Sound Browser for Freesound.org
Sound Browser for Freesound.org is an Unreal Engine editor plugin that lets you search, preview, and import sound effects from Freesound.org directly inside the Unreal Editor, without leaving your workflow.
The plugin is designed to help solo developers and small teams prototype quickly by making it easy to discover suitable sound effects, preview them instantly, and turn them into Unreal sound assets with relevant metadata preserved.
Disclaimer
This plugin integrates with the public Freesound.org API but is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Freesound.org or its maintainers.
Main Features
Search Freesound.org directly from the Unreal Editor
Preview sound effects instantly using high-quality preview audio
Filter results by:
Publisher
Maximum duration
License type
Create `USoundWave` assets from preview audio
Specify the default asset creation location
Cache downloaded preview audio for reuse
Cache can be shared across multiple Unreal projects
Generated sound assets include searchable metadata:
Freesound identifier
Name
Publisher
Generated sound assets also include Freesound-specific metadata and editor customization:
User metadata stored directly on the `USoundWave` asset
A custom “Freesound” category in the asset’s Details panel
Displayed information includes:
Freesound ID (with direct link to the sound’s page)
Sound name
Publisher (with direct link to the publisher’s profile)
License information (i.e., a direct link to the license)
Asset creation date
About Freesound.org
Freesound.org is a large, community-driven online sound library maintained by the Music Technology Group at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. It hosts hundreds of thousands of user-contributed sound effects, recordings, and audio clips covering a wide range of categories and styles.
Sounds on Freesound are published under various Creative Commons licenses, and usage terms depend on the specific license chosen by each contributor.
Note
Users are responsible for reviewing and complying with the license terms associated with each sound they download or use.
Supported Versions and Platforms
Supported Unreal Engine Versions:
Unreal Engine 5.5
Unreal Engine 5.6
Unreal Engine 5.7
Supported Platforms:
Windows (Editor)
macOS (Editor)
Linux support note (unofficial)
This plugin has not been officially tested on native Linux editor builds. However, it does not rely on any known platform-specific APIs and is expected to compile on Linux-based Unreal Engine editor environments.
Linux support is therefore considered unofficial and is not currently provided as part of the supported platforms listed above.
Getting Started
Download and install the plugin (either at the engine or project level).
Enable the plugin in Unreal Engine.
Open the Sound Browser window:
From the Level Editor toolbar
From the Window menu
From the Content Browser toolbar
From the Content Browser context menu
Enter search keywords in the search field to query Freesound.org.
Freesound API Key
Accessing the Freesound API requires an API key, which you can obtain from:
https://freesound.org/apiv2/apply/
The plugin will guide you through the setup process and help you configure your API key.
Browsing and Importing Sounds
Search results are paginated (10 items per page by default; configurable in settings).
Click the Play button to download and preview a sound.
Click a result row to open the detailed view.
Use the filter menu to narrow results by license, duration, or publisher.
When you find a suitable sound, click Create Sound Asset to generate a `USoundWave` asset from the cached preview audio.
Notes on Audio Assets
Sound assets are created from the high-quality MP3 preview files served by Freesound’s CDN.
Preview audio is used intentionally to provide fast downloads, consistent playback, and a smooth editor experience during prototyping.
Typical Use Cases
Sound Browser for Freesound.org is ideal for:
Solo developers and small indie teams
Rapid prototyping and iteration
Placeholder or early-stage sound design
Projects where staying inside the Unreal Editor improves productivity
By eliminating the need to switch between a web browser and the editor, the plugin helps streamline audio discovery and asset creation. Sound effects can be searched, previewed, filtered by license, and imported in just a few clicks. Imported assets retain relevant Freesound metadata and a direct connection to their source, making it easy to track sounds in the Content Browser and revisit their license, author, and source page long after import.
Security & Privacy
Sound Browser for Freesound.org is designed with privacy and minimal data exposure in mind.
The plugin only communicates with Freesound.org’s public API endpoints and its content delivery network (CDN) to retrieve publicly available preview audio files.
Your Freesound API key is stored locally using Unreal Engine’s standard settings system and is never transmitted to third parties.
No personal account information is accessed beyond what is required to perform search and preview requests.
The plugin does not perform authenticated downloads of original source files and does not trigger public download actions on your behalf.
No usage analytics, telemetry, or tracking data are collected by the plugin.
All network communication is limited to querying Freesound.org and downloading publicly available preview audio files.
Support
Epic Developer Community forum thread (linked from the Fab listing)