshakes, bumps, hi-five
• Tundra ambiences
• Twirling and lunging sounds, extensive library
• Tyre sounds, isolated perhaps using a Tesla, so skids, slides, brakes, gravel, sand, leaves, wet ground, puddles, bumps, accelerate etc… I don’t want to hear an engine, just the tyre or at least a low level electric engine / tire grit for vehicles without engines (this Tesla SFX library might be helpful)
• UI Menu Button Sound Effects (there are a huge number of UI sound effects libraries here)
• Vehicle engine and exhaust recordings at set RPM rates. Ideal for simple modelling of car engines. I would love a large library of that material
• Victorian Era Industrial revolution Engineering equipment
• Vintage Kung Fu fight sounds (there are a number of Kung Fu whooshes here)
• Vocal ‘stabs’, vocal reactions, vocals!!
• Walruses (high sample rate)
• Whales (high sample rate)
• Whistles, human and instruments
• Women’s Sports – General field walla, call outs and vocalizations

Anything missing from the list? Please leave a comment below, and we’ll add it!

 

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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:

  •
    Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Metal Core Alliance Play Track 613 sounds included $22

    Metal Core Alliance is a library created to bring colossal machines, futuristic metallic environments, and large-scale robots to life. Ideal for video games, film, or any project requiring high-impact mechanical sound design.

    In this collection, you’ll find 613 high-resolution (192 kHz / 24-bit) sounds carefully designed and organized into categories for easy creative use:
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    🔹Biotitan
    🔹Bionic Spike Rotator
    🔹Brutal Metal Assembly
    🔹Malfunctioning Unit
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    🔹Mechanical Shrinking Gear
    🔹Mechanical Shrinking Pillar
    🔹Sci-Fi Doors (locks, heavy, sliding…)
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    🔹 Whoosh (cyber, mech, robotic…)
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    Each category was created with those gigantic mechanisms we see in so many science fiction movies and video games in mind. To achieve this, we used real recordings of heavy machinery, metals, and industrial textures that add authenticity and power.

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    More about the pack
    – Intuitive file naming
    – All you’ll ever need regarding Robots, Machines, Gears, etc…[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.
    – For any questions or problems: khronstudio@gmail.com

    Features
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    – Number of Audio Waves: 613
    – Format: 192KHz / 24 bits
    – Do Sound FX loop: Yes
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    – Minutes of audio provided: 25 minutes

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  • Animal Sound Effects Demonic Pigs Play Track 12 sounds included $10

    The Demonic Pigs audio library features 12 terrifying pig creature squeals, perfect for any horror film or game that is sure to strike fear into your audience.

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  • Creature Sound Effects Fantasy Creatures Play Track 651 sounds included $59

    Enter the realm of fantasy, where mythical creatures roam and legends come to life in a symphony of imagination. From the lumbering footsteps of trolls to the haunting moans of zombies, each sound captures the essence of otherworldly beings. Experience the mischievous cackles of goblins and the eerie calls of giant insects echoing through enchanted forests. Whether it’s the ominous presence of a kraken beneath the waves or the skeletal rattles of undead skeletons, these sounds transport listeners to a realm where magic and mystery reign supreme.

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Explore the full, unique collection here
Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Drones & Mood Sound Effects Delirium – Surreal Textures & Movement Play Track 380 sounds included $125

    Delirium is a sound effects toolkit, lovingly prepared to accompany your unique and personal descent into madness. Bask in the radiance of wobbling washes of muffled screams, or perhaps some swaying, spiralling tones that make you feel dizzy and nauseous!

    Designed primarily using Madrona Labs SUMU, Delirium is perfect for creating tension-filled atmospheres, hypnotic trances, dream sequences, hallucinations and generally unusual, other-worldly situations. Wavering drones that are writhing and moving, fragmented vocal splinters of what used to be human voices before they were dragged into the void, static bursts of interference from a long forgotten transmission that should never have been found… that sort of thing.

    It does cover some areas that are more grounded in the real world (Comms Static, UI Glitches), but the majority of stuff in here is proudly un-tethered from reality.

    The library is broken down into the following categories and sub categories as part of its comprehensive UCS metadata.

    • COMMUNICATIONS: Static, Telemetry – Scrambled, Lofi, Glitch
    • DESIGNED: Distortion, Drone, Eerie, Ethereal, Granular, Rhythmic, Rumble, Synthetic, Tonal, Vocal, Whoosh – Bubbling, Clicks, Demonic, Energy, Evolving, Fizzing, Gloopy, Gritty, Hissing, Metallic, Movement, Muffled, Neutral, Pulsing, Rattling, Riser, Robotic, Scrambled, Spinning, Static, Steady, Submerged, Sweeteners, Swells, Synth, Texture, Throbbing, Tonal, Watery
    • MAGIC: Shimmer, Spell – Fragments, Metallic, Movement, Steady, Swells, Tonal, Vocal
    • SCIFI: Energy – Evolving, Movement, Riser, Steady, Surges, Swells, Texture
    • USER INTERFACE: Data, Glitch, Motion – Gritty, Malfunction, Movement, Smooth, Watery, Gestures

    The sounds of Delirium will allow you to travel to weird, wonderful and sometimes unpleasant places with your sonic creations whilst maintaining subtlety and versatility. They are layers waiting to be interwoven, a bag of choice ingredients, a palette of strange colours. Go forth and paint!!!

