---
license: cc0-1.0
task_categories:
- audio-classification
tags:
- drum-samples
- percussion
- one-shot
- sample-library
- idiophones
- membranophones
pretty_name: VCSL Percussion
size_categories:
- 1K<n<10K
configs:
- config_name: default
  data_files:
  - split: train
    path: data/train-*
dataset_info:
  features:
  - name: audio
    dtype: audio
  - name: filename
    dtype: string
  - name: instrument
    dtype: string
  - name: relative_path
    dtype: string
  splits:
  - name: train
    num_bytes: 1656709710
    num_examples: 1542
  download_size: 1255215594
  dataset_size: 1656709710
---

# VCSL Percussion

## Quick Start

```python
from datasets import load_dataset

# Stream to avoid downloading the entire dataset
ds = load_dataset("schismaudio/vcsl-percussion", streaming=True)

# Or download locally
ds = load_dataset("schismaudio/vcsl-percussion")
```

## Dataset Description

**VCSL Percussion** is the percussion subset of the [Versilian Community Sample Library (VCSL)](https://github.com/sgossner/VCSL), a free, open community project providing high-quality instrument samples for composers and developers. This subset contains 1,524 WAV samples across two Hornbostel-Sachs families: **Idiophones** (struck, friction, and plucked instruments whose bodies vibrate to produce sound) and **Membranophones** (instruments that produce sound from a vibrating membrane).

The full VCSL library covers orchestral and world instruments; this dataset extracts only the percussion-relevant directories, totaling approximately 1.5 GB. All samples are released under the **CC0-1.0 (public domain)** license, meaning no attribution is required and the samples can be used for any purpose without restriction.

## Dataset Structure

### Data Fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `audio` | `Audio` | WAV file, typically 44.1 or 48 kHz |
| `filename` | `string` | Original filename |
| `instrument` | `string` | Instrument name derived from directory path |
| `family` | `string` | Top-level family: `Idiophones` or `Membranophones` |
| `subcategory` | `string` | Playing technique category (e.g., `Struck Idiophones`, `Struck Membranophones`) |

### Directory Structure

```
Idiophones/
  Friction Idiophones/    (16 samples)
    Wine Glasses
  Plucked Idiophones/     (109 samples)
    Kalimba (Kenya, Tanzania)
    Mbira (multiple regional variants)
    Nyunga Nyunga
  Struck Idiophones/      (678 samples)
    Agogo Bells, Anvil, Balafon, Bell Tree, Brake Drum,
    Cabasa, Cajon, Claps, Clash Cymbals, Claves, Cowbells,
    Finger Cymbals, Flexatone, Glockenspiel, Gongs, Guiro,
    Hand Bells, Hand Chimes, Hi-Hat Cymbal, Marimba,
    Mark Trees, Ratchet, Shakers, Slapstick, Sleigh Bells,
    Slit Drum, Suspended Cymbals, Tambourines, Triangles,
    Tubular Bells, Tubular Glockenspiel, Vibraphone,
    Vibraslap, Woodblock, Xylophone
Membranophones/
  Struck Membranophones/  (718 samples)
    Bass Drums, Bongos, Conga, Darbuka, Frame Drum,
    Snare Drums (Modern + Rope Tension), Timpani, Toms
  Other Membranophones/   (3 samples)
    Ocean Drum
```

## Class Taxonomy

### Idiophones (803 samples)

**Struck Idiophones** (47 instrument directories, 678 samples):
- **Metallic pitched:** Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells (3 sets), Tubular Glockenspiel, Vibraphone (bowed, hard mallets, soft mallets)
- **Metallic unpitched:** Agogo Bells, Anvil, Bell Tree, Brake Drum, Cowbells, Finger Cymbals, Hand Bells (Nepalese), Hand Chimes, Mark Trees, Sleigh Bells, Triangles
- **Cymbals:** Clash Cymbals (2 sets), Hi-Hat Cymbal, Suspended Cymbals (2 sets)
- **Wooden pitched:** Balafon (hard/soft/traditional mallet), Marimba, Xylophone (hard/medium/soft mallets)
- **Wooden unpitched:** Claves, Guiro, Ratchet, Slapstick, Slit Drum, Woodblock
- **Auxiliary:** Cabasa, Cajon, Claps, Flexatone, Shakers (large/small), Tambourines (5 variants), Vibraslap

**Friction Idiophones** (1 instrument, 16 samples):
- Wine Glasses (sustains and releases at two dynamics)

**Plucked Idiophones** (5 instruments, 109 samples):
- Kalimba (Kenya), Kalimba (Tanzania), Mbira Mavembe (Zimbabwe), Mbira dzaVadzimu (Zimbabwe), Nyunga Nyunga (Mozambique)

