The Sound Of Blutack On Piano Strings

US Riot Audio releases PUTTY PIANO - a prepared piano Kontakt sample library 25/06/19

Riot Audio has released PUTTY PIANO, a new prepared piano instrument for Kontakt, sampled from an upright piano dampened with poster putty – in the UK often simply referred to as “Blutack”. They say that the sample library was created as a fresh take on a timeless classic and is targeted at score composers and producers who are looking for a different sonic approach to a universally-loved instrument. Here’s the details in their own words…

SOURCE SOUNDS
PUTTY PIANO is based on 0.95 GB of meticulously sampled recordings of a 1950s British upright piano (Bentley) dampened with a strip of poster putty (Blutack). The library contains three round robins and three dynamic layers (p, mf, f) for each note which are dynamically cross-faded using Kontakt’s AET Filter Technology. The piano was recorded at close range using a spaced pair stereo microphone technique.

NOISE LAYERS
PUTTY PIANO has two layers of mechanical noise from the piano: the sound of the hammers falling back onto the felt after release, as well as the sound of the sustain pedal being depressed and released. The library also contains a layer of human noise – player-generated rustles, swooshes and breaths as well as the sound of pages turning. This layer is added to allow the user to add realism to their sound by simulating a real pianist in a recording session.

BODY LAYER
In addition, PUTTY PIANO comes with a special “Body” layer, a blend between a sine wave and a recording of Ebow-generated notes from the same piano. This “Body” layer is designed to allow the user to add longer sustain and more resonance in the mid/low-mid frequency range to the basic dampened sound which by itself is more dry and percussive.

USER INTERFACE
PUTTY PIANO is a simple one-page instrument with a clean, easy to grasp user interface. It allows for control of the following parameters:
• Levels for the noise layers
• Body layer level
• Decay shape and brightness controls
• An effects section: delay and reverb with adjustable times and lengths respectively

SOUND APPLICATIONS
The sound of PUTTY PIANO is a unique alternative to more traditional piano sample libraries. Its short decay and peculiar muted resonance opens up new possibilities of sonic exploration and expression in place of a regular piano sound. It can be made to sound almost like a dry mallet instrument such as marimba or xylophone and the opportunities for inventive applications are numerous.
It can also be used in place of a regular piano where the short decay and soft, rubbery resonance is a welcome departure from the usual sound.

PUTTY PIANO at a glance

Kontakt sample library based on upright piano dampened with poster putty
Three mechanical and human noise layers for controlled realism
Special “Body” layer for control of tonal resonance
Simple, clean one-page user interface
Runs in full version of Kontakt 5.8 and above

Pricing and Availability:
£59 for a limited period until July 10th, then for £79

More information:

PUTTY PIANO

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