I t’s called the “drone of dread”. Film composers, as well as sound designers, mixers and editors, create this sustained sound to set the mood for a scene, and even an entire film, that is, a sense of impending doom.
This week Quartz News talks to some of these noise experts to find out why the drone noise is so effective, and how it is seeping into our everyday lives.
If you’re looking for drones for your projects, check out some of the highlights from the Drones & Moods category:
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Metamorphosis is a huge collection of recorded source, synthesized material and hybrid sounds. The library was created to cover a wide range of themes, with rich textures, aggressive impacts and a large selection of pass bys, bass drops, pyrotechnics and many more types of material.
All of the Recorded Section was captured at 384KHz with microphones capable of recording up to 200KHz among with more conventional mics. The resulting assets are sounds that can be stretched to new extremes for greater sound design opportunities.
In many cases I took the liberty to slow down the assets while editing the sounds to deliver what I thought was the most useful version of a given recording though in most cases I have also included other takes at the original 384KHz sample rate to get the best of both worlds.All of the Synthesized Content was created in Serum while the Hybrid Section was created by manipulating the Recorded and Synthesized sounds.
Techniques such as morphing were used to blur the lines in between the nature of the two sources, making for ambiguous yet extremely versatile material that can be employed on both realistic and abstract designs.
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. -
Magic & Fantasy Sound Effects Sorcery – Fantasy Magic Play Track 2196 sounds included, 337 mins total $149Rock The Speakerbox presents Sorcery, the ultimate sound design toolkit for magic and enchantment.
Harness the forces of light with white magic. Ignite the night with the unbridled power of fire and flame.Summon the darkest of evil with black magic and necromancy. Release the fury of a million volts by mastering the electron. Lay waste to your foes with the sheer might of water and acid. Conjure the frigid and unleash the frost with the power of ice.
Recorded on stage and in the field, and designed by award winning sound designers, SORCERY contains 11.7 GB of HD quality content spread across 1992 construction kit sounds and 204 designed sounds. With spells, deflects, casts, blocks, beams and more, SORCERY provides sound designers and media content creators unrivaled wizardry at their fingertips.
The extraordinary awaits within.
KEYWORDS:
Magic sounds, Spell sounds, Fantasy effects, Enchantment FX, Magical FX, Sorcery sounds, Fantasy spells, Enchanted sounds, Wizard SFX, Magic aura, Spell casting, Magical elements, Fantasy ambience, Potion sounds, Spellbook FX, Arcane magic, Enchanted FX, Magic toolkit, Fantasy creatures, Fantasy magic, Wizard effects, Magic spells, Sorcery toolkit, Magic swirls, Fantasy sound library, Mystical sounds, Sorcerer FX, Enchantment library, Magical toolkit, Fantasy sounds, Dark magic, Magic dust, Mystical ambience, Sorcery FX, Fantasy environment, Magical vibes, Fantasy aura, Spellbinding sounds, Magic whisper, Potion brewing, Magical world, Enchanted library, Magical creatures, Fantasy realms, Magic waves, Arcane library, Wizard spells, Magical FX library, Fantasy toolkit, Magical effects pack
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Fire Sound Effects Designed Fire Play Track 255 sounds included, 34 mins totalRated 5.00 out of 5$30$20Designed 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 / UCS (Universal Category System) Meta-tagged (Soundminer)
89 Swooshes / Wooshes
75 Short elements
29 Impacts
28 Winds
34 Textures
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Drones & Mood Sound Effects Kalipso Atmospheric Drones Play Track 61 + Bonus sounds included, 121 mins total$20$10Kalipso Atmospheric Drones is a collection of 61 crafted ambient sounds using various recorded sources such as trains, planes, water, various metallic objects and designed sounds.
The duration of each sample varies from a minute to almost two minutes which should give you enough room to create the needed loops if you desire so. Combine and layer provided drones to create bigger, deeper and more intense ambiences.
Kalipso Atmospheric Drones are designed to complete any sci-fi or dark ambient setting in video games, movies or animation projects.
