Sources & licences
One search covers 41 sites. Each result keeps its source's licence and gets a verdict on commercial use, so you can tell at a glance what you may release and whether you have to credit the author.
All sources
| Source | Best for | Search | Pricing | Licence | Direct download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freesound freesound · site ↗ | The big Creative Commons sound library (700k+): drums, FX, foley, field recordings, synth hits and loops, with per-sound licence, BPM and key analysis. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Other | API | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| Wikimedia Commons wikimediacommons · site ↗ | Free audio from Wikipedia's media archive: instrument demos, drum hits, field recordings and public-domain music; each file has its own CC0, public-domain or CC BY(-SA) licence. Drums, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Synth | API | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| ccMixter ccmixter · site ↗ | Creative Commons a cappellas (about 6,000) and remix stems from the ccMixter community; licence per upload (CC BY, BY-NC, CC0, Sampling+). Vocals, Drums, Bass, Synth, Keys, Guitar | API | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| Internet Archive internetarchive · site ↗ | Uploaded sample packs, drum-machine recordings and sound-effect collections; only items whose uploader states CC0, public domain or CC BY(-SA) are listed, and commercial sample CDs are filtered out. Drums, Bass, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Synth, Keys | API | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| BBC Sound Effects bbc · site ↗ | 33,000 BBC archive and Natural History Unit recordings (nature, ambience, transport, machines, foley) as WAV and MP3; RemArc licence: personal, educational and research use only. Ambience, Foley, FX | API | Free | BBC RemArc licence Non-commercial only | Yes |
| Strudel sample banks strudel · site ↗ | Sample banks that Strudel and TidalCycles load from GitHub: ~70 classic drum machines, Dirt-Samples, the CC0 VCSL orchestral set and the Salamander piano, one file per listing. Drums, Bass, Keys, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Guitar, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Other | Catalogue | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| MusicRadar SampleRadar sampleradar · site ↗ | Around 270 free, royalty-free genre sample packs (loops, hits and multis) from MusicRadar and Computer Music, each a direct zip download. Drums, Bass, Synth, Keys, Guitar, Vocals, FX, Ambience, Strings, Brass, Other | Catalogue | Free | MusicRadar SampleRadar licence Commercial use OK | Yes |
| Curated free libraries curated · site ↗ | A hand-checked list of well-known free sample libraries and instruments (Philharmonia, Iowa MIS, VSCO 2 CE, VCSL, FreePats, DrumGizmo, Adobe SFX, Goldbaby, Sonniss GDC...), with verified direct downloads where they exist. Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Drums, Guitar, Mallets, Keys, Foley, FX, Vocals, Ambience, Synth | Catalogue | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| Zenodo datasets zenodo · site ↗ | Hand-checked research datasets on Zenodo that work as sample sources: orchestral and instrument notes (TinySOL, Good-sounds), singing, choir and guitar recordings, percussion one-shots and large CC BY drum-loop sets (WaivOps). Strings, Vocals, Guitar, Drums, Woodwind | Catalogue | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| Kenney kenney · site ↗ | Kenney's CC0 game audio packs: UI clicks, impacts, sci-fi, RPG and casino foley, voice-overs and music jingles, as direct zips. FX, Foley, Vocals, Other | Site search | Free | CC0 1.0 Commercial use OK | Yes |
| Free Wave Samples freewavesamples · site ↗ | Free 16-bit WAV one-shots sampled from vintage synths and drum machines: drums, cymbals, basses, pianos and instrument notes by pitch. Drums, Bass, Synth, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | Site search | Free | Free Wave Samples licence Commercial use OK | Yes |
| OpenGameArt opengameart · site ↗ | Community game audio: free sound effects, chiptune and game music, each entry with its own licence (mostly CC0, CC-BY and CC-BY-SA). FX, Foley, Ambience, Drums, Synth, Vocals, Other | Site search | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| SoundBible soundbible · site ↗ | Classic free sound effects (animals, doors, weapons, weather, household) in WAV and MP3, each with its own licence from public domain to personal use only. FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Drums, Other | Site search | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| Orange Free Sounds orangefreesounds · site ↗ | Free sound effects, drum and synth loops and background music; loops mostly CC BY 4.0, many effects non-commercial (licence per post). Drums, Synth, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Keys, Other | Site search | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| BigSoundBank bigsoundbank · site ↗ | About 3,600 CC0 sound effects, ambiences and foley recorded by Joseph Sardin, each with a UCS category; search and page links only (the audio folder is closed to robots). Foley, Ambience, FX, Vocals, Drums, Mallets, Keys, Other | Site search | Free | CC0 1.0 Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Openverse openverse · site ↗ | Keyless Creative Commons search over Freesound and Wikimedia Commons audio: licence and credit line per sound, Freesound previews without a Freesound key. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Other | API | Free | Per sample | Yes |
