It’s that time of year again, when you’re going to hear some of the cheesiest music ever recorded, whether you like it or not. With that in mind, Somerville Sounds released Christmas Percussion for all the free sleigh bells you can handle!
Christmas is a time of year when everyone gets a free pass to be a little cheesy because the music almost exclusively prioritizes atmosphere over artistic merit.
Although there are some excellent Christmas songs and albums, I even like some of the cheesier stuff, and I’m not too proud to admit it.
If there’s a sound that embodies the yuletide spirit more than any other, it’s sleigh bells.
Well, it’s either sleigh bells or the sound of credit cards being declined because they were maxed out in the previous store while celebrating the gift of overpaying for things we don’t need.
Let’s go with sleigh bells.
Joking aside, sleigh bells are considered very cheesy, but you can’t have Christmas without them, whether in songs, commercials, or the sign of an approaching Santa Claus in every Christmas movie ever.
Christmas Percussion is a Prototype release from Somerville Sounds, which means it doesn’t require Kontakt or Kontakt Player. It comes in AU, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS and Windows.
The instrument provides a range of traditional and contemporary sleigh bell sounds. By contemporary, I mean things like clusters and extended shimmering textures. You can hear Jon Myer from Somerville Sounds put them to work in his typically fun and entertaining video.
If you’re a media composer, you need to have sleigh bells in your toolbox somewhere. If you’re new to Somerville Sounds and the Prototype series, go check out previous releases like Dusty Felts Piano and Antiquarian Guitar; some great stuff.
As always, this Prototype release is available for free under the pay-what-you-want model.
Anyone got any Christmas-time guilty pleasures? Fairytale of New York, Santa Baby, A Holly Jolly Christmas?
My favorites are everything from Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Sun Ra’s It’s Christmas Time.
Don’t forget about the 12 Days of Soundtoys; you don’t want to miss any freebies!
Download: Christmas Percussion (FREE / Name-your-price)
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Last Updated on December 11, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
