Ringo Starr on Beatles AI song: “For all the madness going on around it, it’s a beautiful track”Ringo Starr has shared his thoughts about the upcoming Beatles track, on which John Lennon’s old vocal recordings were extracted and refined using AI.

READ MORE: A petition for LEGO to make a Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus set is gaining traction

In an interview with Variety, the drummer assures fans that the new song, which is suspected to be the unreleased 1978 track Now and Then, sounds “beautiful”, despite the concerns over the use of artificial intelligence.
“It’s not down to AI,” he says. “It’s not like we’re pretending anything. That is actually John’s voice, Paul’s voice and bass playing, George [Harrison] on rhythm guitar and me on drums.
“The two things that are new are Paul’s bass and me on drums… I really worked at it just months ago here. And it works,” he added. “It’s a beautiful song. You know, for all the madness going on around it, it’s still a beautiful track. And our last track.”
News of this hotly awaited song first came to light in an interview with Paul McCartney on BBC Radio 4, where McCartney said that AI had been used to take John Lennon’s voice from old audio and strip it from its instrumental background.
As well as excited reactions from fans, there was also a great deal of “confusion and speculation” about the record. The bassist then made a statement saying that despite the use of AI, the song had not been “artificially created.”
“[It’s] been great to see such an exciting response to our forthcoming Beatles project. No one is more excited than us to be sharing something with you later in the year,” wrote McCartney on Instagram Stories.
“We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it,” he continued. “Seems to be a lot of guess work out there. Can’t say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It’s all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings – a process which has gone on for years”
“We hope you love it as much as we do. More news in due course.”
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US vinyl record sales increased by 21.7 per cent in the first half of 2023Sales of vinyl records in the US have surged by over 20 per cent during the first half of 2023, according to Luminate’s midyear report.

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The report, conducted by the Californian data analytics service, highlights trends in the music industry from January 2023 up to and including June 2023.
According to the report, 23.6 million LPs were sold in this period, marking a 21.7 per cent increase from 2022’s 19.4 million sales.
Physical album sales overall also saw a notable rise of 13.3 per cent in 2023, with 41.5 million physical copies sold compared to 2022’s 36.7 million.
Notably, direct-to-consumer vinyl sales experienced substantial growth, reaching 2.6 million sales and increasing by more than 26 per cent in 2023.
Leading the vinyl sales of new music are Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, boygenius, and the classic album Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.
Another interesting stat from the report is that EDM fans spend +63 per cent more money on music categories per month than the average U.S. music listener.
While vinyl record sales are increasing year on year, it’s not wholly positive for record labels selling music in the format. In MusicTech’s recent interview with Mad Mats and Tooli, the founders of record label Local Talk, they said that due to rising pressing costs, the worth of distributing vinyl is dwindling.
“I got a statement for one of my other labels,” says Tooli, “and actually sold out a [vinyl pressing run]. It’s quite rare these days that you sell out the first pressing. And by doing the calculations, I made €120. It’s too much work, just to be nostalgic.”
While distribution costs are providing obstacles for many, the ever-rising popularity of the medium is still evident. In September, the world’s first multi-day vinyl festival, Haarlem Vinyl Festival, is expected to welcome a total of at least 15,000 visitors.
To read the full midyear report by Luminate, head to luminatedata.com.
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9 free and affordable apps and platforms every musician needs to useThe number of apps and platforms offered to help create and market music can be overwhelming. But thankfully, music marketing veterans Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert are here to help.. Continue reading
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How to make your own software sample instrument from a hardware synthesizerHardware synthesizers are fun to play and sound fantastic. But they’re not always convenient for producers, especially if your workflow is largely laptop-based or if you’re performing live. The solution? Sample those synths and turn them into readily accessible software instruments to use in your DAW.
READ MORE: Beginner’s Guide: Buying your first hardware synthesizer
Aside from the convenience of having hardware converted into software, working with samplers can expand the sweet sound of your synthesizers. Samplers can bend and warp sounds in new and exciting ways. You could turn a monophonic synth into a polyphonic one, for example. Then, of course, there’s the magical degradation and warping you get when pitch-shifting audio across a keyboard. (If you’d rather skip the hardware and fake a lo-fi aesthetic in the box instead, check out our tutorial on lo-fi effects.)
For this tutorial, you’ll need a hardware synthesizer and a way to record it into your computer. Assuming that’s covered, you’ll also need a software sampler. Native Instruments’ Kontakt is a comprehensive solution and is what will be used here but it’s by no means the only option on the market. There are plenty of others, including TAL-Software’s TAL-Sampler, along with some freeware options – perhaps your DAW’s stock sampler will do the trick, too. We’ll show you the best techniques, and you can adapt them to your desired sampler.
Here’s an example of what you can do with a homemade sample instrument. This house track features a multi-sampled Moog Grandmother playing chords.

