Free Sound Effects for Film-Makers from the BBC

For our student film-makers at Bucks, one excellent (and free) resource for sound design and sound effects is the BBC Free Sound Effects for Film-Makers.

Around 16,000 BBC Sound Effects have been made available by the BBC in WAV format for free download for use under the terms of the RemArc Licence. The Sound Effects are BBC copyright, but they may be used for personal, educational or research purposes, as detailed in the license. We're recommending this for all our students.

Why animators need sound design
For our student film-makers, it's important to remember that the visuals are just 50% of the experience; the rest is audio. The audio experience is made up of music, sound effects, dialogue and - sometimes - narration.  Occasionally, good sound design means having no sound at all, or very little. But there is usually considerable work to be done.

Who needs Sound Design?
Good sound design brings a huge amount to any project. Sound design is not just about the quality of recording itself, it's about music, sound effects, foley, and the final mix.  Sound heightens our experience of a film and brings it to life. Sound design is something that animators at a big studio take for granted - because someone else does it for you. But when you are learning and studying animation, you will have to do it yourself.

BBC Free Sound Effects Official site
To find the BBC Free Sound Effects Official site, follow this link: http://bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk/.

License Details
The license is for non-commercial use, which is all our students need. Should you need a license for for commercial use, you can also license BBC sound effects by following this link. You can also access dataset metadata by visiting the BBC's dedicated LOD site. If you have any queries regarding usage, contact jake.berger at bbc.co.uk

Free sound effects
There are a number of other places on the web which offer good sound effects for free. Free sound effects can also be found online at freesound.org and findsound.org. These are Creative Commons sites; users upload their sound effects and license them for free.

Moby Gratis - free music

Sound Design and Sound Effects at Bucks
For more on the use of sound effects and sound design, follow these links:

• Why animators need sound design 
• How to work with sound designers 
• Sound design tips with Bucks graduate Scott Benson 
• How to use sound files in Autodesk Maya 
• Sound design at Bucks 
• How to record voice actors for animation 
• How to use Adobe Premiere - an animator's guide
• Moby Gratis - free music for film-makers 

For more on the experience of studying at Buckinghamshire New University, come and visit us at one of our Open Days, take a virtual tour of one of our animation studios, check out what our students think of our course, and see why we're ranked in the top 12 creative universities in the UK.