Best Free VSTs: Idiophones
The internet is a treasure trove of free virtual bells, wine glasses, kalimbas, and tongue drums. Compared to all those other uppity instruments, what with their finicky “legatos” and “articulations,” idiophones have far fewer sampling requirements, and you don’t need a million-dollar luthier to make one.
Seriously, if I never see an idiophone again… it will be too soon.
- Bright twinkle
- goldbaby Hapi vs Xylophone layers a metal xylophone with a HAPI Tongue Drum for a very generic bell-like sound with a huge playable range. NKIEXS
- Metallic twinkle
- 8Dio The New Copperphone could serve as a dupe for tuned gongs, bells, or other metallophones in a pinch. NKI (Woocommerce)
- Gentle twinkle
- boscomac Snowflake is basically the only reason I’ve kept Reaktor Player around all these years… it’s pure, synthesized magic! 🥺 ENS
Bars hit with sticks
A tuned series of rectangles or tubes you can hit with a stick.
- Carillon
- Soni Musicae The Ghent Carillon (use the second mirror link that ends in “.SF2” or you’ll get a sfArk-compressed version) SF2
- Daniel Militello’s Laura Spelman Rockefeller Chapel Carillon and Sather Tower Carillon SF2 (attribution @ Daniel Militello)
- Celesta
- Studiologic Numa Player‘s Celesta preset VSTAU
- Pierre Caillet’s Confinement Céleste NKI (account)
- Lullatone Toy Celesta has less mechanical sounds and includes a very nice soft patch in addition to the regular one. NKIALP (Bandcamp)
- Dulcitone
- Christian Henson’s Warty Dulcitone NKIdspreset (account)
- Hand chimes
- VCSL‘s Hand Chimes patch (SFZ mapping and samples) SFZ (Github)
- Lithophone (stone “xylophone”)
- Legatone Lithophone Free Demo is functional with a limited range. NKI (account + LEGATONE)
- Legatone Sanukite – 讃岐岩 Free Demo is a lithophone made from sanukite rocks — uniquely Japanese! It’s functional with a limited range. NKI (account + LEGATONE)
- Triangle
- See Drums: Triangle
- Tubular bells
- VCSL‘s Tubular Bells patches (SFZ mapping version 1 and version 2, samples version 1 and version 2) SFZ (Github)
- Vibraphone
- VCSL‘s Vibraphone patch (SFZ mapping and samples) has bowed and mallet articulations. SFZ (Github)
- AS Free Collection‘s “Viby” UFS (OpenCart)
- EdgeSounds Vibraphone 24-Bit SF2 SF2 (EdgeSounds)
- Bowed vibraphone
- Riverwood Air RAW Power Metallic Percussion‘s “Bowed Vibraphone + Cymbals” patch. NKI (account)
Glockenspiels
Vibraphone’s high-pitched and twinkly cousin.
- Alto glockenspiel
- Cinematique Instruments Alto Glockenspiel (with activation key) vstpreset (Steinberg)
- Bowed(!) glockenspiel
- Hawpri’s Rosinspiel NKI (account)
- Keyed glockenspiel
- Spitfire LABS Keyed Glock NKI
- Soprano glockenspiel
- VSCO2 Glockenspiel VSTAU
- Jonathan’s Glockenspiel offers some nice realism when you turn up the low end, but has a more limited range (C5-G6) than the VSCO2. NKI
- Dan Keen’s Frozen Glock is not a purist glock library, but if you need a mysterious, icy sound, this one’s your pal. NKIdspreset (account)
- decent|SAMPLES Resonator Glockenspiel has resonators built in that give it a longer release than a traditional glockenspiel. NKISFZdspreset (newsletter)
- Tubular glockenspiel
- VCSL‘s Tubular Glockenspiel patch (SFZ mapping and samples) SFZ (Github)
- Toy glockenspiel
- Rob’s Simple Toy Glock dspreset (account)
- Jason’s Marginal VSTi Baby Xylophone features long and muted notes from one of those rainbow toy glockenspiels. Win VST
Marimbas
An idiophone made of wooden bars.