Update volume 1
Update vol. 1 brings 14 additional atmospheric drones.Bonus – Free whooshes:
When you buy this library, you also get the Whooshers SFX pack for free – a collection of 150 long, medium, short and ricochet whoosh type sounds which can be used for all purposes.50 %OFF -
Scary horror sounds inspired by Hollywood Box office Hits – The Conjuring, The Exorcist and The Shining, we present to you the psychopath’s favorite: Asylum – Epic Stock Media’s hair-raising sound library of hollywood film scare tactics. Unchained access to some of the most cutting edge designed horror production sound effects in the world derived from stunning 192k 24bit recording sessions. Be the first to unleash our best sound library yet! Check the audio preview for spine chilling inspiration.
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Drones & Mood Sound Effects Abstract Ambiences Play Track 60 sounds includedRated 3.00 out of 5$40$20The “Abstract Ambiences” is a collaboration of SoundBits and Monte Sound.
This bundle offers you a collection of abstract and surreal ambiences, ready to be used in your next production. Wether in surround or stereo, this kit will be sure to please. The bundle offers a full mix, as well as a construction kit to mix and match the stems as you wish, giving you maximum flexibility in post production.
All sounds are delivered in 96kHz / 24bit. All sounds are royalty free.Think of movies like “Alien”, “Event Horizon” “or games like “Dead Space”, “Doom” or “Bioshock”. But you will also get the right feel and idea for other disturbing-cyberpunk and unsettling industrial dark spaces.
A symbiosis of organic original field-recordings like Room Tones, Construction Sites, Traffic, Fun-Fair, Motors, … and synthetic elements like spectral- and granular synthesis.- 60 ready-to-use abstract ambiences in 5.0 surround
- Stereo Downmixes of all ambiences included!
- All files with 2:30 Minutes length
- Perfectly balanced Surround Sounds for easy integration in games, movies and more
- Categories:
Doomed Soundscapes, Dark Drones, Futuristic Dungeons, Alien Worlds, SciFi Horror, Weird Radio Messages and Interference and Disturbing and Terrifying Noises, Eerie Textures & more
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Abstract Sound Design is a budget-friendly collection of unique audio material sourced from digital feedback loop experiments and granular processing sessions. Featuring 25 abstract atmospheres and 35 abstract FX, this library is perfect for those moments when creativity may be running dry, serving as an inspiring starting point for some serious sound sculpting. Of course, they may just fit your needs as they are, too!
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Want the sounds of a space station? Space Station is a huge collection of designed futuristic ambiances, loopable room tones, drones, and individual interior sound elements, made to provide a truly diverse sonic palette for designing spacious soundscapes for science fiction, horror, fantasy, dramas and documentaries. This pack has everything you need, all in one place.
Space Station contains a whopping 7.6 GB worth of 500+ 24bit/96kHz sounds, each embedded with Soundminer metadata.
The library includes:• 120 Designed sounds: Apartments, Doors, Halls, Alarms, Engine Compartments, Gates, Spaceship Cockpit ambiences, Interior Malfunction, and many more
• Space Station Construction Kit: Air, Alarms, Boiler Room, Computations, Drones, Electricity, Engines, Field Recordings, Fire, Foley, Pneumo and Servo sounds, Steam and Water
Bonus: Also includes our popular Abstract Interior Tones pack
Explore the full selection of Drone sound effects libraries here
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Animal Sound Effects Collections Animal Hyperrealism Vol IV Play Track 2096 sounds included, 78 mins total$180$153⏰ For a very limited time:
Add this library to the cart and enter ah4launch in the cart coupon field – to sprinkle an extra launch discount, on top of the current discount!
Animal Hyperrealism Vol IV is a sound library containing animal vocalisations, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 2000 individual sounds in 294 files. The sounds were recorded in zoos, and wildlife centers.The asset list includes but is not limited to: hippos, hyenas, vultures, dwarf mongooses, elephants, African cranes, parrots, tigers, pigmy hippos, rhea ostriches, brown bears, pheasants, wildebeests, African wild dogs and many more. The content has been recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K, an Avisoft CMPA and a Sennheiser 8050 for center plus two Sennheiser MKH8040 for stereo image.
The resulting ultrasonic spectrum is rich and allows for truly extreme manipulation of the content.
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Hyper Thunder is a colossal collection of thunder and lightning, 100% crafted from the ground up using innovative synthesized technics and props recordings. Not a single real life thunder recording was used. using synthesis and props manipulation crafted to deliver impact far beyond natural recordings. Built entirely from innovative synthesis and props recordings, this library pushes the boundaries of weather sound design—perfect for when you need the raw energy of a storm dialed up to cinematic extremes.
