10 Websites to Download Free Music Samples

Find and download free sample sounds to take your audio projects to the next level

Music sampling is the creative process of incorporating existing sounds into your own audio projects. It’s a technique used by artists from all genres to develop carefully-layered tracks that transmit powerful moods and emotions.

Samples can be subtle like the beat of a drum, more noticeable like vocals, or anything in between, and they’ve become an essential part of the music-making process since sampling first began back in the 1960s.

If you need audio snippets for your creative projects, this is a great place to find them. Discover 10 web pages to download free music samples below. They are a great resource for any professional who works with sound!

Abbey Road Institute explains how the technique has impacted the history of the music industry: “The ethos of sampling, digging (searching) for samples and the whole Hip Hop culture that surrounded it was more than just the music, it encompassed various other elements such as graffiti, fashion, and breakdancing. It was the equivalent of what punk rock would have been in the 70s, a movement or a lifestyle.”

Websites for free music samples

When it comes to finding reliable sources for samples, the possibilities can be overwhelming and potentially pricey if it’s a regular part of your workflow. These websites all offer music samples from a variety of genres that you can download for free. Many of them are also available under the creative commons license, which means you can edit and adapt them freely.

1. Looperman

Looperman is a great place to start, with over 200,000 entries in their database and new uploads every day. From acapella to vocals, rap, and spoken word, their catalog of genres is diverse, and they offer free music software including virtual instruments and plugins to help bring your ideas to life. You can also find information on how to use Looperman’s resources via their blog.

2. BBC Sound Effects

When it comes to educational resources, the BBC’s library is extensive. They have created a dedicated library of sound effects that “is available for personal, educational or research purposes.”

Featuring more than 30,000 clips spanning the last 100 years, BBC Sounds Effects includes clips from around the world that have been created for their radio and television productions. You can also access recordings from the Natural History Unit, and mix and share your tracks using their Mixer Mode function.

3. NASA Audio Collection

For anyone looking to incorporate alternative sounds into their compositions, NASA’s Audio Collection is a must. Explore sounds from the space missions that defined history, from Neil Armstrong’s famous words on the moon to a space shuttle in launch.

NASA App Project Manager said: "NASA has been making historic sounds for over 50 years. Now we're making some of these memorable sounds easy to find and use." You can also access them via Soundcloud.

4. Bedroom Producers Blog

A digital magazine for music producers, Bedroom Producers Blog, offers information on all aspects of music production, from plugins to sound design tools, as well as samples. Free drum kits, piano and guitar samples, and sound effects are just some of the free-to-download resources you’ll find on their website.

They’ve also created a series of round-up articles that bring together the best samples from different categories to help you filter your search.

5. SampleSwap

When SampleSwap first started back in 2001, it was a folder of audio samples belonging to founder and curator Canton Becker. Two years later, he shared them online and has been hand-selecting submissions from other creatives to share with the world ever since.

The entire collection is available for free and Canton makes an effort to remove copyrighted content, though it’s recommended that users double-check any restrictions before making a start on their mix.

6. Reddit

Reddit has established itself as a popular resource for news, advice, reviews, and more on a huge range of topics, including music. As with most of these resources, it’s recommended that you do your research in terms of rights when it comes to downloads but, once you have, you can browse everything from R&B to guitar loops in the subreddits dedicated to music sampling.

7. Freesound

Freesound is another great site for audio snippets and samples, all of which are available for reuse. What makes this site unique, is its search capability. You can browse using keywords as well as a “sounds-like” function to help you find exactly what you’re looking for, and filter by “random sound of the day”, “recent additions”, and more. Alongside each entry, you’ll find the number of times it’s been downloaded, as well as a description of the sound itself.

You can also upload sounds of your own and connect with fellow creatives.

8. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is well known for its library of free and paid-for images that people can use for their graphic materials, but what you might not have known is that they also provide free music samples for your audio projects. See trends, search by mood and category, and read about everything from audio terminology to recommended headphones via their blog.

9. SampleRadar

Described by MusicRadar as their “regular giveaway of pro-quality, royalty-free samples”, SampleRadar featured loops, hits, and multi-samples to suit a range of tastes, all for free. You can explore their 80,000 entries alphabetically along with their latest addition – a collection of almost 500 free tape-treated samples, perfect for adding depth and atmosphere to your next composition.

10. Splice

Splice is a subscription service that gives you access to millions of resources, from royalty-free images to presets and music samples. While it might not be completely free, Splice does offer a 14-day free trial that allows you to download individual tracks, as well as packs organized by artists, producers, and sound designers. You can also cancel your subscription at any time.

If you want to learn how to put these samples into practice, Domestika's online music courses cover everything from software to music production and composition, all taught by industry-leading creatives.

Learn more about music

Explore these resources and learn how to incorporate these free music samples into your next creative project:

1. New to the world of music? This course teaches you the basics of composing a piece: Introduction to Music Production.

2. Put your samples into practice with 5 Top Music and Audio Production Courses in 2022.

3. Check out this article if you’re interested in mixing music for movies: What Is Film Scoring? Plus 8 Famous Film Score Examples