Cinematique Instruments has announced a new Kontakt instrument library featuring the sounds of a hammered dulcimer. Santur features one complex patch including two articulations and advanced scripting.
In the history of our previous released string instruments we have again set a great focus on creating an instrument with an organic and realistic feel. In order to concentrate on the main instrument articulations, we have recorded the Santur in a regular „plucking“ articulation with a pair of Schoeps. We have beaten the metallic strings with two different kind of mallets in four times round robin and three velocity layer which is well suited for playing melodies but also offers many more uses. We have used a hard mallet that creates the typical bright, rather clear sound as well as a soft mallet which generates a more mellow, less aggressive timbre.
The overall sound can be altered by determining the length of the notes, adding distortion or adjusting the high as well as the low frequencies. The possibility to choose between six different kinds of reverb and three delay times provides a great amount of freedom in colouring the sounds how you like. The Santur provides our – from Hammered Duclimer known – „Tremolo-Option“ which can be controlled in different ways. Generally the tremolo option is capable of creating a very tragic and dramatic but also extremely natural tremolo sound, which fits perfectly in a lot of different music styles and genres. The tromolo options works in two different modi: You can control the tremolo tempo and dynamic by the modwheel while holding the note or the notes where duplciated by releasing while you are playing. Both modi gives you the ability to exactly play your personal kind of the tremolo.
Altogether, the Santur is an extraordinary instrument with quite a lot of possibilities which you can use to add a special character to your music.
Santur for Kontakt 5 or higher (full version) is available for 30 EUR.
More information: Cinematique Instruments / Santur