ELPHNT has released a collection of 125 freely downloadable (pay what you want) Korg MS-20 analog synthesizer waveform samples in AIF format. Along with the base pack, ELPHNT is also offering a collection of Ableton Live presets which are priced at $20 (an exclusive 75% discount is available for BPB readers).
The library contains 125 samples in total, capturing the sounds of MS-20’s saw, square, pulse, triangle and noise waveforms. Each waveform was sampled across six octaves (two samples per octave). The square waveform was sampled at five different pulse width values (30%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%).
Obviously, raw waveforms are not the most exciting thing you can add to your sample arsenal, but having them does make sense if you use a synthesizer capable of loading external waveforms, or if you like using your sampler as a synth. The old analog vs. digital debate is pretty much a thing of the past nowadays, yet there are definitely music makers out there (myself included) who still prefer the sound of analog synths, even if it’s coming from a sampled waveform. The MS-20 has always been known for its gritty and raw waveform sound, so this freebie pack is absolutely worth checking out if you’re into this sort of thing.
For Ableton Live users, the $20 preset pack is a worthy investment, since all the waveforms are already mapped and ready to use in a project. You can get 75% off the base price if you purchase the Ableton Live pack by following the link below. To grab the AIF version of the library (audio samples only), simply select it in the drop-down menu on the product page and enter any amount you want before downloading.
Korg MS-20 waveforms are available for free download via Gumroad (132 MB download size, ZIP archive, contains 125 audio samples in AIF format, Ableton Live presets also available for purchase on the product page).
3 Comments
Erwin Vomberg
onIt seems to me pretty unclear, why someone wants to use Samples of a MS 20 when you can use a (real) MS 20 (Plugin made by Korg).
That goes for all samples of synthesizers. To sample a synthesizer makes no sense, unless for the believers in that “magic analog sound” if the samples have been taken from analog gear. But thats a religious question.
Tomislav Zlatic
onThe reason is that the MS-20 plugin synthesizes those waveforms digitally, whereas the sampled waveforms preserve the authentic sound of the hardware unit. It’s a minor thing, but some of us still prefer using those sampled waveforms sometimes.
Adrien Kjer
onI partly have to agree with Erwin on this… This pack only consists of the oscillator waveforms. Just a basic waveform out of an analog oscillator is really not that special. I doubt there is even any audible difference between the oscillators from the real MS-20 (mini) and a software emulation. It actually are the filters, envelopes, modulation, feedback distortion, or anything else achieved by patching that really give the MS-20 it’s characteristic sound. No single sample pack (or emulation) is going to give you the results that you can achieve with a real MS-20.