Singing Bowl

This library features a deeply sampled Tibetan Singing Bowl, recorded in close stereo, and mapped across a playable range of four octaves. Two articulations were captured – sustains (created by moving the wooden mallet in a circular motion around the rim of the bowl) and hits. Both these articulations were recorded with a multitude of dynamic layers, which allows for very delicate and realistic playing.

The instrument was programmed with ease of use in mind. Simply move the mod wheel while playing sustains to smoothly morph between different dynamic levels. When performing a real singing bowl, changes in dynamics are often very slow, since the bowl takes time to vibrate and resonate. Setting the 'speed' control to a low value will simulate this, by gradually fading between the dynamic layers.

Another characteristic of a real singing bowl is the sound of the mallet occasionally scraping against the bowl due to friction. Use the 'Rust' control to add additional scraping noise to the sustains.