Composer/producer launches free virtual instruments
Sulcata Sound is the latest venture of Jason Graves, a two-time British Academy Award-winnning composer, producer and percussionist renowned for his work on titles such as Still Wakes The Deep, Dead Space, Tomb Raider, Far Cry Primal, Until Dawn and Prey. The first release under the new brand sees Jason share two virtual instruments - Jason's Piano and API Drums - that have been created in collaboration with programmer Frederic Poirier and mix engineer Jo l Dolli .
Jason's Piano The first of the two instruments, as its name suggests, captures the composer's piano, a Boston GP-193 Performance Edition II. Performance, recording and editing tasks were carried out by Jason himself, with the instrument's scripting and GUI design handled by Frederic Poirier, and the final mixing of the sounds taken care of by Jo l Dolli . High-end gear employed on the session includes a matched pair of Telefunken ELA M 260 valve mics and API 3124V preamps.
API Drums The second offering provides users with a carefully recorded drum kit that promises to deliver a punchy, warm sound that boasts plenty of sustain and power. Here's an overview of the gear used to create the instrument:
The Drum Kit
Mapex Black Panther Blaster
Maple shells with walnut rings
Kick 22x18 (Aquarian Super Kick II, Aquarian Regulator)
Tom 12x9, 16x16 (Remo Pinstripes & Aquarian Classic Clear)
Snare 6.5x 14 (Ludwig Black Beauty, Remo Powerdot & Clear Ambassador)
Paiste Signature Series Cymbals (14 Signature Dark Energy Hi-Hats, 12 Signature Splash, 19 Signature Full
Crash, 20 Signature Full Crash, 20 Signature Dry Ride)
Microphones
Overheads: AKG B-ULSII Transformer x2
Room: AEA R-88a
Kick: Audix D6
Snare Top: Shure SM57
Snare Bottom: Audix i5
Tom High: Audix D2
Tom Low: Audix D4
Hi-Hats: Shure SM7B
Ride: beyerdynamic M 160
I've been collecting instruments and recording unique sounds for more than fifteen years. Sulcata Sound is my official audio repository for this constantly growing, project-driven collection. Music conveys emotions instantaneously. These instruments are crafted for compositional inspiration. They are designed to tell a story, from the instrument' itself (a bit of a stretch for many of my more esoteric, found-sound sources) and microphone choice, to the post-processing through specific and often drastic outboard hardware. I hope these sounds inspire users as much as they have me, and, at the very least, encourage them to take the next steps toward their own personal journey of discovery and adventure in the world of music. - Jason Graves
Compatibility Jason's Piano and API Drums run in the free Decent Sampler, which is supported on Windows, macOS and Linux systems.
www.decentsamples.com
Availability Jason's Piano and API Drums are both available now, and are free to download. A third addition to the range, Replicant Synth, is set to follow in the not-too-distant future.
sulcatasound.com
Europe Stories
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
15/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
15/06/2025
Composer/producer launches free virtual instruments
Sulcata Sound is the latest venture of Jason Graves, a two-time British Academy Award-winnning composer,...
14/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
13/06/2025
Photo credit: Atsushi Nishijima
If you're a true lover of rom-coms, chances...
13/06/2025
New iPad/iPhone synth App announced
Following on from last year's release of Gradient Synth - which reached #6 on the App Store's Paid Music charts ...
13/06/2025
In fulfilment of a recommendation by the Government's Expert Advisory Commit...
13/06/2025
New FSWX signal and spectrum analyzer with novel architecture overcomes limits o...
13/06/2025
Apple today announced the addition of iPad to Self Service Repair, providing iPad owners with access to repair manuals, genuine Apple parts, Apple Diagnostics t...
13/06/2025
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed iOS 26, a major update that brings a beautiful new design, intelligent experiences, and improvements to the apps use...
13/06/2025
At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple unveiled Apple Games, an all-new destination designed to help players jump back into the games they...
12/06/2025
In 2018, Spotify launched Heart & Soul, a mental health initiative developed to ...
12/06/2025
Technology now widely available to creators
Sony have announced that they are expanding access to their 360 Virtual Mixing Environment technology, which is ...
12/06/2025
Combines distortion, transient shaping & more
The latest plug-in to join Arturia's line-up has been designed to provide a quick and intuitive way to cra...
12/06/2025
Improved specs & redesigned mount
DPA have just announced the upcoming launch of the 4099 CORE , a new and improved version of their renowned instrument mic...
