🌟 Phase 1 · Getting Started
🟢 Beginner
MODULE 03
Add Sounds
Your progress in Phase 175%
🎯 What you'll learn: How to add sound effects from the Scratch library, how to play background music, how to record your own voice and add it to a project, and how to control volume and timing of sounds!
Section 1
The Sounds Tab
Sounds in Scratch are found in the Sounds tab at the top of the editor (next to Code and Costumes). Every sprite can have its own collection of sounds — and Scratch has hundreds of built-in sounds to choose from!
🎵
Three ways to add sounds
1. Choose from library — hundreds of free sounds (click the speaker icon with ➕)
2. Record your voice — use your microphone directly in Scratch
3. Upload a file — use an MP3 or WAV file from your computer
2. Record your voice — use your microphone directly in Scratch
3. Upload a file — use an MP3 or WAV file from your computer
Music
Background tracks
Effects
Zaps, booms, pops
Animals
Cat, dog, bird...
Voice
Record yourself!
Game
Coins, jumps, wins
Instruments
Piano, guitar, drum
Section 2
Sound Blocks — Yellow Section
Scratch's Sound blocks are yellow and control when and how sounds play. There are two very important ones to know right away:
▶ play sound [Meow] until done
Plays the sound and WAITS until it finishes before running the next block. Best for voice acting!
▶ start sound [Meow]
Starts the sound and IMMEDIATELY moves to the next block. Great for background music!
⏹ stop all sounds
Stops every sound instantly. Useful for game over screens or scene changes.
🔊 set volume to (100)%
Control how loud a sound is. 100 = full volume, 50 = half volume, 0 = silent.
Sound Block Comparison
SCRATCH BLOCKS
─ "play until done" — the next block WAITS: play sound [Meow] until done say [I finished meowing!] ← runs AFTER meow ends ─ "start sound" — the next block runs IMMEDIATELY: start sound [Music Loop] say [Music is playing in background!] ← runs at SAME time
🎯
Which one should I use?
Use play until done for sound effects and voice lines where timing matters. Use start sound for background music that should play continuously while other things happen.
Section 3
Record Your Own Voice!
One of the coolest features in Scratch is that you can record your own voice and use it as a sound effect. This makes your projects feel completely unique!
1
Open the Sounds tab
Click on your sprite, then click the Sounds tab at the top of the editor.
2
Click the microphone icon
At the bottom left of the sounds panel, click the microphone 🎤 icon. Scratch may ask permission to use your microphone — click Allow!
3
Record your voice
Click the red ● record button and say something fun. Click the square ■ stop button when done. Your recording appears as a new sound!
4
Use it in your code
Go back to the Code tab. Use
play sound [Recording1] until done to play your voice in the project. Name it something memorable first!🎙️
Fun voice ideas!
Record yourself saying "Game Over!", "You win!", "Level Up!", or silly sound effects like "Boing!" or "Zap!". You can edit the recording in Scratch to cut it, add effects, or reverse it!
Section 4
Build: Talking Pet Project
Let's build a Talking Pet — a sprite that reacts with sounds and speech when you click on it!
Talking Pet — Full Code
SCRATCH BLOCKS
── When green flag clicked (start background music) when 🚩 clicked set volume to (60) % forever start sound [Dance Around] wait (30) secs ← loop music every 30 secs ── When sprite is clicked (react with sound + speech) when this sprite clicked play sound [Meow] until done say [Hello! Pet me! 😸] for (2) secs play sound [Purr] until done say [Purrrrr... 💤] for (2) secs
⚠️
Important: Event Blocks!
Notice there are TWO separate stacks of code — one starting with
when 🚩 clicked and one with when this sprite clicked. In Scratch, you can have many code stacks per sprite — they run independently!Section 5
Lesson Summary
✅Sounds are found in the Sounds tab. You can add them from the library, record your voice, or upload files.
✅
play sound until done waits for the sound to finish before continuing.✅
start sound plays in the background while other blocks keep running.✅You can record your own voice using the 🎤 microphone button in the Sounds tab!
✅Each sprite can have multiple separate code stacks running at the same time.
🧩 Knowledge Check — Lesson 3
5 questions. Instant feedback!
1. What colour are the Sound blocks in Scratch?
2. What does "play sound until done" do differently from "start sound"?
3. Which block immediately moves to the next instruction while the sound plays in the background?
4. How do you record your own voice in Scratch?
5. Can one sprite have two separate stacks of code running at the same time?
Scratch Challenge — Lesson 3
Build a musical instrument · Beginner Level
Let's turn Scratch into a musical instrument that YOU control!
Challenge: Keyboard Instrument 🎹
Build a project where pressing different keys on your keyboard plays different sounds.
Requirements:
1. When you press key A → play a drum sound
2. When you press key S → play a piano note
3. When you press key D → play a funny sound effect
4. When you press key F → play your recorded voice
5. Each key press should also show a matching emoji using the Say block
Build a project where pressing different keys on your keyboard plays different sounds.
Requirements:
1. When you press key A → play a drum sound
2. When you press key S → play a piano note
3. When you press key D → play a funny sound effect
4. When you press key F → play your recorded voice
5. Each key press should also show a matching emoji using the Say block
💡 Show hints if you're stuck
- Use
when [a] key pressedfrom the Events section (orange) - Each key needs its OWN separate code stack
- Add sounds in the Sounds tab first, then select them in the block
- Use
play sound until doneso sounds don't overlap weirdly - Record your voice saying a word — "BOOM!", "DING!", etc.
Finished this lesson?
Mark it complete to track your progress.
Module 03 of 16Phase 1 — Getting Started