Soundiron has released The Struck Grand, a new Kontakt library that explores a number of unique and non-conventional articulations for a 1926 Steinway Model L parlor grand piano. It's available now for $99.

The Struck Grand contains 4,058 samples and 9GB of piano string pick plucks, hammer strikes, finger mutes, harmonics, steel slide bends, mallet pounds, sweeping glisses, harsh bass note scrapes and a variety of sustaining tones and effects, spanning a wide 88-key range. The library was recorded close and dry, using large diaphragm mics in a wide stereo pattern for highly-detailed presence and fidelity.

The Key-Struck Mutes and Harmonics, Mallet, Tuned String Scrape and Gliss elements are designed to be ideal for dramatic and suspenseful soundtrack, trailer and hybrid scoring, while the Steel Hammer, Slide and Picked sections are meant for expressive and dynamic classical and acoustic compositions. Many presets included extended round-robin note variation, nuanced dynamics, pedal up and down variants, key releases, pedal sounds and full control of attack, offset, release, swell, octave shifting and more.

The Sustains section covers bow-like sustains, pads, drones, leads and evolving ambient sound-scapes and ambiences, with with custom dual-layer mix control and poly-phonic legato. Every preset also includes a bonus selection of natural space and special FX convolution impulses, as well as automation-friendly and tempo-syncing volume and filter LFOs.

The new "Layer Builder" system allows easy construction of unique and complex multi-layered ambient and tuned percussion style instruments, with full control over up to 12 independent sonic layers.

The "Gliss/Strum Creator" is designed to play very life-like strums and glisses that simulate harp and guitar styles. They allow freely poly-phonic gliss and chord playing over the whole extended key range, with a wide variety of common and obscure scales and chord types. These systems also include real-time control over stroke direction and alternation, string count, strum speed, dynamics, palm muting, pick attack, chord type and more. Each parameter can be automated on the fly, or quickly switched from gliss to strum to single note to construct naturally fluid free-style or tempo-synching performances.

The "Ubberpeggiator" is a full-featured tempo-syncing arpeggiation building system that adapts to any performance, with several dynamic input modes, full arp direction, speed, rhythm, velocity and note sequence control and special effect parameter shaping.

• 4,058 Samples (standard PCM wav).
• 40 .nki preset files (unlocked open format).
• 9 GB installed.
• 24 bit / 48kHz stereo.
• Available by Continuata Direct Download and DVD.
• Format(s): Kontakt 4.2.4, Kontakt 5.0.2 and PCM .wav.
• Note: The full retail version of Kontakt 4 or later is required to use the .nki instrument program presets included in this library. The free Kontakt "Player" does not support this library.

PDF user manual | Product Page | Full & Naked MP3 demos