Last summer, I was out for a walk with my family when I found this wooden organ pipe on the street. I knew immediately what it was because I subscribe to Look Mum No Computer's Youtube channel, and he's been 2023-01-17 19:22:57 +0000 UTC View Post
I sampled a ukulele using a Wollensak Reel to Reel recorder from 1959. The lower notes were produced by running the recorder at half speed. It has a sad, warbly sound that should be useful for lo-fi beats. I've also included a "shimmer" layer that gives it more of a pad sound.
Video here: 2022-12-17 02:07:07 +0000 UTC View Post
My wife got my a chord organ, so I sampled it and then but it through a range of outboard effects. A video about the journey can be found here.
Download the sample library 2022-12-03 12:32:58 +0000 UTC View Post
A video about these samples can be found here.
A few weeks ago, I was walking down the street in beautiful, sunny Philadelphia when I passed a man with a bicycle cart sitting at a cafe–in his cart was a dusty old four-track recorder. I asked him about it and he said it ...
2022-11-15 14:48:06 +0000 UTC View Post
I just finished making a video about Chase Bliss' very cool Generation Loss MK2 pedal. As part of that, I spent about a week making glitchy music, combining the Microfreak with the Gen Loss ...
2022-10-22 14:27:16 +0000 UTC View Post
I made a video about the Pocket Miku: a unique vocal synthesizer from Japan. https://youtu.be/2hk-kOPdHAY
As part of that, I also made a bunch of sample libraries by feeding the Pocket Miku into the Hologram Microcosm. These are mostly cinematic pad sounds, but the sample...
2022-10-08 00:04:14 +0000 UTC View Post
I recently purchased an analog synth kit from 1979. As soon as I had finished soldering the instrument together, I sampled it and turned it into a Decent Sampler instrument. As you'll see, it's a fai...
2022-09-24 11:52:38 +0000 UTC View Post
This month's patron exclusive is a collection of sample libraries created using the Hologram by Microcosm. Hologram is a high-end effects pedal that rearranges and reinterprets sound using a variety of granular sampling, delay, and looping techniques.
This library features 5 violin presets and 1 vocal preset.
2022-08-31 20:37:01 +0000 UTC View Post
This month's Patreon-exclusive sample library is a recording of the Moog Mavis. The library consists of eight patches: the 4 basic wave forms (saw, pulse, square, and triangle), 2 lead sounds, and three experiments which consist of me running the Mavis through a Habit & Microcosm.
Download here: 2022-07-29 16:16:19 +0000 UTC View Post
I made a bass instrument out of the mini bungie cords that I normally use for attaching my synths to the wall. Watch the unedited video above for a better explanation. :)
2022-06-30 18:56:26 +0000 UTC View Post
I found these wind chimes at a porch sale last summer. I bought them and promptly installed them in my basement–a place where there is no wind. Sometime if I'm feeling restless, I jostle them as I'm walking by, and every time I do, I'm caught off guard by how nice they sound. I've been meaning to sample them forever. Well, today I finall...
2022-06-01 20:39:38 +0000 UTC View PostThis is a beta build of Decent Sampler. It fixes a few small bugs and introduces a very early version of the preset inspector. This is a tool that lets you see what samples and groups are being used in an instrument. This is available by going to Developer Tools > Preset Inspector... menu item. Soon there will be a full-fledg...
2022-05-22 11:02:43 +0000 UTC View Post
In this video, I check out the new synth from Donner. It's a 303-style analog synth for $152 ($168 minus 10%).
More info here: https://shrsl.com/3itjn
List price is $168, but it's actually $152 with promo code 'DavidH'
2022-05-20 10:47:48 +0000 UTC View Post
In this video, I combine a children's science kit with a bicycle wheel. The result is a makeshift sequencer.
2022-05-10 02:51:58 +0000 UTC View Post
This sample library was born of my experiments with tiny vocal fragments. The result is a series of seven dusty, somewhat unsettling pads that I think will work well in cinematic pieces.
This Decent Sampler sample library works with the free Decent Sampler player plugin (available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Li...
2022-04-30 18:37:31 +0000 UTC View Post
I made a video about the Arturia Keystep, which is the "pro" edition of their fantastic Keystep controllers. The Keystep Pro is more than just a MIDI controller, it's actually a full-fledged sequencer with a focus on hardware integration.
2022-04-30 13:36:04 +0000 UTC View Post
In this video, I check out the new Habit pedal by Chase Bliss. It's an experimental delay pedal that allows you to randomly re-introduce audio from the last three minutes into your current music. More info about Habit here: https://www.chasebliss.com/habit
2022-04-14 17:49:31 +0000 UTC View Post
In this video, I talk about about my love of the Omnichord OM-84 as well as the long history of fretless zithers.
A sample library of this instrument can be found here: 2022-04-05 00:08:09 +0000 UTC View Post
I want to thank you all for becoming patrons. It really means a lot to me!
For this month's patron exclusive, I've sampled the "strum strings" on my beloved Omnichord OM-84. I really, really love the sound of this sample library. I'm half way through shooting a video about this very instrument–a deep dive into my longstanding obsession w...
2022-03-31 19:16:00 +0000 UTC View Post
I just uploaded a new version of Decent Sampler (1.4.16): https://www.decentsamples.com/product/decent-sampler-plugin/
Changes from the last two version:
1.4.16
This classic free sample library has now been ported over to Decent Sampler. In the process, I added chorus and reverb effects, as well as a beautiful shimmer layer that I think really complements the sound of this diminutive synth.
2022-03-18 19:04:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Download the free sample here: https://www.decentsamples.com/product/reel-to-reel-tape-piano/
2022-03-18 18:38:52 +0000 UTC View Post
I just uploaded a new version of Decent Sampler (1.4.13): https://www.decentsamples.com/product/decent-sampler-plugin/
Changes from the last three versions:
1.4.13
I just uploaded a new version of Decent Sampler (1.4.11): https://www.decentsamples.com/product/decent-sampler-plugin/
Changes:
- Added under-the-hood support for pointing bindings at multiple groups at once using th...
2022-03-11 20:35:49 +0000 UTC View PostI found some metal cups in the trash and sampled them. Four round robins.
Have you ever had an audio file that contained a bunch of extra frequencies in it that you wish you could just remove? Spectral editing may be for you. In this video, I show how to use spectral editing to clean up a sample so that I can make a Kontakt instrument–but not just any instrument:
A few weeks ago, Christian Henson an...
2019-05-11 21:53:17 +0000 UTC View Post
In this video, I provide a basic introduction to SFZ — a free sampling format that provides a lot of the same functionality as Kontakt.
2019-05-02 15:14:33 +0000 UTC View Post
In last week's video, I recorded my own voice and turned it into a free choir library. In this video, I work with those same samples to add modwheel crossfades to the instrument.
2019-04-18 02:18:58 +0000 UTC View Post
My friend Steve asked me to make a "mellotron-style" choir sample out of my own voice.
Download it here: https://www.decentsamples.com/product/dave-choir-kontakt/
Another, more substantial video is coming soon where I talk about ho...
2019-04-09 02:25:35 +0000 UTC View Post