Creative iMedia
Copyright Free Sounds
For copyright free sounds, try these:
- Free SFX
- sound effects. This requires a login. If I'm teaching you, ask me for it! - Freesound - lots of interesting possibilities here with a wide range of sounds which seem to download OK. Again, requires a login so see me...
- Free Music Archive - lots of decent music here
- Sound Bible - lots of audio files which are OK to use (check out their copyright notice)
- PacDV sound effects - there's a music section of this site as well
- Sound Jay - free sound effects
- BBC Sound effects - these are free for non-commercial and educational use only. If you're designing for a commercial client then you'll have to pay
- Purple Planet Music - good range of music but you'll have to credit where it come from
- ZapSplat - music and sound effects, but you have to credit where they come from on products
- Audio micro - don't use the search box - that will give you only sounds you have to pay for. Use the categories to find free sound effects
You might also use Ben Sound, but it comes with two health warnings. Firstly, everyone seems to use the same sounds! Seriously - my kids are fed up with hearing the same two or three music files on 8 out of 10 projects. So, check the sound with me first. If it's one I've neot heard much I'll let you use it.
Secondly the license seems to not allow the work to be changed as it's a "no derivative works" license. So you need to be a little careful how you use it - and, to be honest, I'd avoid it if you can.
And YouTube have released a Free music and sound effects library that anyone can download and use tracks from. Of course, you'll not be able to access it in school - but it might be worth a look at home
If you're looking for text to speech websites there are lots out there, some better than others. Text2Speech is one that seems to work and allows downloads. It's OK to use it for school work but you'd need to include some detail in your assets table.
Audio network - lots of audio tracks, but only usable inside a school which is in an organisation which has subscribed to the scheme (it checks the IP address - unfortunately this will not work inside my current school as it's an academy... I'll leave the link here for others...)
There are other good places to get copyright free material from that you might not be able to access at school. Ask if you need to and a teacher may be able to access them for you.
A different approach...
There are two other ways to get music for your projects.
You can make it yourself. This requires some ability, some time and you'll need whatever kit is required. You can do this on real instruments, using appas like garage band or by recording sound effects you create yourself. All of which are very cool.
The second approach is to find some music you like that someone else has made and ask if you can use it. Now, if you chose the biggest bands in te world you'll not get a reply, and most of the time you might not get permission. But if the track's just perfect it might be worth a go - one of my students had success with this approach in the summer of 2018, so it does work sometimes.