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.

But 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

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)

Hand chimes

VCSL‘s Hand Chimes patch (SFZ mapping and samples) SFZ (Github)

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. NKI (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)

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 (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)

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. NKI6 (account)

Xylophones

An idiophone made of wooden bars… Huh? Wait a minute… You’re just Marimba wearing a mustache! ━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━

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)

Orchestral xylophone

VCSL‘s Xylophone patch (SFZ mapping and samples) SFZ (Github)

Orchestral xylophone mutes/rolls

MSLP Xylophone for Kontakt and Reason NKIEXS (optional attribution @ MSLP/Erick Kvist)

Toy xylophone

Jason’s Marginal VSTi Baby Xylophone features long and muted notes from a one of those rainbow toy xylophones. Win VST

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

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/jaw harp

Les Productions Zvon Out There‘s “Mystery Jaw Harp” patch (also for sEGments, Ctrl + F “Two presets”) SFZNKISF2WAVSLTKITegkit

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

Splash Sound Music Box has some nice lower notes and built-in doubletracking. The higher notes weaker, so you might want to pair it with another music box. 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

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)

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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