Here’s what you need:

• Audacity, maybe with the Lame MP3 Encoder. Audacity can open and edit / filter
• iCaf – a beautifully small and efficient utility to convert mp3/wav to iPhone’s CAF format.

Scouring royalty free sound sites for stuff takes a long time. Checking usage rights with artists takes roughly the time it takes to find songs in the first place (especially on low bandwidth). So what’s a long time? I’ve spent 2 or 3 days finding less than 20 samples. The music and effects are definitely better than what I would have come up with. More often than not, I find that I need to edit the sound (fade-in/out and level tuning), so I needed something like Audacity.

On the cool side, I found that artists I contacted (when they reply) are most friendly and approachable, so maybe checking free sites for stuff you can use is a good step towards the better way into sound and music: work with an artist you already know.

I also got slightly shocked finding that some of these guys drop a couple of sounds on a free site, then move on their merry way and become known for what they do, sometimes even signing up trailers and music for blockbusters. One thing about the internet is that it’s a huge collective memory, where the early experiments of gifted talents are beautifully preserved.

Hey. I’m way out of it. Next time I’ll explain two or three classes, no more, that can help you integrate sound and background loops into your iPhone game.