Sound effects survey results Asbjoern Andersen


Looking for ideas for your next sound effects library? Good news, the SFX survey results are in – and this time around, we’ve gathered 56 ideas in total!

I’ve carried over some of the ideas from the previous surveys, too; these are marked with an *. I’ve also added some suggestions for existing material in brackets.

A big thanks to everyone who participated – hope you find the list inspiring!

Ideas for new sound effects libraries:

• African-american walla
• Animal vocalisations, clean, 192 kHz (check out the animal libraries from Krotos here – but the more, the merrier)
• Australian crowds
• Babies crying (Baby Boom or Oh Baby could come in handy here)
• Bamboo forest *
• Basketball Trash Talking
• Car engine recordings to use with LeSound Audiomotors
• Car interiors. Especially with open window
• Cars that run normally. I often find it hard to find a car pulling in or out at a normal speed. Most of the times it’s either too fast or too aggressive. Also nice, constant drive interiors again with subtle gear changes.
• Caves – textures and layers that can be used in designs
• China Ambiences – countryside, no humans
• Christmas – Especially carolers, church interiors, vintage toys (not video games), congregations singing carols, reindeer. The only album I was able to find was all bells, store interiors, traffic, sleigh bells and winter sports. It needed sounds like wrapping presents and decorating the tree, Christmas morning unwrapping gifts, family dinners, etc.
• Circus *
• Comedic sounds/accents, updated and decently extensive.
• Common Birds for city ambiences, organized per time of day
• COMMON stuff every project needs, but recorded with several perspectives: DOORS recorded from 1 meter AND 3 meters AND 5 meters, and so on.
• Crowds Library – but not angry crowds, there are tons of those. Crowds that you can’t hear exactly what people talk about, sad crowds, happy crowds, frightened crowds – and all kind of emotions we have!
• CU tires screeches and tires on different terrains, mostly tires arriving and departing in slow speed without motor or bg bleed
• Dog foley – “footsteps”, panting, breath (there are 3 dedicated dog SFX libraries here – not specifically for dog “Foley” though)
• Dragging sounds (this could be helpful)
• Electronic console sounds
• Everyday roomtones and exteriors (these may be useful)
• Explosions (there are a number of explosion-focused libraries here)
• Fishing sounds *
• Global events (Olympics, World Cup, Tour De France etc) *
• High quality big electricity sounds / sparks (libraries such as Sparks N Arcs, Polarity or Electronic Drain might be useful here)
• HQ classic combat sounds, punches, kicks
• Individual screams and insane vocal reactions, of every age and gender
• 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 *
• Metal cable snaps with that whip kind of snap and cable resonance sounds
• Metal piercing sounds (there could be something useful in the Metal category)
• Middle East cars *
• Military Voices – giving orders, taking orders by single soldier and group of them. Soldiers responses to orders etc.
• Modern car alarms
• More ‘source’ libraries – ie, not designed sounds and not raw recordings
• Motor ‘sweeps’. Not just cars; other vehicle types, tools, servos, toys, WWI biplane
Office ambiences, modern – printers, scanners, copiers, modern phones and computer keyboards. Same for police stations, hospitals, hotels etc. (this office SFX library might work – for hospital ambiences, try this)
• Organic morphing sounds. Not robotic, but mutating type fx
• Outdoor “roomtone”: just a tone of exterior air (Street, park, desert etc)
• Outdoor sport practice (without crowds)
• People Moving – sitting down, getting up, single and groups *
• Pedestrians walking and moving on sidewalks without distinctive speech and with clear footsteps, light or no traffic. (something like this, this or this might work)
• Prison *
• Pro wrestling sfx – wrestling ring, bell etc *
• Quiet crowds and group movement (Quiet Spaces or Room Tones and Quiet Places could be a good starting point)
• Rolling loops of different size, weight, texture and if possible by layers organized in frequencies of wood, metal, plastic and their corresponding squeaks. For example, loops of tree logs rolling, or different size metal tanks or pipes rolling downhill on concrete etc etc. *
• Room movement
• Seagulls (there’s a dedicated Seagulls pack here)
• Severe American Weather – Midwestern blizzards, ice storms, derechos, sandstorms and real hurricanes and tornadoes, tornado warning sirens, storm shelter doors, cleaning up debris, falling debris, TV/ Weather Channel Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Signals
• Shop bells *
• Slingshot bys library *
• Small and large crowds – general murmuring, talking, clapping, rioting, panicking… It would be really useful *
• Small “fire” (candle, lighter, old lamps) *
• Thunder hits and rumbles, clean CU (there are a number of thunder SFX libraries here)
• Tropical vacation – Tropical atmospheres not all surf, boat docks, cruise ship terminals, rainforest insects and thunderstorms, wind in palm trees, beach front sports, scuba diving, wind surfing, tropical rainshowers, Carribbean town ambiences like supermarkets and department stores, fishing boats.
• UI SFX, modern game audio
• Vocals. I do all audio for short animation now and then, mostly without dialogue but with endless amounts of ‘huh’s, ‘hmm’s, ‘ah’s and ohs’, etc.
• Walla
• Weapon impacts (for regular bullet impacts, this or this library could be what’s needed)
• Wolf vocals and howls
• Worldised Royalty Free Music

