# Wikimedia Commons

> Wikimedia Commons as searched by Sound Server: 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.

- Website: https://commons.wikimedia.org
- Best for: 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.
- Categories: Drums, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Synth
- Pricing: free
- Licence: set per sample
- How it is searched: api
- Direct download through Sound Server: yes
- Restrict a search to it: `https://sound.shep.bot/v1/search?q=...&providers=wikimediacommons`
- Listings counted 2026-10-23: 218,112, 218,112 free

## What it is

Wikimedia Commons is the media repository behind Wikipedia, run by the Wikimedia Foundation. Alongside images it holds a large audio collection: instrument demonstrations, field recordings, bird song, historic speeches and public-domain music.

## Best for

Instrument notes and demonstrations, nature and field recordings, spoken word and public-domain recordings.

## Licence

Commons only accepts freely licensed or public-domain files, so non-commercial and no-derivatives licences don't appear. Files are CC0, public domain, CC BY or CC BY-SA. CC BY needs a credit; CC BY-SA would require your track to be released under the same licence, so Sound Server marks it restricted.

## How Sound Server searches it

Through the MediaWiki API, restricted to audio files. Each result carries the licence and author from the file's page.

## Example searches

- [Piano notes](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=piano&category=keys&providers=wikimediacommons)
- [Bird song](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=bird&category=ambience&providers=wikimediacommons)
- [Speeches](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=speech&category=vocals.spoken&providers=wikimediacommons)

Guides: https://sound.shep.bot/guides/cc0-vs-cc-by-vs-royalty-free.md, https://sound.shep.bot/guides/credit-cc-by-samples.md

## In these collections

- [Free crash cymbal samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-crash-cymbal-samples.md): 14 of 33
- [Free open hi-hat samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-open-hi-hat-samples.md): 14 of 28
- [Free ride cymbal samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-ride-cymbal-samples.md): 14 of 32
- [Free rimshot and side-stick samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-rimshot-samples.md): 14 of 23
- [Free tom drum samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-tom-samples.md): 14 of 31
- [Free transition sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-transition-sound-effects.md): 14 of 30
- [Free city ambience](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-city-ambience.md): 14 of 33
- [Free brass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-brass-samples.md): 14 of 28
- [Free flute samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-flute-samples.md): 14 of 26
- [Free marimba and mallet samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-marimba-samples.md): 14 of 24
- [Free string samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-string-samples.md): 14 of 28
- [Free breakbeats and drum breaks](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-breakbeats.md): 13 of 36
- [Free glass sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-glass-sound-effects.md): 13 of 36
- [Free paper sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-paper-sound-effects.md): 13 of 36
- [Free guitar samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-guitar-samples.md): 13 of 36
- [Free Rhodes and electric piano samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-rhodes-electric-piano-samples.md): 13 of 28
- [Free synth pad samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-synth-pad-samples.md): 13 of 36
- [Free acapellas](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-acapellas.md): 12 of 24
- [Free choir samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-choir-samples.md): 12 of 32
- [Free vocal shouts and ad-libs](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-vocal-shouts.md): 12 of 17
- [Free glitch sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-glitch-sound-effects.md): 12 of 36
- [Free forest ambience](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-forest-ambience.md): 12 of 29
- [Free snare samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-snare-samples.md): 11 of 36
- [Free water sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-water-sound-effects.md): 11 of 36
- [Free clap samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-clap-samples.md): 10 of 36
- [Free hi-hat samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-hi-hat-samples.md): 9 of 33
- [Free lo-fi loops](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-lofi-loops.md): 9 of 36
- [Free door sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-door-sound-effects.md): 8 of 36
- [Free percussion samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-percussion-samples.md): 7 of 22
- [Free white noise samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-white-noise-samples.md): 7 of 36
- [Free kick samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-kick-samples.md): 6 of 36
- [Free TR-808 drum machine samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-tr-808-drum-samples.md): 6 of 28
- [Free TR-909 drum machine samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-tr-909-drum-samples.md): 6 of 20
- [Free riser sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-riser-sound-effects.md): 4 of 33
- [Free piano samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-piano-samples.md): 4 of 36
- [Free synth pluck samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-synth-pluck-samples.md): 4 of 26
- [Free drum loops](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-drum-loops.md): 3 of 28
- [Free spoken word samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-spoken-word-samples.md): 3 of 15
- [Free guitar loops](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-guitar-loops.md): 2 of 16
- [Free footstep sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-footstep-sounds.md): 2 of 28
- [Free shaker samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-shaker-samples.md): 1 of 15

## Examples

- [Kobe Bryant helicopter crash ATC audio](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kobe_Bryant_helicopter_crash_ATC_audio.flac) (`wikimediacommons:Kobe_Bryant_helicopter_crash_ATC_audio.flac`, Public domain)
- [Phonk Open Hat (10)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phonk_Open_Hat_(10).wav) (`wikimediacommons:Phonk_Open_Hat_(10).wav`, CC0 1.0)
- [Jazz ride pattern](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jazz_ride_pattern.ogg) (`wikimediacommons:Jazz_ride_pattern.ogg`, Public domain)
- [Rimshot loop 208bpm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rimshot_loop_208bpm.ogg) (`wikimediacommons:Rimshot_loop_208bpm.ogg`, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Tom Kenny The SpongeBob Musical interview](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Kenny_The_SpongeBob_Musical_interview.ogg) (`wikimediacommons:Tom_Kenny_The_SpongeBob_Musical_interview.ogg`, CC BY 3.0)
- [Sheffield Indymedia - 2011-07-09 Transition Network Conference 2011 -ttcon2011 - 5 Transition and Activism.vorb](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheffield_Indymedia_-_2011-07-09_Transition_Network_Conference_2011_-ttcon2011_-_5_Transition_and_Activism.vorb.oga) (`wikimediacommons:Sheffield_Indymedia_-_2011-07-09_Transition_Network_Conference_2011_-ttcon2011_-_5_Transition_and_Activism.vorb.oga`, Public domain)
- [Video of the attack in crocus city hall in Moscow](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Video_of_the_attack_in_crocus_city_hall_in_Moscow.ogg) (`wikimediacommons:Video_of_the_attack_in_crocus_city_hall_in_Moscow.ogg`, CC0 1.0)
- [America the Beautiful - Brass Quintet - United States Navy Band](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:America_the_Beautiful_-_Brass_Quintet_-_United_States_Navy_Band.opus) (`wikimediacommons:America_the_Beautiful_-_Brass_Quintet_-_United_States_Navy_Band.opus`, Public domain)
- [Man drunk and playing flute near Santa Justa Lift, Lisbon, Portugal](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_drunk_and_playing_flute_near_Santa_Justa_Lift,_Lisbon,_Portugal.wav) (`wikimediacommons:Man_drunk_and_playing_flute_near_Santa_Justa_Lift,_Lisbon,_Portugal.wav`, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Attraction Marimba](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Attraction_Marimba.ogg) (`wikimediacommons:Attraction_Marimba.ogg`, CC BY 4.0)
- [Inleiding Festival Strings Lucerne (audio)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inleiding_Festival_Strings_Lucerne_(audio).mp3) (`wikimediacommons:Inleiding_Festival_Strings_Lucerne_(audio).mp3`, CC BY 4.0)
- [But is to break in tyap](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:But_is_to_break_in_tyap.ogg) (`wikimediacommons:But_is_to_break_in_tyap.ogg`, CC BY-SA 4.0)

All sources: https://sound.shep.bot/docs/sources.md

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Source: https://sound.shep.bot/sources/wikimediacommons