There can be few organisations that have used more sound effects than the BBC, but did you know that that the good old British Broadcasting Corporation has made more than 33,000 of its FX available for free download?
The collection has swollen considerably since it was first made public; the sounds are available under the RemArc licence, which means that they can be used for “personal, educational or research purposes”.
The archive is easily searchable, and a quick browse confirms that there’s a wide variety of content, ranging from the atmospheric to the downright obscure. Each sample can be previewed and has its duration and filename listed.
You can dive in and start downloading right now on the BBC Sound Effects website, and don’t forget that MusicRadar also offers its own library of free samples in the form of SampleRadar. This content can be in commercial recordings royalty-free.