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

 

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    Unleash the raw power of fire, water, earth, and air with this comprehensive 9 GB sound library featuring 3050 high-quality sound effects across 630 files. Whether you’re designing cinematic soundscapes or enhancing video games Four Elements delivers the tools you need to harness the energy of the natural world.

    Construction Kit – 2443 Sounds

    A treasure trove of raw, organic, and processed sounds divided into Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Explosion categories. Customize every detail with an extensive selection of sound components.

    • Organic Fire: Campfire sizzles, torch whooshes, and flame bursts.
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    • Organic Earth: Rock crashes, gravel scrapes, and heavy stone hits.
    • Processed Earth: Stylized rumbles and granular textures.
    • Organic Water: Ocean waves, hydrophone bubbles, and fluid splashes.
    • Processed Water: Underwater whooshes and stylized liquid smashes.
    • Organic Air: Bamboo swishes, cloth movements, and pressure bursts.
    • Processed Air: Filtered gusts and dynamic noise sweeps.
    • Explosion: Firework detonations, Butane bursts, and cinematic impacts.

    Building Blocks – 416 Sounds

    Game-ready sound layers featuring Impact, Whoosh, and Texture categories. Elevate transitions and enhance atmospheres with loops and pre-designed sound layers.

    • Fire: Explosive bursts, blazing infernos, and warm embers.
    • Earth: Ground-shaking impacts, crumbling terrain, and heavy collisions.
    • Water: Cascading waves, serene rivers, and underwater ambiences.
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    Design Kit – 192 Sounds

    A collection of ready-to-use sound effects divided into Attack, Bend, and Explosion categories for quick integration into your projects. Perfect for high-energy scenes and immersive storytelling.

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    + Matter Mayhem
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    + Doom Drones
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    + Galactic Assistant
    + Wave Warper
    + TimeFlux
    + Sinematic – Neon
    + Lost Transmissions
    + Transient Foundations
    + Evil Twin
    + Tension
    + DR01D (FREE Library)
    + Rupture
    + Robotic Lifeforms-Lite
    + New City
    + Future Weapons 2
    + Spaces
    + Cadence Weapon Drum Collection
    + Energy
    + Mechanism
    + Dust
    + PORTALS
    + Steampunk Weapons
    + Elemental
    + Future Weapons 3
    + Monster Within
    + Gore
    + Robotic Lifeforms 2
    + Sinematic 2
    + Motion Graphics
    + Doom Drones 2
    + FIRE
    + ELEMENT SERIES – WATER
    + Mutant Insects- Flying
    Gore 2

Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Four Elements Play Track 3050 sounds included, 251 mins total $112.49
    FOUR ELEMENTS - Rock The Speakerbox Professional SFX

    Master the Art of Bending the Elemental Forces

     

    Unleash the raw power of fire, water, earth, and air with this comprehensive 9 GB sound library featuring 3050 high-quality sound effects across 630 files. Whether you’re designing cinematic soundscapes or enhancing video games Four Elements delivers the tools you need to harness the energy of the natural world.

    Construction Kit – 2443 Sounds

    A treasure trove of raw, organic, and processed sounds divided into Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Explosion categories. Customize every detail with an extensive selection of sound components.

    • Organic Fire: Campfire sizzles, torch whooshes, and flame bursts.
    • Processed Fire: Distorted impacts and unique crackles.
    • Organic Earth: Rock crashes, gravel scrapes, and heavy stone hits.
    • Processed Earth: Stylized rumbles and granular textures.
    • Organic Water: Ocean waves, hydrophone bubbles, and fluid splashes.
    • Processed Water: Underwater whooshes and stylized liquid smashes.
    • Organic Air: Bamboo swishes, cloth movements, and pressure bursts.
    • Processed Air: Filtered gusts and dynamic noise sweeps.
    • Explosion: Firework detonations, Butane bursts, and cinematic impacts.

