Freesound Forums

I need decent quality multisamples or single shot samples of Asian musical instruments besides the ones found in GM sound banks (koto,shamisen,etc). Also looking for ancient instruments of Egypt, Rome, Greece, etc... I have found lots of free stuff on the web (gamelan, erhu soundfonts, etc) but the sound quality for many of them is crap. By the time I splice out notes and convert from Real audio and other crap formats the end result is lacking to say the least. I found some cool samples on here already and hope to see more. Great site, whish I found it earlier.

this is a vsti plug-in, quite expensive, but might be what you're looking for

INDIAN instruments: http://www.swarsystems.com/SwarPlug/

One of the few non freeware programs I use is mellosoftron for sampling or I download through soundbridge to my alesis so I wouldn't not what to plug a "plug-in" into. Audacity uses plug-ins but I believe it is for effects only. My other "paid" software is Voyetra Record Producer which I have been chieply upgrading since around 1991 or so. It doesn't use them either.
I just need raw wav files of individual notes from any unusual or non mainstream sounds. I can't afford to buy samples but I will check it out anyway thanks for the info.

VSTi is a software instrument/synth/sampler that you use as plug-in in music production software or some audio-editing suites that support "VST" (mind it is different from a VST-effect), like Cubase, Fruity Loops, Orion, Ableton,...

Anyway, if you're just looking for unusual sounds from instruments (or unusual instruments), I may be able to get you some, but it may take a while (as in 2-4 weeks).

by the way, how many individual notes do you need?

I know about vst's but I just don't use any software that supports them (yet) but if you could post some sounds that would be greatly appreciated. I can stretch 1 note per octave and get away with a good multisample. Sometimes I'll pitch shift the original pitch and rename/save it so the sampler doesn't have to tweak it too much in real time when it's played across the keyboard. I try to get as many notes as I can, especially in the higher registers... as that is where the chipmunk effect makes sounds unrealistic. I have been known to assign individual samples to each key of the sampler which, like the old mellotron, is the original way samples were played. I have the basic general midi ethnic instruments covered and I have tons of semi-decent stuff like Chinese Erhu and Indian Sarod and Tablas that I found for free or ripped from soundfounts...ugh...but I like variety, so a couple notes per octave (depending on the native tuning of the intrument) would be great... Also if you know of any freeware that supports plugins that I could play via midi, that might convince me to explore that area also. I found some killer usable stuff on here already and hope to see more. Thanks heatfuse!

maybe the computer music studio is something for you

www.computermusic.co.uk

http://www.computermusic.co.uk/about/aboutvst.asp

Cool... checking it out now... and I see they ship over the pond too! Thanks...

http://www.audiomulch.com
http://www.plogue.com

and more general all of these host VST plugins:
http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php?mode=results&st=adv&soft=h&type%5B%5D=0&f=vst&fe=vst&linux=1&mac=1&osx=1&win=1&free=1&com=1&un=1&sf=0&receptor=&sort=1&rpp=15

- bram

Keep an eye out for ethnotronics vst (it's written in the www.kvraudio.com forums)

I noticed some of the vst's on www.kvraudio.com were written with synthedit (which I have) so I'd like to find the presets they used to create the sounds. I can definitely use some of them. I'm trying to keep it real but looks like a whole new area I'll need to delve into. I downloaded Winamp and tried to use the Commodore Sid plug in but spent 4 hours tinkering and reinstalling it just to play a few Sid songs to get some raw data with no success, so my trepidation in jumping into plug-ins is based on that fiasco. Working takes too much time away from my music and sound expirments also... 10 hours a day that I can only listen and not create...ugh. Thanks for the feedback folks!
P.S. still looking forward to any raw multisamples of any instruments!

Got the vst thing worked out found some freeware that looks like it will do the trick... muchos gracias!

Spectrasonics, heart of asia !!!!!!!!

The little bank that totally Kick ass.

When i'll get a mic i'll record my santoor (asian dulcimer)

I've heard the demo from heart of asia... I'll check it out... and definitely record that santur... I only have an 8bit 8khz (ughhhh) snippet that I would have to try and slice some multisamples from... too much work fro crappy sound that would only get lost in the mix anyway... That would be awesome if you could record some of those strings from that santur. Thanks in advance!

Update: finally got around to unzipping Minihost freeware and as many VST's as I could find, both instruments and effects- from metronomes to singing monks.... I was planing on stripping sounds to use in my softsampler from the VST's but I was blown away at the simplicity and sonic quality of some of these plugins. I have found VST files of intruments I have been scraping the 4 corners of the internet to find samples to make sampler programs. They have saved me years of tinkering and thousands of dollars... Thanks to all for all the feedback... I even found a Trautonium! (see my other forum post about arcade sounds). Why I had a misconception as to the potential of the VST format is beyond me... Thanks again!

P.S. Bram has some cool free VST's in my arsenal!

hello, sorry I still haven't recorded my santoor due to the lack of a descent mick...

Can you give the name of theses fabulous VSTs ? I havent seen one with Asian instruments ...

I'm searching for this sound of classical "organ" used in arab popular music

thanks

miniditz, minierhu, check out http://www.kvraudio.com/

or just google "free vst" and there are tons of free instruments and effects... I decided to test some VST efffects and will be posting the resulting sounds soon...

watch out for one called "field" which I made the mistake of trying and it started some strange memory killing routine... I cannot remember where I got it but it's the only one that didn't work out of the hundred that I found... I am using Minihost... free and works great, exports to wave, processes the line in or wav files... happy hunting...

thanks a lot !!

And I promise, i'll definitevly record my santoor.

If you're looking for tribal/ethnic Drums theres a cool DVD of samples here : http://www.dorumalaia2.com/index.htm

It's not free, but you can download some samples to get some idea ...

Great thanks, I found that site a while ago. Some cool stuff on there... no DVD ROM though. I look forward to hearing that santoor. Later!

i'm attempting to upload some samples now of my kayageum. it's a korean long zither, similar to the koto and guzheng - this one has 23 strings. the samples are just basic plucks, one per string, tuned to 'natural' notes ('white keys') from C2 to D5.

i hope to eventually do a more thorough sampling of it (different plucking positions and volumes, string bends, scraping, bowing, etc), and to make some samples from some other instruments i have laying around...

hello, Its me again, Ive got a MIC ! A good one !

I'll Sample the santoor during winter be sure, I'll give samples here

It's been a long time hock: