I wasn't sure if this was the best place to post this, so if it would be better somewhere else, or if it's already been posted, please excuse my ignorance.

http://videoandfilmmaker.com/wp/index.php/news/worlds-largest-natural-sound-library-now-free-to-use/


The Macaulay Library, with over 150,000 recordings of 9,000 species is now digitised and has been uploaded to a searchable database that’s free to use.

The library, housed at Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology, has made available over ten terabytes of recordings, with a runtime of 7513 hours of natural sounds.

The collection, which began in 1929 has taken researchers dozens of years to accumulate. It currently holds recordings to a massive three-quarters of the world’s entire bird species, but it’s not all chirps and squawks, there’s also a decent helping of whale songs, insects, bears, elephants, primates and just about every other critter or creepy crawley that roams the earth.

The collection’s curator Greg Budney describes the archives as revolutionary, in terms of the speed and the breadth of material that is now accessible online.

“This is one of the greatest research and conservation resources at the Cornell Lab,” said Budney. “And through its digitization we’ve swung the doors open on it in a way that wasn’t possible 10 or 20 years ago.”

“Our audio collection is the largest and the oldest in the world,” explained Macaulay Library director Mike Webster. “Now, it’s also the most accessible. We’re working to improve search functions and create tools people can use to collect recordings and upload them directly to the archive. Our goal is to make the Macaulay Library as useful as possible for the broadest audience possible.”

Now the team has digitised its massive archive, it’s focusing on collecting new material from amateur and professional recordists from around the world.

The sounds are not only used by sound designers and filmmakers, but also by researchers, museums, or anyone interested in the sounds of nature.

“Plus, it’s just plain fun to listen to these sounds,” explained Bundy. “Have you heard the sound of a walrus underwater? It’s an amazing sound.”

You can access the library now at macaulaylibrary.org.

 

Well I went over there and searched for ... 'cat' and it returned sounds of foxes, dogs, wolves and coyotes, not a single meow in the house. I'm already not impressed LOL. See for yourself:
http://macaulaylibrary.org/search?media_collection=2&taxon_id=10532938&taxon_rank_id=55&q=cat

 

That's terrible lol. I had to look up "Felis Catus" & it showed up as Domestic Cat. Apparently you should try searching the scientific name eg. "Equus asinus" shows up under Ass, lol. Hopefully they get the search function straightened out soon.

 

http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/132526/autoplay

 

I think you need to be a wizard to get anything for free from there.

 

In keeping with the title of this thread, I'll add this library which has already been available for free, for years. It's not exclusive by one creator but is a depository made by contributors all around the world:
Freesound - freesound.org

 

mate, send us a pm, got a link you might be interested in, cheers

 

Dang, you're right. Sorry guys, the article is rather misleading. This is from the Macaulay Library FAQ's:

"Can I download recordings from your site?
Unfortunately, recordings are not downloadable from the site at this time. However, you are more than welcome to request a copy and license the recordings based on your needs by completing an online order form."

 

You can find a link to the audio file in the source code of the page or use something like jDownloader to grab the mp3. Here is the mp3 for the cat focusrite linked above for instance :
http://media2.macaulaylibrary.org/Audio/Audio1/13/132526.mp3

 

Thanks for bringing this resource.

 

I had new tires put on my car..last weekend.. before I left the parking lot, two of my hub caps fell off...

Also, not impressed....

 

use the drop down. to search audio first...

then there is a subsection felidae - cats there you will find some cat sounds.. and wild cats

if you use waterfox/firefox and Video Downloadhelper... they're all yours


... but you probably still won't be impressed...


http://macaulaylibrary.org/search?media_collection=2&taxon_id=10532936&taxon_rank_id=55&q=Cats

for the challenged ...​

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 16, 2015

You're right. Someone with working legs should have kicked some tires...

It's still a huge 10TB library that can be embedded/linked to for free. Even if it's a little awkward, I'd say it's at least a little impressive.