Audio Collections: Spoken Arts: Sounds and Sound Effects

The world around us has all kinds of interesting sounds. Let's explore some of the options available in audiotape and CD.

Sound Effects. Whether it’s spooky sounds for a Halloween party, silly answering machine messages, or general sound effects, there are a wide range of audio materials available. Sound effects CDs may have hundreds of sounds to explore. Some CDs specialize in particular sounds such as cartoons.

Nature Sounds. From songbirds and moose calls to babbling brooks and ocean waves, nature sound audio materials have gained in popularity.Some people like to listen to the sounds of nature while they read, relax, or sleep. Whether it’s the Thurnderstorms recording from the Echoes of Nature CD series that also includes similar titles such as Bayous, Frog Chorus, Ocean Waves, and Rainforest or one of the many animal CDs, there are many possibilities.

For example, Songbirds of the Southwest Canyon Country and Songbirds of the Yosemite and Sierra Nevada both by Kevin J. Colver contains great songbird calls. This environmental music is sometimes found in the New Age area.