Decomposer has released the alpha version of Sitala, a forthcoming freeware standalone drum sampler instrument also available in VST and AU plugin formats for PC and Mac.
Sitala is intended as a simple, workflow-oriented drum sampler instrument with a minimal user interface. The plugin comes with 16 drum slots for loading external samples and four control knobs for adjusting the sound parameters of each drum slot individually. It can load audio files in a variety of formats, including WAV, AIFF, MP3, WMA, FLAC, and more. The loaded samples can be saved as kits for quick access later on. The instrument comes pre-loaded with two drum machine kits labeled Classic 08 and Classic 09.
See also: Grace Is A FREE Sampler VST Plugin By One Small Clue!As for the sound parameters, there are four for each drum pad: Shape, Compressor, Tuning, and Volume. The shape control is a simple one-knob envelope which shortens the decay when pushed to the left and softens the attack when pushed to the right. The compressor activates the built-in dynamic range compression effect which can be used to fatten up kicks, snares, and other drum sounds. The pitch and volume parameters are rather self-explanatory. Mute and solo buttons are positioned below each drum pad for easy access.
While testing Sitala, I quite liked the simplicity of it. This instrument is the type of drum sampler I’d want to use when starting a new project or when I have a musical idea that needs to be translated to the DAW as quickly as possible. One major drawback of the current version is the lack of stereo pan controls. I’d love to see a pan control parameter added in a future version of the plugin, as the stereo positioning of the samples is a must-have feature in a drum sampler. It also wouldn’t hurt to have a global volume control, nor the ability to remap the drum slots to different MIDI notes.
All things considered, the alpha version of Sitala is very promising. It was stable during my test and I think it can become a great freeware drum samplers with a few minor improvements. You can download the current alpha version of Sitala from the product page linked below and also join the beta testing team if you’d like to help the developers further improve Sitala. The instrument can be used in standalone mode or as a VST and AU plugin for compatible digital audio workstations on Windows and MacOS.
Sitala is available for free download via Decomposer (19.8 MB download size, MSI installer, standalone application, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU plugin format for Windows & MacOS).