    Artwork by Jeff at Freakshow Industries.

    Add to cart
  • Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Spells Variations Vol 2 Play Track 405 sounds included $14

    Step into a world of spells, mysticism, and creative power with Spells Variations Vol. 2, the follow-up to our acclaimed magical sound collection. This time, we’ve expanded the elemental and thematic range, offering 405 professionally crafted sound effects that are fully categorized and ready to use.
    Inside, you’ll find a wide variety of magical types:
    🔥 Fire
    💧 Water
    🌪️ Air
    🌍 Earth
    ⚡ Electricity
    ❄️ Ice
    ☠️ Poison, Mud, Rocks
    ✨ As well as Arcane, Dark, Monstrous, and other mystical spell types.

    Each category is organized into individual folders, with multiple variations for every spell, giving you complete flexibility to choose the perfect sound for each moment, All this makes a total of 44 different spells.
    Just like in Volume 1, every sound in this collection was recorded, edited, and mastered at 192 kHz / 24-bit, ensuring top-tier quality and adaptability—perfect for professional sound designers or anyone looking for drag-and-drop magical effects for games, trailers, animations, or any audio-visual production.

    More about the pack
    – Intuitive file naming
    – All you’ll ever need regarding magical sounds [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 creature other than the one described, remember that the world of sound is totally subjective.
    – For any questions or problems: khronstudio@gmail.com

    Features
    – 405 spell sounds
    – Format: 192KHz / 24 bits
    – Win/Mac: Yes
    – Minutes of audio provided: 22:26

    18 %
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    Add to cart
  • Animal Sound Effects Steller Sea Lions Play Track 24+ sounds included, 17 mins total $38

    Steller Sea Lions
    The Steller Sea Lions library is a mini library of stereo recordings from an expedition up the coast of Vancouver Island. In this library you will find a variety of vocalizations from a colony of over 200 Steller Sea Lions.
    It’s everything you’d need for any linear or game media.

    The Herring spawn (or Herring run) happens every spring along eastern Vancouver Island. Adult Pacific Herring congregate in huge numbers along the coastal shorelines.
    This brings an abundance of wildlife to the coastal areas of Vancouver Island.

    Keywords: BARKING, BARK, BREATH, GURGAL, SPUTTER, EXHALE, GROAN, GUTTURAL, SNORT, BELCHES, ROAR, BLEATS
    ZAP Library - Steller Sea Lions
    16 %
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  • Bundles MASTERGUN – Ultimax 100 Play Track 552 sounds included $40

    The Master Gun Ultimax 100 Sound Effects library is recorded using a large array of various microphone configurations, we recorded shots from several distances in an open shooting range in the Nevada Desert.

    Raw Recordings

    Our raw shots features a total of 20 channels including 10 Stereo sources. All of our close and mid spaced pair Microphone options can be used as two independent mono microphones. The right side of every spaced pair will have more Mech than its left side counterpart.
    Every single gun has been recorded using the same gain settings on the same recorders, and we have level matched each microphone option between the same calibers so your 50ft microphones will be the same or similar across all libraries that share the same calibers. This makes mixing large amounts of weapons easier as the loudness and character of each gun is predictable.

    Our foley features a total of a stereo A/B pair of Neumann KMR81i mts which are placed on both the left and right of the gun. All of the foley has been recorded at 192kHz for extreme processing workflows.

    Designed Mixes

    Created from the ground up we’ve designed a collection of game-ready mixes for your next project. If you are creating your own custom weapons system and would like to use our designed mixes in your project, you can use our no-tail options which are our realistic designed mixes without our tail layers. Just drag, and drop.

    UCS compatible metadata embedded

    All files contain extensive metadata to provide you with the fastest and easiest workflow possible. Metadata can be read and processed by audio management tools. Some digital audio workstations feature an included search tool that can also read embedded metadata.

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  • Car Sound Effects Jaguar I-Pace 2018 electric compact crossover SUV sport utility vehicle Play Track 178 sounds included, 27 mins total $65

    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.

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One thought on “The 2018 sound effects survey results are in: Here are 90+ ideas for new SFX libraries”

  1. I wanted to expand on the dog footsteps and foley to include all animals. Snakes slithering, mice, rats, particularly in walls or scampering around, ore winned creatures of all types – daddy-long-legs, moths all make interesting sounds. Different surfaces, particularly for dogs etc are very important. Wanted a dog in a forest for a project the other day and drew a complete blank.

    survivalist style sounds – camping stoves, starting a fire by rubbing sticks together, whittling, skinning,gutting, ambiences from within a tent or shelter, traps, chopping wood.

    Reply

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