Dial in your synth
The first step? Program your synth patch. Sometimes it’s useful to capture a wide, open synth sound for a flexible sample – but you may lose out on the inherent character of your synthesizer. Instead, try dialling in a target sound that you’d want to use in a recording. You can even include effects, such as on our Moog Grandmother, which has a spring reverb for atmosphere.
Image: Moog
Program MIDI notes
Next, in your DAW, draw in a series of MIDI notes that you want to capture. To ensure consistent volume, make sure they all have the same amount of velocity. Leave enough time between notes to fully record any tails.
As for what (or more correctly, how many) notes to capture, that depends entirely on how realistic of a sample instrument you want. Recording every note on the keyboard will give you the best results – if what you want is a sample instrument that sounds exactly like the source. To hear more of the sampler’s sonics, capture only one or two notes per octave. This will result in pitch shifting and can introduce slight artefacts that add some flair.

Record the synth twice to make two velocity layers
Now it’s time to record the synthesizer. As most software samplers support velocity layers, where a different sample is triggered depending on how hard you press down on a key, you can do two separate recordings; the second with a different setting on the synthesizer. For example, run two passes, each with a different filter frequency cutoff amount so that harder presses on the final sample instrument will result in brighter notes.
Feel free to add colour when recording your synthesizer as well. The Moog Grandmother here was recorded through an audio interface with a built-in compressor and saturation engaged.

Edit the captured audio files
Next, using your DAW or a dedicated audio editor such as Audacity, isolate each recorded note into its own audio file. Trim any silence from the beginning of the new file. Also, add a fade-out to the end of each note to address any sudden drops in sound. Be sure to label each file with its velocity layer and note position. You’ll need to know this when mapping out your sample instrument in the next step.

Create a key map and the first velocity layer
In your DAW, create a fresh project and add your chosen sampler to a new MIDI track. Open the sampler and prime it for importing audio files. Access the edit mode and then click on the appropriate button to start key mapping.
The first sample will likely be automatically stretched across the entire keyboard. Pull it back so it occupies the first half of an octave starting with C. Next, drag in the next file and edit the width of the sample coverage. Do the same for the rest of the notes, as in the video below.

Add the second velocity layer
Now it’s time to add the second, brighter velocity layer. In the key mapping section, pull down on each key zone until around the halfway point. This will be the velocity change point. Next, drop the corresponding second layer note into the top area and pull up on the zone until it sits nicely with the first layer.
In the video example below, velocity information at or below 65 plays layer one, while layer two gets triggered by stronger key strokes. Now is the time to save your new sample patch so you don’t lose the key mappings and velocity layers.

Choose sampler effects
For the final step, go ahead and add some internal effects to your new instrument if your sampler software supports it. Saturation is always welcome, as are reverb and delay. Feel free to get creative with your sampler’s editing capabilities. There are envelope settings, of course, but don’t forget about loops and loop points for additional sampler spice.

Learn more music production tips and tricks.
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This Is Phat! 808 Engine For Kontakt Is FREE For A Limited Time!
VSTAlarm is now giving away a Kontakt instrument called This Is Phat! 808 Engine for free by their sound design label Red Sounds. Mainly targeted to Hip-Hop/RnB/Trap producers, this sample library helps you can create your own 808 bass lines quickly, thanks to a few selected controls on the interface and a bunch of handcrafted [...]
View post: This Is Phat! 808 Engine For Kontakt Is FREE For A Limited Time!

A petition for LEGO to make a Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus set is gaining tractionLEGO has an idea portal that allows Lego fans to request ideas for new sets, and many have suggested creating replicas of classic pieces of music gear. One of the newest ideas put forward is the Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus Multi Player.

READ MORE: PreSonus revamps Sphere subscription model as Studio One+

The Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus is one of the most famous pieces of DJ equipment in the world, with users including David Guetta and more.
“This new-age classic piece plays a significant role in the life of clubs and parties,” reads the build’s description. “DJs are playing the best music on this, mixing the songs together with great precision.”
The set, designed by Hungarian builder Tamás Borján, contains a whopping 2,628 pieces, and features a removable USB stick, an adjustable tempo fader, a CD that can be ejected, two individual LED panels, an adjustable waveform panel and more.
As demonstrated by the video shared on the Lego Ideas site, you can also remove the screens to show song selection and wave forms.
The website allows users to submit ideas for LEGO products to be turned into potential sets available in shops and online, with the original designer receiving 1% of the royalties.
If the submission for the idea reaches 10,000 supporters, it may be made into an official LEGO set. As of writing, it is currently at just under 3,500.
LEGO takes the ideas portal seriously; a Fender Stratocaster set became available in 2020 after a fan design went viral.
The brick set was designed up by LEGO Ideas user TOMOELL, who based it on the dream guitar of their teenage years. The design presented the Stratocaster in a multitude of colours, including black, white, yellow, red and blue. The final product also includes a LEGO Fender combo amp – complete with a foot switch.
Fingers crossed the Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus recieves the same viral treatment.
You can have a look at the impressive design at Lego Idea’s website. 
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Flock Audio’s 128-point digitally-controlled PATCH VT is now shippingCanadian audio brand Flock Audio has officially launched the latest in its series of digitally-controlled analogue PATCH patch bays, the 128-point PATCH VT.

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PATCH VT features a 128-point patch bay with Flock Audio’s own Multi-Patented Matrix Technology, delivering conversion-free and sonically transparent analogue routing. With 64 inputs and 64 outputs, Flock Audio provides loads of room to plugin microphones, instruments, and other gear, making it the central hub for even the most advanced studios.

The rack-mounted unit gives you 32 independent channels, each equipped with 48V phantom power for accommodating various audio devices. Its rear panel includes 16 DB-25/D-SUB Tascam Standard Pinout Format Connectors, ensuring smooth connectivity for different setups.
The front panel provides access to two inputs and two outputs via Combination TRS/XLR Connectors, enhancing flexibility. Users can create, store, and recall routings effortlessly with PATCH APP Classic & PATCH APP DX Routing Software on OSX, Windows, and iOS.
“The PATCH series was designed from the onset to give users complete control of all of their analogue signal processing in a convenient and user-friendly way that would offer the best of both worlds of analogue sound quality and digital workflow convenience,” says Flock Audio Founder and CEO Darren Nakonechny.
“By expanding the range with PATCH VT, our users now have even more options in the series to build a system that suits their needs whether it’s in the recording studio or in a live sound application.”
The patching hub was a talking point at one of the world’s biggest music tech trade shows, NAMM 2023, in April. Here, the unit was showcased alongside gear by many other brands including Sequential, Korg, Moog and Arturia. The exhibition included everything from synths to audio interfaces, monitors and various other studio gear.
PATCH VT is now shipping and costs $2,999. Find out more at flockaudio.com.
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10 legit Spotify Playlist Curators to send music toBuilding legitimate Spotify stream counts for your music requires time, care, and attention to detail. Luckily, there are thousands of independent playlist Spotify curators to send your music to, so. Continue reading
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Warner Music Group sign licensing deal with TikTok to boost social media revenueWarner Music Group has signed a licensing deal with TikTok in order to boost its social media revenues.

