Free to Use Sounds Story
Who would have thought a handy sound recorder in Cambodia would lead us here? Hi there we're Marcel and Libby and every sound on this site has been recorded by us. For nearly 10 years, we've been traveling around the world recording unique sounds for others to use!
FREE TO USE SOUNDS
FREE TO USE SOUNDS
About Libby and Marcel
It all began in 2017 in Siem Reap, Cambodia with an idea and a Zoom H1 recorder in hand, we set out to archive our very first sound recording. We weren’t sure what we would do with the audio track of “Cambodian Women Sifting Gravel at a Construction Site” but we figured someone would appreciate it.
Nearly 8 years, over 30 countries, and thousands of recordings later, we’re still out exploring. We consider ourselves slow travelers because our intention isn’t to move fast and record. Instead, we take our time to immerse ourselves in different cultures and regions. That’s why our recordings include a diversity of sounds of daily life and unique soundscapes. To us, every sound we record is a way to archive a location and its authenticity.
Our Story
A few big (and small) moments that shaped our journey. Plenty of stumbles, but we’ve learned a lot along the way.
2014
June 2014
Marcel walks up to Libby on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France.
2015
May 2015
Less than a year into a long-distance relationship, Libby quits her job in LA and Marcel leaves his in Switzerland. They buy a camper van and hit the road full-time in Europe.
2017
April 2017
After nearly two years of travel, Marcel records his first sound on a Zoom H1 in Cambodia.
May 2017
Marcel upgrades to a Zoom H6.
June 2017
We register the domain: freetousesounds.com
July 2017
Our first Bandcamp sound library goes live: Los Angeles Sound Effects – Traffic Sounds Pasadena.
2018
August 2017
We receive our very first donation on Kofi for sound recordings. It meant the world.
January 2018
We make our first major gear investment—DPA 4060s—while in Singapore.
2019
January 2019
Marcel rents a motorbike and rides from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, recording sounds the entire way.
January 2020
We leave Hong Kong as the pandemic begins and move to La Réunion.
2020
2021
June 2020
We purchase a pair of Sennheiser 8040s and Cinela Albert ORTF wind protection. Iceland reopens to tourists, so we rent a camper and explore the island with mics in hand.
September 2021
Marcel walks 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago, capturing the journey one step at a time.
2022
August, 2022
CNN Travel interviews us and publishes a story about our sound recording journey,
2023
November 2022
We spend three months recording sounds across Japan—from Sapporo to Okinawa.
2024
2025
December 2023
One month in Taiwan, chasing unique soundscapes around the island.
March 2024
We travel across Sri Lanka in a rented Hustler, exploring nearly every corner of the country.
April 2025
We buy an SUV in Australia to start recording the sounds of the Outback (and beyond).
Our community
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Our commitment
Free to Use Sounds was created to be a source for others to utilize. We want to bring the highest quality sounds for anyone to afford. Over the years, our royalty-free recordings & sound effects from our best-selling All in One Bundle have been used by novice sound artists to professional sound designers working in the film, music, or video game industry all over the world.
Moving Forward
Our aim is clear and we don’t plan to stop anytime soon. Not only can you read about our journey here on our website, but you can also watch our travels and stories on our YouTube Channel which has – grown to be the most subscribed dedicated field recording channels on Youtube!
FREE TO USE SOUNDS
FREE TO USE SOUNDS
Join us on Instagram
We’re also updating our daily lives on our Instagram account (@freetousesounds) Feel free to stop by and say hi! CNN Travel recently featured our story about traveling around the world recording sounds. You can check it out right here!
