If you are releasing a new SFX library and you would like it to be included in our recap, send us the details through our SFX Independence Submission Form. However, please notify us of libraries that were released within the last month or substantially updated, since we will not include old libraries that are on sale.
Last month, we had the most submissions I’ve seen since taking over these recaps six months ago. There are sounds of snowpocalypse, machinery hums, granular and rotational noise, expanding Reaktor libraries, handwriting, whooshes, copyright-free broadcasts, drones, destruction, Catalan ambiences, excited dogs, and new glitchy and experimental libraries for Ableton Live. So, let’s get on with it and check out these new libraries from our community.
Snowman HD Professional by The Recordist
Ho, ho, ho, Merry.. wait? It’s Spring! And this means your chance to capture snow sound effects is over! (Unless you’re in the path of Winter Storm Ursula.) But if corn starch just won’t cut it, check out Snowman HD Professional by Frank “The Recordist” Bry. This library goes far and beyond the usual crunchy footsteps and snowball fights. It contains avalanche-quality slides and impacts, as Frank recorded his tractor dumping chunks of snow and piles sliding off his metal roof. He also included many gentler sounds in this library with powdery impacts, light debris and icy sprays as well as the simulated sounds of bodies and tires interacting with snow. If you purchase this library, I suggest you take Frank’s advice and pitch-bend these sounds for some real winter crunch!
(339 Stereo/Mono WAV files, 823.4MB, 24bit/96kHz)
PH – 0020 – INDUSTRY, Electrical Hum by Phonophilist
Electrical Hum by Phonophilist is the type of library that many forget until it’s needed. With 25 sounds of substations’ transformers and synthesized hums, this library can voice the many humming sources that pop up in games and film, such as power plants, electrical boxes and broken transformers. The team at Phonophilist even used the concept of “worldizing” by Walter Murch to capture real-world characteristics of synthesized sound by re-recording the sounds and their reverberations as they bounce around the speaker’s surrounding environment. If you’re looking for a bit of buzz and hum in your soundscape or music, give this library a listen.
(25 files, 2.5 GB, 24bit/192-96kHz)
GRANULAR IRL by Hiss and a ROAR
This library examines the sound of mass chaos and the role of the individual. Grains of rice pour down a rainstick. Droplets of water come together to form a single powerful jet. Handfuls of Perler beads vibrate in a metal pot. Stones in a bin crash against each other. Glasses pulsate in near unison. These sounds can only be created by the interaction of the multitude. But this library appreciates the power of the individual, too. A single marble rolls down the strings of a guitar. A shovel graces a layer of gravel. A body (simulated with a painters suit full of rocks) is slammed against the bed of rocks below it. Just as we all must decide from time to time, a grain can either become the noise or stand out on top.
(216 WAV files, 12.3 GB uncompressed, 24bit/96kHz)
rOtation by Collected Transients
The rOtation library takes its name very seriously. This collection is founded on a similar concept as the above Granular library, but the sound team took a spinning, twisting, gyrating approach instead. Collected Transients has 200 sounds of whirling, zipping and buzzing as ball bearings clamor in a trash can, a Euler’s Disk speeds up to mind-blowing speeds, Hurricane balls spin at 5000+ RPM, bowls and buckets endlessly rotate, nuts and quarters spin around the inside of a balloon, and some crazy things happen with a magnet separated by glass. If these scenarios sound strange, then Collected Transients has done their job to create unique sounds that have never been featured before.
(182 WAV files, 7.3 GB, 24 bit/192 kHz)
Duoz Bundle by Blinksonic
The Duoz Bundle by Blinksonic collects and expands on the Ruidoz and Aetønz Ensembles libraries for Reaktor. Based on a randomized generator, these instruments create rhythmic textures from a collection of 240 micro samples. But this library’s charm comes from what exists between the samples – that is, how the samples interact. When Ruidoz triggers a gate event, a flux occurs as the sample changes, giving you a modern visceral pulse that can be controlled and shaped with the ADSR enveloper, filters, auto pan, compressors and reverbs. Also included is the Aetønz virtual sampler, and with its granular synthesis and over 200 snapshots, you get a whole new layer for fascinating soundscapes.
(requires Reaktor)
Handwriting by SoundBits
SoundBits often creates large, extensive libraries, and Handwriting is one more to add to the collection. Whether you see a pencil as an instrument or a tool, this library contains over 840 files of one-handed expression. It includes the sounds of pencils, crayons, chalk, ballpoint pens, quills, felt pens, water color brushes, markers, and even sand, stone and graffiti paint. Whether your character is a 1940s novelist, a troubled child doodling black holes, or an urban artist attempting to wake the minds of the masses, this library will put sound to their art.
(841 WAV files, 818 MB, 24bit/96kHz)
Metaphysical Fabrications for Reaktor by contortDistort/Christian Kjeldsen
If you own Komplete, this sampler plug-in for Reaktor should be a no-brainer, because it’s free! Created by industry veteran Christan Kjeldsen of Rockstar and Turtle Rock Studios, Metaphysical Fabrications brings a pulsing soundscape with peaceful, warm musicality and swirling drones that are simply fun to play with. It comes with 52 snapshots and 30 sounds, and nine new features for Reaktor’s Metaphysical function, including slider automation and MIDI mod wheel support so you can create chord progressions, pitch bend, and play Resochord like an instrument. To learn more, watch the video above.
