Punctuate the cut backwards
A reversed swell landing on the cut tells the audience the time changed before the picture has. It reads the same in a game as on film.
Edit prompt
Flashback sound effects
The reversed swell, the harp wash, the wobbling bend, the drop into a memory and the snap back out of it. Describe how far back the scene goes and Morphic builds the cue.
- Ask for the direction, a reversed swell in or a hard snap out, and cut the picture to match
- A cue built for your scene rather than the same harp wash every montage online reaches for
- Download clean audio and drop it straight into your edit
Memory cues for film, games, and animation
Reversed swell
A sound growing backwards from nothing into a sudden stop. The missing attack at the front is what makes the ear read it as time running the wrong way.
Harp wash
A bright glissando with a long soft decay. The oldest cue in the language and still the clearest, which is why it survives being a cliche.
Wobbling bend
A tone bending slowly up and down with an unsteady quality. Reads as unreliable memory rather than a clean recollection.
Drop into the past
A long downward slide that thins out as it falls. Use it when the flashback goes years back rather than minutes.
Snap back
A short reversed whoosh ending dead. The return trip, and it wants to be much faster than the way in was.
Memory hum
A soft blurred bed with no edges to it. Lay it under the whole flashback so the sequence sits apart from the present-day scene.
Generate a memory cue from a prompt
Pick a starting point, edit anything you like, then generate it in Morphic.
Ways to use a flashback sound effect
Fill the memory without music
A soft blurred hum holds a whole flashback sequence, so the scene sits apart from the present without committing to a score.
Edit prompt
Tell the audience how far back this is
A short harp wash reads as this morning. A long descending slide that thins out reads as decades. The length sets the distance.
Edit prompt
Imply a memory you never show
A wobbling bend over a held close-up tells the audience a character went somewhere, without cutting to the footage you never shot.
Edit prompt
You might also like
Braam sound effects
Braam sound effects for trailers and title cards: deep brass hits, rising swells and sub-heavy stabs you can generate and download in seconds.
Breaking news sound effects
Browse ready-made breaking news sound effect clips, then generate your own at the length your scene needs. Morphic makes sound, voice, image and video in one workspace.
Build up sound effects
Build up sound effects, noise risers, drum rolls, reverse cymbals and whooshes. Generate the exact tension your drop, reveal or punchline needs.
Cinematic sound effects
Browse ready-made cinematic sound effects, then generate your own at the length your scene needs. Morphic makes sound, voice, image and video in one workspace.
More sound effects in Transitions & production
Simple pricing
Get started for free today, with the option to upgrade or cancel anytime.
Basic
$9/ month
billed as $0 per year1100 monthly credits
1 user only
All models
Workflows
Standard
$24/ month
billed as $0 per year3625 monthly credits
1 user only
All models
Workflows
Pro
$45/ month
billed as $0 per year6350 shared monthly credits
1 user
+ up to 4 more at extra cost
All models
Workflows
Max
$170/ month
billed as $0 per year24650 shared monthly credits
1 user
+ up to 9 more at extra cost
All models
Workflows
Enterprise
For higher limits
Custom
pricing and billing terms
High-volume credits
Custom seat limits
All models
Workflows
Free
For playing around
$0
forever free
Up to 20 credits
1 user only
Limited models
Workflows
FAQs
What makes a sound read as a flashback rather than a transition?
The reverse. A normal transition has a hard attack and then decays; a flashback cue grows backwards from nothing into a stop. Asking for no attack at the front is the single change that does it.
Should the way in and the way out sound the same?
No. The way in can take three or four seconds because the audience is being carried somewhere. The way out should be fast and hard, usually under two seconds, because the present snaps back rather than fades in.
Is the harp wash too much of a cliche?
It is a cliche because it works, and an audience reads it instantly. If it feels too broad for your tone, a wobbling pitch bend does the same job with less comedy attached to it.
How do I make the memory feel unreliable?
Add instability. A tone that bends slowly up and down with a wavering quality reads as a memory somebody is not sure about, where a clean harp wash reads as a reliable recollection.
Do I need a bed under the whole flashback?
Only if the sequence runs long. A soft blurred hum with no sharp edges keeps a multi-shot flashback separate from the present-day scene without needing a music cue to mark it.
Can I use these in a commercial project?
Yes. Audio generated on a paid Morphic plan is cleared for commercial use, including film, games, and advertising.