    Building Blocks – 416 Sounds

    Game-ready sound layers featuring Impact, Whoosh, and Texture categories. Elevate transitions and enhance atmospheres with loops and pre-designed sound layers.

    • Fire: Explosive bursts, blazing infernos, and warm embers.
    • Earth: Ground-shaking impacts, crumbling terrain, and heavy collisions.
    • Water: Cascading waves, serene rivers, and underwater ambiences.
    • Air: Whispering breezes, stormy turbulence, and slicing gusts.

    Design Kit – 192 Sounds

    A collection of ready-to-use sound effects divided into Attack, Bend, and Explosion categories for quick integration into your projects. Perfect for high-energy scenes and immersive storytelling.

    • Fire: Crackling flames, fiery bursts, and roaring infernos.
    • Earth: Crushing impacts, shifting ground, and massive land eruptions.
    • Water: Splashes, fluid manipulations, and crashing tidal waves.
    • Air: Slicing winds, swirling currents, and thunderous gusts.

     

    Four Elements gives you complete creative control, blending organic recordings with processed sound layers to meet the demands of any project. Master the forces of nature with Four Elements. Let your creativity ignite.

     

    Keywords:

    Elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wave, Water, Liquid, Rock. Stone, Pebble, Torch, Gas, Flame, Campfire, Sizzle, Burst, Scrape, Whoosh, Impact, Texture, Attack, Bend, Bending, Explosion, Processed, Surge, Quake, Hit, Flow, Burn, Ignite, Drop, Smack, Destruction, Rumble, Hiss, Blow, Wind, Cloth, Movement, Underwater, Bubble, Ocean, River, Lake, Firework, Firecracker, Bang, Blast, Detonation

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  • Kids Toys is a play chest of wooden toy, soft toy and plastic toy sounds. Perfect for big kids!

    Get creative and have fun mixing and matching playful childhood sounds to build your project!

    Let your imagination run wild and unleash your inner child. Don’t forget to have fun!

    Includes 809 files.

    [Ages: 0 – 99+]

  • Human Sound Effects Baby Sounds Play Track 62 sounds included, 16 mins total $45
    I made many sound recordings of my newborn son, all sounds were recorded when he was one month old except baby talking sounds which were made when he was three months old. All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with FEL Pluggy XLR EM272 microphone & Zoom F3 recorder. The library is also available in UCS.
  • Music Casual Game Stingers and Jingles Play Track 1080 sounds included, 78 mins total $80

    Casual Game Stingers & Jingles is here to bring your game to life! Packed with 90 original musical phrases, each transposed to 12 keys (a total of 1,080 files), this pack is your ultimate tool for making every moment in your game pop. 

    The files are categorized into positive alerts (victories, rewards, achievements), neutral notifications (level-ups, transitions, updates), and negative cues (failures, losses, warnings), giving you everything you need to create a dynamic and engaging player experience. Specifically designed for casual games and animations, these vibrant and modern stingers are expertly crafted to add a touch of charm and polish to any project.

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  • Car Sound Effects Aged Truck Play Track 100+ sounds included, 89 mins total $59

    Aged Truck features a variety of characteristic sounds from an old classic truck. From idling engines to acceleration and deceleration, as well as different perspectives of steady and casual driving, this sound library strives to capture the essence of classic trucking. It also includes detailed recordings of doors, gear sticks, pedals, and various levers and switches. Hear the metallic clatter of shifting gears during a drive, and the abrupt halt of an engine stalling mid-motion.

    This library includes total 100 files, consisting of 65 mono files and 35 stereo files recorded in ORTF at 96 kHz. Approx. 1 hour and 29 minutes total.

    Certainly, this library was carefully tagged with rich Soundminer metadata, including marks in the recordings highlighting interesting sounds.

    All the recordings were recorded, edited and mastered with love and care.


   

3 thoughts on “The 2017 SFX survey results are in: Here are 56+ ideas for new sound effects libraries

  1. SEVERE AMERICAN WEATHER – Midwestern blizzards, ice storms, derechos, sandstorms and real hurricanes and tornadoes, tornado warning sirens, storm shelter doors, cleaning up debris, falling debris, TV/ Weather Channel Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Signals

  2. Pedestrians walking and moving on sidewalks without distinctive speech and with clear footsteps, light or no traffic. Also subtle bar and restaurant ambiences with murmured, indistinct walla, light glass clinks etc. Most are too busy. And finally – a modern cell phone/computer library with new ringtones, beeps, tablet taps and tones, notifications, text alerts, start up and power down etc.

  3. Modern office ambiences – printers, scanners, copiers, modern phones and computer keyboards. Same for police stations, hospitals, hotels etc.

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