Voices of India Sitar
Traditional Roots. Cinematic Soul.
Voices of India Sitar is a beautiful collection of deeply sampled, fully playable sitar performances crafted for use in film, TV, games, and music production. This expressive instrument brings together the rich traditions of North Indian classical music with modern sound design techniques to create stunning melodic textures, ambient loops, and rhythmic motifs.
Featuring melodies and phrases performed on a traditional sitar and transformed through a range of effects, this library delivers evolving soundscapes perfect for cinematic storytelling and beyond.
About the Instrument
The sitar is a North Indian (Hindustani) stringed instrument with 20 strings:
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7 main strings for melody and drone
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13 sympathetic strings that resonate beneath the frets
The 1st string carries the melody, strings 2–4 support melody and drone, while 5–7 (called chikari) create rhythmic drones. Sympathetic strings are tuned according to the raga, enhancing the sitar’s iconic shimmering tone.
Common tuning in C:
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7th – C5
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6th – C4
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5th – G3
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4th – C2
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3rd – G2
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2nd – C3
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1st – F3
Sympathetic strings follow the raga or scale being used, often:
C5, C5, B4, A4, G4, G4, F4, E4, E4, D4, C4, B3, C4
While these traditional tunings are included, this collection also features alternate tunings for modern genres and experimental compositions.
Creative Sound Design
All loops in Voices of India Sitar have been transformed using a range of creative sound design techniques, offering a fresh take on a classic instrument:
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Modulation effects: chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo
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Time-based effects: reverb, delay, echo
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Spectral effects: EQ, stereo panning
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Dynamic processing: compression, distortion
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Filtering to add movement and tone shaping
These treatments provide a wide palette of ambient textures, evolving drones, and melodic phrases that go beyond traditional sitar music—ideal for cinematic and ambient music producers.
Free Loops
Try it out with a free collection of sitar loops from the original release. Head to our SoundCloud playlist, click “View Track”, go to “More”, then “Download”.