Harmonium - Sample Instrument

Note: Swipe the image for a demo video

This hand-pumped Indian harmonium was a gift from a dear friend. I've always loved the

sound that comes out of these beautifully crafted wooden boxes and I knew the moment I first

played it that I wanted to create a sample instrument with it.

I used the humble Zoom H1n to capture a stereo image mimicking what you would hear as the

player; low notes tend to the left, high notes to the right. Using a carefully draped yoga mat I

dampened the clicks and creaks of the paper bellows on the back which would otherwise

become overwhelming over multiple samples. All 44 keys were sampled individually (including

release triggers) to impart the unique character and "attack" of each reed.

Features:

- Every key is a unique sample

- ~15 second samples with fine-tuned looping points for natural-sounding infinite drones

- Unique release triggers with volume control

- Wide-range ADSR control

- Adjustable sample start for a more "synth-like" sound

- 11 custom IR reverbs/delays made from my pedalboard (plus "frog")

- 3 presets exploring a range of possible sounds

Normally you're limited to playing with one hand because the other hand has to pump the

bellows. So this instrument gives you a chance to go wild with complex chords and drones. All

while preserving the "breathing" effect of the bellows. Enjoy!

- Andrew (Go Outside)

This instrument comes in the form of a “.dslibrary” file, which can be opened with the free Decent Sampler plugin - available for Mac, Windows, and Linux systems.