| Free pack news freepacks · site ↗ | Newly announced free sample and preset packs from 99Sounds, Bedroom Producers Blog and Reverb Machine, linking to the article or product page (downloads need an email or a $0 checkout there). Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Other | Site search | Free | Per sample | Source page |
| Ghosthack ghosthack · site ↗ | German label's store of royalty-free sample packs: big vocal and acapella packs, cinematic FX, EDM, techno and trap kits, song kits, MIDI and Serum/Vital presets; demo mp3 per pack. Vocals, FX, Drums, Bass, Synth, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Foley, Ambience | Site search | Paid | Ghosthack licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Black Octopus Sound blackoctopus · site ↗ | Label store of royalty-free sample packs and synth presets (vocals, drum hits, bass music, techno, cinematic), its own and partner labels'; a few free giveaways. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Synth, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Ambience | Site search | Free + paid | Black Octopus Sound licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Prime Loops primeloops · site ↗ | UK store of label sample packs: hip hop, trap and drill drum kits, melody and MIDI kits, world vocals and cinematic loops, plus many free taster packs. Drums, Bass, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Synth, FX | Deep link | Free + paid | Prime Loops licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Cymatics cymatics · site ↗ | Big catalogue of drum kits, loop and one-shot packs, vocals, Serum presets and MIDI for trap, hip hop and EDM; a lot of free packs that go through a $0 checkout. Drums, Bass, Vocals, Synth, Keys, Guitar, FX | Deep link | Free + paid | Cymatics licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Function Loops functionloops · site ↗ | Label store of royalty-free sample packs: vocal packs and acapellas, psytrance, techno, house, pop and hip hop kits, MIDI and presets (search on the site). Vocals, Drums, Bass, Synth, FX, Guitar, Keys | Deep link | Paid | Function Loops licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Mixkit mixkit · site ↗ | Envato's free sound effects: risers, whooshes, impacts, glitches, foley and ambiences, free for commercial use (link only: its terms forbid automated access). FX, Foley, Ambience, Drums, Vocals | Deep link | Free | Mixkit Sound Effects Free License Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Splice splice · site ↗ | The largest subscription sample library: millions of individual one-shots and loops from label packs, each licensed with credits, filterable by BPM, key and type. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | Deep link | Paid | Splice licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Loopmasters loopmasters · site ↗ | Long-running store of label sample packs across every dance and urban genre, with audio demos for each pack. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | Deep link | Paid | Loopmasters licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Loopcloud loopcloud · site ↗ | Loopmasters' subscription service: search the Loopmasters catalogue sound by sound and use it in the Loopcloud app or plugin. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | Deep link | Paid | Loopcloud licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Producer Loops producerloops · site ↗ | Store of sample packs, construction kits, MIDI and presets from many labels, each with an audio demo. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | Deep link | Paid | Producer Loops licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| ADSR Sounds adsr · site ↗ | Store of sample packs, synth presets and plugins for electronic producers, plus tutorials. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | Deep link | Paid | ADSR Sounds licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Plugin Boutique pluginboutique · site ↗ | Plugin store that also sells sample packs, presets and Kontakt instruments from many labels, with a free section. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | Deep link | Free + paid | Per sample | Source page |
