Most YouTube videos use sound effects for the same few jobs. A whoosh on a cut, a pop when a caption shows up, a stinger after a joke. A build before a reveal, and some keyboard clicks under a screen recording. Below is one sound from the DailySounds library for each job, plus a few others you can swap in.
Every pick below is a sound from the DailySounds library. You can play it right here, and its page has the free download as an MP3, WAV or OGG file. If none of them is quite right, browse whooshes and transitions, funny and meme sounds or music stingers, or read the background audio for YouTube guide.
How the list works
The sounds are grouped by what they do in an edit, in about the order you'll need them. Transitions come first. Then caption and comedy sounds, then reveals and reactions, and last some sounds for longer parts of a video. When a sound has done really well on the Daily Sounds YouTube channel, its view count is in the note. That's a good sign people get it right away.
1. Airy Transition Whoosh
Good for: scene changes, swipes, text sliding in. Length: 1.6s.
Just one smooth pass of air that rises and falls in about a second and a half. So it fits under almost any cut without dragging. Put the loudest part right on the cut frame and let the rise start a few frames early. Then the whoosh leads into the cut instead of showing up late. It's only medium loud, so you can turn it up for a harder swipe.
2. Fast to Slow Rip
Good for: speed ramps, slow-mo moments, tear transitions. Length: 6s.
This is a papery rip that starts fast and drags out over about five seconds. That fits a speed ramp into slow motion really well. Reverse it for a ramp back up to full speed. It's recorded pretty quiet, so you'll have to turn it up to match your other effects.
3. Pop
Good for: captions, emojis and stickers popping in, lower thirds. Length: 2s.
That's a round, deep pop, not a sharp click. So it won't get annoying when captions land every few seconds. Trim the silence in front so the pop lands on the exact frame the text shows up. And make two or three copies pitched a little different, so a run of captions doesn't sound the same every time.
4. Guitar Wah Wah
Good for: fails, punchlines, awkward pauses. Length: 5s.
A four-second wah-wah guitar bit with a deep, bassy sweep. It's one of the channel's most-watched sounds, with more than 17,000 views. Start it right after the punchline lands, not on top of it. And trim the front so the first note hits right away.
5. Clown Horn Multiple Honks
Good for: fail compilations, wrong answers, silly reveals. Length: 5s.
A bunch of squeeze-bulb honks with gaps in between. Cut out one honk for a quick gag, or keep the whole run for a longer bit. One honk also works as the wrong-answer sound in a quiz video. It's got more than 7,000 views on the channel.
6. Cartoon Slide Whistle
Good for: people falling over, sliding out of frame, cartoon falls. Length: 9s.
One bright slide whistle sweep, up and down, in a nine-second file with silence around it. Trim it to the sweep and line its top up with the moment the movement starts. Reverse it if you need it rising for a jump.
7. Single Record Scratch
Good for: freeze frames, record-stop moments, sudden turns in the story. Length: 10s.
Several short, sharp record scratches with clean silence in between, so you can pick your favorite. Put it on the freeze frame before a "you're probably wondering how I got here" voiceover. Or anywhere the story should stop dead. For a busier run of scratches, try DJ Record Scratch.
8. Drum Roll Build Up
Good for: reveals, giveaways, results and rankings. Length: 6s.
It's one snare roll that builds for about five seconds without stopping. Line its end up with the reveal frame, and trim from the front if you want a shorter build. A cymbal crash or one hit right at the top finishes it off. Without one, the roll can feel like it stops short.
9. Loud Yay
Good for: blown-out celebration memes, reaction cutaways. Length: 5s.
A single shouted "yay" recorded way too loud on purpose, so it clips into a harsh, crunchy blast. It's the joke version of a cheer, and it's got more than 4,000 views on the channel. Turn it way down before you mix it in. And keep just a second or two for the sharpest hit.
10. Lackluster Applause
Good for: awkward silences, bad jokes, sarcastic wins. Length: 5s.
Thin clapping from what sounds like a few people. That's exactly what a joke that didn't land deserves. Fade it out early so the clapping seems to die off on its own, and keep it under any talking that comes after.
11. Low Piano Note
Good for: dramatic pauses, serious turns, chapter breaks. Length: 15s.
That's a single low piano note ringing for almost fifteen seconds. It works like a heavy full stop for a dramatic moment. Fade it early for a shorter hit. It's got more than 7,000 views on the channel.
12. Clock Ticking
Good for: countdowns, waiting scenes, deadline jokes. Length: 24s.
Here's a wall clock ticking at an even pace for about 24 seconds. You can loop any clean two-tick section for as long as you need. It's recorded really quiet, so turn it up a lot before you mix it under a voiceover.
13. Mechanical Keyboard
Good for: screen recordings, coding montages, captions that type out. Length: 10s.
Steady, clicky typing for about nine seconds. It's even enough to loop. Cut on a gap between keystrokes and add a quick crossfade. Short bits of it work for captions that type out letter by letter.
A few tips
Put each sound right on the frame, not just near it. Zoom in on the waveform and line up the start of the hit with the cut, caption or punchline. Keep effects a few decibels under the voice. Check the mix on phone speakers before you export, since that's how lots of people hear it. And go easy on stingers. A wah-wah or a honk after every joke stops being funny by the third one.
Can these sounds get you a copyright claim?
These are Daily Sounds' own recordings and designed sounds, and they're also posted on its YouTube channel. The DailySounds license lets you use them in monetized videos without giving credit. DailySounds doesn't claim videos that use its sounds. And the license doesn't let anyone else register them with Content ID. On YouTube, claims usually come from music, not short effects. If a claim ever names a DailySounds sound, dispute it with a link to the sound page. If you need help, contact us.