This is a series of videos I watched a while back that had some interesting information on how some of the music and sound effects of Half-Life and Portal were made including the sources of samples used in them as well as the actual instruments themselves. I figured ya'll might appreciate it:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
And one more that isn't a part of the series but is still worth noting:
Part 1: