Whether it’s the video game sounds effects that you hear when you’re near a gold chest
in Fortnite, the iconic theme of Super Mario, or the impending doom you feel from the ambience
in Alien: Isolation - audio is a major factor in what makes game experiences memorable.
In today’s video we’ll show you four different ways, including free ways, to get video game
sound effects and music for your development!
We are Ask Gamedev and this is how to get Video Game Sounds Effects and Music in 2018
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Today’s video is another entry into our playlist of videos that feature how to source
for all of the different software and content that you will need for your games.
Our previous videos in the series include our video on 6 free software programs for
game development, that you check out here.
And our video on ways to get art content for your indie game, that you can check out here.
Now that we’ve gone over great game engines, and art, we’re excited to tackle the third
piece of the puzzle, audio!
So without further ado, here are four options for getting game sound effects and music into
your game.
For each option, we’ll go over the pros and cons of each.
Option 1 - Buy Licenses The first, and most straightforward option
is to buy licenses for royalty-free music and/or sounds effects.
Royalty-free, means that once you’ve paid for the appropriate license, there are no
additional fees to pay.
There are countless sites that sell royalty-free music, and you’ll be able to find a lot
with a quick Google Search.
For this video though, we’re recommending two that we’ve tried and had good experiences
with.
The first is Premium Beat.
Premium Beat has been around as long as we can remember.
They have both Music and sound effects and are owned by Shutterstock - a popular stock
photo website.
In terms of music they have every genre from folk to indie pop, to motown.
They even have a some great chiptune tracks.
Prices for licenses start at $49 USD, and that will get you a full track, along with
several edits, loops and stingers.
The other option that we’ve tried is Audio Jungle.
Audio Jungle is part of the envatomarket - the site where you can buy themes, templates,
brushes, and every in between for media projects.
Like Premium Beat, Audio Jungle features both music and sfx.
In addition, Audio Jungle also features a source files section, where you can purchase
audio source files, and edit them as you see fit - obviously these are for the more experienced
or adventurous.
Licenses for SFX start at USD $1, and we’ve seen some music loops start at USD $7.
Just a quick tip if you decide to go this route:
When purchasing these types of licenses, it’s normal for the content provider to have different
tiers of licenses.
There are a number of things to look out for when deciding on which type of license to
buy.
Here are a few common examples: Usage: Make sure that you are covered for
all of your intended usage.
A developer might be quick to purchase a license for video game use, but there might be other
uses that you’re overlooking at the moment.
Do you also intend to use the music for ads about your game?
What about your trailer?
Or for streaming your game?
Sometimes these example can fall under different or extended licenses above what you are purchasing.
Expiry: Is the license in perpetuity (as in forever), or is there an expiry date.
We’ve seen games have to change their music at a later date because of license expiries.
Single-use: Is this license only good for one game?
Or can you use it for as many games that you’re making?
This is something to consider if you are buying a license for a song that could end up being
the iconic sound for your franchise.
Limits: Do they limit the amount of games you can sell?
Some licenses only allow for an X amount of copies sold before you have to purchase a
different type of license.
In terms of pros and cons, some of the pros with licensing music or sound effects are
that: It’s more cost-effective than hiring a composer
for custom asset creation The tracks are high quality and typically
sound great There is ample selection
Some cons are that: It can be time-consuming to find the perfect
tracks and sounds Unless you are able to get all of your tracks
and sound effects from the same team or composer, it may be difficult to have uniform sound
As we mentioned before, selecting the correct license can get tricky.
Option 2 - Free Licenses The next option works in a similar way to
the first option, except it won’t cost you any money!
Yes option two is using free licenses.
There are a number of music providers out there that offer royalty-free music and sound
effect licenses for free.
Now, they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, so what’s the catch?
Well some artists or companies make their music available for free to use for a number
of reasons like: To build and grow their fans and audience
To get credited in works Or to be able to upsell additional services
or licenses.
One free option for music that we’ve found is Bensound.
As of today, the music on Bensound can be used for your games, provided that you give
credit, and follow the Creative Commons License (Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0).
There is a ton of selection here, and quality is just as good as anything you’d find on
a paid site.
Bensound has an FAQ on his site for more details on on licensing and usage.
The pros and cons of using free royalty-music are almost the exact same as the pros and
cons of using paid royalty-free music.
The added pro is that the music is free, and the added con is that there is less selection
to choose from.
Option 3 - Hire
Option 1 and 2 are great if you can find the right tracks and sounds, but if there’s
something specific you can’t find, or if you have a specific vision that you’d like
to execute on, go with option 3 - hire someone (or a team).
Indie games have such great music, and that’s because we’re spoiled with such amazing
indie game audio teams.
Two that we really like are:
A Shell in the Pit.
A Shell in the Pit has done audio for some of the best modern indie games including Night
in the Woods, Rogue Legacy, Invisible Inc., and the upcoming, Mineko’s Night Market.
Power Up Audio - who’ve worked on Celeste, Intro the Breach, Darkest Dungeon, and the
upcoming, Super Meat Boy Forever.
You’d be in great company with either of these studios.
Can you recommend any indie game music teams?
Lets know in the comments!
If you’re on a budget you can try using an outsourcing service.
We’ve mentioned sites like Fiverr and Upwork in the past.
You can also try posting a want ad in the reddit gamedev classifieds.
Another out of the box option is to hire someone from your local music school.
Just a quick tip for going this route: Like working with any contractor, it’s best to
have all the terms understood by both parties, and agreed upon with a signed contract,
before any work commences or money changes hands.
Some things that you might want to address in the agreement are:
Milestones and deliverables.
What is due when?
And how do the deliverables relate to the payment schedule?
Revisions.
How many revisions are within reason?
Ownership.
Are you purchasing the tracks and sounds, or just licensing them?
Who has the rights to selling a digital soundtrack?
Some pros for hiring an external team include: A custom sound.
The music and sounds will be tailored to your liking, and you’ll also know that you’ll
be the only game with this music.
Digital soundtrack sales.
If you own the music, you’ll be able to sell your soundtrack or provide it as a bonus
to people who purchase your game.
Some cons include: Management and planning.
You’ll have to dedicate a portion of your time to planning and managing the project
to ensure that everything runs smoothly and your vision for the audio is realized.
Can get costly.
This can become a more costlier option vs buying licenses, depending on your needs.
Option 4 - Create
Finally, we’ve saved the most fun option for last!
Create your own music and sounds!
With some basic tools, props, and a little creativity you can make your own sounds!
To make your own sounds you just have to set up a small recording station.
This is our recommended layout: Start with a medium sized enclosure, like
a bankers box.
Line the box with acoustic foam Place a microphone right in the middle
If you’re recording speech, get a pop filter to place in front of the mic
Now all you have to do is record.
Once you have your recordings, use a program like Audacity to clean and edit your sounds.
In terms of making music, there are almost too many apps to name.
One program we’ve used is FL Studio, previously known as Fruity Loops.
We also have a community member that recommends Reaper.
Other popular music production tools include Ableton Live, Reason, Garageband, Pro Tools,
and Cubase.
If you know of any more, let us know in the comments!
There you have it, 4 ways to get audio into your game!
Let us know in the poll above on which one you’d go with!
Thanks for watching.
We are Ask Gamedev, and we make videos on games the game industry and more!
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