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Tape Hiss Sound Effects

10 free tape hiss sound effects for lo-fi and retro audio, or for found footage · 2.5–5.8 s each · MP3 · CC0 · no signup

10 tape hiss sound effects cover the noise of analog tape: a playing cassette, a reel-to-reel machine with its motor hum, a worn tape with crackles and dropouts, video tape hiss with a buzz, thick overdriven hiss, a slow warble, a play button starting the hiss, a stop button cutting it, and hiss fading to silence. Use them under lo-fi music, in found footage and in retro scenes.

Quick picks: Cassette Tape Hiss 02 (4.7 s, recommended) · Stop Button Tape Hiss 06 (2.5 s, the shortest, recommended) · Analog Tape Hiss 01 (5.8 s, the longest, recommended)

All 10 tape hiss sound effects

  • Stop Button Tape Hiss 062.5 s

    Tape hiss plays, then the stop button clicks and it cuts off, for a tape ending.

  • Play Button Tape Hiss 052.6 s

    A tape player button clicks and the hiss fades in, for a tape starting to play.

  • Fading Tape Hiss 033.8 s

    Tape hiss slowly fades out to silence, for endings and transitions.

  • Worn Tape Hiss 104 s

    Tape hiss with small crackles and brief dropouts from a worn tape, for found footage.

  • Heavy Tape Hiss 044.2 s

    Thick hiss of an overdriven old tape, for distressed audio.

  • Warbling Tape Hiss 094.4 s

    Tape hiss with a slow wobble in pitch, for nostalgic and dreamlike scenes.

  • Reel-to-Reel Tape Hiss 074.5 s
  • Video Tape Hiss 084.6 s

    Video tape hiss with a faint electrical buzz, for old home video scenes.

  • Cassette Tape Hiss 024.7 s

    Quiet steady hiss of a playing cassette tape, for retro audio and lo-fi beds.

  • Analog Tape Hiss 015.8 s

    An analog tape produces a steady hiss, for vintage media scenes.

Sound effects related to tape hiss

Common uses: lo-fi and retro audio, found footage.

Which tape hiss variation to use

Use Cassette Tape Hiss 02 as a quiet bed under lo-fi music and Worn Tape Hiss 10 or Video Tape Hiss 08 for found footage. Play Button Tape Hiss 05 and Stop Button Tape Hiss 06 frame a tape being played, and Fading Tape Hiss 03 ends a scene.

Need a comparison method? Try the playable examples and selection checklist.

Common questions about tape hiss

Is there a cassette tape hiss sound?

Yes: Cassette Tape Hiss 02 is the quiet steady hiss of a playing cassette.

Is there VHS or video tape noise?

Yes: Video Tape Hiss 08 is video tape hiss with a faint electrical buzz.

Is there tape hiss with a play button click?

Yes: in Play Button Tape Hiss 05 a tape player button clicks and the hiss fades in; Stop Button Tape Hiss 06 ends with the stop button.

Can I put this hiss under my music?

Yes. The sounds are CC0: use them in music, videos and games without credit.

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