Michaela’s Harp
A deeply playable folk harp with a warm, traditional sound.
The traditional Celtic harp is an ancient instrument native to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and parts of Northern France.
I created this library because I love the Celtic harp’s delicate yet feisty spirit. It can be soft and gentle, bold and strong, and everything in-between.
The instrument includes normal plucked samples recorded at four dynamic levels. This is the default articulation and has that quintessential warm resonant sound that is unique to the Celtic harp.
For occasions when it’s desirable to have a little less resonance We also recorded a separate set of damped string samples. To create these Michaela used her hands to damp the strings around the one being plucked.
Audio Demos
Michaela Dorrity
To create this wonderful library we spent a day in the studio with the talented Michaela Dorrity. Michaela is a musician and harp tutor, originally from Derry in Ireland, now based in England.
She studied with Brenda O’Somochain in Derry, achieving Senior 4 (grade 8) in 2012.
Since that time she’s been taught by Máire Nà Chathasiagh, Rachel Newton and Fiana Nà Chonaill.
She’s competed in the Fleadh Irish music competition, qualifying for the All Ireland Fleadh and reaching first place in the Donegal, and Northern Region of Britain Fleadhs.
Highlights
10 Articulations
Idiomatic articulations including sustain, damped, stopped, and triplet samples.
3 Mic Positions
Recorded in a studio with close, direct input, and room microphones. All controllable from the built in mixer.
Low Memory Usage
Despite containing over 2GB of content the library loads in less than 100MB of RAM.
Auto Repetition
Two articulations include auto-repetition. When enabled, releasing a note retriggers it, making fast repeats and tremolos easy.
Playable Triplets
Triplet samples for fast Celtic patterns. Sequenced for real-time playback with and rhythm control.
Velocity & Ahdsr
The velocity curve and AHDSR envelope can be set independently for each articulation.
What’s Included
We recorded a modern Celtic harp with a warm tone and a built in pick-up. This allowed us to create a direct input recording in addition to two stereo microphone positions. We recorded in a studio so the samples are fairly dry which will help you blend and layer them with your other instruments.
Sustain
The classic sound of the Celtic harp. Recorded at four velocity controlled dynamic levels.
Damped
A less resonant sample set providing a rounder sound that tails off a little more quickly than the standard sustains.
Sustain/Damped + Repeat
The same as the regular sustain or damped samples with automatic retriggering when releasing a note. Great for fast passages and playable tremolos.
Stopped
A short sustain followed by the strings being hand stopped. The stopped samples are active in the lower part of the keyboard only.
Stopped Short
No sustain, just the stopped strings.
Sustain/Damped + Stopped Release
Similar to the auto-repetition articulation but triggering a stopped sample on release.
Triplets
Quick groups of three notes, as commonly used in Celtic harp music. A sound that’s difficult to simulate with individual plucked samples. Available in the middle of the key range.
Triplets Split
We took the triplet recordings and cut them into separate samples. Then we mapped them with a round robin behaviour so you can play the triplets with more control over their timing.
Tech Specs
| Format | Rhapsody |
| Samples | 1239 @ 24-bit / 48kHz |
| Size (Compressed) | 1.1GB |
| 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 software license.
What styles is it suited for?
Ideal for Irish and folk writing, but it also fits film, ambient, and modern productions.
Is tuning adjustable?
Yes the Rhapsody Player provides control over coarse and fine tuning.
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.
Will it blend with other instruments?
Yes, the library was recorded dry, in a studio environment. Making it really easy to fit it into your mix alongside other instruments.
Can I adjust response and sensitivity?
Yes, the velocity response can be adjusted using the table in the top left corner of the interface. The volume curve can be controlled using the AHDSR.
Both the velocity and envelope controls are set separately for each articulation, giving you total control. The values are stored in your DAW session or with any custom presets you create.
Rooted in Tradition
Capture authentic Celtic expression, from delicate lines to driving patterns.
Add it to your toolkit and start writing today.