| LANDR Samples landr · site ↗ | LANDR's sample library: individual loops and one-shots from label packs on a credit plan, with a set of free sounds. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | Deep link | Free + paid | LANDR Samples licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Tracklib tracklib · site ↗ | Original recordings (soul, jazz, funk, library music) with stems that you may sample legally, by paying a clearance fee for each release. Drums, Bass, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind | Deep link | Paid | Tracklib sample clearance Needs paid clearance per release | Source page |
| Looperman looperman · site ↗ | Free community library of user-uploaded loops and a cappellas, searchable by keyword, tempo and key; downloads need a free account. Drums, Bass, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, FX | Deep link | Free | Looperman licence Unclear: check the terms | Source page |
| SampleFocus samplefocus · site ↗ | Community site of free user-uploaded one-shots and loops, with a monthly download allowance on free accounts. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Ambience | Deep link | Free + paid | SampleFocus licence Unclear: check the terms | Source page |
| Zapsplat zapsplat · site ↗ | Large free sound-effects library (with some music loops); free accounts must credit Zapsplat, paid accounts need not. FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | Deep link | Free + paid | Zapsplat Standard licence Commercial use OK with credit | Source page |
| Pixabay Sound Effects pixabay · site ↗ | Free sound effects uploaded by the Pixabay community, under the Pixabay Content Licence. FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | Deep link | Free | Pixabay Content Licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Sonniss sonniss · site ↗ | Sound-effects library store, best known for its free yearly GDC bundles of tens of gigabytes of professional effects. FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | Deep link | Free + paid | Sonniss licence Commercial use OK | Source page |
| Uppbeat SFX uppbeat · site ↗ | Sound effects for video creators, free with a monthly download limit or unlimited on a paid plan. FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | Deep link | Free + paid | Uppbeat licence Unclear: check the terms | Source page |
| Bandcamp bandcamp · site ↗ | Producers and labels sell (or give away, pay-what-you-want) sample packs and drum kits as Bandcamp releases. Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | Deep link | Free + paid | Per sample | Source page |
| Soundsnap soundsnap · site ↗ | Subscription library of professional sound effects (foley, ambiences, impacts, whooshes) plus some loops. FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | Deep link | Paid | Soundsnap subscription licence Unclear: check the terms | Source page |
| Epidemic Sound epidemicsound · site ↗ | Subscription sound-effects library for video creators, searchable by keyword and category. FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | Deep link | Paid | Epidemic Sound subscription licence Unclear: check the terms | Source page |
| Artlist SFX artlist · site ↗ | Subscription sound-effects catalogue bundled with Artlist's music and footage plans. FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | Deep link | Paid | Artlist licence Unclear: check the terms | Source page |
How sources are searched
- API: the source's official or public JSON API. Richest metadata (licence per sound, author, duration, sometimes BPM and key), often with direct files.
- Catalogue: a fixed collection published as manifest files or pack lists (drum machine manifests, orchestral libraries, free packs). It is fetched once, cached, and filtered on the server.
- Site search: the source's public pages are read like a browser would, politely and with caching.
- Deep link: the site does not allow automated search (Splice, Looperman, Loopcloud and others). The search response includes a link that runs the same query on that site, so you still know where else to look.
Every source has its own timeout. A slow or failing site shows up in the per-source report and never fails the search. Categories, BPM and key that a source doesn't provide are filled in from titles, tags and, on request, by analysing the preview.
Licences
Each result's license carries an SPDX-style id, a name, whether credit is required, who asserted it (source, site or uploader) and a verdict on commercial use. CC0 and public-domain sounds need no credit. Royalty free site licences allow use in your music but never redistribution of the samples themselves. CC BY needs a credit line, share-alike and Sampling+ come with conditions, and NC licences rule out commercial releases. The full rules, with examples, are in Sample licences explained.
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