18 Examples of Awesome Sound Effects and Background Music for YouTube Videos

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Too often, choosing sound effects and background music is the last thing that YouTubers do. What if you made audio the focus of your YouTube video instead?

With the right sound effects and background music, you can transport your viewer to a different time and place. In this article, you’ll see examples of the best audio clips that will bring your video to life.

Plus, you’ll learn what to look for in terms of licensing. Best of all: you’ll do it while keeping costs in check. Let’s get started.

The Inspiration

If you want a master class example that shows you how to balance sound effects and music in a video, watch (and listen to!) the trailer for The Martian below.

Make sure to listen for these examples of excellent audio:

This article will show you inspiring examples of the best sound effects and background music. Let’s learn more about licensing to protect your growing YouTube channel.

Do I need to pay for YouTube Music and Sound Effects?

When you’re producing a video, you might be wondering if you can download free sound effects and audio. Can you simply search msuci websites for free sound effects and add them to your video?
The answer is, “it depends.” When you download free sound effects for YouTube, you have to be careful. Sure, you could take a chance and find brief clips or music around the web. After all, the copyright holder may never notice.

“Free” is complicated. It might be free for certain purposes – but not for the one you have in mind. For example, many free clips are only for personal use. And if the original site changes its license detail, how can you prove it was free when downloaded?

Before you choose free sound effects, ask yourself: is it worth it to risk de-monetizing your video or getting a copyright strike? Both of those are possibilities when you download sound effects for YouTube from music websites around the web.

Every content creator is on a budget. But as you saw in the intro, a few carefully selected audio clips can make a huge difference. Keep reading to see options for keeping your costs low.

Three Options to Download Sound Effects and Music for YouTube

When you go looking for audio, what are your options? Here are three choices that many creators turn to for sourcing audio:

Keep reading to see a “best of both worlds” option to give you plenty of options without busting your budget. You might be surprised how affordable it can be.

The Best Source for Sound Effects and Music for YouTube

Keeping your costs low is essential for every content creator. Owing royalties or purchasing clip after audio clip can quickly turn your hobby channel into a habit you can’t afford before you can grow it.

That’s why Envato Elements is such a compelling offer. With a subscription, you know that you’ll never pay a royalty. Plus, you’ll unlock all of the clips in the library – more than 100,000 in total. The flat-rate subscription is an incredible value because each audio track costs nothing extra.

Caption: With over 100,000 sound effects and nearly 20,000 audio tracks, Envato Elements is an incredible all-you-can-download value.

Envato Elements is a subscription, but don’t worry: even if you stop subscribing, the projects you produced are covered by the license. That means that you’re protected on licensing and copyright. It’s also worth mentioning that Envato Elements unlocks so much more for content creators.

That includes stock photos, video templates, stock footage, and more. It’s an excellent value for audio alone, but it’s even better thanks to these assets.

The Three Keys to Using Sound Effects and Background Music

It helps to know the key things to consider when choosing audio files to add to your next YouTube project. Here are three criteria that every audio file you include should meet:

Use these three rules to protect your project and YouTube channel. Clips from Elements check all of these boxes thanks to the simple license and flat-rate fee.

Caption: The YouTube Audio Library includes free options, but you risk using the same sounds as other channels.

To learn more about how to add audio to your production, make sure to check out this article. With a bit of equalization, you can make your sound effects match and seamlessly fit the project.

18 Examples of Sound Effects and Background Music for YouTube Videos

Sound is an important part of storytelling. With the help of these sounds, you can bring a professional soundstage to your audience. All of these clips are included in the Envato Elements library.

With Envato Elements, you unlock more than 100,000 sound effects and almost 20,000 audio tracks. They’re royalty-free, and you can download as many as you need for a single flat price. Let’s explore some of the tracks you can use.

Sounds of the Silver Screen

The best part of the experience of going to the movies might just be the sound experience. The speaker setup helps, but it’s also about the careful choice of music and sound effects.
You don’t have to produce a Hollywood film to create a cinematic sound. Use these music tracks and sound effects to set the stage!

Cinematic music

Music sets the tone for a video and can build suspense or excitement. Think about The Martian trailer you saw in the intro. With a bit of background music, you can create a video that feels straight off the big screen. Try these three for a sense of drama and inspiration.

Cinematic sounds

A few well-placed sound effects bring incredible realism to a scene. These three options sound just like the clips you’d hear in the theater.

Also, make sure to check out our guide on working with sound effects in your Youtube videos:

Bringing the Outdoors Indoors

For scenes set outdoors, these clips can really create a realistic environment. These clips can take your audience outdoors from the comfort of their own homes.

Nature music

Nature inspires calming and serene feelings. If your video focuses on the outdoors, setting the tone with calming music can enhance the natural world. Try these three tracks out for outdoorsy videos.

Nature sounds

While nature is serene, it’s also full of activity and action by wildlife. Each of these three clips captures an incredible moment in nature with an ultra-high-quality recording.

Sounds of the City

Maybe you’re producing a more urban video. In that case, it’s important to consider that the sounds you’ll choose are totally different. Cities bring a sense of energy and optimism, and with the help of these clips, you can put your audience right in the middle of it.

Urban music

Urban scenes are high energy and sometimes futuristic. Moving to a big city has all of the feelings of a new beginning. Use these tracks to set the stage for an upbeat and exciting scene.

Urban sounds

Step into a major city, and there’s no limit to the sounds you might hear. Luckily, Elements has a sound for every occasion to put your viewer right in the heart of a concrete jungle.

Conclusion

With the help of the music and sound effects in this article, you have all of the tools you need for a sound-centric video. Source an unlimited number of audio files from Envato Elements and know that you’re always covered on copyright.