Looking for some free audio samples to boost your sample collection? Then try these 15 sites listed below all of which have free audio samples available for download. When you are using samples from these sources, make sure that you always read the details of the licenses and give credit if needed where it is due.

• Freesound
  A collaborative database of creative commons licensed sounds. This site has lots of audio samples which you can use as long as you place a small sentence saying where you got the sound from. The site even had a sound used in the film "Children of Men" which featured Clive Owen, complete with attribution.
• Rekkerd.org
  Lots of packs full of different loops and samples from Rekkerd which is an audio software news and review site. Again licensed under creative commons, so remember to give attribution.
• Free-Loops.com
  Lots of free loops and sounds as the URL of the site suggests. Creative commons again.
• ibeat
  Lots more audio samples, many under creative commons licenses.
• ccMixter Samples
  ccMixter is a site set up for stems released under creative commons. They also have some samples which I have linked to their sample browser. Also check out the main site as there is lots of stems which samples can be cut out of which are creative commons released.
• One Laptop Per Child
  A company called The OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) Association who have developed cheap laptops are also giving away 10 gigabytes of free sound samples, which works out at over 7000+ samples. Again released under creative commons.
• Soundsource
  Lots of samples in this site, many are licensed under creative commons, check each sample by clicking on the folder next to each one.
• University of Iowa
  The University of Iowa has some recordings of various orchestral instruments and a balloon pop. The page states "Please feel free to use these samples in your research or music projects without restriction". So if you're looking for that orchestral instrument try these.
• Acapellas4U
  Sign up to Acapellas4U and you can find lots of acapellas to download. Be careful as all acapellas are subject to copyright from their original owner and therefore should not be used for commercial purposes. But there is no harm in making something for personal use.
• Looperman
  Upload and download royalty free loops and audio sample by joining up to this community. It states that all are royalty free, which means that you should be OK using them.
• Samplenet
  Lots of samples in various categories. The F.A.Q states that all Samplenet samples are copyright free.
• Philharmonia Orchestra Thousands of free samples recorded by the Philharmonia Orchestra or lots of Orchestral instruments.
• FindSounds
  A search site which allows you to search for sounds throughout the internet. Be careful here as i think a lot do still have copyright on them.
• DrumSamples.org
  Some nice packs full of samples of drum hits, 1000 drum hits to be precise. All drum samples made by Zuzz from 2006 - 2009, I believe they are free to use.
• SampleSwap
  Site with loads of samples, 5.5 gigabytes at the time of writing this. 100% free, so I assume that means you can use them.

As I said previously be careful what samples you use, sometimes people upload samples to these sites that they did not create. So just because it states that they are free may not necessarily be true. Also if you upload sounds yourself be careful about where you are uploading to. A well known sample site opened once and made out that they were free, lots of people uploaded their own sounds and suddenly without warning the site changed to a subscription once they had loads of sounds to sell.

Hopefully though that should keep you happy for a while with lots of free sounds. If that's not enough make sure you check out our own sample category where we have released sample-packs of our own.

Looking for some samples to buy, try some of these from zZounds...

• Peace Love Productions Video Producer's Music Box
• Peace Love Productions Studio Breaks
• Peace Love Productions House DJ Tools
• Peace Love Productions Acid Synths XOX