HISS and a ROAR has released a new sample library featuring a fresh batch of sounds sourced from contact mic recording.
Contact Mic 4 contains 158 Wav files (24bit/192kHz) with metadata and photos. Inspired by Len Lye both in their physicality and activation, 2 stainless steel sculptures were constructed for the library.
Along with usual tools – percussion mallets, bow, friction mallet etc I have also captured some really unique sounds modulated by wind up toys! At times these chatter like mechanical insects, or some tiny drummer on amphetamines but most interesting to my ears was performing doppler scrape passes modulated with the wind up mechanism.
A few months ago I rescued two steel bannisters from a house redevelopment, each of which was strung with steel wire. These produce beautifully resonant hits & impacts, but after tensioning the steel wires I also extracted gnarly bowed notes & textures that have a unique grit to them.
After capturing many other props – a big glass bowl, a paella pan that rings like a gong, a few different plates of different metals and three wood saws, a friend tipped me off to the idea of capturing thermodynamic change in steel wool which produced some really surprising sounds – at times sounding like sparse rain on a tin roof, then a seagull party on the roof and via butane torch, some kind of apocalyptic rush of metallic groans and clicks…
Also available is Flexatone, a small sample library based on a bendy percussion instrument.
The Flexatone was invented in 1922 and to call it a quirky percussion instrument is an understatement. The immediate use is to shake it as you bend the metal & pitch, but if you ignore (or mute) the built in beaters, it can be bowed and tuned like a Musical saw. I also discovered that its a rich source for resonant metal hits, sounding almost sword like at times….
The Contact Mic 4 library is priced $99 USD, while Flexatone is $29 USD. Both libraries are currently available at a 50% discount as part of the upcoming 14th Birthday Sale, which starts August 8th, 2024.
More information: HISS and a ROAR
