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Drum samples

Free shaker samples

Free shaker one-shots and loops: egg shakers, maracas, cabasas and rattles that add movement to house, pop and Latin beats, each with a commercial-use verdict.

Samples
15 samples
Sources
from 2 sources
Cleared for commercial use
14 cleared for commercial use
Direct downloads
15 with direct download
Updated

Search live for “shaker”Use it from code or an agent

15 samples

Picked automatically from a live search of 41 sites and refreshed daily. Each sound belongs to its creator: check its licence on the source page before you release it.

The sixteenth-note glue

A shaker plays the fast subdivisions that a drummer’s hi-hat might otherwise cover, but softer and with more grain. In house and pop it often runs as straight sixteenths under the hats; in Latin and afro styles it carries a swung pattern that defines the groove. Shakers are among the easiest instruments to record cleanly, so the free libraries hold good egg shakers, maracas, cabasas and seed rattles.

Programming tips

Alternate a strong and a weak sample on every other sixteenth, and add a little swing, around 54 to 58 percent in most drum machines. Pan the shaker slightly off-centre, opposite the hi-hat. If it gets harsh, a low-pass around 10 to 12 kHz softens it without losing its rhythm. Because the attack of a shaker is soft, nudge the samples a few milliseconds early if they feel late against the kick.

Questions

Should I use a shaker loop or one-shots?
A recorded loop has the natural push and pull of a real player, which is hard to program. One-shots give you control over the pattern and tempo. A common approach is a loop for feel, with one-shot accents on top.
Why does my shaker sound unnatural when programmed?
A real shaker has two sounds, the forward and backward stroke, with different weights. Use two samples (or the same one at two velocities) and alternate them, accenting the beats.

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