- Balafon (buzzy gourd marimba)
- Bolder Sounds Toy and African Marimbas “Bass-Tenor African-Marimba” patch paired with their Soprano and Baritone African Marimbas “Soprano Marimba” patch will give you a full range of notes (C2-C6) with a very distinctive “buzzing” sound. NKIEXS (Zen Cart)
- Les Studios Palace Roots Balafon NKI (Sendowl)
- Gyil (Ghanaian balafon)
- African GYL II has a limited range, but it gets the job done, and comes with a few loops. NKIWAV
- Glass marimba
- 8Dio The New Glass Marimba is a little softer than its wooden sibling. 😇 NKI (Woocommerce)
- Orchestral marimba
- MSLP Marimba for Kontakt and Reason NKISXT (optional attribution @ MSLP/Erick Kvist)
- Big Winky Media Free Marimba SoundFont is based on the University of Iowa samples. SF2 (Woocommerce)
- Marimba taps
- Samuel Davies’ Tapping Marimba NKI6 (account)
- Marimba rolls
- Sage Reynolds’ Marimba Ripples has single-note rolls that are not tempo-synced, but good as an aleatoric effect. NKI6dspreset (account)
- Bowed marimba
- Sage Reynolds’ Arco Marimba: Calm/Flux NKI (account)
- Toy marimba
- Max McGuire’s Mini African Xylophone (MAX) has a decent range but a much shorter, dryer sound than the other marimbas. It includes sustains and some back-and-forth aleatoric glissandos. NKI6dspreset (account)
Xylophones
An idiophone made of wooden bars… Huh? Wait a minute… You’re just Marimba wearing a mustache! ━Σ(゚Д゚|||)━
- Orchestral xylophone
- VCSL‘s Xylophone patch (SFZ mapping and samples) SFZ (Github)
- Toy xylophone
- See toy glockenspiel
Round things hit with sticks
A series of tuned objects-that-are-not-bars hit with sticks.
- Bianqing (East Asian stone chimes)
- CATSNU Gugak PyeonGyeong LE NKIEXSALP (attribution @ Gugak VSTi by CATSNU, see notes)
- Bianzhong (East Asian chime bells)
- CATSNU Gugak PyeonJong LE NKIEXSALP (attribution @ Gugak VSTi by CATSNU, see notes)
- Cồng chiêng (Vietnamese tuned gong)
- Bunker Samples Gongster’s Paradise NKI (email)
- Crotales
- Alan ViSTa’s Crotalinae VSTAU
- Hand bells
- Spitfire LABS Christmas has a hand bells patch. VSTAUAAX (Spitfire)
- Lullatone Bells has handbell hits and rolls. NKIALP (Bandcamp)
- Hang
- FreePats Hang tuned in D minor is limited to its natural range. SFZSF2H2WAV
- Dark Arps Hang Drum ditto. NKIWAV
- Jaltarang (Indian water bowls)
- Crypto Cipher Free Sample Pack comes with wooden stick and spoon versions. NKI (Woocommerce)
- Kulintang (Indonesian cradled gong set)
- Mark A. Galang’s Philippinian Percussion has a few one shots. NKIALP (account)
- Rin (Japanese standing bell)
- Japanese Singing Bowls NKI (account)
- Steel tongue drum
- Ample Sound Cloudrum VSTAURTAS
Sticks hit on things
…such as the ground, or other sticks. (I hate idiophones.)
- Angklung
- ArtSonica Angklung as a plug-in or Kontakt instrument VSTAUNKI (Maize or none)
- Boomwhackers®
- Bolder Sounds Boom Whackers NKIEXSGIG (Zen Cart)
- Loops de la Crème 32 percussive Boomwhackers samples has both tonal and percussive Boomwhacker sounds. WAV
- Tongatong (Filipino bamboo stick)
- Mark A. Galang’s Philippinian Percussion has 5 tongatong pitches. NKIALP (account)
Lamellophones
Oh, hey! This one’s a real category!
