For over a year now we've been working on what might be our most interesting sample library yet. With the help of master craftsman Jim Doble, we managed to get our hands on a collection of incredible and unique percussive instruments made from glass, wood, metal and stone. We sampled these instruments with intense depth, then created a wide variety of sound design patches to accompany them, inspired by Spectrasonics and their 'psychoacoustic' approach.
The result of our efforts is "Resonance: Emotional Mallets" and I'd like to share a preview with you all today. First, a little more information.
We recorded 14 unique instruments in total, including:
* Marimbas made with entirely glass and stone keys
* A giant tuned whale drum built from a propane tank
* A xylophone built from tuned metal wrenches (!) and wood
* Tongue drums made using tuned wood and glass
* Found metal sheets and poles
* ... and much more
These 14 instruments resulted in 31 Kontakt 4 patches and nearly 3,800 samples. As the name of the library suggests, we used a variety of mallets, including soft/rubber mallets as well as non-traditional objects like metal bolts, to produce a range of tones. We also recorded FX and atonal playing, as well as bowed sounds (such as bowed tuned and untuned metals and bowed stones.) The sum of these patches are in the "Natural" category, representing sounds that have not been processed and are simply the result of pristine recording and deep multisampling.
We think these Natural patches will be of immense interest to any composer looking for sounds that are both highly usable but also of a unique timbre. In particular, we had composers like Thomas Newman in mind.
As mentioned earlier, we also did extensive sound design patches using an arsenal of tools. These sounds cover the spectrum from evocative pads and ambiances to tone-shifted, playable keys, percussion, leads and more. The focus was definitely on powerful and usable material.
We'll release more information about the library soon - it should be out by the end of March - but in the meantime, here is a brief demo showcasing a mix of both Natural and Designed sounds with some external reverb (the natural patches are all quite dry with just a bit of overhead/room air, allowing you to tailor your own reverb sound.)
http://impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos ... Teaser.mp3
This is one of the most exciting and beautiful libraries I've worked on. Please let us know what you think, and check back soon for more information!