i was reaching the end of a Unity3D tutorial series called Unity JumpStart by TheLorax, when the author casually mentioned a fantastic tool called SFXR.

SFXR is a little gizmo that generates 8-bit-style sound effects along a number of common video game-related themes. All the greatest hits are here: Powerup, Jump, Laser/Shoot, Explosion, and more. Clicking on each sound category generates a new, randomized variation on that theme. Essentially, you just keep clicking until you like what SFXR spits out, and then you export the sound to a .wav file.

If you’re a little more of an audio egghead and you understand terms like “phaser sweep” and “hp filter cutoff” (i don’t), you can play with a list of manual settings to tweak your sound.

This tool is a thousand percent awesomazing, and is GREAT for devs who want to populate their games and prototypes with temporary sound effects to accompany their temporary art and temporary code. Or, if your game is all pixel-riffic and the shoe fits, you can even use these sounds as final effects.

Big thanks to DrPetter, who created SFXR for the Ludum Dare game competition, and made the source code available under MIT for us all to enjoy and iterate on. Good show! Pew pew pew!

• Visit DrPetter’s SFXR home page

If you make anything using this tool, let us know and we’ll link you here!

Ryan Henson Creighton is a Toronto-based game developer, and founder of Untold Entertainment Inc., specializing in online games for kids, teens, tweens and preschoolers.

Ryan Henson Creighton

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