Air made musical
A flute makes sound from air blown across an opening, which gives it a soft, breathy tone that ranges from pure and sweet to husky and percussive. Free samples cover the orchestral concert flute and piccolo, recorders, pan flutes and flutes from many traditions, as single notes for a sampler or as played phrases and loops.
Using flute samples
Single notes are best mapped across a sampler for your own melodies; keep within the instrument’s natural range, roughly from middle C up three octaves for a concert flute. Played phrases and loops give you real breathing and articulation, which is hard to program. Add delay and reverb generously: flutes sound best with space around them.
Orchestral sample projects publish flute multisamples under CC0 and other open licences, while community loops vary. Each card shows the verdict for a release.