Quick Reference: Download Commands

Execute These to Build Your 391,000 Sound Library

📥 Executable Commands

Copy-paste ready commands for each source. Follow the priority order for best results.

⚠️ Prerequisites

Install these tools before running any download commands:

bash # Install required tools pip install internetarchive freesound-python requests beautifulsoup4 tqdm # Configure Internet Archive CLI ia configure
1

Freesound CC0 (~200,000 sounds)

Largest CC0 collection - requires API key

High Priority

Get API Access

  1. 1 Register at freesound.org/home/register/
  2. 2 Apply for API key at freesound.org/apiv2/apply
  3. 3 Save your Client ID and API Key

Core API Call

python # Filter for CC0 ONLY - this is critical filter='license:"Creative Commons 0"' # Example search results = client.text_search( query="*", filter='license:"Creative Commons 0"', page_size=150 )

Useful Category Searches

python categories = [ "kick", "snare", "hihat", "cymbal", "percussion", "bass", "synth", "pad", "lead", "piano", "strings", "brass", "guitar", "vocal", "impact", "riser", "ambient", "foley" ]

Rate Limits: 2000 requests/day (basic) • Contact freesound.org/contact/ for bulk access

2

Archive.org 78rpm (~100,000 sounds)

Pre-1923 public domain recordings

High Priority

Bulk Download Commands

bash # Get list of all pre-1923 public domain items ia search "collection:78rpm AND date:[1900 TO 1922]" -i > 78rpm_items.txt # Count items wc -l 78rpm_items.txt # Download all MP3s from collection ia search "collection:78rpm AND date:[1900 TO 1922]" -i | \ while read id; do echo "Downloading: $id" ia download "$id" --glob "*.mp3" --destdir ./78rpm_downloads sleep 0.5 done # Download specific high-quality collection ia download georgeblood --glob "*.flac" --destdir ./georgeblood

Key Public Domain Collections

Collection IDCommand
78rpm ia download 78rpm --glob "*.mp3"
georgeblood ia download georgeblood --glob "*.flac"
edison_702 ia download edison_702 --formats "MP3"
3

Sonniss GDC (~50,000 sounds)

Professional game audio bundles

Highest Priority

Manual Download Steps

  1. 1 Go to: sonniss.com/gameaudiogdc/
  2. 2 Download each year's bundle (Google Drive links)
  3. 3 Alternative mirror: archive.org/details/SonnissGameAudioGDC

Archive.org Mirror Download

bash ia download SonnissGameAudioGDC --destdir ./sonniss_gdc

Bundle Sizes

YearApprox Size
202427.5GB
2023~25GB
2022~25GB
2021~25GB
2020~30GB
2019~25GB
2018~20GB
2017~15GB
TOTAL~200GB
4

Library of Congress (~20,000 sounds)

Citizen DJ pre-made samples

Medium Priority

Citizen DJ (Pre-made Samples)

bash # Visit and download sample packs: # https://citizen-dj.labs.loc.gov/ # Collections available: # - loc-jukebox-popular (National Jukebox) # - loc-fma (Free Music Archive) # - loc-musicbox (Music Box Project)

National Jukebox API

bash # Search API curl "https://www.loc.gov/collections/national-jukebox/?fo=json&c=100" # Get specific item curl "https://www.loc.gov/item/{ITEM_ID}/?fo=json"
5

Musopen Classical (~5,000 sounds)

CC0 classical recordings

Medium Priority

Manual Download

  1. 1 Register at musopen.org
  2. 2 Browse recordings: musopen.org/music/
  3. 3 Filter by CC0 license
  4. 4 Download individual recordings

Key Works Available (CC0)

6

SFZ Instruments (~10,000 samples)

Complete instrument sample sets

Medium Priority

Clone Repositories

bash # Create directory mkdir -p sfz_instruments && cd sfz_instruments # Clone CC0 instrument libraries git clone https://github.com/sfzinstruments/karoryfer.meatbass git clone https://github.com/sfzinstruments/karoryfer.bear-sax git clone https://github.com/sfzinstruments/GregSullivan.E-Pianos git clone https://github.com/sfzinstruments/VPO3 # Browse all available: https://github.com/orgs/sfzinstruments/repositories

Virtual Playing Orchestra

bash wget https://virtualplaying.com/virtual-playing-orchestra/VPO3.zip unzip VPO3.zip -d ./virtual_playing_orchestra
7

NASA Audio (~1,000 sounds)

Public domain space sounds

Low Priority

Archive.org Collection

bash ia download nasaaudiocollection --formats "MP3" --destdir ./nasa_audio

Official Sources

8

Field Recordings CC0 (~5,000 sounds)

Nature and ambient recordings

Low Priority

The Field Recording Project

bash # Manual download from: # https://thefieldrecordingproject.co.uk/sound-library-for-creatives/ # All files are CC0

Freesound CC0 Field Recordings

python # Search Freesound for CC0 field recordings results = client.text_search( query="field recording", filter='license:"Creative Commons 0"' )

Luftrum Free Pack

bash # Download from: https://www.luftrum.com/free-field-recordings/ # 60 free CC0 field recordings

📋 Recommended Execution Order

PrioritySourceWhy First
1Sonniss GDCHighest quality, ready to use
2Freesound CC0Largest volume
3Archive.org 78rpmUnique vintage content
4SFZ InstrumentsComplete instruments
5Library of CongressHistorical samples
6MusopenClassical coverage
7NASAUnique ambient
8Field RecordingsTexture/ambience

💾 Storage Requirements

~100GB
Freesound CC0
~300GB
Archive.org
~200GB
Sonniss GDC
~20GB
SFZ/Orchestra
~30GB
Others
~650GB
TOTAL

✅ Verification Checklist

Before including any sound in your DAW:

Verify license is CC0 or Public Domain
For Archive.org: Confirm recording date is pre-1923
For Freesound: Confirm filter returned CC0 (not CC BY or CC BY-NC)
Save original metadata with source URL
Generate unique ID with source prefix (e.g., freesound_12345)

⚖️ Legal Quick Reference

Source License Commercial Redistribute Attribution
Freesound (CC0) CC0 YES YES NO
Archive.org (pre-1923) Public Domain YES YES NO
Sonniss GDC Royalty-Free YES YES NO
Library of Congress Public Domain YES YES NO
Musopen CC0 YES YES NO
SFZ Instruments CC0 YES YES NO
NASA Public Domain YES YES NO
Field Recording Project CC0 YES YES NO

All sources = SAFE for DAW redistribution

Need Help?

Execute these commands in order. Total estimated time: 1-2 weeks for full download.

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