This week, SampleRadar is delivering a vast repository of high-quality samples… of low-quality sounds.
Confused? Think Atari, Casio, Commodore 64, Nintendo, Sega, Dr Who (version 1) and Speak & Spell. It's a combination of brutal harshness and delicate pathos that only 8-bit audio can bring.
The collection also features some more contemporary flavours, albeit rammed through all manner of corrosive hardware and plug-ins.
What you need to know
The samples are split into six folders, each of which contains a construction kit of samples (some also include a demo loop so that you can hear what you're getting into). As well as loops, each kit also contains hits and multisamples.
All the samples are supplied as 24-bit 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 retro and degraded samples are supplied in a zip file, so you'll need to extract them before you can see them. Enjoy!
Example sounds
Bass (kit 1)
Drums (kit 2)
Lead synth (kit 3)
FX (kit 4)
Retro and degraded samples: click to download
Retro and degraded samples (312MB)
These samples originally appeared on Computer Music magazine's cover DVD. Check out the latest issue for many more.
Retro and degraded tutorials
How to make a glitchy beat in Logic 9
"He came and asked for some money, but it was alright... if it’s a hook, or I feel like I’ve taken their idea, then I'd always try and pay for it": Fatboy Slim on sampling's "Wild West" origins - and nicking the bassline from The Clash's Guns of Brixton
"Many offer 'vintage-sounding' samples, but we’re offering the real thing": Tracklib announces "first of its kind" royalty-free sample packs made up of authentic '70s recordings
