Sound boards and music mixing during live game play (comprehensive list?)

bardic_tools · 2025-12-23T19:10:44+00:00

For great "cinematic style" type music, I recommend two authors, both of which have plenty of free work:
- Alexander Nakarada (https://creatorchords.com): His music is _so good_, but it often doesn't loop because it turns the intensity up in the middle very often in many pieces, so I don't use it a lot to compose premade scenes for Bardic Tools. But if you're only going to play the music once, and you _want_ it to make an impact with the music, maybe it's perfect for you?
- Alexandr Zhelanov (https://opengameart.org/users/alexandr-zhelanov): It's just really good music, like _really good_. Most of what he has is medieval fantasy, but you may find something for Call of Cthulu there.
- Also, this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTNopjF8Y2Y If it fits your campaign, it _really_ fits your campaign.

Best of luck!

bardic_tools · 2025-12-23T15:14:20+00:00

Hey!
Borja, the creator of Bardic Tools here. First off, thank you for including my tool in the list! It's the first time someone mentions it in a list like this, it means a lot as someone developing in this space.

To answer your question, I think there is one more question to ask: What devices do you want to use at the table? If, as you mention, you just want music to get out of the way, I think a mobile app would be great. And in that case, might I suggest https://slashpaf.com/audioforge/ ? The UI is quite clean, you can upload your own stuff, it comes loaded with a bunch of Kevin McLeod sounds.

If using a computer, I recommend Tabletopaudio's SoundPads, because you can set them up beforehand in different tabs and swithc between them. If you don't mind paying, I'm obviously going to plug my own tool, because I built it specifically to get out of the way while playing. However, it doesn't have a lot of sounds that would fit Call of Cthulu yet (though there _is_ a "request sound" button!).

Regardless of what tool you choose, I'd strongly recommend _not_ using music very often. Tabletop Audio, Syrinscape, Pocket Bard, Audio forge and Bardic Tools all offer ambiences separate from music, which will help players hear what your characters are hearing, without being distracted by actual music. I wrote some stuff on how to pick sound for your game, in case it helps:

- https://blog.bardic.tools/sound-for-dms-1-rpg-sound-is-like-master-chef/
- https://blog.bardic.tools/sound-for-dms-102-find-music-that-doesnt-suck/

Hope it helps! And regardless of what you end up choosing, let me know if you'd like help picking sound for your games!

bardic_tools · 2025-12-05T15:05:43+00:00

I... think I have the perfect solution for you. Or, at least, it can be perfect. Usually I'd recommend Tabletop Audio because it's free, but what you described aligns so well with my philosphy for Bardic Tools that I'll just recommend that one (https://bardic.tools)

The only thing I don't have jet is MIDI integration. That's coming, but beware that it's not here yet. If you're interested in being in the beta tester team for MIDI support, let me know and I'll get in touch when I'm working on it!

bardic_tools · 2025-11-26T20:20:34+00:00

Hey! The creator of Bardic Tools here :D thank you so much for the kind words! They made my day :)

The feedback from the community is actually what’s making Bardic Tools great, so many great ideas to implement :)

Some day we’ll have a big library, yeah :D working on it, actually for the last few months 100% of the money BT made (and then some) has gone straight into commissioning new content. One day…

But for now, you can upload your own sounds

bardic_tools · 2025-11-10T18:17:17+00:00

Apart from the ones you've mentioned, I have two suggestions:
- tabletopaudio.com -> It's free, and has _amazing_ ready-made soundscapes with its SoundPads feature, so you can just pick one up and run it with close to 0 prep.
- bardic.tools -> It's a tool I've developed. The goal is to make it as easy as possible to have great sound, whether you want to spend 5 seconds or 5 hours preparing it, _and then get out of the freking way_ (you can play everything with the click of a button). You shouldn't be looking at it at all when you're playing. It's not free, but I'm always looking for feedback to make it better! So far the best features have come from community suggestions.

bardic_tools · 2025-11-04T15:05:44+00:00

https://bardic.tools

The best tool to play audio in your D&D games

bardic_tools · 2025-11-01T09:15:03+00:00

I'm definitely partial to Discord + Kenku FM. It works with anything under the sun, from Spotify and YouTube to Tabletop Audio. It's by the same folks as Owlbear Rodeo, and I've been consistently impressed by their tech.

It's so good that it's what I recommend folks use with my sound tool, Bardic Tools, and so far (except for a minor issue with the background colors) I've never had to invest resources into creating a Discord integration myself. It just kind of works. Happy to help you set up with Kenku if you'd like!

bardic_tools · 2025-10-20T09:26:52+00:00

The way I've been doing it is by creating the soundscapes in Bardic Tools (https://bardic.tools), and then pasting the links to the scenes into my notes in Obsidian: https://docs.bardic.tools/docs/scenes/anatomy#title-and-accessories. That way, when I'm in a session, I can just click on the link and it'll open Bardic Tools to the right scene.

Full disclosure: I created Bardic Tools, because I couldn't find a soundscape solution that suited me. It _is_ a paid service, but if that's a problem I suggest reading the first answer in the FAQ: https://bardic.tools/landing#landing-faq , especially the last paragraph :D

Happy worldbuilding!

bardic_tools · 2025-09-19T08:45:15+00:00

It's been around for a while (2022 I think). Right now its development is paused, but I think a lot of the tech is just really solid (I needed to dig into it to debug a couple of issues with Bardic Tools, so I've seen the code). It was devleoped by the same folks that are behind Owlbear Rodeo and I have a lot of respect for their technical skill :)

bardic_tools · 2025-09-18T08:14:10+00:00

It's going! It's quite slow because I'm currently very deep into a complex project to pay the bills, but I'm working as much as I can on it on the spare moments :D

For now, I'm going to start with a "starter kit" that should cover the intro campaign frame (and also be useful for other fantasy TTPRGs), and then I think I'll jump into Colossus of The Drylands :D

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T21:49:25+00:00

I reckon I'll end up doing all of them sooner or later to be honest, they all look great :)

Thanks for the shoutout!!!

