Sound samples licensing - need help
Hi all,
I'm new to licensing and need to make a lot of assets for my FOSS game. While I've understood licensing rules for textures/models etc., I'm having problems with understanding music licensing.
QUESTION 1. What license limitations are applied to hardware syntheiser samples.
1.1. I write some midi music and record audio. Can I apply CC0, CC3 or other similar license? I could not find any license for the samples in the manual (KORG PA80).
1.2. I get the factory SFX kit to use for sounds. Can the recorded SFX be released under CC0, CC3 or similar?
QUESTION 2. What license is meant by "can be used for commercial or non-commercial music and audio productions" (e.g. see http://www.native-instruments.com/en/company/legal-information/end-user-... ) for software syntheiser
2.1. What limitations are placed by such formulation in case of music? What license can I apply to the music with these samples?
2.2. Can these samples be used as separate SFX and with which licenses?
In other words, how can samples eula be 'translated' into applicable free software license?
QUESTION 3. The 'path' of the music from the idea to final mp3/ogg file is rather long. It takes a hardware synth/midi keyboard/controller, then computer midi interface (a variant may be mic & audio interface), then recording software, then sample player and samples, applied effects, and finally sound encoding software. Which limitations may be placed by the nodes? And how the vague terms of eula (if it exists) apply to licensing abilities?
Thanks in advance!
not much of that applies to licensing in fact I dont think any of it does, and honestly i think your over thinking it. simply if you want it to be free for anyone to do anything to or with then use CC0 (public domain) if you want limitations and needed permission then use CC-BY 3.0 or similer (other can modify or use commercially) if you use samples that werent made by you but are public domain (you also have to make sure it isnt registered under any other license anywhere else, if so get author permission, if not then its also good to get permission) if the program/software/hardware your using says you cant release commercially then you can by most chance need to release under certain simple. if the thing you are using does not have any restriction then you can release however you want under any license (if all the work is yours or approved of)
I hope i was able to help you out with a few things.
If you use commercial sample libraries, then you cannot redistribute the samples by themselves under a CC license.
Most of these virtual instrument licenses will require that you at least either make the sample significantly unrecognizable, or mix the sample with at least two other sound sources, so that it cannot be reused directly.
SFX for game sound libraries are usually sold under licenses explicitly allowing redistribution as seperate sounds in a game engine soundbank format with a game, but forbid relicensing or redistribution with focus on sound effects.
You cannot make a game where the player plays the pianos using samples licensed from a commercial virtual instrument; as it makes you compete directly against them. But, you can make music with these virtual instruments, and license that music however you want; as long as you don't separately play single notes.
Thanks a lot! That's almost everything I need to know ('may use music' & 'may not use samples' in case license is not CC-like but allows 'commercial use').
Yes. You can only use samples directly if they're specifically sold as samples for games and movie production.