Instrument Sources and Licenses

Miaou's built-in instrument catalog is curated from compact permissive sources plus a small set of Miaou-created synthesized instruments. The instruments are chosen for music-making, clear licensing, and predictable use in songs, videos, exports, and shared projects.

For exact legal terms, follow the linked source licenses.

The Instrument panel exposes the bundled instrument catalog; previewing is temporary, loading saves the selected track's instrument.

Built-in instruments become normal playable MIDI instruments, drum kits, or one-shot FX tracks in the project.

Common Questions

Question	Answer
Can I use Miaou built-in instruments in my own songs?	Yes. The bundled catalog is chosen for permissive music-making use.
Are the instruments mostly public-domain / CC0?	Yes. Most visible built-in instruments use CC0 sources or Miaou-created CC0 material.
Is anything attribution-required?	Studio Drum Kit uses the CC-BY FreePats MuldjordKit subset. If a song uses it, include the DrumGizmo credit below when publishing credits.
Does Miaou include third-party sample packs?	Only when the license clearly allows the instruments to ship with Miaou. The current catalog focuses on permissive sources and Miaou-created instruments.
Are one-shot drum samples separate instruments?	No. Drum samples are kit pieces inside drum kits. Choose a kit, then use named drum lanes.
Are transition FX normal instruments?	Yes. FX instruments such as Reverse Cymbal, Riser, Snare Roll, and Tape Stop are playable MIDI instruments. Place a MIDI note where the one-shot should trigger.

Common Tasks

Task	What to do
Making music with Miaou's built-in instruments	Use the instruments normally in your songs, exports, and shared projects.
Publishing liner notes, credits, or release docs	Include the Studio Drum Kit attribution when that kit is part of the published work.
Choosing an instrument	Start in Instruments, then come here only when source/licensing matters.
Looking for a category you do not see	Check Practical Limits for current catalog coverage and alternatives.
Checking source details	Use the source links and attribution table below before publishing credits, liner notes, or release notes.

Miaou's built-in instruments are meant for making music in songs, videos, shared projects, and exported mixes.

Before Publishing a Track

Use this quick check when a song, video, game, podcast, sample pack demo, or project page uses Miaou built-in instruments:

Check	What to do
Did you use Studio Drum Kit?	Include the DrumGizmo credit from Credits to Include.
Did you use only CC0 or Miaou-created instruments?	Attribution is not required by those sources, but optional source credits are still fine.
Did you export stems or a ZIP?	Keep the ZIP or project link so you can confirm which instruments were used in the release.
Did you use a custom imported sample?	Check the license for that file separately; Miaou cannot grant rights to user imports.
Are you making a sample pack?	Use Miaou instruments in music and projects; the bundled instruments are not a standalone sample-pack product.

If you are unsure whether a project used Studio Drum Kit, open the project, select drum MIDI tracks, and check the loaded instrument in Instrument before publishing credits.

Source Summary

Source	License	Used for	Notes
FreePats Upright Piano KW	CC0	Studio Piano	Compact Kawai upright piano subset for writing and arrangement sketches.
FreePats FM Piano 2	CC0	FM Piano	Bright electric-piano samples for chords and hooks.
FreePats Finger Bass YR	CC0	Finger Bass	Yamaha RBX electric-bass samples for natural bass lines.
FreePats Electric Guitar FSBS Clean	CC0	Clean Guitar	Compact clean electric-guitar subset.
FreePats Spanish Classical Guitar	CC0	Nylon, muted, and processed guitar colors	Compact guitar subsets for plucks and sketch riffs.
FreePats Synth Bass & Lead	CC0	Bass Lead and synth colors	Surge synth source samples converted to browser-ready zones.
FreePats Sweep Pad	CC0	Sweep Pad	Looped synth-pad source for sustained harmony.
FreePats Synthesizer Percussion	CC0	808/909 Kit and electronic percussion material	Analog-style electronic percussion source samples.
FreePats MuldjordKit	CC-BY 4.0	Studio Drum Kit	Acoustic drum-kit subset. Include the DrumGizmo credit below when publishing credits for work that uses this kit.
VSCO 2 Community Edition	CC0	Strings, brass, woodwinds, timpani, orchestral cymbals, impacts, and transition FX	Compact orchestral subsets from VSCO 2 Community Edition.
VCSL	CC0	Mallets, harp, kalimba, world plucks, tenor sax, hand percussion, shakers, tambourines, woodblocks, cowbells, gongs, and FX	Compact subsets from the Versilian Community Sample Library.
Miaou-created synthesized instruments	CC0	Modern synths, kit variations, voice-style pads, noise FX, sub drops, and tape-stop style effects	Created from oscillator, envelope, and filter designs. No external audio samples are used.
GeneralUser GS	Permissive GeneralUser license	Selected synth, keys, and bass color patches	Secondary color material used where it fits the catalog.

What Is Included

Miaou's Starter palette contains the instruments most useful for starting a song:

• 808/909 Kit for electronic drum programming.
• Studio Drum Kit for acoustic drum sketches.
• Studio Piano and FM Piano for writing.
• Finger Bass for bass lines.
• Clean Guitar for plucks and guitar-like sketches.
• Sweep Pad for sustained harmony.
• Bass Lead for simple hooks and mono synth lines.

The full catalog includes strings, brass, woodwinds, mallets, world plucks, percussion, synthesized instruments, voice-style pads, drum-kit variations, and transition FX. For the complete family list, see Instruments.

Credits to Include

Most built-in instruments do not require attribution. Studio Drum Kit uses a CC-BY source and should be credited when a released song, video, project page, or liner note credits Miaou's instruments.

Use this concise credit when the project uses Studio Drum Kit:

Drum samples provided by DrumGizmo.org.

Use this fuller credit when you have room for source details:

Studio Drum Kit uses FreePats MuldjordKit / DrumGizmo samples under CC-BY 4.0. Drum samples provided by DrumGizmo.org.

Instrument area	Source	Attribution
Studio Drum Kit	FreePats MuldjordKit / DrumGizmo	“Drum samples provided by DrumGizmo.org.”

Optional source credits for liner notes or release notes:

• FreePats.
• VSCO 2 Community Edition by Sam Gossner / Versilian Studios.
• Versilian Community Sample Library by Sam Gossner / Versilian Studios.
• GeneralUser GS by S. Christian Collins.

Miaou-Created Synthesized Instruments

Some built-in instruments are created directly for Miaou instead of sampled from an external library.

Synthesized instruments include:

• modern synth colors such as Analog Pad, Super Saw, Reese Bass, and House Pluck;
• electronic kit variations;
• voice-style pads such as Choir Pad and Ooh Voice;
• noise and transition instruments such as Noise Sweep, Short Riser, Long Riser, White Noise Down, Sub Hit, Tape Stop, and Sub Drop.

The voice-style patches are synthetic pads. They are not sampled choirs or solo vocal recordings.

Related Pages

• Instruments explains how to search, preview, load, and play the catalog.
• MIDI Editor explains drum lanes, pads, and note editing.
• Practical Limits explains instrument and sampler boundaries.
• Feature Index helps you find catalog-related controls and linked workflow pages.