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The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 10:59 am
by Electric_Head
The University of Iowa Musical Instrument Samples
http://theremin.music.uiowa.edu/
The university of Iowa, thanks to Lawrence Fritts, created in 1997 an instrument samples database that didn't stop growing since.
All the samples are pro recorded, in aiff format, 16 bit 44.1 khz.
Tons of samples, several GBs.
Here are the technical specs of the recording :
The instruments were recorded in the Anechoic Chamber in the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center at The University of Iowa on the following equipment:
• Neumann KM 84 Cardioid Condensor Microphone
• Mackie 1402-VLZ Mixer
• Panasonic SV-3800 DAT Recorder
The recordings were digitally transferred to Macintosh Power PC 8500 though a Digidesign Audiomedia III interface (1997-1999) or to a Macintosh G4 through a Digidesign Digi-001 digital interface (2000-present).
The recordings were edited into soundfiles in Digidesign Sound Designer II (1997-1999) or Bias Peak (2000-present) consisting chromatic scales at three non-normalized dynamic levels, pp, mf, ff.
Each note is approximately 2 seconds long and is immediately preceded and followed by ambient silence.
Some instruments are recorded with and without vibrato. String instrument recordings include arco (bowed) and pizzicato (plucked). The only non-anechoic instrument is the piano, which was recorded in a small faculty teaching studio.
Please feel free to use these samples in your research or music projects without restriction.
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 11:05 am
by Dankstep
wow nice find, this is pretty interesting.. i'll have to check this out when i get home, can never have to many samples!

Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 2:48 pm
by rachtiiibam
Very interesting. Thanks!
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 7:43 pm
by ComfiStile
That's a lot of samples. Sweet.
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:55 am
by Lectric
i splooged.
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:01 am
by Johnst
Lectric wrote:i splooged.
+1
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:05 am
by jameshk
Does anyone know the specific rights on these?
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:19 am
by -[2]DAY_-
royalty free, use away
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:23 am
by zerbaman
jameshk wrote:Does anyone know the specific rights on these?
Now why would you care about a thing like that?
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:30 am
by Iorek
Fan fuucking tastic big ups
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:26 am
by hifi
zerbaman wrote:jameshk wrote:Does anyone know the specific rights on these?
Now why would you care about a thing like that?
lol
and do they have the shehnai?
nvm. i will just check for myself
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:42 am
by Electric_Head
Notice my post stated : Use these samples in your research or music projects without restriction.
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:07 am
by Mad_EP
Yeah - I've had these for years. Great ones.
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:22 am
by mistayif
i'm guessing these are just single notes?
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:20 am
by Electric_Head
It`s amazing how little folks read the actual content of posts sometimes.
......
Each note is approximately 2 seconds long and is immediately preceded and followed by ambient silence.
......
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:50 am
by Mad_EP
I've been in that anechoic chamber (I grew up in Iowa City)... fun stuff.
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:15 pm
by Electric_Head
Mad EP wrote:I've been in that anechoic chamber (I grew up in Iowa City)... fun stuff.
cool cool
nothing like awesome acoustics
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:05 pm
by Electric_Head
I played at a couple outdoor psytrance parties in George, South Africa.
A place called Pacaltsdorp.
It was on the edge of a cliff overlooking a river mouth, the Gwaing river.
The party itself was held a couple times at the base of the cliff, essentially next to the river mouth.
Once you`re at the bottom however, you were surrounded by cliffs on either side with a dance floor at the bottom.
2nd image shows the cliff across the river mouth.
That entire bowl is a massive amphitheater.
You can imagine the acoustics off of those cliffs.
Soo many jagged edges that bounce different things in different directions.
Playing at the parties was great but the acoustics of that bowl were something else.
I just stood there in front of it hearing the beats bounce around.
It sounded like the cliff was the sound system.
All the fluttery sounds just kept bouncing over and over.
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:15 pm
by -[2]DAY_-
that sounds liek the perfect way to listen to psytrance. fuckin class! I wish i'd done anything remotely resembling a south african river-mouth outdoor psytrance party in my lame ass excuse for a life.
Re: The biggest free classical instruments sounbank ever!
Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:00 am
by Electric_Head
I played at 3 of them.
To mention other wonderful outdoor parties.
I used to organize parties down here as well.
Take the image I posted one step further.
The first pic shows the river mouth with the shallow mouth next to the rocks.
Imagine the sun coming up through that gap and dancing in the water as the sun rises.
It is pretty damn awesome.
You can also see dolphins playing in the waves beyond the mouth.