Tuesday, July 5, 2016

VSCO 2 Kontakt

Latest and last (really probably) version on this page!
Live as free as you can.

Since a company issued an invalid take down order there have been issues with downloads. I just put up a complete 1.7 gig version using the generic name Chamber Orchestra which hopefully can be downloaded.


Sam Gossner had a dream. After creating the original VSCO which was nice little orchestra, he wanted to create something bigger and bolder. Collaborating with dozens of friends from both sides of the pond, he created a new chamber orchestra. Two years in the making this version at its largest (and most expensive but still quite reasonable) has 300 instruments.

However he didn't forget you and I, the freebie loving population of the world. He has put over 2000 samples under a Creative Commons Zero license which is similar to Public Domain. These include 16 string, brass, woodwind and keys instruments along with lots of handy orchestral percussion.This is called the Community Edition and there is a full SFZ version and an EXS24 version in the making on this page along with all the original samples. Thanks to Sam and his friends for this tremendous contribution to the world of free music.

Composer Steven McDonald made a nice video demonstrating some nice ways to get the VSCO2 sounding pretty solid for a free orchestra.

String & Woodwind Demo
Soundcloud Demo
Demo of the Harp by WhiteNoiz


Percussion Demo 
Soundcloud Demo kindly created for me by Sam from the VST version.
Res Evil 3, Res Evil Main Hall Demos by WhiteNoiz 

VSCO 2 Community Orchestra for SFZ Here


Etherealwinds Harp CE for Kontakt 
Harp SFZ, VSTi, etc... page
EWHarp: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license: Versilian Studios

VSCO 2 Instruments: Creative Commons Zero 1.0 Universal : Versilian Studios / Sam Gossner
Piano & Organ also : Creative Commons Zero 1.0 Universal : Simon Dalzell of Ivy Audio

Note the name VSCO 2 is used to give attribution to the sampling project from which these samples were taken. It doesn't imply any form of endorsement.

bigcat's Amazon ebook page


Friday, July 1, 2016

Suprise Piano

Reading David Byrne's book about music I was inspired to be weirder. So I tried to create something odd. In this case your hit a key and one of five pianos will play. Oddly when you just hit one key at a time it sounds pretty bad, but often it seems folks play several notes at once and in some sort of sequence. This tends to average out the various pianos somehow and sometimes creates some other piano sound. It is lets be kind and say experimental and you might significantly hate it.

Surprise Piano
 Soundcloud Demo

I tweaked the volumes just a bit on this nki and you can replace the old one with this one if you like.
Alternate nki

This uses the City, Iowa and Skerratt London Public Domain pianos and the Salamander and VSCO 2 Community Orchestra Creative Commons Pianos. The blame rest entirely on my shoulders.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International: Simon Dalzell and Alexander HolmFeel.