Ethan's SoundFonts

Over the years I've created many original musical instrument sample sets in the SoundFont format. This is an older format, but is still supported by most sample player programs and plug-ins. Some of these SoundFonts are too good not to share, and hopefully you'll find them useful too. Each SoundFont is in its own Zip file for slightly faster downoading. These files are made available for you to use in any way you'd like, royalty free, including for commercial projects, with no attribution required. Enjoy!

African Slit Drum (1.1 MB) The drum used for these samples has seven slit sections, and each was recorded in stereo and sampled at three velocity layers. The middle drum plays at middle C, and the three drums above and below are on adjacent white keys.	slit_drum.zip
Bassoon (4.7 MB) This SoundFont was sampled in minor thirds as is common, at two velocity levels. This is probably the best SoundFont I've ever made, and sounds better to my ears than any other bassoon samples I've heard. Hopefully you'll agree.	bassoon.zip
Cello Solo (4.5 MB) This SoundFont was sampled in minor thirds as is common, and programmed to respond over multiple velocity levels.	cello_solo.zip
Claves (230 KB) These claves were sampled in stereo at four velocity levels. The original pitch is set to middle C, and each adjacent key changes the pitch by only 20 cents instead of the more usual half step. This way you can vary the pitch by smaller increments. The microphones were placed a few feet away from the claves in my large live room to capture nice ambience. Further, the decay and release times are programmed to let you control the ambience during playback. With very short note lengths the sound fades out before the ambience can be heard. But holding the key longer lets the note decay more naturally, making the ambience more pronounced.	claves.zip
Glockenspiel (3.2 MB) This SoundFont was sampled in stereo, and was recorded in a fairly live room to give a nice sense of presence. The decay and release times are programmed to let you control how long the notes ring for. If you hold the key for several seconds the notes decay naturally. But you can release a note at any point, and the release time simulates damping the bars with your hand.	glockenspiel.zip
Shakers (2.1 MB) This SoundFont was sampled in stereo, using both large and small shakers, both struck and shaken. There are too many variations to document fully, so just load it and play around!	shakers.zip
Sleigh Bells (2.1 MB) These sleigh bells use stereo samples of both traditional sleigh bells (the kind you find on a horse) and orchestral sleigh bells. Single hits for each type are provided at two velocity levels. Further, one set of hits has a normal full-length release time so it will sustain more naturally when you play it repeatedly or if you strike the key briefly. The other set fades out more quickly after you release the key so you can damp the ringing early. There are also two sets of Shakes - fast and slow - for each set of sleigh bells. All eight presets are centered at middle C, and span a range of one octave below and one octave above middle C. The Scale Tune is set to 20 cents per half-step so you can control the pitch by small amounts. Bug Watch: The looped Shake presets may click when played on an Audigy sound card due to a bug in the original Audigy drivers. This is a fault of the Audigy, and not due to poor looping in the SoundFont! The same presets play correctly through the LiveSynth DXi SoundFont player.	sleigh_bells.zip
Slide Whistle (700 KB) There are six different slide types, each recorded in stereo in a separate patch, and all are centered on middle C.	slide_whistle.zip
Snare Brushed - Hits and Rolls (430 KB) There are two sets of stereo hits and rolls, with one EQ'd to be a bit fatter sounding. The hits are centered an octave below middle C, and the rolls an octave above.	snare_brushed.zip
Tambourine (140 KB) This SoundFont was sampled in stereo, and contains single hits as well as shakes. The hits are centered on the C below middle C, and the shakes an octave above middle C.	tambourine.zip
Temple Blocks (960 KB) This SoundFont contains five different size temple blocks, recorded in stereo and sampled at four velocity layers each. The middle temple block plays at middle C, and those above and below are on adjacent keys.	temple_blocks.zip
Triangle (290 KB) There are two stereo samples - long and cut short - so you can easily simulate the way triangles are really played. One is centered an octave below middle C, and the other is an octave above.	triangle.zip
Tubular Bells (1.6 MB) There are two stereo samples - loud and soft, stretched across the keyboard and centered on middle C. The original recordings are long so the bells can sound for a long time before looping.	tubular_bells.zip
Turtle Drum (1 MB) This SoundFont is based on a unique and interesting drum that was hand made by a Native American in 1990. The drum's construction is similar to a roto-tom, but the head and tightening cords are made of animal hide. It has a very rich sound which I captured in stereo using four velocity layers. The drum head has beautiful drawings of antelopes around the edges and a turtle in the center - hence the name. My friend Katie Petreycik did the hitting, and I recorded it using a pair of audiotechnica 4033 microphones in my large live studio room. A photo of the session is above.	turtle_drum.zip
Wind Chimes (2.6 MB) There are three sweeps at different speeds, recorded in stereo. They're centered at middle C, one octave below middle C, and one octave above.	wind_chimes.zip

Ethan Winer has been a musician and audio professional for most of his life. He now heads up RealTraps, where he designs acoustic treatment products for recording studios and home listening rooms.