Whether you are watching a movie or listening to your favourite song you can notice that there are some sound effects added to enhance the overall feel of the content which somehow makes it more interesting and makes you connect with it on another level. This is why sound effects are important. Although there are many sound effects available to buy individually or platforms that offer paid subscriptions to use the sound effects, not everyone can afford to pay for them. This is when free sound effects come into play.
To understand how free sound effects help in creating music, you must first know what free sound effects are and the types of sound effects that are available out there. In this article we will see what free sound effects are and have a look at all the different types of sound effects that you can use, before understanding why these sound effects are important for creating music.
What are free sound effects?
If you are a new artist or a student learning music, having access to some free sound effects to use in your content will do wonders for your practice without having to pay large amounts of royalties to the sound creators.
There are many websites that offer free sound effects for you to use in your creation which you can include without worrying about the royalties or copyright issues. As a music student, you are often asked to work on a project that includes creating your own piece of music or song. Using these free effects for music to enhance the quality and feel of your music will not only help you to do great in your existing project but also help you practise the art of creating music and using the right sound effects according to the feel of the song.
Free sound effects are not just helpful for students, but even new filmmakers, animators and bloggers who cannot yet afford to buy the copyrighted sound effects, benefit greatly from the free sound effects.
Types of sound effects
There are various types of sound effects which can be used to create a good piece of music with the right feel and connection. However, there are four major types of sound effects that you need to understand, which can be then divided into various subtypes to have the necessary effect for your creation. These four main types of sound effects are as follows:
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Hard sound effects
Hard sound effects are not dependent on the performance of the sound but are the sounds which are connected with something specific happening and are associated with that particular action or event. For example, door slams, slaps, car horns and gunshots are all considered to be hard sound effects.
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Foley sound effects
Foley sound effects are performed by foley artists and are recorded live. The foley artist synchronises the sound with the characters movements and activities for example, rustling of clothes, tapping on a board with a pen, etc. The most common foley sound effects which are highly used are the sound of footsteps.
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Background sound effects
Background sound effects which are also often called as atmosphere sounds or nature sounds are more commonly used when making a music video or a film. These sound effects do not necessarily sync with what is happening in the video but are an indication of what is happening in the background which helps the listeners or video audience to understand the setting of the video. These sounds include forest sounds, crowd sounds, buzzing of lights, rain sounds, etc.
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Design sound effects
Design sound effects are the effects that don’t normally occur naturally and are created to give a certain feel to the music or scene. These include sci-fi sounds which are used in a sci-fi movie or song to create the right mood.
How do free sound effects help in creating music?
Whether you want to create a good video or an engaging audio, sound effects play a very important role in making a connection with the audience and creating the right mood. When creating music, sound effects can be used in various ways by adding a bit of a rhythm and beat to the sound before using it in your audio song. These sound effects also help in giving your music video the right atmosphere which will make it more realistic and engaging for the audience. For example, if your song is about nature and wildlife or anything with that context, nature sounds like forest sounds, rustling leaves, etc. can be included in your audio. However, when you are creating music you can’t just put the sound effect there as it is; you’ll need to add some musical effects to the sound, which requires practice.
Having said that, buying sound effects may not always be convenient for you especially if you are an aspiring music creator. This is why, having access to free sound effects that will help you enhance your audio and create the right musical effects will help you a great deal in learning, practising and creating new music of your own.
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