### Membranophones (721 samples)

**Struck Membranophones** (17 instrument directories, 718 samples):
- **Bass drums:** Bass Drum 1, Bass Drum 2, Bass Drum 3 (Legacy)
- **Snare drums:** Snare Drum Modern 1-3, Snare Drum Rope Tension (hi/low), Legacy Snares (4 variants)
- **Toms:** Tom 1 (mallet/stick), Tom 2 (mallet/stick), Legacy Toms (tenor higher/lower)
- **World drums:** Bongos, Conga, Darbuka, Frame Drum
- **Orchestral:** Timpani 1 (hit/roll), Timpani 2 (hit)

**Other Membranophones** (1 instrument, 3 samples):
- Ocean Drum

## Usage Examples

### Browse instruments by family

```python
from datasets import load_dataset
from collections import Counter

ds = load_dataset("schismaudio/vcsl-percussion")

families = Counter(s["family"] for s in ds["train"])
print(families)
# Counter({'Idiophones': 803, 'Membranophones': 721})
```

### Load specific instrument samples

```python
from datasets import load_dataset

ds = load_dataset("schismaudio/vcsl-percussion")

snares = ds["train"].filter(lambda x: "Snare" in x["instrument"])
print(f"Snare samples: {len(snares)}")

for s in snares.select(range(3)):
    print(f"  {s['filename']} — {s['instrument']}")
```

### Playback in a notebook

```python
import IPython.display as ipd
from datasets import load_dataset

ds = load_dataset("schismaudio/vcsl-percussion")
sample = ds["train"][0]
ipd.Audio(sample["audio"]["array"], rate=sample["audio"]["sampling_rate"])
```

## Dataset Creation

### Source Data

All samples originate from the **Versilian Community Sample Library (VCSL)**, a community-driven project initiated by Versilian Studios to provide free, high-quality instrument samples. Contributors record and donate samples under the CC0 license. The library covers orchestral strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion; this dataset packages only the **Idiophones/** and **Membranophones/** directories from the [VCSL GitHub repository](https://github.com/sgossner/VCSL).

Samples are provided as WAV files at 44.1 or 48 kHz. Many instruments include multiple velocity layers and round-robin variations, making the library suitable for realistic sample-based synthesis as well as machine learning applications.

### Annotations

No additional annotations have been added. Instrument labels are derived from the original VCSL directory structure. The Hornbostel-Sachs family and subcategory tags (`Struck Idiophones`, `Struck Membranophones`, etc.) follow the VCSL organizational hierarchy.

## Known Limitations

- **No velocity or MIDI annotations:** Samples are organized by instrument but do not include standardized velocity labels or MIDI note mappings.
- **Variable recording conditions:** Samples come from multiple community contributors using different recording setups. Audio quality, room characteristics, and microphone placement vary across instruments.
- **Legacy samples:** Some instruments include "Legacy" directories with older recordings that may differ in quality from newer contributions.
- **Non-WAV files:** A small number of samples (26 files) are in OGG or MP3 format rather than WAV, primarily in legacy instrument directories (Tubular Bells 3, Gong 2).
- **Uneven coverage:** Struck idiophones and struck membranophones are well-represented, while friction idiophones (16 samples) and other membranophones (3 samples) have minimal coverage.

## Related Datasets

This dataset is part of the [Drum Audio Datasets](https://huggingface.co/collections/schismaudio/drum-audio-datasets) collection by [schismaudio](https://huggingface.co/schismaudio). Related datasets:

- [schismaudio/dynamic-percussion](https://huggingface.co/datasets/schismaudio/dynamic-percussion) -- Anechoic one-shot percussion samples with OpenL3 embeddings (Tampere University, 2020)
- [schismaudio/drum-percussion-kits](https://huggingface.co/datasets/schismaudio/drum-percussion-kits) -- Diverse drum and percussion one-shots from SampleSwap, organic recordings, and generated samples

## Citation

```bibtex
@misc{vcsl,
  title     = {Versilian Community Sample Library (VCSL)},
  author    = {Gossner, Sam and {VCSL Contributors}},
  year      = {2024},
  publisher = {GitHub},
  url       = {https://github.com/sgossner/VCSL},
  note      = {Percussion subset (Idiophones and Membranophones)}
}
```

## License

This dataset is released under the [CC0-1.0 (Creative Commons Zero)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) license.

**This is a public domain dedication.** You are free to copy, modify, distribute, and use the samples for any purpose -- including commercial use -- without asking permission and without attribution. No rights are reserved.