add-sfx
remotion-dev/remotion
Add a new sound effect to the @remotion/sfx library with proper licensing and documentation.
What is add-sfx?
This skill guides you through adding a CC0-licensed WAV sound effect to Remotion's sound effects package. Use it when you have a new sound effect to contribute to @remotion/sfx, including uploading to remotion.media, exporting from the package, and creating documentation.
- Upload WAV files to remotion.media with proper attribution
- Export sound effects from @remotion/sfx with camelCase naming
- Generate documentation pages following existing patterns
- Register sound effects in sidebar and table of contents
- Regenerate waveform samples for documentation display
- Update skills rule files and build the package
How to install add-sfx
npx skills add https://github.com/remotion-dev/remotion --skill add-sfx- Sound effect in WAV format, CC0 licensed, normalized to -3dB peak
- Access to remotion-dev/remotion.media repository
- bun runtime installed
- ffmpeg installed (for waveform generation)
- Current version number from packages/core/src/version.ts
How to use add-sfx
- 1.Add the WAV file to remotion-dev/remotion.media root and entry to soundEffects array in generate.ts
- 2.Run bun generate.ts and deploy the remotion.media changes
- 3.Export the sound from packages/sfx/src/index.ts using camelCase naming
- 4.Create documentation at packages/docs/docs/sfx/<name>.mdx following existing patterns
- 5.Register the sound in packages/docs/sidebars.ts and table-of-contents.tsx
- 6.Run bun packages/docs/generate-sfx-waveforms.ts to regenerate waveforms
- 7.Add the URL to packages/skills/skills/remotion-markup/sfx.md
- 8.Run cd packages/sfx && bun run make to build
Use cases
- Contributing a new UI sound effect to the Remotion library
- Adding a foley or ambient sound to the public sound effects collection
- Expanding the @remotion/sfx catalog with properly licensed audio
- Documenting a sound effect with duration, attribution, and usage examples
- Integrating a new sound into Remotion's media conversion tools
- Remotion contributors
- Audio library maintainers
- Developers extending @remotion/sfx
- Content creators packaging reusable sound effects
add-sfx FAQ
Sound effects must be in WAV format, CC0 (Creative Commons 0) licensed, and normalized to peak at -3dB.
remotion.media is the source of truth for sound effects. The generate.ts file there controls what's available before exporting to @remotion/sfx.
Use camelCase for variable names and avoid JavaScript reserved words. For example, use 'uiSwitch' instead of 'switch', and 'pageTurn' for 'page-turn.wav'.
Include frontmatter with image and title, AvailableFrom tag, PlayButton, description, example code, value/duration/attribution sections, a convert link, and a see-also section.
Fetch the WAV file and use afinfo on macOS (or ffprobe on other systems) to determine the duration and format details.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from remotion-dev/remotion.
name: add-sfx description: Add a new sound effect to @remotion/sfx
Prerequisites
Sound effects must first be added to the remotion.media package.
Then it can be deployed using bun run build. The .env may be missing if we are in a worktree, but on the main non-worktree branch it should be present.
The source of truth is generate.ts in that repo. A sound effect must exist there before it can be added to @remotion/sfx.
Sound effects must be:
- WAV format
- CC0 (Creative Commons 0) licensed
- Normalized to peak at -3dB
Steps
1. Add to remotion.media repo (must be done first)
In the remotion-dev/remotion.media repo:
- Add the WAV file to the root of the repo
- Add an entry to the
soundEffectsarray ingenerate.ts:{ fileName: "my-sound.wav", attribution: "Description by Author -- https://source-url -- License: Creative Commons 0", }, - Run
bun generate.tsto copy it tofiles/and regeneratevariants.json - Deploy
2. Add the export to packages/sfx/src/index.ts
Use camelCase for the variable name. Avoid JavaScript reserved words (e.g. use uiSwitch not switch).
export const mySound = 'https://remotion.media/my-sound.wav';
3. Create a doc page at packages/docs/docs/sfx/<name>.mdx
Follow the pattern of existing pages (e.g. whip.mdx). Include:
- Frontmatter with
image,title(camelCase export name),crumb: '@remotion/sfx' <AvailableFrom>tag with the next release version<PlayButton>import and usage- Description
- Example code using
@remotion/media's<Audio>component - Value section with the URL in a fenced code block
- Duration section (fetch the file and use
afinfoon macOS to get duration/format) - Attribution section with source link and license
- Convert section with a full-link sentence:
[Open this file on remotion.dev/convert](https://remotion.dev/convert?url=<encoded-sfx-url>) - See also section linking to related sound effects
4. Register in sidebar and table of contents
packages/docs/sidebars.ts— add'sfx/<name>'to the@remotion/sfxcategory itemspackages/docs/docs/sfx/table-of-contents.tsx— add a<TOCItem>with a<PlayButton size={32}>
5. Regenerate SFX waveforms
After the sound is added to packages/remotion-media and exported from packages/sfx/src/index.ts, regenerate the waveform samples used by the docs:
bun packages/docs/generate-sfx-waveforms.ts
This uses ffmpeg to sample every exported sound effect into around 2000 waveform samples and updates packages/docs/components/sfx-demos/sfx-waveforms.ts.
6. Update the skills rule file
Add the new URL to the list in packages/skills/skills/remotion-markup/sfx.md.
7. Build
cd packages/sfx && bun run make
Naming conventions
| File name | Export name |
|---|---|
my-sound.wav | mySound |
switch.wav | uiSwitch (reserved word) |
page-turn.wav | pageTurn |
Version
Use the current version from packages/core/src/version.ts.
For docs <AvailableFrom>, increment the patch version by 1.
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