READ MORE: Strum, tap, tilt and more with Artiphon’s new smart “multi-instrument”, Chorda

The new deal licenses a collection of Warner Recorded Music and Warner Chappell Music to TikTok, as well as TikTok Music (the app’s streaming service that recently launched in Indonesia and Brazil), video editor CapCut, and TikTok’s Commercial Music Library.
“We are happy and excited for our next chapter together with TikTok,” says CEO of Warner Music Group Robert Kyncl. “Through this expanded and significantly improved partnership for both companies, we can jointly deliver greater value to WMG’s artists and songwriters and TikTok’s users.”
Under the new agreement, Warner Music’s artists and songwriters will also have access to TikTok’s brand partners such as Canva, Samsung, ASOS and hundreds more.
There will also be access to monetisation features like merchandise, ticketing, and digital goods.
The deal’s financial terms have not been disclosed, but considering that TikTok serves almost one billion users, it couldn’t have been cheap.
This is not the first partnership Warner has launched in the last few weeks, as in early July the record label announced its partnership with visual design platform Canva, to allow users to use music clips in their designs.
According to Canva, this partnership means that they are the first design platform to add commercially released music clips at the point of creation for content that can be shared across multiple platforms.
Labels and artists in the USA, Canada, the UK and mainland Europe, Brazil and Australia will be able to earn royalties when clips of their songs are used in published Canva designs.
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Tonemission debut: John Petrucci IR Collection The first release from John Petrucci's new Tonemission brand contains a selection of impulse responses that capture the exact signal chain used for his three most recent albums.

Strum, tap, tilt and more with Artiphon’s new smart “multi-instrument”, ChordaImagine if you could play any sound in the world, anywhere you go. Artiphon’s latest smart instrument, Chorda, might just turn this dream into reality.

READ MORE: Best new mixing plugins, effects and VST instruments out this week

Dubbed the “band in your backpack”, Chorda builds on Artiphon’s patented ‘multi-instrument’ technology, allowing users to explore multiple instruments like guitar, piano, drums, synths, and more on the same interface.
Chorda features 12 capacitive pads that are touch and velocity-sensitive. They react to your fingers moving along the playing surface in multiple dimensions, and are capable of capturing even “the most subtle micro-movements”, says the brand.
Just as you’d never play the same pluck on a banjo or the same beat on a drum set, Chorda lets you Tap, Press, Radiate, Tilt, and add Vibrato instantly, producing a unique sound each time. The device also comes with hundreds of built-in sounds, along with the ability for users to make their own using the cross-platform app.
Another noteworthy feature of Chorda is the bridge section. Using the bridge, you can play with “Smart Strum” — automatic chords that are always in tune, and just as swipeable as Instagram. And the bridge does a lot more than that: you can use it with the built-in arpeggiator, speed up or slow down the tempo of the song, change keys, and more. In short, everything you need to make a song is already built into Chorda: no additional studio gear is required.
Image: Artiphon
That said, Chorda does feature some pretty solid music technology under its minimalist hood. Players can use the device to control any MIDI-based software and hardware instruments (via USB-C or wirelessly via Bluetooth MIDI). It works with GarageBand, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Cubase, FL Studio, and any standard MIDI and MPE-compatible mobile app or hardware.
“We believe musical instruments should adapt to the way you play, to invite creativity every day,” says Artiphon Founder and CEO Mike Butera. “We’ve dreamed of allowing anyone to play any sound they can imagine, anywhere they go, without worrying about historical instrument skills or abstract music theory.”
Chorda is available in three colours: black, white, and blue, and is available at an early bird pricing of $199 on Kickstarter in the United States and Canada.

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PreSonus revamps Sphere subscription model as Studio One+PreSonus has revamped its Sphere software ecosystem as Studio One+, which will include all of the brand’s core offerings under one umbrella. Like the PreSonus Sphere, Studio One+ will operate on a monthly or annual subscription basis.

READ MORE: Best DJ plugins of 2023: Free software and apps for DJing

The new edition is said to offer users “unlimited access to any and every utility necessary to produce, write and record music”. In addition to Studio One, Notion, and every plug-in and extension, users also have access to an online portal that offers comprehensive masterclasses, collaborative digital tools, and a PreSonus online community.
Exclusive content will also be released every month at no extra fee.
“Our goal behind the Studio One+ rebrand was to streamline the PreSonus journey for our users by giving them access to everything they need and more,” said Arnd Kaiser, General Manager, Software atPreSonus.
“We used requests for new features and updates that came directly from our consumers and the resulting pieces of software are uniquely optimised for the user experience. Studio One+ is far more than a DAW, it’s an extension of the creative process entirely. We look forward to hearing testimonials from our community!”
While Studio One+ includes access to an always up-to-date version of PreSonus’ flagship DAW, Studio One Professional, users who aren’t fans of subscription models can still purchase the Studio One perpetual licence like they always have.
Under the new streamlined model, users will also gain access to the latest updates of Studio One 6.2 and Notion Mobile 3.2, which include new features that were sourced directly from user requests.
According to PreSonus, these updates are designed with an emphasis on improving workflow and performance for professionals and beginners alike. Some of those new updates in Studio One 6.2 include a remodelled Takes and Layers workflow, Note Editing Enhancements and the addition of a new custom folder called “Event Editors” to the Browser Effects tab to provide one unified location for all ARA enabled plug-ins.
Meanwhile Notion 3.2 adds enhancements to its tablature and chord features, multiple instrument changes per staff, and a number of new timesaving editing features.
Studio One+ is available at $14.95/month or $164.95/year.