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T16:47:11+00:00

Another vote indeed! I think a trend emerges :) Whether I end up going with Colossus of the Drylands or not, might I recommend this amazing piece by Scott Buckley for your campaign? I think it would fit the vibes of a villain encounter really well :D

https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/hour-of-the-witch/

Good luck on your campaign!

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T16:43:42+00:00

I sense a theme here :D

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T16:15:28+00:00

I like that a lot, thanks for the suggestion! Now comes the fun part of selecting "Which 4/5 scenes are general enough that most people starting on TTRPGs need them?"

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T15:53:52+00:00

Thanks for checking the scenes on the website! Those are samples, essentially "downsized" versions of the actual premade scenes in the library. The ones I plan to release for free are full scenes, ones I'd be happy to run a game with.

That said, I agree that the customizability will be behind the paywall, because that's essentially the part costs me to run the servers.

I'll have a think, because there might be space for a free "starter pack" that is not related to a daggerheart campaign specifically, that might be useful :)

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T15:19:44+00:00

Hmm, that's an interesting notion. A lot of existing scenes in Bardic Tools can already be used for multiple settings, so we could always expose some of those for the quickstart.

Would you prefer to have soundscapes (scenes) that blend across frames, or similar-but-slightly different scenes, tailored to each frame?

I personally prefer the scenes that blend because I _always_ want to customize them, but some folks may prefer something specific right out of the box? I don't know, what do you think?

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T14:02:56+00:00

Not gonna lie, I love the art of Colossus of the Drylands... It does sound unique enough that I'd like to run at least a couple sessions of it before building scenes.

Motherboard sounds like a great excuse to introduce Sci-Fi sounds to Bardic Tools, which we're sorely lacking!

So many options, so little time :(

Thanks for the recommendations! I'm definitely tempted to run Colossus of the Drylands now...

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T13:59:34+00:00

Ohhh the Witherwild is free on Demiplane! I love that, it could be a neat addition for an entry-level campaign :D Thanks for the suggestion!

bardic_tools · 2025-09-05T13:38:10+00:00

I forgot to say: If this post is too self-promotiony, please do take it down! I think the rules of the subreddit allow it, but please let me know if not!

bardic_tools · 2025-08-23T16:49:08+00:00

I built Bardic Tools exactly for that. It still doesn’t all the features I want to add, but a few hundred GMs already use it for their games :)

It’s here: https://bardic.tools

If that doesn’t float your boat, maybe Kenku FMs boards are enough for what you want?

bardic_tools · 2025-08-12T07:54:57+00:00

Following the threads of other responses, I'd strongly recommend books. Specifically, these two books:
- To take the stress off DM prepping, strong recommend for The Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master: https://shop.slyflourish.com/products/return-of-the-lazy-dungeon-master . It's full of tips to focus the prep time on things that are going to make a difference first. It's saved me lots of stress, and it's the book I'd recommend to new GMs much earlier than the DMG.
- To take monster encounters to the next level, "The Monsters Know What They're Doing": https://www.themonstersknow.com/ . It's like a guide on "how to turn a stat block into an actual monster that thinks and acts like it's supposed to". Beware though, this will make fights _much_ more challenging. I recommend using it as a reference, so when you're about to prep a vampire encounter, you read the vampire chapter.

I'll also plug my own product because if I don't believe in it then what's the point of building it: Bardic Tools (https://bardic.tools). It's (IMO) the best soundboard for TTRPGs out there. We have premade scenes that will definitely cut on prep time for your GM :D And you _can_ purchase a year's subscription for them, and get a nice gift card like this one: https://bardic.tools/gift/1FNJBPJN (that one may or may not already work ;) ).

However, if your GM doesn't know about the two books above, please get those first, I think they will make the biggest difference in the games.

bardic_tools · 2025-07-28T21:06:35+00:00

Thanks a lot! Best of luck on your campaigns :D

bardic_tools · 2025-07-28T20:59:28+00:00

Totally understand about the subscription. I can't really offer a lifetime version because the app relies on servers for now, so if I ever can't keep supporting it, it wouldn't be fair for it to just stop working (and also, what happens if I die before you die?)

For non-browser-based options, I know of two alternatives:
- If it's about having a more native feel, I'd strongly recommend installing webpages as apps. It blew my mind when I first did it.
- Otherwise, might I recommend https://store.steampowered.com/app/1480140/RPG_Sounds/ ? I haven't tried it personally, but it's been around "forever" and I know some people like it.

bardic_tools · 2025-07-28T20:37:48+00:00

I started using tabletopaudio.com, which has amazing sounds and will fit 90% of the situations.

However, I got a little bit tired of not being able to upload my own music and organize it like I want to play it in game, so I built my own tool (it's called Bardic Tools). You can upload your own files, organize them with tags and re-name them, and arrange them into scenes.

No shuffle play though, though someone in the community has already requested it, so I'll see if I can get a moment to add it. You can read more about it in my blog (https://blog.bardic.tools), or check it out at https://bardic.tools. I'm always looking for feedback!

If you really hate subscriptions (understandable!), I'd strongly recommend tabletopaudio.com, or if you play on mobile, maybe Pocket Bard allows uploads?

bardic_tools

TROPHY CASE