Are you looking at some great sound effects or a song to make your podcast stand out? Are you into news production? If so, keep on reading. I made a research and have chosen some useful sources to get royalty free music for your next audio production.

Keep in mind that royalty free means – generally speaking – that you can use the effects for your production without having to pay for a licence, but in most cases an attribution is required. This means you will have to mention the author (or the copyright owner anyway) within your production. It’s easy: just add copy and paste the required info in the description of your audio/video production: that’s it.

Remember not to use copyrighted music for your productions: you risk a ban from the platform you are using (i.e. YouTube). Worst case scenario, you could even be sued by the author and/or the publisher, so that’s something you really don’t want to happen.  This applies also to loops libraries. If you use pre recorded loops in your music/fx/podcast productions, check if they are copyrighted or if you can use them with no restrictions.

Below you can find the sources. Just click on the links and you will be directed on the page containing the audio effects or links to them. Remember to follow audiomusicsound.com to keep up to date with news about audio gear, tutorials and the music industry 🙂 You can even follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

1. In this article on music.tutsplus.com, the author publishes the samples and links to 30 free breaking news effects available on AudioJungle.
2. It’s famous for its pictures, but Pixabay has also a section entirely dedicated to music. You can search by category or style. Check the attribution terms: it’s usually not required, but a linkback is much appreciated.
3. Bensound has a section dedicated to cinematic effects. You can use them, but, you’ll have to follow the attribution rules. It’s all clearly stated.
4. On Zapsplat, the sound effects are listed under categories, so you can easily find what you are looking for. Attribution required, unless you want to pay a small monthly fee.
5. Incompetech has a lot to offer in terms of choice and styles. It’s perfect if you are looking for the perfect track for your production. Licences are under Creative Commons, so crediting is required. In case you prefer not to credit the songs, you can pay for the licence.
6. On PremiumBeat there is a library of 280 sound effects completely free and ready to use. Check this article on the PremiumBeat website for full instructions.
7. On SoundBible, there are many sound effects that you can download for free. They come under Creative Commons Licence and Public Domain licences. Check the attribution terms.