For more info, head to PreSonus.
Earlier this year, plugin developer Waves announced a stop to all plugin sales and a shift to a subscription-only model, only to make a U-turn on its decision following major backlash from its consumer base.
“Many of you have expressed concerns about our decision to discontinue perpetual plugin licences and our move to an exclusive plugin subscription model,” Waves CTO and Co-Founder, Meir Shashoua said in a statement.
“I would like to start by apologising for the frustration we have caused many of you, our loyal customers. We understand that our move was sudden and disruptive, and did not sufficiently take into consideration your needs, wishes, and preferences. We are genuinely sorry for the distress it has caused.”
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The 13 best websites for free music samples in 2023Some people may tell you that finding samples is all about digging through crates of obscure records, while others claim that an expensive sample pack will solve the problem of getting that perfect EDM kick tone. And, while these aren’t necessarily incorrect, there are some free sample libraries out there that, when used in context, can help you create detailed soundscapes and head-bopping grooves.

READ MORE: Best freeware for music-making: Top free apps, DAWs, plug-ins, instruments and more

The main caveat with these libraries and samples is that you will have to check licensing agreements on some of the sounds before you include it in a track you’re planning to release. Some of the material you find may not be available for commercial use or will require you to credit the original creator of the sample. Now, with that being said, let’s go through ten of our favourite sites that we think are worth checking out.
BandLab Sounds

