Hi guys, I have looked several times online and have never been able to find the basic 12 notes in any format that I could use (.wav, etc). Does any one have a link that they can share or possibly the files themselves? Thanks in advance for any help.

One reason why you're probably coming up empty handed is because most programs that have musical instrument samples do not allow distribution of single notes by themselves. To be able to use these patches you have to purchase the program aka license and then you can use them. But the terms related to most programs (and products that have samples) prohibit people from sharing the sounds in a single note format.

Now you don't list what kind of notes you're looking for. If you can give us more info, we can tell you what kind of programs would fit your needs.

Edit: My comments are in reference to samples of solo instruments that come with commercial products (like East West, Reason 4, etc). Personal samples of people playing instruments is a completely different thing altogether.

[Edited by - nsmadsen on January 13, 2009 10:26:14 PM]

EDIT:

NONO, This is the place.

Thanks owl, that looks like a good place to maybe find what I need.

nsmadsen:

I would be happy with A-G and all corresponding sharps/flats for either a guitar or piano for now. I have Guitar Pro, Garage Band, and Logic Studio but have had a hard time coming up with 12 short (1 second) sound files to use in a music learning game. Recording them hasn't worked out so well either since it's virtually impossible to get the same duration, etc for all 12 notes manually.

Hi there! Here is a source to explore. The University of Iowa's Electronic Music Studios have recorded orchestral instruments with professional performers that play the notes of the instruments from their low and high ranges with changes in dynamics, vibrato, etc.. This way, you not only get consistency, but variety in timbre, volume and expression.

You will have to do a bit of editing since not every note has been edited out, but if you're looking for individual notes for a particular instrument, this is the way to go. The files are in .aiff format. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

George

http://theremin.music.uiowa.edu/MIS.html

George,
Thanks for the link. I ended up using this for a rough draft because it was ALMOST what I needed. Unfortunately, I found that the files don't start exactly at the same time, i.e. if I start 3 notes at the same time to play a chord, they are slightly off (using the piano as an example). This is part of the problem why I haven't been able to record myself playing and I'm finding it hard to believe that there isn't something out there that is a more generic repository of music sounds that start at the same time and play for the same duration. I wouldn't even mind paying for them, I just can't find them.

Anybody know of a way to do this in Logic Pro?

How about a metronome?

These handy little devices are used to assist you in quantizing the passage of time--perhaps the problem with inconsistent durations is due to the fact that you have difficulty perceiving the passage of time in a consistent manner.

Buy a metronome.

(Here's a tip, use a watch, it is also a device that is used to quantize the passage of time--it's the perfect substitute for a metronome)

Of course, you also have to determine some sort of standard duration.

This is something you'll have to think considerably upon, for example, you could have a 5 second note or a 6 second note or a 1 second note or even, believe it or not, an 8 second note.

I wouldn't push it too far, though, if you're recording a wind/brass player they might run out of breath!

Whatever you decide, you'll want to stick to it.

So if you decide your notes should be 5 seconds long, then you should watch your clock carefully and make sure that you don't accidentally record for 8 seconds.

By the way, a clock and watch are interchangeable (didn't want to confuse you).

:P

I was able to use GarageBand to create a set of note files like you're describing. Just create a new song, put a single note in, then export the song as an audio file. The only trick is that GarageBand only exported in .m4a, and it took a bit of work to find a program that could handle them.

My notes were chimes, not piano or guitar, so they wouldn't do you much good.