David Hilowitz of Decent Samples has recently released a new sample library featuring the lush sound of a Swiss violin recorded on a 4-track recorder, and processed through a range of outboard effects.

The Tascam 424 MkIII Portastudio used to create Tape Violin was given to David for free.

I brought the recorder home, cleaned the tape head, and quickly discovered that the machine provided exactly the sound I had been looking for. The next day, I recorded a series of samples which became the core of this library. These can be found in the series of “Tape Violin” patches.

Once those basic, long notes patches had been recorded and re-recorded several times, I continued the experiment by passing the results through a series of outboard hardware effects (Habit, Microcosm, Generation Loss), the results can be found in the 13 experiment patches–each of which actually consists of two unique sample sets which can be adjusted to taste.

The Tape Violin library is on sale for the intro price of $20 USD for a limited time (regular $40 USD).

Also released recently are two free sample libraries for Decent Sampler. Magical Musical Thing brings the raw analog waveforms of a vintage Magical Musical Thing childre’s synthesizer, while Electric Bell Toy Piano provides you with some charming bell sounds of a Japanese children’s toy from the fifties.

More information: Decent Samples