The free Soundpaint sample engine gets a significant update. It now features User Sample Import, making it possible to create third-party sample libraries.
The Soundpaint plugin comes from the creators of 8DIO, a brand with an extensive history of deep-sampling incredible instruments.
I know they have some world-class libraries, but I didn’t realize that 8DIO sounds are “used in over 40% of all major Blockbuster movies, Video Games, TV-Shows, Top-40 Productions and played billions and billions of times.” That is quite an astonishing fact, not that I can verify it, but I’ve no reason to think it’s not the case.
8DIO also partnered with Sequential on the flagship Prophet X synth.
Soundpaint version 1.1 now comes with a brand new Editor that makes importing samples easy. Once you open the Editor window, you can drag and drop your samples straight in.
The Soundpaint Editor accepts all common sound formats, including MP3, AIFF, WAV, M4A, FLAC, and OGG. The only requirement is that your samples are either 16-bit or 24-bit at 48 kHz.
Once you add samples, you can position them across the desired keyboard range. If you add a note value, like C4, for example, to the filename, Soundpaint’s Editor will automatically position the sample on the right note.
Assigning a sample to multiple notes is simple; just grab and drag either side of the marker to cover the desired range. You can also use the auto-fill feature to fill the gaps between samples or the entire keyboard, so you have a sound on every key.
You can save your arrangement as a new part and load it from the User Parts menu on the main window.
Soundpaint allows up to four parts at once with carious morphing options. You can create some fantastic multi-layered, morphing sounds in combination with existing Soundpaint parts or more external samples.
We’ve covered Soundpaint a few times, most recently the ASMR Sound Library, and I like it. I like that the foundation of the entire project revolves around lessening the gap between your idea and making music. While I’m sure there are still improvements to be made along the way, I think this update is a significant step forward.
User Sample Import brings it closer to Decent Sampler in creating your own instruments, although Soundpaint is far more expansive. It also strengthens Soundpaint’s case as a legit alternative to Kontakt, which I think is great (I’m not a huge Kontakt fan).
Soundpaint is an excellent free tool, and I think it will continue to get better.
Download: Soundpaint
More:
8 Comments
Ike
onFunny enough IKM Sampletank also added user sample import just this week. I have not tried the feature in either of these sample players, but I’m curious which one would work best to quickly create playable sample patches from key-tagged multisamples.
Priyanshu Kainthola
onYou No longer need USB Dongle for VSL instruments!
Go Download all those freebies at their website.
Jamie
onyep, they already have articles for all the freebies here on bpb
cmd
onRegarding creating your own libraries TX16Wx is by far the best sampler, 100% free with an even more powerful paid version. Soundpaint prices are a joke, they profit shamelessly from the audio visual niche like Krotos (I’m film maker) because film sound designers already have a position or the project’s been financed. Musicians and producers design sound before having a budget or a nice job…
Tomek
onIt’s quite funny that James Nugent emphasizes in almost every text that he does not like NI products, even if the text has nothing to do with Native Instruments products. Is this some deep trauma or something?
James N
onHey, sorry for the slow response.
I’d have to go back and check, but I don’t think I’ve ever brought up N.I unless I’m comparing it to the software in the article. In this case, it’s Kontakt.
I have no negative bias towards N.I. I don’t think I’ve ever over-criticized the sound quality of N.I products; some are outstanding. I’ve pointed out in several posts that I started with Maschine (before MPC), I used Kontakt regularly, and recently I mentioned how Massive used to be a go-to sound for years. My issue is that I avoid using some outstanding libraries now because along the way, I got sick of Kontakt in particular, and I think alternatives like Soundpaint are doing a better job of putting the customer/musician first.
I’m guilty of saying this more than once, but again, it’s typically if talking about something I feel is doing a better job than Kontakt. Anything I say is said as a disheartened former/longtime user, not an N.I-hater haha.
IK Multimedia get a lot of grief over their install/activation processes, and I often say it’s unfair, but I acknowledge it used to be far worse. Steinberg’s download assistant/activation manager is awful; I don’t single out N.I, but when we deal with samplers and libraries, Kontakt is fair game, and it’s just a personal opinion. If it starts to blow everything else out of the water, I’ll start using it again, no problem. My news posts are pretty lighthearted; there’s nothing sinister in the text, but if you want to question anything or think I’ve got it wrong, comment, and I’ll explain or say I got it wrong.
Cheers!
Denys Chumak
onRight after installing the Soundpaint Free Engine on my Windows machine, Windows system alerted me about malicious file it’s found, named “PUA:Win32/CoinMiner” in the list.
Did anyone else experienced the same?
Jip
onHi Denys! When trying to update my soundpaint version Bitdfefender stopped the installation with a desinfection message. I could try to disable Bitdefender but I am not sure if I should… How did you solve your issue.. Do you think the installer is safe?