# Free instrument samples: piano, guitar, synth, strings > Free instrument samples and multisampled instruments: piano, Rhodes, guitar, synth pads and leads, strings, brass, flutes and mallets, with licence verdicts. Instrument samples range from a single piano note to a full multisampled instrument you can play from a keyboard. These collections group free instruments by family, keys, guitars, synths, orchestral strings, brass and woodwind, and mallets, and show the root note where it is known so you can map one-shots across a sampler. Updated 2026-10-23. ## Collections - [Free brass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-brass-samples.md): 28 samples from 2 sources. Free brass samples: trumpet, trombone, French horn and tuba notes, stabs and section hits for funk, film and hip hop, with a licence verdict on each. - [Free flute samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-flute-samples.md): 26 samples from 2 sources. Free flute samples: concert flute, piccolo, pan flute, recorder and world flutes as notes, phrases and loops for hip hop, ambient and film, with licences. - [Free guitar samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-guitar-samples.md): 36 samples from 3 sources. Free guitar samples: acoustic and electric notes, chords, strums, harmonics and fret noises for producers who don't play, with a licence verdict on each. - [Free marimba and mallet samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-marimba-samples.md): 24 samples from 2 sources. Free marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel and kalimba samples, as notes and loops for pop, house, ambient and game music, with licence verdicts. - [Free piano samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-piano-samples.md): 36 samples from 4 sources. Free piano samples: single notes from grand and upright pianos for building an instrument, plus chords and loops, each with a preview and licence verdict. - [Free Rhodes and electric piano samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-rhodes-electric-piano-samples.md): 28 samples from 3 sources. Free Rhodes, Wurlitzer and electric piano samples: notes, chords and loops for neo-soul, lo-fi, jazz and R&B, with root notes and a licence verdict. - [Free string samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-string-samples.md): 28 samples from 2 sources. Free string samples: violin, viola, cello and double bass notes, ensemble sustains, pizzicato and staccato for orchestral and pop tracks, with licences. - [Free synth pad samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-synth-pad-samples.md): 36 samples from 4 sources. Free synth pad samples: warm analogue pads, evolving textures and ambient chords for ambient, synthwave, trap and cinematic tracks, with licences. - [Free synth pluck samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-synth-pluck-samples.md): 26 samples from 4 sources. Free synth pluck samples: short, bright plucked synth notes for house, trance, future bass and pop melodies, with root notes and a licence verdict. ## One-shots and multisamples A single note is enough for a stab or a quick melody. A multisampled instrument, with every few notes and several velocities recorded, plays like the real thing from a keyboard. Free orchestral projects such as the CC0 Versilian Community Sample Library and VSCO 2 Community Edition, university instrument archives, and piano sets such as Salamander provide multisamples for many instruments. ## Playing samples convincingly Write within each instrument's range and give players room to breathe. Vary velocity and timing slightly, use expression or volume automation for strings, winds and brass, and add one shared reverb so the instruments sound like they are in the same room. Root notes on the cards help you map one-shots correctly. ## Licences for instruments Instrument sample projects are among the most permissively licensed sounds available, often CC0 or free for any use, which makes them a safe base for a release. Recordings of public-domain pieces are different: the performance has its own copyright, so check the verdict on any recorded passage. ## Questions **What is a multisample?** A set of recordings of one instrument at many pitches, and often several velocities, mapped across a keyboard so it can be played like the instrument itself. **How do I load free instrument samples into my DAW?** Drop single notes into your DAW's sampler and set the root note. Multisampled instruments often come as SFZ files, which free samplers such as sfizz load directly. **Are free orchestral samples good enough for film music?** For sketches and many finished projects, yes, especially with careful programming and a good reverb. Large commercial libraries add more articulations and microphone positions. ## Guides - [CC0 vs CC BY vs royalty-free samples: what's the difference?](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/cc0-vs-cc-by-vs-royalty-free.md): CC0, CC BY and royalty-free licences all allow commercial music, with different strings: credit, redistribution and who granted them. A plain comparison. - [How to find samples by BPM and key](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/find-samples-by-bpm-and-key.md): Search loops, 808s and melodic samples by tempo and key, why half-time and relative keys match, and how to check a sample's real BPM and root note. - [WAV, AIFF, FLAC or MP3: which sample format should you use?](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/sample-formats-wav-mp3-flac.md): Use lossless WAV, AIFF or FLAC for production and MP3 or Ogg only for previews. Sample rate and bit depth explained: 44.1 or 48 kHz, 16 or 24-bit. ## Other kinds - [Free drum samples: kicks, snares, hats and breaks](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/drums.md) - [Free 808 and bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/bass-808s.md) - [Free loops by genre and tempo](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/loops.md) - [Free vocal samples: chops, a cappellas and shouts](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/vocals.md) - [Free sound effects for music: risers, impacts, sweeps](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/fx.md) - [Free foley sounds and ambience recordings](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/foley-ambience.md) --- Source: https://sound.shep.bot/samples/instruments