1. Overview
ElevenLabs Sound Effects v2 represents a major advancement in AI-powered sound design, enabling creators to generate high-quality sound effects directly from text descriptions. Built on ElevenLabs' advanced audio AI, the model understands acoustic concepts, environmental contexts, and sonic characteristics to produce professional-grade audio.
Unlike traditional sound libraries limited to pre-recorded samples, Sound Effects v2 democratizes sound creation by translating natural language into custom audio effects. It captures complex acoustic relationships, from material properties to spatial environments, making it accessible for both professionals and beginners.
Key strength: Sound Effects v2 generates contextually appropriate audio for films, games, podcasts, and other media — always consistent, realistic, and tailored to your creative vision. The model excels at creating environmental sounds, mechanical effects, organic textures, impact and collision sounds, plus atmospheric and specialized audio effects for comprehensive sound design needs.
ElevenLabs Sound Effects v2 generates up to 30 seconds of professional-grade audio in multiple MP3 formats, suitable for direct integration across various media projects.
2. Getting Started
Model Selection
In Scenario, choose ElevenLabs Sound Effects v2 from the Generate Audio section. Use descriptive prompts specifying source, environment, and acoustic traits for best results.
Interface Overview
Sound Description Field – Enter your prompt
Duration Control – Set length (up to 30 seconds). If None, optimal duration will be determined from the prompt.
Guidance Control – Adjust model adherence to prompt
Loop Toggle – To create seamless audio loops
Output Format – Select audio quality and format
3. Crafting Effective Sound Descriptions
3-1. Basic Structure
Prompts could typically include:
Sound Source: footsteps, car engine, rain
Material/Surface (if relevant): gravel, wooden floor, metal
Environment: hall, outdoors, small room
Intensity/Quality: heavy, gentle, echoing
Example: “Heavy footsteps on wooden floorboards in an old creaky house.”
3-2. Advanced Techniques
You may want to add depth to your prompts, with:
Acoustic Properties: with reverb, dry, muffled
Temporal Elements: fading, sudden, continuous
Contextual Details: during a storm, underwater
Emotional Tone: ominous, peaceful, mysterious
Example: “Distant thunder rumbling across a vast open plain during a summer storm, gradually building in intensity.”
3-3. Categories & Examples
Environmental: “Gentle ocean waves lapping against a rocky shore.”
Mechanical: “Vintage typewriter keys clicking rhythmically.”
Impact: “Glass bottle breaking on concrete pavement.”
Organic: “Sizzling bacon in a hot cast iron pan.”
4. Generation Controls & Settings
Set duration between 1-30 seconds (3-10 seconds optimal for effects, longer for ambience).
Use high guidance (0.7-1.0) for precise results or low guidance (0.1-0.5) for creative variations.
Enable loop for continuous sounds like rain or hums.
Choose output format based on use: mp3_44100_128 for professional projects, mp3_44100_96 for balanced quality, mp3_44100_64 for web, or mp3_22050_32 for mobile applications.
5. Asset Management & Workflow
Generated sound effects can be previewed directly in Scenario, downloaded in your chosen format, pinned to favorites for easy access, tagged with custom labels for organization, and shared with team members using Scenario's collaboration tools.
6. Creative Applications
Use Eleven Labs Sound Effects v2 to custom foley, ambient soundscapes, UI sounds, and unique effects for:
Film & video post-production
Podcasts & voiceovers
Game design
Commercial & marketing content
7. Best Practices
Be specific about source, environment, and material
For mechanical sounds, describe condition and operation
For environmental sounds, specify weather, time, and space
Avoid combining unrelated sounds in one prompt
Use guidance and looping strategically
8. Example Prompts by Category
Environmental & Atmospheric
“Gentle rain falling on a tin roof during a quiet evening.”
“Peaceful forest ambience with chirping birds and rustling leaves.”
Mechanical & Industrial
“Vintage steam locomotive chugging slowly down railroad tracks.”
“Mechanical clock ticking steadily in a quiet room.”
Impact & Collision
“Heavy book dropping onto a hardwood table.”
“Ceramic mug shattering on kitchen tile floor.”
Organic & Natural
“Dry leaves crunching underfoot during an autumn walk.”
“Paper pages rustling as someone flips through a book.”
Specialized Effects
“Magical sparkles with ethereal chiming tones.”
“Sci-fi laser beam charging up and firing.”
9. Troubleshooting & Advanced Tips
If results are off, simplify prompts and refine descriptions
Add environmental or material details for accuracy
Adjust guidance for precision vs creativity
Use longer durations + looping for ambient effects
Pro tip: Build custom libraries by generating reusable effects, replacing stock samples, and creating unique audio tailored to your projects.
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