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Best Folk Samples

Want to jump straight to the answer? Our choice for the Best Folk Samples is Mother Merey and the Black Dirt from Converse Sample Library!

Folk music is a staple in the history of music in America. It has influenced modern genres or blues, country, bluegrass, and even rock. There is a signature authentic sound that is involved with folk music and it goes down to the roots of those who first played it. As a general rule of thumb, it’s not a genre that is overproduced or often uses samples because of the desire for the real deal sounds. Unfortunately, going into a studio and tracking 3 fiddle players, a mandolin, drums, and so much more, is out of the question for a lot of people. That is why finding the best folk samples was so important for this list. 

Quicklook: Best Folk Samples

  1. Mother Merey and the Black Dirt – Converse Sample Library
  2. Country Folk – Big Fish Audio
  3. Paul Mabury: Iconic Signature – That Sound
  4. Nathan Chapman Sample Pack – Splice
  5. Constellations: Cosmic Americana – Splice Originals
  6. Mind Games – Trak Train

What To Look For When Choosing a Folk Sample

Looking through the few Folk samples out there, we started to find ones that weren’t solely American folk but started to reach into other nationalities’ versions of folk. With that in mind, we tried to find what is most commonly recognized as “folk” with a few outlying styles mixed in. But before you go through and listen to these sounds, think about how they will work for you with these factors. 

Pricing

Working with Folk Sample, there aren’t as many options out there as other styles of music. Luckily, most of the sample packs are fairly cheap especially when you use a subscription-like with Splice

Frequency of Use

Depending on what sort of sample you have will determine how often you will be able to use it. An instrument such as drums is easy to use repeatedly, but a vocal line or guitar lick is going to be harder to reuse because of its uniqueness. 

Skill Level

To work with Folk samples I almost want to say will take an above-average skill level in regards to samples overall. You have to understand the genre as with any other style. But depending on how you plan to use the samples will change how much effort and skill you will need to use them. For instance, using the samples to create an authentic folk song will take more skill to keep that authentic sound, while using them for some sort of remix will require less since the nuances will be easier to hide.  

Jump to:

  1. Mother Merey and the Black Dirt – Converse Sample Library
  2. Country Folk – Big Fish Audio
  3. Paul Mabury: Iconic Signature – That Sound
  4. Nathan Chapman Sample Pack – Splice
  5. Constellations: Cosmic Americana – Splice Originals
  6. Mind Games – Trak Train

6 Best Folk Samples

1. Mother Merey and the Black Dirt – Converse Sample Library

Best for: Gritty Folk Samples 

From the dirty resonator guitar sound to the organic percussion, this is a great folk pack through and through. Mother Merey and the Black Dirt are the embodiment of what folk was meant to be, 3 friends sitting on a porch jamming. They turned their sound into an incredible mix of new styles that meets the old sound, you don’t want to miss using this on your tracks. 

Price: Available with Splice Subscription

What is included? 333 Loop Samples including

  • Banjo
  • Harmonica
  • Vocals
  • Guitar
  • Percussion

2. Country Folk – Big Fish Audio

Best for: The Roots of Folk Music

For the perfect backing track of a film or just listening to music, this sample pack has all you need. With the fiddles, shakers, and mandolins I felt like I was in a room full of musicians giving a real live performance. You can feel the skill and passion behind these players. 

Price: $121.86

What is included? 6 GB of Loops and One Shots including

  • Cello
  • Organ
  • Banjo
  • Djembe
  • Tambourine 

3. Paul Mabury: Iconic Signature – That Sound

Best for: Raw Drum Sounds

This pack is not specifically classified as a folk pack, but the Paul Mabury: Iconic Signature pack is full of real drum sounds that you need. What makes these drums so perfect is that they have a raw uncompressed sound that is perfect for folk music. Everything in this pack is raw and ready for your songs. 

Price: Available with Splice Subscription

What is included? 278 One-Shot Samples including

  • Kicks
  • Ride
  • Crash
  • Sweeps
  • Toms

4. Nathan Chapman Sample Pack – Splice

Best for: Modern Folk and Country

When it comes to modern country and folk, there is no greater producer than Nathan Chapman who has won 2 Album of the Year Grammy Awards. He has worked with country stars like Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, and more. He knows how to bring old styles and sounds into the modern world of music and give it the punch it needs. 

Price: Available with Splice Subscription

What is included? 207 Samples including

  • 134 Loops
  • 73 One-Shots
  • Slide Guitar
  • Plucks
  • Mandolin
  • Dobro

5. Constellations: Cosmic Americana – Splice Originals

Best for: Atmospheric Folk

When Ghost Riders in the Sky came out as a song, it was just thought of as folk/western music. But when I heard this pack, my mind jumped straight to that song. It planted the idea of a cosmic sound within folk music that can be obtained easily with creativity with the instruments around you. 

Price: Available with Splice Subscription

What is included? 381 Samples including

  • 275 Loops
  • 106 One-Shots
  • Pedal Steel
  • Accordion
  • Slide

6. Mind Games – Trak Train

Best for: Modern Folk Guitar

Listening to this pack you can feel the influences of folk writing on the entirety. It has sounds that remind me of the Black Keys who are more of a rock sound, but they have the American Rock sound that came from folk. The pack is based around the sounds that made up the 60’s where everything was just growing out of folk and blues into what we now know today. 

Price: Available with Splice Subscription

What is included? 100 Loop Samples of Guitar

Frequently Asked Questions

What time signatures does Folk music use?

Folk will primarily use either a 2/4 or 4/4 signature.

What characteristics does Folk music have?

Folk is known for using simple and repeating chord progressions, as well as not overcomplicated key signatures. Natural keys are very common.

The Sounds of Home

Folk music is a genre that is near and dear to me from my own familial roots. Whenever I hear music like this I think of my family and it cultivates the desire to create more music to house memories like that. Music is not just something to listen to and enjoy, it is an expression of emotion, and even gives its own account of history in a sense. You can tell the state of the world just by listening to the music of that decade. The ’60s and ’70s were a time of reinventing society. The 2000s were carefree, in a sense, which is where so many of our modern pop artists came from. 

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