Featuring over 800 files, Hyper Thunder spans everything from subtle distant rumbles and rolling thunder to razor-sharp lightning strikes and earth-shaking impacts. With both designed hits and source layers, you have full control—drop in ready-to-use power or sculpt your own stormscapes using the source recordings.
Created in collaboration with Bruits.Studio’s Vincent Fliniaux and Tibo Csuko—longtime SoundMorph contributors to acclaimed libraries like Robotic Lifeforms 2 and WATER— Hyper Thunder blends technical mastery with bold creativity.
Key Features
- 800+ files of synthesized thunder and lightning
- Both designed hits and source layers for full creative control
- Covers subtle distant rumbles through to massive cinematic impacts
- Crafted 100% from synthesis for a unique, larger-than-life sound
- Perfect for film, games, trailers, and any project needing storm power
- Created in collaboration with Bruits.Studio’s Vincent Fliniaux and Tibo Csuko (Robotic Lifeforms 2, WATER)
From atmospheric detail to explosive drama, Hyper Thunder gives you thunder and lightning that are bigger, subtler, and more versatile than nature itself.
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Aircraft - Jet/Propeller Plane Sound Effects Boeing 737 Airplane Cockpit Play Track 59+ sounds included $45Inside an airplane cockpit, we captured control manipulation sounds (knobs, levers, switch…), alarms, and ambiences.
Recorded from a 737 cabin, with the help of a certified pilot. Get maneuver sounds with original and ‘cleaned’ version (from background noise); but also ‘loopeable’ ambiences. See file list.
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Foley Sound Effects Business Navigator NV-A008 Piaggio Vespa PX150 2023 electric ride-on toy scooter motorcycle Play Track 23 sounds included, 10 mins total $45All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with RØDE NTG1, Line Audio Omni1 and FEL Clippy XLR EM272 microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II & Zoom F3 recorders. Library contains wav files of driving, foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is only available in UCS.
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Aircraft - Jet/Propeller Plane Sound Effects Planes and Helicopters Play Track 66 sounds included, 41 mins total$39$34PLANES & HELICOPTERS contains flybys, takeoffs, and landings of 13 aircraft models and 5 helicopter models, including small and medium-range passenger planes, private jets, tiny planes and firefighting aircraft. Recorded as close as possible to the aircraft, in airports. You’ll find turbojet, turboprop, and propeller-powered aircrafts. You’ll also find military and civilian helicopters sound effects.
The sounds can be used for a realistic purpose but you can design spaceships or futuristic vehicles.13 %OFF -
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 only available in UCS.
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Electricity Sound Effects Fridge Hums Complete Bundle Play Track 60 sounds included, 130 mins total$30$24A comprehensive fridge hum library with 60 sounds / 2+ hours of hums, buzzes, beeps, industrial room tones, clicks, drips and more
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Helicopter Sound Effects CH-47 Chinook Helicopter Play Track 40 sounds included, 46 mins total$100$80This library delivers the raw power of this legendary military transport helicopter. Originally recorded for the acclaimed Netflix series Money Heist: Part 5, this library captures every rotor, engine, and maneuver with pristine detail and fidelity—now available for your own productions.
From the thunderous rotor blades slicing through the air, to the deep roar of its twin turbines, and the massive fly-bys that shake the ground, this collection delivers 46 minutes of sounds from one of the most iconic helicopters in history.
Recorded using a multi-mic setup, every nuance has been preserved – from the hurricane-like rotor wash to the natural echoes bouncing across the runway and hangars. This library is a perfect fit for war films, military documentaries, AAA video games, or any production in need of authentic and cinematic helicopter power.
What’s inside:
- APU start ups, takeoffs, landings, and hovering sequences.
- Close and medium imposing fly-bys
- Interior and Exterior perspectives
- Fully edited and UCS-compliant metadata for fast and easy search
With CH-47 CHINOOK, you’ll have a rock-solid, versatile, and epic sound resource at your fingertips – ready to take your projects to the next level.
Note: The SoundCloud demo contains radio communiactions and some cockpit switches. These are not included.
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