You do not need a studio budget to have decent audio. A starter list for anyone staring down the "my game has no sound" problem:
Making music
Sound effects
One warning about "free" downloads: always check the license. "Free to listen" and "free to use in a commercial game" are very different things. Look for CC0 or an explicit game-use license, and keep a note of where every track came from. Future you, filling out a store page, will be grateful.
What is in your toolkit? Drop your favorites below and I will keep this list updated.
Making music
- LMMS: free, open source DAW. Plenty for chiptune and orchestral-ish mockups.
- BeepBox: runs in the browser, absurdly fast for melodies and chip loops.
- Bosca Ceoil: made for game jams, friendly to people who have never opened a DAW.
Sound effects
- Bfxr / jsfxr: classic retro SFX generators. Coins, jumps, explosions in seconds.
- Audacity: free editor for trimming, layering, and cleaning up recordings.
- Your phone's voice memo app plus a quiet room is a legitimate foley studio. Crunching a bag of pasta is footsteps on gravel. Welcome to audio.
One warning about "free" downloads: always check the license. "Free to listen" and "free to use in a commercial game" are very different things. Look for CC0 or an explicit game-use license, and keep a note of where every track came from. Future you, filling out a store page, will be grateful.
What is in your toolkit? Drop your favorites below and I will keep this list updated.