- Jew’s harp/jaw harp/mouth harp
- Les Productions Zvon Out There‘s “Mystery Jaw Harp” patch (also for sEGments, Ctrl + F “Two presets”) SFZNKISF2WAVSLTKITegkit
- Mike Heimburger’s Time Warp Mouth Harp‘s “Amateur Mouth Harp Player” patch NKI (account)
- Kalimba
- FreePats Kalimba SFZSF2WAV
- Subaqueous Kalimba – Thumb Piano ALPWAV (email)
- SzcZ’s Alimchord lets you select from various sound layers to shape your kalimba sound. NKI
- Celeste Kalimba
- Sam Ecoff’s Celeste Kalimba NKI (account)
- Mbira
- VCSL‘s “Mbira Mavembe (Gandanga), Zimbabwe, Low G” patch as a Kontakt instrument (“Plucked Idiophones”) or SFZ (with samples) uses Mavembe/Gadanga tuning. NKISFZ (none or Github)
- Array mbira (multi-octave sound box mbira)
- Sam Ecoff’s Array M’bira NKIEXSdspreset (account)
- Mbira dzavadzimu (Shona mbira with soundboard hole)
- VCSL‘s “Mbira dzaVadzimu Nyamaropa, Zimbabwe, Low B” as a Kontakt instrument (“Plucked Idiophones”) or SFZ (with samples) uses Nyamaropa tuning. NKISFZ (none or Github)
- Mbira nyunga nyunga (Mozambican mbira without soundboard hole)
- VCSL‘s “Nyunga Nyunga, Mozambique, Low F” patch as a Kontakt instrument (“Plucked Idiophones”) or SFZ (with samples) NKISFZ (none or Github)
- Music box
- Anne Obel’s Breitler Switzerland Music Box also includes windup sounds. NKI ALP (account)
- Splash Sound Music Box has windup sounds and built-in doubletracking. The higher notes weaker, so you might want to layer it. NKI (FastSpring)
- Spitfire LABS Music Box VSTAUAAX (Spitfire)
Gamelan
There are three main free Gamelan ensembles on the market right now:
- Gamelan set
- Casa da Música Javanese Gamelan (also as a SFZ mapping) NKIALPSFZ
- bigcat Instruments The Gamelan NKI
- ArtSonica Gamelan Jawa NKI
Here are some specific Gamelan instruments along with the libraries above you can find them in:
- Gambang (Balinese gamelan xylophone)
- Casa da Música Javanese Gamelan
- Gangsa (Balinese gamelan metallophone)
- bigcat Instruments The Gamelan has “Hi Gangsa” (likely a gangsa kantilan) and “Premade Gangsa,” a gangsa pemadé.
- Gènder (gamelan metallophone)
- Casa da Música Javanese Gamelan has a gendèr barung, gendèr panerus, and a gendèr panembung/slenthem.
- ArtSonica Gamelan Jawa has a gendèr panembung/slenthem.
- Jegogan (Balinese gamelan metallophone)
- bigcat Instruments The Gamelan’s “Jegogan – Calung” patch
- Saron (bronze gamelan metallophone)
- Casa da Música Javanese Gamelan has a saron barung, saron demung, and saron panerus/peking.
- ArtSonica Gamelan Jawa has a saron barung, saron demung, and saron panerus/peking.
Bonang (cradled kettle gong set)
- Casa da Música Javanese Gamelan has a bonang barung, bonang panerus, kempul, kempyang, and kethuk.
- ArtSonica Gamelan Jawa
- Gong
- Casa da Música Javanese Gamelan has a gong ageng and gong suwukan.
- ArtSonica Gamelan Jawa has a gong ageng and gong suwukan.
- Kempli (hanging kettle gong)
- bigcat Instruments The Gamelan
- Kempur (medium-sized gong)
- bigcat Instruments The Gamelan
- Kenong (large cradled gong)
- Casa da Música Javanese Gamelan
- bigcat Instruments The Gamelan
- ArtSonica Gamelan Jawa
- Reyong (row of kettle gongs)
- bigcat Instruments The Gamelan
Friction idiophones
- Glass harmonica
- Rossignol-Studio Orguever NKI
- Arman Bohn’s Glass Armanica VSTi Win VST
- Musical saw (Russian folk instrument)
- CMusic Small Saw sounds like a theremin. You will need to rename the “.au” file to have an “.nki” extension to use it in Kontakt. NKIAU (account1)
- Tibetan singing bowls
- Robert Gutschow’s Tibetan Singing Bowl dspreset (account)
- Bolder Sounds Tibetan Singing Bowls Demo NKIEXS (Zen Cart)
- Wine glasses
- Fabian Siethoff’s Niue NKI (account)
- FreePats Glasses of water SFZSF2WAV
Found object idiophones
Household objects suffering musical abuse.
- Bicycle bell
- Lullatone Bells has two bike bell patches. NKIALPWAV (Bandcamp)
- Candlestick
- Atom Hub Candlestick NKI
- Church bell
- Lullatone Bells has the incredibly ominous “Outside Bell – Campground” patch. NKIALPWAV (Bandcamp)
- SzcZ’s The Wrench is a decent soundalike. NKISFZWAV
- Desk bell
- Soundiron Desk Bell NKIWAV (Shopify)
- Elephant bells
- Crypto Cipher Terry & Bells NKI (Woocommerce)
- Flower pots
- zombie fights shark Three Planters NKIALPSXTWAV (email)
- Glass dish
- Matthew’s Pie Dish dspreset (account)
- Tuning forks
- Colin’s Forks NKIdspreset (account)
- Wind chimes
- Michael Picher’s Indian Bells has a few one-shots as well as some looping wind chime “sparkles.” SFZ
- Bolder Sounds Wind Chimes Demo NKIEXS (Zen Cart)
Free virtual instrument series
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