SampleRadar: 371 free vintage house and techno samples

technics
(Image credit: Future)

This sample set focuses on the essentials of vintage house and techno: beats and basslines. These two instruments are subdivided into tempo (120, 125 & 128bpm) and, in the case of the beats, processing style. 

The beats were run in parallel through four groups: Neutral, Tape, Room and Comp. Neutral was just some simple top'n'tail EQ, a dash of exciter and some compression/limiting to finish. Tape chained up a set of emulations and saturators, with a few EQs and compressors interspersed making slight adjustments along the way. 

The main building blocks were the UAD Studer A800, Ampex ATR102 and Fatso Sr. Room took the basic process of Neutral and added reverb, courtesy of the new Eventide SP2016 Reverb plugin, with some compression to squeeze it all together at the end. Comp chains up compressors for a more upfront, aggressive sound.

The featured kit of each tempo (A – 120bpm, B – 125bpm, C – 128bpm) is broken down into layers (kick, kick/snare, snare/claps, tops, perc, etc.), so new combinations can be made, processed or blended with other loops. There are also a set of mixed layer loops from another kit in each tempo, for variety and more layering possibilities (these are a little more bare than the main kit BeatMix loops).

There is a set of basslines from six instruments, all very much in vintage mode. The only analogue offering is from the trusty Novation BassStation, which was programmed and then recorded through the Alesis 3630 compressor, JDK Audio R24 EQ and CAPI VP26 preamp. The others were programmed in Arturia V Collection synths (Prophet 5, Jupiter 8, MiniMoog, Matrix 12) and the UVI Workstation (DX synths).

What you need to know

These samples are divided into two folders: Bass Lines and Drum Loops. These two folders are further divided by tempo.

All the samples are supplied as WAV files so can be imported directly into your DAW or sampler of choice. Because they're royalty-free, you're welcome to use the samples in your music in any way you like - all we ask is that you don't re-distribute them.

The samples are supplied in a zip file, so you'll need to extract them before you can see them. Enjoy!

Example sounds

Vintage house and techno samples: click to download

Vintage house and techno samples (136MB)

These samples originally appeared in Future Music Magazine. Check out the latest issue for many more.

Head over to the SampleRadar hub to download over 75,000 more free samples.

Tutorials

10 steps to hotter hi-hats

How to create the perfect hi-hats and cymbals

How to program authentic live disco hi-hats

How to program realistic-sounding hi-hat parts

How to shape hi-hats with distortion and transient effects

How to make noise-based hi-hats in Ableton Live

sampleradar

(Image credit: Future)
The MusicRadar team

MusicRadar is the number 1 website for music makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, djs or producers...

  • GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high- quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.
  • TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.
  • STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music making that no other music website can.
Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects… image
Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects…
…with the latest issue of Computer Music magazine