The BBC sound archives expands with 33,000 samples for free

The BBC have expanded their sound archives, which now contain over 33,000 samples which can be downloaded for free.

The archives – which was originally opened back in 2018 – has more than doubled within the last six years and is now completely free to access. The samples range from the sound of hands being washed in a bucket to the sound of the roaring crowd at the 1989 FA Final Cup as well as the backing noise of a group of people sitting around a bonfire.

The extensive sample library dates back to the 1920s and features soundbites recorded at the BBC’s studios as well as sounds taken in the field, all over the world. Some of the archive’s earlier sounds are gas engines, chiming clocks and whirring sewing machines.

The sound effects were released under a RemArc License, meaning that the soundbites can only be used for research as well as educational purposes and personal projects.

According to Music Tech, the samples were shared with dementia research in mind as the RemArc – which stands for “Reminiscence Archive” – was designed to assist those with dementia “by stimulating their long-term memory with material from the past.”

Sadly, this means that the bites are not available to be sampled in music intended to be sold. There is, however, an option to purchase the sounds if you wish to use them for anything commercial.

Visit here to check out the full BBC Archive. Speaking about the importance of the BBC sound archive, Andrew Partingon, a studio manager at the BBC, said (per Mixmag): “It is very easy to underestimate the importance of the sound effects because very often they’re going on at an almost subconscious level behind a scene where someone’s making a cup of tea. But take them away and you realise how important they were.”

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