Download 10 Free Wind Sound Effects

Battling the weather on a climbing expedition, exploring a haunted house, or just a normal day in Chicago – there are many types of scenes where a wind blowing sound effect is required.Well, we’ve got your back! In this article you can download 10 free wind sound effects. We’ll also show you how to design your own wind sound free with Krotos Studio.On top of that we’ll dive into a little bit of cinema history and explore how a wind blowing sound effect used to be made using a machine called an aeoliphone.

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But wait! Get unlimited free wind sound effects and more with the FREE Krotos Studio

Krotos Studio lets you generate wind noise yourself, for a custom effect that exactly fits your scene and its unique character – no chopping or slicing required. The best part is wind sounds can be created using the free version of the software, so it’s simple to  See it in action in this quick Youtube Video.

Using Krotos Studio to make bespoke wind sounds

One of the presets that comes with the free version of Krotos Studio is the Airy preset which is perfect for creating unlimited wind noise sound effects.

The Airy preset can be found within the Whoosh category. For more on what other types of sounds you can find in the Whoosh category check out this article.

Step 1: Open Krotos Studio

Krotos Studio works as a standalone desktop application. Open it up and navigate to the Airy preset within the Whoosh category.

Step 2: Perform your SFX

Each preset in Krotos Studio contains XY pads which can be used to design and perform sound effects.

The Airy preset has two XY pads, one of which determines the volume of the airy, and one which determines what type of airy sound is produced.

We can set the second XY pad to produce a wind sound.

Now with the first XY pad we can determine how the wind sound changes over time. We can perform this in time with our video to make sure it matches perfectly – something you can’t do with simple SFX audio files.

When you begin performing Krotos Studio will automatically start recording your performance. You’ll know it’s recording because it will say recording below the XY pads.

Krotos Studio will automatically stop recording when you finish performing.

Step 3: Export Wind SFX

Once we have performed our sound effects it’s very easy to export them and load them in your video editor.

After you have finished recording your perf, the recording indicator will change to text reading “+ Drag Recording”. Simply click and drag. You’ll notice you are automatically dragging a WAV file out of Krotos Studio. You can then drop this audio file into your video editor.

Why recording your own wind sound effects is hard

You may wonder why you shouldn’t just record your own wind sound effects? After all, there’s a lot of it outside and it’s free! However, recording good wind sound effects is actually quite a challenge.

You may be familiar with this challenge if you’ve ever tried to have a phone conversation with someone who is outside in windy weather. When microphones are in windy conditions, the wind hits the diaphragm of the microphone and makes it vibrate. The diaphragm is the part of the microphone which picks up sound waves as vibrations. When the diaphragm vibrates as a result of wind this translates into a bassy rumble and distortion in audio recordings.

Therefore when recording wind you often don’t actually hear the wind, you just hear this distortion.

To get around this problem sound recordists often put dead cats on their microphones. Don’t worry, these aren’t literally dead cats, they just look a bit like them. Dead cats are the grey fluffy coverings you often see on boom microphones on movie sets. They stop the wind from hitting the diaphragm directly.

However, this equipment makes the process complicated, and many filmmakers opt for sound design tools like Krotos Studio instead to get wind whistling sound effects.

How old-school sound designers created wind sound effects

https://youtu.be/nFIG3r5mh-4

You may be wondering how sound designers and foley artists created wind sound effects on a budget back before sound effects and tools like Krotos Studio were freely available to download from the internet.

Many foley artists used a wind machine or aeoliphone.

The aeoliphone is a cylinder containing wooden slats which have some cloth draped over them. The cylinder can be rotated using a crank handle.

As the cylinder rotates, the slats in the cylinder rub against the fabric causing friction. It just so happens this friction sounds like a blowing wind sound!

These devices are also often used in orchestral performances to create howling wind sounds, and in live musical theatre productions where a member of the percussion section is responsible for its operation.

FAQs

How do you make wind blowing sound effects?

To make your own wind blowing sound effects for free, all you have to do is download Krotos Studio and navigate to the Airy preset.

Can you download sound effects for free?

You can download 10 wind sound effects for free using the form and button at the top of this page.

Is it legal to use sound effects?

It is illegal to use sound effects that you do not have the rights to use. However, there are many places where you can download royalty free sound effects which are totally legal for you to use.

All sound effects made using Krotos Studio are royalty free. Download it for free today.