Are you the sort of person who, after a long day working in an office, likes to come home and relax with your copy of the BBC’s Sound Effects No. 2 album? (That’s a real album by the way, $17 and it’s yours.) If that sounds like you, then the BBC have just made your day after releasing over 16,000 tracks from their sound effects library, free for your personal use.
Yes, the BBC have just unleashed a veritable treasure trove of various sound effects online, suitable for close to any situation, mood, or occasion. Ranging from different variations of ‘1 lorry passing slowly’ to ‘Wooden Window Frame rattling’, there’s even versions of ‘Yugoslav Chatter’ for you to use (both ‘small mixed group’ and ‘large mixed group’, if the distinction matters).
Sadly if you’re a budding music producer whose eyes are lighting up as you read this, there’s a bit of bad news, namely that you can’t use these for anything except ‘personal, educational or research purposes’. This of course means that you’re more than free to show your year five students what ‘Woman yawning’ sounds like, but you can’t throw that one into your upcoming EDM single.
The sounds have all been used in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s radio output since as far back as the 1920s, so you’re looking at quite a time capsule here. However, if you’re going to attempt to download each and every one of these tunes, you might be in for a bit of a hard time due to the rather obtuse nature of the website. However, one useful Redditor has found a way to bypass this minor road block.
Check out the full list of BBC sound effects here, and be sure to use them for ‘personal, educational or research purposes’ only!
Check out Alexei Sayle’s investigation into the BBC sound effects department:
