The Nintendo Game Boy’s crunchy, 8-bit drums aren’t just for chiptune artists – they’re a useful texture to have no matter what music you make. This giant sample pack contains all the beats from a staggering 150 drum machines, from the famous (Roland’s TR-808, Korg’s Minipops) to the not so well known (Cheetah’s SpecDrum, BME’s Rattlesnake and Sakata’s DPM48). It’s mapped for NI’s Kontakt, but if you don’t have that you can just take the individual sample files and use them however you like. Perfect for adding a touch of ‘80s class.Īnother product of Danny Wolfers’ studio, this free sound pack comes from the underrated Korg Mono/Poly synth, delivering everything from “juicy big basses” and “occult space pads inter-dimensional arpeggios” to “futuristic synthetic drums” and “metaphysical atmospheres”.

Whether you’re using a hardware MPC sampler or you just want to play around with Ableton Live’s Simpler or Drum Rack instruments, there’s enough variety in the packs below to make hip-hop, techno, house, ambient, experimental club music and more.ĭanny Wolfers aka Legowelt’s biggest pack of samples covers Yamaha’s family of FM synths, including not just the DX7 used on everything from A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’ but the DX100 beloved of Detroit techno producers like Derrick May and Robert Hood. To make the process a little easier, we’ve collected 21 of our favorite free sample packs from across the web. Licensed packs can be purchased from stores such as Beatport, Juno, Irrupt, Sample Magic and Loopmasters, but it’s possible to find great, royalty-free sample collections for no money across the internet. These range from professional packs released by stores as promotional freebies to ZIP files made at home by artists and synth enthusiasts. Digging for old records and finding the perfect loop to cut, pitch and stretch is still one of the best ways to find inspiration, but there’s no shame in using an official, royalty-free sample pack to make music. Whether you agree with the ethics of sampling or not, modern electronic music was largely built on the practice. Scott Wilson picks 21 of the best to give you fresh inspiration. You don’t have to buy expensive royalty-free sample packs for making music when there are plenty available for free download on the internet.

Instrument sound pack fl studio