# Free spoken word samples > Free spoken word and voice samples: narration, speeches, radio chatter and public-domain recordings for intros and breakdowns, with a licence verdict on each. 15 samples from 4 sources (Strudel sample banks 7, OpenGameArt 3, Wikimedia Commons 3, SoundBible 2), updated 2026-10-23. Picked from a live search and refreshed daily. - Same search in the browser: https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=speech&category=vocals.spoken - Same search over the API: `curl "https://sound.shep.bot/v1/search?q=speech&category=vocals.spoken"` - Details, files and the credit line: `GET https://sound.shep.bot/v1/samples/{id}` with an id from the table below. - Licence verdicts: "Commercial use OK" (with or without credit) is cleared for a release; anything else must be checked or is non-commercial. See https://sound.shep.bot/docs/licences.md ## Words as texture A spoken line can set the mood of a track before a note plays: a narrator, a radio announcer, a fragment of an old speech. Ambient, hip hop, techno and lo-fi producers all use spoken samples as intros, breakdowns and hooks. This collection gathers free recordings of speech: readings, field recordings of announcements, public-domain archive material and voice lines recorded for reuse. ## Rights and reuse Spoken samples are where producers most often get into trouble, because the most tempting lines come from films, TV and interviews. Those need clearance. Public-domain archives, such as the many government and historic recordings on Wikimedia Commons and the Internet Archive, are a better source, but check each one: the Internet Archive relies on what uploaders state, so Sound Server never rates those better than "check the terms". When a recording needs a credit, the detail view gives you the line to paste. ## Samples | Sample | id | What | Source | Licence | Commercial use | Direct download | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [South–North Meeting (1948) – Speech of Kim Ku](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South%E2%80%93North_Meeting_(1948)_%E2%80%93_Speech_of_Kim_Ku.opus) | `wikimediacommons:South–North_Meeting_(1948)_–_Speech_of_Kim_Ku.opus` | Spoken word, 1:02 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · speech · 0](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/speech/000_Sound10.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/speech/0` | Spoken word | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Goblin speech MP3 files for gaming](https://opengameart.org/content/goblin-speech-mp3-files-for-gaming) | `opengameart:goblin-speech-mp3-files-for-gaming` | Spoken word | OpenGameArt | OpenGameArt per-item licence | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Emperor Haile Selassie I's 1968 Speech to the United Nations](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emperor_Haile_Selassie_I%27s_1968_Speech_to_the_United_Nations.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Emperor_Haile_Selassie_I's_1968_Speech_to_the_United_Nations.ogg` | Spoken word, 11:19 | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Winston Churchill Nazi Speech](https://soundbible.com/385-Winston-Churchill-Nazi-Speech.html) | `soundbible:385-Winston-Churchill-Nazi-Speech` | Spoken word | SoundBible | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · speech · 1](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/speech/001_Sound4.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/speech/1` | Spoken word | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Droid speech - 37 phrases [Fire Madness]](https://opengameart.org/content/droid-speech-37-phrases-fire-madness) | `opengameart:droid-speech-37-phrases-fire-madness` | Spoken word, Phrase | OpenGameArt | OpenGameArt per-item licence | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Obama Speech Liar](https://soundbible.com/986-Obama-Speech-Liar.html) | `soundbible:986-Obama-Speech-Liar` | Spoken word | SoundBible | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · speech · 2](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/speech/002_Sound5.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/speech/2` | Spoken word | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Preecha Ruangjan's speech in 2023](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Preecha_Ruangjan%27s_speech_in_2023.oga) | `wikimediacommons:Preecha_Ruangjan's_speech_in_2023.oga` | Spoken word, 1:32 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes | | [WIn / Lose Voice Speech](https://opengameart.org/content/win-lose-voice-speech) | `opengameart:win-lose-voice-speech` | Spoken word | OpenGameArt | OpenGameArt per-item licence | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · speech · 3](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/speech/003_Sound6.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/speech/3` | Spoken word | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · speech · 4](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/speech/004_Sound7.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/speech/4` | Spoken word | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · speech · 5](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/speech/005_Sound8.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/speech/5` | Spoken word | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · speech · 6](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/speech/006_Sound9.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/speech/6` | Spoken word | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | ## Questions **Can I sample a speech from a film or interview?** Not without permission. Film dialogue and interviews are copyrighted recordings. Public-domain recordings, such as many historic speeches and some government archives, and recordings their speakers licensed openly are the safe options. **How do I make a voice sample sound like old radio?** Band-pass it to roughly 300 Hz to 3 kHz, add mild distortion and a little noise or crackle. Mono and a small room reverb complete the effect. ## Related collections - [Free vocal shouts and ad-libs](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-vocal-shouts.md): Free vocal shouts, chants, hype phrases and ad-libs for drops, hooks and transitions in dance and hip hop, each with a preview and a commercial-use verdict. - [Free vinyl crackle samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-vinyl-crackle.md): Free vinyl crackle, record noise and tape hiss samples for lo-fi beats and warm, worn mixes, as loops and long takes, each with a preview and licence verdict. - [Free acapellas](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-acapellas.md): Free a cappella vocals for remixes and new tracks, mostly from Creative Commons remix communities, with tempo and key where known and a licence verdict on each. - [Free room tone recordings](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-room-tone.md): Free room tone and quiet interior ambience: empty rooms, offices, halls and hums to fill silence in film, podcasts and music, with a licence verdict. - [Free choir samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-choir-samples.md): Free choir samples: sustained choral notes, chants, ahh and ooh pads and real choirs for cinematic, ambient and gospel-tinged tracks, with licences. - [Free vocal chops](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-vocal-chops.md): Free vocal chop samples for house, future bass and pop: short sung syllables, cuts and stutters with BPM and key where known, and a licence verdict on each. --- Source: https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-spoken-word-samples