This is one of those tools that I've been using for so long that it's just become a small part of my life.

For some odd reason, I often find myself in need of sounds of all sorts to plug a particular hole in a project. Just as stock photos are a great tool for designers and multimedia creators, sounds can be used to quickly set the mood or form transitions between disparate elements. Whether physical sound effects ( e.g. crickets, birds, gunshots, explosions, doorbells, everything under the sun), more creative effects (zips, zonks, beeps, and wooshes), and instrumental music of all kinds and emotions, Sounddogs is the perfect source for sounds of all kinds. Most effects are in the $3-$5 range, making it reasonable to collect sounds for multimedia projects, theater, and the ever so fun practical joke. The sounds themselves are delivered as CD-quality AIFF or WAV files right after you order; no shipping delays. You can browse through the entire catalog and listen to low-quality full-length previews of everything. It's truly addictive (and useful)!

-- Zach Lipton

[Sounddogs also offers background and mood music, and CDs by mail order. --CP]

Available from Sounddogs
Free audio browsing; cost for downloading a CD-quality clip varies from $2 to $10.