The Home Recording Studio

How to Sound Like Peaky Blinders: Writing Dark Folk Tension Music
How to Sound Like Peaky Blinders: Writing Dark Folk Tension Music
April 6, 2026
The music in Peaky Blinders has become just as iconic as the characters and storytelling. From gritty folk textures to dark cinematic tension, the soundtrack plays a huge role in shaping the...
How Long Does Podcast Editing Really Take?
How Long Does Podcast Editing Really Take?
January 20, 2026
Recording a podcast episode is usually the easy part. Editing is where most creators underestimate the time involved — and where entire evenings quietly disappear. If you’ve ever finis...
Logic Pro Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Tutorial: Stock Plugins Only
Logic Pro Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Tutorial: Stock Plugins Only
November 22, 2025
If you’re a Logic Pro user, you probably rely on your favourite third-party plugins for saturation, reverb, tape wobble and all the usual Lo-Fi magic.But what happens if you take them all aw...

Free Virtual Instruments

A selection of free virtual instruments I have created, including ‘Imagine Piano’, ‘Rubber Bridge Guitar’ and ‘MB Analogue Drums’.

Please note that the Kontakt Instruments require the full version of NI Kontakt. Will work in Kontakt Player in Demo mode only.

Imagine Piano

Imagine Piano was recorded at the Hard Days Night hotel in Liverpool, England. With 2 different velocity layers and key release samples, the unique character of this piano has been captured in stunning detail.
Recorded with 6 different microphones split into three groups. Including Two omnidirectional pairs and one xy stereo pair of cardioid microphones.

Rubber Bridge Acoustic Guitar

A 1960’s Eko Parlour Guitar, modified with a rubber bridge to mute the strings. Sampled with both mono and stereo microphones plus the direct output. Blend the signals to taste and add effects such as delay and tremolo. The DI signal is then routed through an amp and cabinet which can be bypassed as desired. The master controls allow further effects and EQ.

A Kontakt Instrument Interface

MB Analogue Drums

Using the Arturia Mini Brute analogue synthesiser, I have crafted a collection of 13 different drum sounds. I created a free virtual instrument but you can also use the samples in the Wav format if desired. Have fun and explore the distinctive essence that the Arturia Mini Brute brings to your music.

Screenshot of MB Analogue Drum Kontakt Instrument

Enjoy these free virtual instruments and get creative!

Read more in the Home Recording Studio Blog

Home