Impact Soundworks has announced the release of a brand new instrument library for Kontakt and the free Kontakt Player.
A collaboration with popular Swedish YouTuber and musician Mattias Krantz, the Hammer Klavier brings the sounds of an upright piano with real metal-tipped hammers. The avant-garde instrument brings a new sound with the dynamic responsiveness of a regular piano, and much greater versatility than the typical prepared piano.
The moment we heard Mattias Krantz’s new experiment — replacing every single hammer on an upright piano with real, metal hammers — we knew we’d found something truly unique that could inspire musicians around the world. It’s not quite like anything you’ve ever heard before. The sound is reminiscent of a particularly powerful and full-voiced harpsichord, with the dynamic responsiveness of a regular piano and the percussive nature of a hammered dulcimer.
While it’s a fun conceptual experiment, we think you’ll find that Hammer Klavier is also beautiful and a delight to play! Mattias worked with us to record his instrument in great depth; it has been carefully sampled to the fullest so that it’s every bit as playable and realistic as a standard piano. We created it with the same love and care that makes our Pearl Concert Grand a staple choice for many composers.
Think of this not as a sound design toolbox but as a custom upright piano with a unique voice. While Mattias might have destroyed a piano to get this great sound, we think you’ll agree it was worth it.
Housed in a user friendly user interface, the one-of-a-kind prepared upright piano features 6 dynamic layers and 2 round robins, 2 distinct stereo mic positions, chromatic samples (every key recorded), and key noises recorded at 5x round robins.
The Hammer Klavier is available for purchase for $69 USD at Impact Soundworks.