BandLab Sounds gives producers access to a massive library of royalty-free samples and loops to create with – all fully downloadable and ready to use in any DAW.
The service was launched by social music-making platform BandLab and features over 10,000 sounds – conjured up by an array of top artists, professional sound designers and even 15 packs from MusicTech as well. Samples come as uncompressed WAVs and are downloadable via web or mobile.
Sounds can be downloaded as entire pack or as individual samples. There’s also an auditioning tool built-in to the web-based platform. Each sound is also royalty-free,  meaning you’re able to freely use them in your tracks and commercial works.
Learn more about BandLab Sounds at bandlab.com
[Editor’s note: BandLab is owned by BandLab Technologies, which also owns MusicTech.net.]
Samples From Mars
Image: Samples From Mars
Samples From Mars specialises in bringing sounds from classic hardware machines into the hands of software producers. The great thing about the sample packs from Samples From Mars is they aren’t just cleanly recorded sounds – they are also run through more analogue hardware, such as an API console recording to tape, so you’re also getting genuine analogue warmth into your tracks. The 808 From Mars pack, for example, features clean, coloured and saturated versions of each kick tone and length.
Samples From Mars loves discovering obscure, vintage and great sounding synths from yesteryear and making them accessible to music-makers of today. The recent Dr Bohm Digital Drums and OB From Mars packs are enough evidence for that.
Browse the collection of Samples From Mars’ free samples here.
Legowelt
Image: Legowelt.org
If you aren’t familiar with Legowelt, your favourite producer probably is. His career spans over twenty years, more than a handful of aliases and, fortunately for us, an extensive sample library that he uploads to his website for free download. He’s taken the liberty of meticulously recording his collection of synths and drum machines, offering hundreds of one-shot samples, pad sounds and loops for each instrument.
If you ever wanted the sounds of a genuine Roland Juno 106 without going out and buying one, Legowelt has 250 samples from his, including big basses, mysterious pads, chords, haunting strings, sequences, arpeggios, drums and more. All files come in a .zip folder and the sounds are all in 16bit WAV format. Regardless of genre or taste, you truly need to browse the site and play around with some of the instruments here.
Get Legowelt’s free sample packs here
Goldbaby
Image: goldbaby.co.nz
Having downloaded quite a few of Goldbaby’s packs ourselves in the past, we can truly vouch for its “passion for vintage drum machines, synthesisers, vinyl, tape and music technology”, as stated on the homepage of its website. The Goldbaby studio is packed to the brim with synths, drum machines, mixers and recording gear, meaning a lot of the sounds you get are touched by analogue warmth. Goldbaby has worked with major music technology brands in the past including Ableton, FXpansion, iZotope, Native Instruments and PreSonus, so you know these sounds are sublime.
Goldbaby’s free section has an eclectic selection of drum machines, synths and some small tasters of buyable packs. Many of the sounds in these packs are sent through tape machines or valve equipment, such as the Valve SK1 Drums, which comprises vintage Casio SK1 samples processed through SPL and Thermionic Culture valve gear. There’s no sign-up process to get the free samples from Goldbaby, although it’s always worth signing up to the newsletter so you know when a new sample pack has dropped.
Goldbaby’s Free Stuff area is available here
Noiiz
Image: Noiiz.com
A free membership to Noiiz gives you access to its entire catalogue of Free Packs, with as many downloads as you like. Signing up for a free membership is as simple as entering your email address and making a password. The free area isn’t a stingy selection either, with over 500 packs to download, each containing around 10 sounds – no lengthy maths equations needed here to outline how many sounds are available to you. The packs include sounds for jazz, trap, d’n’b, neo-soul and much more, it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re after some new inspiration.
Noiiz also has a subscription-based service, starting at $10/mo, in which you are given access to a plethora of new sample libraries. This includes packs from professional creators and artists, such as Hashfinger, Samplephonics, Machinedrum, Letherette and more. You’ll also have access to the Noiiz plug-in, which works in a similar fashion to BandLab Assistant, with a swift drag-and-drop mechanic to load sounds into your sessions.
You can download sounds from Noiiz’s Free Packs area here.
Citizen DJ

Perhaps a surprising addition to this list is the database of free samples that the U.S Library of Congress has built. Citizen DJ is a resource that lets you browse audio recordings from over a hundred years ago, presented in a colourful interface with tools that allow for the instant browsing and auditioning of sounds. It comprises soundtracks from movies, public service announcements, spoken word pieces, classic recordings and more from the Free Music Archive.
Once you’ve selected a sample, the site presents you with a sequencer that lets you slice up a sample and partner it with a drum track of your choice. Drum tracks are built with sounds from classic drum machines and patterns, which you can sequence in your own way. You can download individual samples or get them as sample packs containing thousands of clips. The project was created for hip-hop producers and DJs by Brian Foo, a Library of Congress Innovator-in-Residence, who was inspired by the aesthetic of hip-hop records such as Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy.
Browse and play the Citizen DJ tool at citizen-dj.labs.loc.gov
BBC Sound Effects Library

The BBC has made its vast collection of sound effects downloadable for free in WAV format. A library of 16,016 recordings is accessible to all users under the terms of the RemArc license. Importantly, the licence means you won’t be able to use the sounds in a commercial project. However, it could be an ideal resource for honing your skills as a sound designer, building a portfolio or for education.
The library boasts sounds from the 1920s onwards, with samples including FA Cup Final Wembley 1966, Khatmandu: Busy street with heavy traffic and bizarre samples such as Inside a human or animal body. The sounds are split into categories that range from World War II to St. Paul’s Cathedral, to Washing Machine and Volcano. You can also use a search bar to quickly locate specific samples, with each sound given a description, duration time and built-in player to listen to the sound before you download it.
Access the BBC Sound Effects library at bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk
NASA Audio Collection
Image: William J. Sawchuck/Getty Images
Samples From Mars is a brilliant resource for free sounds, but if you’re really looking for samples from Mars – or any other parts of space for that matter – the NASA Audio Collection on the Internet Archive might be your best bet.
In this collection, you’ll find an exponentially vast collection of recordings from the NASA archives, from space shuttle take-offs to interactions between the crew and Mission Control Centre, as well as vintage interviews with astronauts. To give you an idea of the size of these folders, there are nearly 200 recordings from the Apollo 11 mission alone, and loads more clips from other Apollo missions.
The Sounds Resource