(52 snapshots, 30 samples, 96.6 MB, Reaktor 5.9.4 or higher required)
(not) Just Another Whoosh Library 1 by Undertone Sound Library
Undertone Sound Library has joined the “whoosh” league in their new library dedicated to this onomatopoeian sound. In (not) Just Another Whoosh Library 1, they capture 165 sounds that whoosh, swoosh and pass by you, a delight that when shared with non-audio types may get you some crazy looks. These sounds are masterfully crafted with the swing of aluminum brooms, plastic rakes, boom poles, T-squares, window brackets, rope, flags, sticks, and just about anything that creates the perfectly defined curve when cutting through air. Though this library has the archetypical examples you expect, these sounds are realistic and detailed enough that a trained ear could probably distinguish the type of wood or thickness of metal used.
(165 Mono/Stereo WAV files, 24bit/96kHz)
Broadcast 1 by Undertone Sound Library
I tend to believe there are still people out there who say ‘nay’ to the lonely headphone experience and prefer the atmosphere of their homes be filled with televisions and radios. But when designing such a character in your film, how do you find content without running into copyright issues or having to create your own convincing Lorem Ipsum? Undertone Sound Library has introduced yet another helpful sound library for several ambient broadcast-filled scenarios. Broadcast 1 contains 1940s baseball games, Sunday morning sermons, TV weather reports, political talk shows and radio DJ announcements, as well as multiple-host radio shows and podcasts in the studio and in front of an audience. With 30 programs and some tracks lasting 30 to 90 minutes, this library offers plenty to choose from.
(87 WAV files, 24bit/48kHz)
Drones 1 by Undertone Sound Library
For the team’s third and final March release, Undertone Sound Library has also produced a library made for those who followed the story of Laura Palmer (I’m on the last episode of the first season, so don’t spoil it for me). Drones 1 is a collection of deep pulses and train-like noise echoing underwater along with voice-like tones shifting and manipulating the landscape before you. This library was inspired by the age-defining work of the collaborating couple Alan Splet and Ann Kroeber, and it was designed for horror films, thrillers and dark dramas in need of a dark industrial foundation. For the ultimate Drones 1 listen experience, make sure you accompany it with a tray of donuts and a damn fine cup of coffee.
(62 WAV files, 24bit/96kHz)
Destruction by Boom Library
Boom Library has published several libraries over the years. More likely than not, you’ve heard of them. But if you haven’t, I have the perfect place for you to start. Destruction is the quintessential Boom Library compilation. With its massive controlled demolitions, icy detonations, and various crashing and stress sounds of heavy junkyard pieces, it lives up to its creator’s name. This library contains the pieces for a whole “symphony of destruction” as Boom puts it, and with the option for a Designed edition and Construction Kit, you are given maximum flexibility when organizing your chaos. Just watch the video and be metaphorically blown away.
(300+ WAV files, 9 GB, 24bit/96kHz)
Barcelona Ambience by Pablo Valverde
Barcelona. How can your heart not be stolen by her Gaudian architecture, el “Mes que un Club” espíritu del Barça, and the totally authentic tapas garnished with roasted cilantro? But if you are not one of the city’s 1.6 million residents, Pablo Valverde has you covered. He captured every iconic location he could find during his 5-day trip last summer. Now you can have the sounds of the markets, coffee shops, parks, beaches, metros, parking lots, burger bars, airports, construction sites and train stations, as well as the iconic Les Rambles, Barcelona Sants, El Prat, Casa Batlló, and Sagrada Familia. Magnífic.
(60 WAV files, 3.3 GB, 24bit/48kHz)
Shiba Dog by Norsonant
If you own a dog (or are a diplomatic cat lover), you’ll notice the distinct voice of a Shiba dog in this library. Just like how a dialect can change the timbre of a crowd’s yell or a species can define the chirping of a flock of birds, dogs of different breeds have distinct patterns in their pants, barks, whines and cries that can cause a instinctual reactions in their deciphering owners. Norsonant captured this unique quality of the Shiba dog in their new library. With two very cooperative Shibas who acted as if they knew to take turns in their vocalizations, Norsonant was able to recorded these pups relatively stress-free. If you’d like to feature the sounds of this prominently Japanese dog in your next project, check out this library.
(104 WAV files, 564 MB, 24bit/96kHz)
Glitchverb M4L and Ryoji for Ableton Live by Audiomodern and StrangeLines
Audiomodern & StrangeLines are back at it again, creating Glitchverb and Ryoji for Ableton Live. These libraries help you create deep, moody atmospheres with all the glitch and grain you want. Glitchverb features the ability to create that “big bass” compressed reverb sound, but without actually using compression. Instead it uses the full range of frequencies to create presence, and it sets the root frequency to allow the bass and treble to adapt their minimum and maximum values.
If this were a debate about loudness standards, then on the other side, their plugin Ryoji attempts to use the full spectrum of our hearing range to honor Ryoji Ikeda’s glitch music. This experimental plugin allows you to manipulate your source sound using your four favorite waveforms to allow complex distortion and layered effects. For a complete manipulation of your headroom, check out these libraries.
(Ableton Live 9.5 and Max For Live 7.1 or higher required)