API Reference

Reference for the Lots of Sounds CC0 sound effects API, including authentication, search filters, responses, downloads, and error handling.

Lots of Sounds sound effects API

Lots of Sounds is a developer-first REST API for searching, previewing, and downloading CC0-licensed sound effects. It is designed for apps, games, creative tools, and AI agents that need predictable JSON and clear licensing.

curl -G https://api.lotsofsounds.com/api/v1/sounds \
  -H "x-api-key: los_your_api_key_here" \
  --data-urlencode "q=chime" \
  --data-urlencode "max_duration=3"

Try it without an API key

The public sample endpoint returns a curated set of sounds with no authentication: GET https://api.lotsofsounds.com/api/v1/sounds/sample.

Authentication

Send your API key in the x-api-key header. Create and manage keys in the API Keys dashboard. Keep keys on your server and never include them in browser or mobile application bundles.

curl "https://api.lotsofsounds.com/api/v1/sounds?q=thunder" \
  -H "x-api-key: los_your_api_key_here"

Endpoints

Endpoint	Authentication	Purpose
`GET /api/v1/sounds/sample`	None	Preview the response shape with curated samples
`GET /api/v1/sounds`	API key	Search the catalog by text, tags, category, or duration
`GET /api/v1/sounds/popular`	API key	List sounds by all-time download count
`GET /api/v1/sounds/{id}`	API key	Retrieve metadata for one sound
`GET /api/v1/sounds/{id}/download`	API key	Create a signed download URL valid for one hour

See the interactive endpoint documentation for complete request and response schemas.

Search the catalog

Use q for keyword search. It matches the sound name and description, so short keywords such as whoosh or rain work best. Combine it with filters to narrow the results.

curl -G https://api.lotsofsounds.com/api/v1/sounds \
  -H "x-api-key: los_your_api_key_here" \
  --data-urlencode "q=game over" \
  --data-urlencode "category=SFX" \
  --data-urlencode "tags=game,retro" \
  --data-urlencode "limit=5"

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  q: "game over",
  category: "SFX",
  tags: "game,retro",
  limit: "5",
});

const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.lotsofsounds.com/api/v1/sounds?${params}`,
  { headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.LOTS_OF_SOUNDS_API_KEY } }
);

if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Lots of Sounds API: ${response.status}`);
const { data, pagination } = await response.json();

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.lotsofsounds.com/api/v1/sounds",
    params={"q": "game over", "category": "SFX", "tags": "game,retro", "limit": 5},
    headers={"x-api-key": "los_your_api_key_here"},
)
response.raise_for_status()
sounds = response.json()["data"]

Query parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`q`	string	Case-insensitive keyword match on names and descriptions
`tags`	string	Comma-separated tags using AND matching
`category`	string	`SFX`, `MUSIC`, `LOFI`, or `AMBIENT`
`min_duration`	number	Minimum duration in seconds
`max_duration`	number	Maximum duration in seconds
`sort`	string	`downloads` (default), `created_at`, `duration`, or `name`
`order`	string	`asc` or `desc`
`page`	integer	Page number, starting at `1`
`limit`	integer	Results per page, up to `100`

List popular sounds

Use the popular sounds endpoint to get sounds with the highest all-time download counts. Set limit to return between 1 and 100 sounds. The default is 30.

curl "https://api.lotsofsounds.com/api/v1/sounds/popular?limit=10" \
  -H "x-api-key: los_your_api_key_here"

Response shape

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
      "name": "Retro Game Over",
      "description": "Short 8-bit fail stinger",
      "tags": ["game", "8-bit", "retro"],
      "duration": 1.8,
      "license": "CC0",
      "category": "SFX"
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "page": 1,
    "limit": 5,
    "total": 42,
    "totalPages": 9
  }
}

Errors and rate limits

Status	Meaning	Action
`400`	Invalid query parameter	Check parameter names and values
`401`	Missing or invalid API key	Send a valid `x-api-key` header
`403`	Plan does not include the operation	Review your plan or account access
`404`	Sound was not found	Verify the sound ID
`429`	Rate limit exceeded	Wait until `X-RateLimit-Reset` before retrying

Use bounded exponential backoff for transient 429 and 5xx responses. Do not retry authentication or validation errors without changing the request.

MCP and AI agents

Agents can use the same catalog through the hosted Model Context Protocol server, or call the REST API directly with tool calling. See LLM and AI agent integration for implementation patterns.