The Crow Hill Company has released some new installments in the Vaults series of virtual instrument libraries.
A vintage piano with a twist, Mallet Piano delivers the sounds of a prepared vintage Steinway recorded in Castle Sound in Scotland.
Instead of using the keys or hammers, soft mallets—commonly used for timpani drums—are played on the piano. This unconventional playing technique creates a distinctive sound while still retaining the emotional depth typical of the piano.
Another free Vaults instrument brings beguiling Celtic textures with a ‘hybrid’ choir of some of the finest classical, Celtic, and Gaelic singers recorded in the heart of Scotland.
The evocative and wavering tones to which Wavering Choir (partly) owes its name were originally recorded for a hit Apple TV show, though they never actually made it to the screen.
“As composers, we tend to make a lot of sounds, whether it be via samples or through physical instruments, in order to best represent our voices as artists, but, unfortunately, a lot of sounds get lost in the sands of time.” So says The Crow Hill Company’s Theo Le Derf by way of further introductory background, before continuing:
“In the case of this sound, Christian Henson and I were working on quite a prominent Apple TV production. We went quite sample mad in order to capture this unique sound world for this show, but, as with every project, some sounds are, inevitably, left on the cutting room floor. This choir is from one of those sessions, and it always stuck with me as having a really special, haunting sound, and we felt the need to share it with you all.”
The new libraries are free from The Crow Hill Company.