12/06/2025
New eight-fader control surface announced
SKnote have just announced the launch of the Etna-C, a new DAW control surface and MIDI controller that's been...
12/06/2025
Thursday 12 June 2025
Sky Sports has revealed its on-screen line-up for the Qat...
12/06/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales has secured the top spot in the 2025 rank...
12/06/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales strengthens its European leadership in re...
11/06/2025
When a music fan creates a playlist on Spotify, it's not just for listening-...
11/06/2025
Hur s krar vi Europas konkurrenskraft i en tid av snabb teknikutveckling? Och hur rustar vi samh llet f r framtidens kompetensbehov inom AI, tech och kultur? Un...
11/06/2025
Spotify and ENHYPEN are inviting fans to step inside the world of DESIRE : UNLEA...
11/06/2025
Innovative virtual instrument reimagines the drum kit
Majetone have recently announced the launch of a new virtual instrument that offers a new take on drum...
11/06/2025
Latest Dante-equipped Apollo units available worldwide
Universal Audio have announced that the latest two Dante-equipped additions to their Apollo line-up a...
11/06/2025
500-series EQ inspired by the TAB W95
Iceland-based audio experts Atomic Analog have announced that the Tonograf, a 500-series module that draws inspiration...
11/06/2025
Singer-songwriter competition open for entries
Casio Music UK have announced that their Casio Sessions competition has returned for 2025, and is now open to...
11/06/2025
Wednesday 11 June 2025
Production begins on the 11th series of flagship Sky Art...
11/06/2025
Milestone: 2,600 Dental Practices in Westphalia-Lippe Connected to Future-Proof ...
11/06/2025
Ipsos iris is the UKOM endorsed service measuring the online behaviour of audiences.
Our independent verification provided Ipsos iris with documented assurance...
11/06/2025
RT Commercial has today announced Mercedes-Benz Ireland as the car partner of The Traitors Ireland, coming to RT One and RT Player in the Autumn.
Mercedes-B...
11/06/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
In response to the increasing frequency and inte...
11/06/2025
SC-BINARY 225: highly flexible AES/EBU & DMX cable posted: 11/06/2025
SC-BINARY 225: highly flexible AES/EBU & DMX cable with 2 x 0.25 mm and soft HTPE j...
10/06/2025
A new generation of artists is redefining Morocco's pop music scene, blending their deep-rooted heritage with contemporary influences to create sounds that ...
10/06/2025
Since Audiobooks in Premium launched on Spotify in 2023, we've seen strong g...
10/06/2025
New version features built-in 16-band vocoder
Arturia have announced the launch of the MiniFreak Vocoder Edition, a new special-edition version of their pop...
10/06/2025
Launched alongside Beatmaker CHROMED instrument
With the launch of Beatmaker 3, virtual instrument experts UJAM have combined all of their Beatmaker titles ...
10/06/2025
Sample Peak, RMS, K-12, K-14 and K-20 metering
Evergreen Audio have announced the release of Mini Meter, a new free, lightweight metering plug-in designed t...
10/06/2025
Recreates the legendary Echoplex
The latest addition to Heritage Audio's growing collection of plug-ins has just arrived, delivering an authentic-soundi...
10/06/2025
Tuesday 10 June 2025
To view this content, please enable our use of cookies. To...
10/06/2025
Tuesday 10 June 2025
Sky Kids has commissioned My Friend Maisy, a brand-new 2D ...
10/06/2025
Comscore and Adelaide Expand Access to High-Quality, Attention-Optimized Curat...
10/06/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA...
10/06/2025
Family described their shock and distress at seeing footage of their father bein...
09/06/2025
It was Thursday night in New York City and The Box was buzzing with excitement. The edgy nightclub, known for its lavish theatrics, provided the perfect backdro...
09/06/2025
Heralds new era for Electronic Drummers
Roland, in collaboration with Drum Workshop (DW), has unveiled the DrumLink wireless system, which they are calling ...
09/06/2025
Latest STELLAR.45 driver-equipped model announced
Following on from the recent release of the DT 770 PRO X, beyerdynamic have announced the launch of the DT...
09/06/2025
Heralds new era for Electronic Drummers
Roland, in collaboration with Drum Workshop (DW), has unveiled the DrumLink wireless system, what they are calling a...
09/06/2025
A free plug-in for generating explorative reverbs
JMG Sound have introduced HyperspaceCore, a free reverb plug-in based on the algorithms from their Hypersp...
Composer/producer launches free virtual instruments 
