How to Purchase Sound Effects and Production Music

When you shoot and produce a video or commercial, you need sound effects and music to convey your message and make it real. Sound gives your video texture and emotion. If you don't have the time or knowledge to make your own effects, you can purchase sound effects and production music to use with your videos.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Search music stores and online for royalty-free sound effects--also called SFX--and production music. This means you can use the effects immediately after purchasing them and don't have to pay licensing fees.
2. Look for pure sounds made by professionals in a sound room with high quality microphones and recording equipment. These sounds are better than low quality do-it-yourself sounds because the professionals created them in isolation with no distracting background noises.
3. Use sound effects to convey what you're trying to show visually. You can film a couple on a beach, but it's the sounds of the waves and seagulls that complete the scene. Find specific sounds that work with your footage.
4. Purchase CDs or digital audio files in mp3, wav or aiff formats. CDs should have many sounds compiled by category. If you need a specific sound, download it individually to save money.
5. Preview sounds before you buy them to make sure they're exactly what you want. Use the website's customer support if you have questions, and to ask for a money-back guarantee to ensure the quality of the songs is what the company advertised.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid spending too much money on SFX and production music. If you can do some of it yourself, save money and do it. You can budget the saved money towards another aspect of your project, such as printing.