Church Bells is the latest Decent Sampler library from Joonas Ylänne, the developer behind AV‑Ylänne, and it’s one of those brilliantly unexpected additions.
If you’re not using Decent Sampler, you’re missing out on a world of free sounds, many of which are brilliantly unexpected. Decent Sampler is free to download in AU, VST, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
You might not typically use the word versatile to describe the sound of church bells, but that’s what makes this library so unexpected.
It’s not the fairytale sound you might expect to hear in a musical; it’s dark, ominous, and atmospheric.
Another spooky sound is just what we need before Halloween, and it’s a perfect partner for the Circus Horror Strings sample pack by A Sound Effect.
The dark character of the bells makes Church Bells interesting, but the versatility comes from the adjustable parameters: Attack, Release, Reverb, Delay, and Time.
You can transform the sound from a sort of pitched percussive strike to long pad-like tones. At higher ranges, you can even generate sounds resembling a choir.
Church Bells allows you to create layered atmospheric textures while letting the bells ring out ominously or form a clearer melodic line.
Like many Decent Sampler libraries, there’s an interesting story behind the creation of Church Bells.
After a church without bells had an equipment malfunction that prevented the playback of recorded bells, Joonas Ylänne stepped in to help. Joonas re-recorded the sound of the bell strikes at Puolimatkan chapel (Finland), and later on decided to turn these recordings into an instrument.
Church Bells wasn’t planned, but so much good in music comes by chance.
Joonas has released multiple Decent Sampler libraries, including the recent Buttons from Hell, another unexpected and surprisingly versatile instrument.
You can find the full collection of Joonas Ylänne’s Decent sampler libraries on the developer’s Gumroad page.
If you want something slightly less ominous, but still incredibly atmospheric, check out auras:veils by Venus Theory. Venus Theory’s Auras project has produced some of the best Decent Sampler content available.
Download: Church Bells (FREE / Name-your-price)
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Last Updated on October 8, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