There’s nothing like the lo-fi crunch of a vintage video game sample, whether it’s music, the zap of a lazer gun, or the thud of a character’s boot on an 8-bit floor. Video game sounds can often provide a fruitful basis for unique sound design.
The ever-mysterious Burial, for example, has recontextualised everything from Dark Souls to Metal Gear Solid, from Fable to Silent Hill, Street Fighter sounds – “Hadouuuken”, “PERFECT” – is a highly-sampled video game in hip-hop and grime, having featured on the likes of MF DOOM and Kanye West tracks. And, of course, Aphex Twin sampled Space Invaders on his track Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount.
The Sounds Resource is a huge, easy-to-use website featuring a phenomenal collection of video game sounds. It doesn’t hold back either. For example, the Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition folder contains 96,268 samples. We suggest clearing some disk space for this one.
Soundcamp

You can find tens of thousands of free samples on Soundcamp, split into drums, percussion, instruments, tracks, sound effects and soundscapes. Doubling as a music production blog, Soundcamp gives you a Camelot Wheel – created initially by Mark Davis as a tool for DJs – which lets you pick out samples in a specific key. This is ideal if you’re looking for a bass line in the same key as your track, for example.
Upon selecting a tag like Jazz Snare Drum, or a musical key, you’ll be presented with related sounds each housed in a player. This lets you play the sample on a loop and set the volume, with details below on the file itself, such as bit depth and sample rate. From the player, you can select whether you want the file as a WAV, MPG or OGG and then instantly download it to your computer.
Browse for free samples at soundcamp.org
Freesound
Image: Freesound.org
For found sound, Freesound is a goldmine. Functioning as a collaborative database of audio samples recorded and uploaded by fellow users, Freesound is exactly as described – free. It’s pretty much as easy as typing in the desired sound into the search bar and see what the database has to offer. With rating systems, waveform previews, tags, download count and other filters, you hopefully won’t be spending hours flicking through clips to find the kind of thing you’re looking for.
The site is excellent for gathering Foley sounds, soundscapes, one-shot samples and other interesting pieces of audio that you may not have direct access to. The catch is that not everything will be cleanly recorded, or recorded how you’d necessarily like, but it’s a great resource to find material and get creative. Be mindful of the licensing on Freesound as well, as some of the users may wish to be credited if you use their sound in a composition.
Have a browse through Freesound’s community sample database here.
Looperman

As with Freesound, Looperman is a resource built by the music technology community, with users uploading their own sounds for use by musicians, producers, sound designers and DJs. Its users have uploaded hundreds of thousands of loops, acapellas, spoken word pieces and sounds, all available for free. Because it’s all uploaded by users, just like Freesound, it may not be pristinely recorded, but you can certainly find some inspiration with a bit of digging.
Navigating Looperman is pretty straightforward. The menu bar along the top will let you choose from Loops & Samples and Acapellas, along with Software, Tracks and more if you’re on the hunt for some more free material. You can then use the search bar to locate samples by category, genre, keywords, key and more. Alternatively, just head straight down and browse through the samples that are presented to you, ordered by the most recent upload.
Browse Looperman’s samples at looperman.com
Free To Use Sounds

Free To Use Sounds has a heartwarming story. The website was started by field recording fanatics, American Libby Green and German-born Marcel Gnauk. After meeting in Nice in 2015, the two travellers decided to embrace their shared love of capturing the sounds of places they visited around the world. In 2017, the couple decided to begin sharing their recordings online, and have since travelled through 26 countries, recording and uploading high-quality sounds from each.
The site consists of carefully-created field recordings you’d struggle to find elsewhere. Looking for Cambodian Women Sifting Gravel at a Construction Site? Or, what about Fireplace Cave Hotel Cappadocia? Oh boy, it’s in there. While not all their recordings are free, the ones that are are still superb. Plus, many of their samples can be purchased on Bandcamp, which means no grimacing while clicking on a dodgy-looking ‘download’ button to get your hands on Kitten Purring Sleeping, which, of course, is an essential download.
Browse Free To Use Sounds at freetousesounds.com
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