Mexican Marimba
Deeply sampled, with multiple mallets and microphone positions.
Prized for its rich, warm sound and distinctive resonating chambers, the marimba is a cornerstone of Mexican musical traditional.
Recorded at Studio Uno in the beautiful hills of Oaxaca, this library preserves the heritage and character of the Mexican marimba.
Each note was sampled four times across three dynamics, with three microphone positions. This detail provides the depth and variation needed to craft convincing performances.
Special attention was given to capturing the buzz of the resonators, a feature that sets the Mexican marimba apart. This unique tonal texture is present throughout the library, bringing an unmistakable authenticity to each note.
Audio Demos
Highlights
Resonators
The Mexican marimba’s resonators have membranes that buzz when struck, adding a unique, synth-like quality to its sound.
Microphones
Three mic positions, close, overhead, and room. Full control for the perfect mix.
12 Round Robins
Natural, varied playback, eliminating the mechanical feel of repeated notes for a more realistic performance.
Techniques
Sustain and hand-muted samples for either natural decay or a shorter release.
Mallets
A choice of hard or soft mallets, giving you control over the character of each note.
Filter
Use the built-in filter to tame the buzz of the resonators when needed.
What’s Included
Playing Techniques
The library was recorded with two playing techniques, sustain and muted. The tonal character doesn’t change between them, the difference is in release of each note. With the sustains, the sound is allowed to fade out naturally. With the muted technique, each bar is dampened by hand shortly after being struck.
We’ve also included two different mallet types, normal and soft. Both techniques and mallets can be selected using key switches.
Round Robins
We recorded four repetitions for each note and through neighbour borrowing scripting this has been extend to provide twelve unique round robins at each of the three dynamic levels.
Microphones
The marimba was captured with three overhead mics, one omni close mic at the level of the resonators, and a pair of stereo room mics. The library includes a built in mixer and you can route the individual channels to separate outputs for finer control.
Resonance
The resonating chambers below the instrument are what make the Mexican marimba unique. However sometimes you might want to tone that resonance down a little. In addition to the softer mallet option the interface includes a resonance knob. This controls a peak filter, tuned to give you some control over the level of buzzing.
Tech Specs
| Format | Rhapsody |
| Samples | 2000 @ 24-bit / 48kHz |
| Size (Compressed) | 11GB |
| Max Round Robins | 7 |
| Release Tails | Yes |
| Articulations | 10 |
Rhapsody Player
Built for the free Rhapsody Player. Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
What Our Users Say
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sample library?
A sample library is a virtual musical instrument.
They are created by recording 1000s of individual notes on a real instrument.
These recordings are then chopped up into individual files, called samples, and mapped in software so that they can be triggered using MIDI.
Is it Apple Silicon Native?
Yes, the instrument runs within the free Rhapsody Player, which runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon systems.
Can I use it in commercial work?
Yes absolutely! For full details please see the license.
What makes this marimba different?
This library captures the distinctive buzz of the instrument’s resonators, a unique feature of traditional Mexican marimbas.
Where was the library recorded?
The marimba was recorded at Studio Uno in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Does it work in Pro Tools?
Yes. The instruments runs in the free Rhapsody Player which is available as an AAX plugin for use in Pro Tools.
Does it work in FL Studio?
Yes, but FL Studio occasionally brings up unique issues.
If you run into any problems in FL Studio there are two things you can try straight away.
- Firstly, make sure you are using an audio buffer size that is a power of two: 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, etc.
- Secondly, enable FL Studio’s align tick lengths option. You can find this in Options > Audio Settings > CPU > Align Tick Lengths.
If you’re still having problems with Rhapsody Player in FL Studio please contact us and we’ll do what we can to get you up and running.
How do I install it?
The instrument runs within the free Rhapsody Player.
Simply download and install Rhapsody, and download all the .hr files for the instrument – there might just be one file or there could be multiple, it varies by instrument. The files are numbered so you know how many there are.
Next launch the Rhapsody standalone app, then click the + button and follow the on-screen instructions to install the instrument.
What styles of music is it suitable for?
The library works well for traditional Mexican music, world music, film scoring, percussion ensembles, and contemporary productions looking for an organic melodic percussion sound.
What playing techniques are included?
The library includes both Sustain and Hand Muted techniques. Sustain samples allow notes to ring out naturally, while Hand Muted samples are dampened shortly after being struck.
Like what you hear?
Rich, authentic, and buzzing with character.
Add this one of a kind instrument to your collection today.