How to Make a Dramatic Sound Effect – Unlimited Free Dramatic Sounds

Download this pack of tense and suspenseful royalty-free sounds, and learn how you can make your own easily and simply in software.

An effective sound designer knows how to build up suspense and tension through the carefully-considered sequencing of different audio assets.

But what makes a dramatic sound effect? Or, even a dramatic music sound effect? Is there even such a thing? We’re here to tell you that there is indeed!

So, let’s take a look at what properties make up tense sound effects, and explore how we can build up suspense in our own productions.

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These dramatic sounds are royalty-free for use in your projects, and all of them weigh in at 24-bit, 48kHz to keep things polished and high-quality.

But Wait! You Can Build Your Own for Free Using Krotos Studio!

‍Krotos Studio is a powerful sound design tool for filmmakers and sound designers. You can think of it as a Foley studio in your computer. It enables you to design and perform original sound effects without any need for expensive microphones, or a recording studio. There are a number of presets in the free version of Krotos Studio – such as those in the Foley or Whoosh categories – that are ideal for designing dramatic sounds for games or movies.

Tarantino: A master of building on-screen suspense

When we think of a dramatic sound effect, our minds can be easily steered towards the genre of horror, however, most genres will rely on building up tension through the use of suspenseful SFX and music.

For example, action films are often saturated with intense, high-tempo music at the height of climactic scenes in order to invoke excitement and thirst for drama. Even a simple scene of two characters conversing can build suspense through the mere selection and succession of words, revealing more about the plot and inciting that something big is about to happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coS2CdNd7Io

Quentin Tarantino is a master of creating captivating, suspenseful, and dramatic scenes on screen. In the above clip, taken from the start of his cult film Inglorious Bastards, we (the audience) know that Perrier LaPadite (the homeowner) is being interrogated by Hans Landa (a Nazi S.S. official on the hunt for Jews), and he’s hiding Jewish people in his basement. Will Landa discover they’re hiding beneath the very floor he’s standing on, or won’t he? This creates suspense.

Professional directors with as much experience as Tarantino have an innate ability to create suspense on-screen, and through sound. However, for many of us indie sound designers, a tool like Krotos Studio can be a great addition to our toolkit for whipping up an effective dramatic music sound effect file on the fly.

What exactly is suspense and drama?

Suspense occurs when we’re in anticipation of something unpredictable about to happen– Something that has just as much chance of being exciting, as it does terrifying. It activates our amygdala and adrenal glands, heightening our arousal and fight-or-flight response. There’s an in-depth article by R. J. Jacobs on CrimeReads exploring the psychology of suspense here.

Sound is a powerful stimulant to our nervous system because we’ve evolved to rely on sound to warn us of potential threats in our environment. Directors and sound designers play on our natural fear responses to hook our attention, and take us through the journey of their

on-screen narrative without getting bored – often through the use of one dramatic sound effect after another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVz1mCMiaYc

Drama (closely linked with suspense) is the exaggeration and amplification of certain on-screen elements in order to maximize their focus and make them more interesting. We’re drawn to drama, because it makes us ask, “What’s all that fuss about?”. Sound, again, is an excellent tool used to dramatize certain key aspects of a production.

How can we create a drama sound and build suspense in our productions?

In order to play on our audience’s anxiety and fear emotions as a sound designer, we need to combine suspenseful and dramatic sound effects that are complementary to the on-screen visuals. Choosing sudden, loud impact noises at the right time can startle our audience, whereas using silence when they’re expecting something big to happen can be just as effective.

The choice of music, and what notes occur in succession, and what instrument type is playing them can also have an integral impact on how much suspense we’re able to build. Don’t be afraid to get creative, and perhaps show your sound design to a few of your friends and family to see how they respond.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lFSxvRTju4

Check out Krotos Studio’s Anxiety Twirl preset in action in the above clip. An excellent choice for those of us looking for a professional, cinematic dramatic sound effect.

Creating suspense and drama through sound is one of the trickiest parts of being a sound designer. That’s where a tool like Krotos Studio can really come in handy. Krotos Studio is jam-packed with 200+ sound design assets, including various tense sound effects. There’s even a free version with 14 presets so you can try it before you buy it.

The famous Wilhelm Scream dramatic sound effect

There are many famous sound effects present in myriad Hollywood productions, such as the dun dun dun sound effect, and the Wilhelm Scream.

These famed dramatic sound effects have become something of a suspense sound effect meme, along with various other audio assets, such as WWE star, Randy Orton’s “RKO outta nowhere!” audio clip.

The Wilheim scream is so famous and widespread that WatchMojo even have an entire top 10 list dedicated to it. Check out their top 10 Wilhelm Scream moments in cinema history below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0V-2WdubTs

FAQs

What is the sound at the beginning of Law & Order?

Law & Order’s famous Dun Dun sound effect, appearing in the opening title shot is another example of a sound intentionally added to elicit a specific response in the audience, and set the tone of the upcoming production.

This Dun Dun sound effect alone, along with the introductory dialogue instantly tells the viewer what kind of mood the production is going to be in, and that they’re in store for some suspenseful drama.

What is the Dun Dun Dun sound called?

The Dun Dun Dun sound effect is, traditionally, a descending, three-chord musical phrase, or “sting” that has been used in many media productions to invoke a dramatic response in the audience.

Although, nowadays, the Dun Dun Dun sound effect is used more commonly amongst internet jokesters and trolls for comedic effect. What was once a seriously-used dramatic sound has become a suspense sound effect meme.

What makes a sound dramatic?

For a sound to be dramatic, it needs to somewhat play on our natural fight-or-flight response. There have always been certain sounds present in naturally-occurring environments that indicate a potential danger, threat, or hazard.

Because humans have evolved over thousands of years, our brains are naturally geared towards specific frequencies, and sonic patterns that might insight an incoming threat.