Here we present a focused, tidy collection of intimately-recorded, overdub ready, pitched happiness. A sizable 10GB (at compressed NI NCW) collection of pitched bells, dulcimers and keyboards specifically designed to construct tonal groove elements. For years we’ve been subjected to typical cinematic grooves composed of various small percussive elements; sticks, logs, shakers, claves, tambourines, finger cymbals, and other unpitched toys – yet there was an obvious lack of pitched counterparts. Partially inspired by the tasty tonal percussion overdub tracks on Radiohead’s “No Surprises” and Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” we set out to produce a library which could easily camouflage itself in any track of any genre. Aside from applying the production techniques of modern sampling, we had to take special care taming these incredibly verbal instruments; especially the mallet keyboards as they have the power to drown out an entire orchestra in a hall setting. Using a combination of instrument treatments, mellow mallets, small pencil condensers and elite Class-A outboard gear (Lexicon PCM 91, Avalon 2055 EQ, Waves L2 Hardware Limiter, Manley Variable Mu), we were able to capture an incredibly usable mix. You will hear a tremendously clean signal featuring perfectly smooth transients, transparent highs, warm mids and tastefully rolled-off lows, with just enough ambience to prevent sterility. We’ve also included true mono; a single microphone (not a faked, stereo fold down) as it would be used in 90% of these types of situations in the studio. We have captured an authentic and familiar sound – that your client will hopefully feel rather than notice outright when they hear your cues. WHAT’S NEW IN CINEBELLS V1.1 Our new Guitar Bell Harmonics Patch, is a combination of 3 different guitars blended perfectly to create a unique sound that can add a beautiful, slightly recognizable tone to any melodic line. We added the use of the ModWheel to add in a slight chorusing effect. The Halfman Piano was created from a different upright than Jim’s piano and was recorded in the softest range possible to give you a soft felt-like piano tone. Our aesthetic was limited to only half of the piano to ensure that this bell-tone was consistent throughout. At the same time, we also decided to mute the strings of this piano on the lower half to create a “Cage-Style” muted piano. To round off the updates we included a full, two-octave sampling of some California Central-Coast designer wine glasses, these include dynamically morphed longs, shorts, and “bell” hits. We also did some minor tweaks to the other instruments in the library including tuning, and some slight performance enhancements. Within the library you will find many amazing sounds, but perhaps none more unique then the Glocken-Celeste. A newly constructed instrument which appears identical to a celeste on the outside but contains the inner workings of a high end glockenspiel. It has a unique and incredibly magical sound never before sampled. You should also take note of “Jim’s Piano” a perfectly imperfect 1800’s Steinway upright, which through years of care has developed the most peculiar and interesting timbre. This instrument has incredible character and life – completely capable of adding an atypical, slightly ethnic version of the world’s most familiar update. If you notice the upper three or four notes missing, it is because they weren’t even standard on the instrument at the time of its construction. This should give you a feeling of the age of the instrument. Other standouts include the delightfully warm xylophone presented in a way you have never heard and the standout Autoharp which can give you the transparent zither-like overdub your tracks have been missing. This is a library we have been meaning to record for quite a while. Each sound has the capability to become a substantial contributor, a role player – capable of existing in a track without drawing too much attention to itself, yet fulfilling its role of color. We sincerely hope you enjoy this library. As always we share our revenue with our team of engineers, producers, musicians, editors, programmers and other contributors. CINEBELLS INSTRUMENTS home.php?mod=space&uid=1&do=blog&id=1335 |