Secret Weapons: Soundfonts
Scattered around my audio production drives, I have hundreds, perhaps thousands of free soundfonts, acquired in an addictive frenzy from 2003-2006. Eventually I stopped looking for new soundfonts, because I had invested in better commercial libraries.
A few soundfonts, however, have stood the test of time…. these are ones I return to for one reason or another.
FARFISA ORGAN
This is an electric organ… a cheap, trashy home transistor thing. Sometimes it’s just the ticket.
Rhodes VS Extreme
This rhodes sample set has a unique mellow tone that I haven’t found anywhere else. The samples are from a Rhodes MKI 73 Stage Piano.
FLUID Release 3 GM
When you absolutely need a glockenspiel, or some tubular bells, or a wood block… or a gong… or an 808 kick, or well, anything.. you’ll find it here. These samples aren’t going to floor you with their quality, but they are surprisingly useful in a mix, like the on-board sounds on an old Roland sampler.
Zvon Prepared Rhodes
There’s really nothing like this… it’s based on John Cage’s experiment where he muddled with the inner workings of a piano to create new sounds and percussive noises. You have to hear this to believe it… Zvon recreated Cage’s work on a Fender Rhodes, and created a soundfont. The light version is basically free (it’s only $2). The full version is $20.
http://www.lesproductionszvon.com/zvon_PR.htm