The Secrets of Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT: How to Customize and Manipulate the Sound of a Tongue Drum
Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT: A Unique and Versatile Instrument for Your Music
If you are looking for a new and exciting instrument to spice up your music production, you might want to check out Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT. This is a sampled instrument based on the Whale Drum, a modern version of one of the oldest instrument families in the world: the tongue or slit drum. In this article, we will explore what Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT is, how it was created, what features it offers, how it works, and how you can get it.
Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT
What is Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT?
Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT is a virtual instrument created by Soundiron, a company that specializes in high-quality sample libraries for composers, producers, and sound designers. It is part of their Open Format series, which means that it can be used with any compatible sampler or host software, such as Native Instruments Kontakt, Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Cubase, FL Studio, and more.
Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT captures the sound of a large vermilion tongue drum, which is a round steel drum with eight tongues cut into its surface. The tongues can be tuned to different pitches and played with various tools, such as mallets, sticks, or brushes. The result is a warm, dreamy, and gentle sound that resembles a marimba or a xylophone.
Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT also includes a smaller slit drum, a wooden toy xylophone, and a collection of sound-designed ambiences and pads created from the original acoustic source material. All of these elements can be layered, blended, and switched independently to create your own custom sounds.
How did the Whale Drum instrument originate and evolve over time?
The Whale Drum instrument is based on the wooden slit drum, which is one of the oldest instruments in the world. The slit drum was developed independently by multiple ancient civilizations in Africa, Asia, and America thousands of years ago. They were carved from hollow logs or wooden blocks and struck to produce percussive musical tones. Some scholars believe that they may have predated language itself.
Over time, slit drums were refined to allow more accurate intonation and wider key ranges. They were also made from different materials, such as metal or ceramic. One of the most famous examples of a metal slit drum is the steel tongue drum, which was invented in the 20th century by various artists and craftsmen.
The steel tongue drum has a circular shape with tongues or slits cut into its surface. The tongues can be tuned by varying the length of the cuts or by adding weights to them. The steel tongue drum can be played with fingers or mallets and produces a soft, bell-like tone.
The Whale Drum is a specific type of steel tongue drum that was created by Jim Doble in 1990. He named it after the whale-shaped pattern he carved on its surface. He also experimented with different sizes, shapes, tunings, and playing techniques for his drums.
In 2007, Dennis Havlena was inspired by the physical properties of the Whale Drum and the tone layout of the Hang (another type of metal drum) to create his own version of a steel tongue drum from an empty propane tank. He called it the Hank Drum (a combination of Hang and tank) and shared his instructions online.
What are the main characteristics and benefits of Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT?
Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT is a unique and versatile instrument that can enrich your music with a variety of sounds and textures. Here are some of the main characteristics and benefits of Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT:
- It is a high-quality sample library that captures the authentic sound of the Whale Drum and other related instruments with great detail and realism. - It is a flexible instrument that allows you to customize and manipulate the sound to suit your needs and preferences. You can adjust the tuning, volume, pan, attack, release, and filter of each sound layer, as well as apply various effects, such as reverb, delay, distortion, chorus, flanger, phaser, and more. - It is a creative instrument that inspires you to explore new sonic possibilities and create your own soundscapes. You can mix and match different sound layers, such as the Whale Drum, the slit drum, the toy xylophone, and the sound-designed ambiences and pads, to create unique combinations and contrasts. - It is a versatile instrument that can fit into any genre or style of music. You can use it as a melodic or percussive element, as a background or foreground sound, as a solo or ensemble instrument, and more. You can also use it for film scoring, sound design, ambient music, meditation music, and more. What are the different articulations, sound sets, and effects included in Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT?
Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT includes four main sound sets: the Whale Drum, the slit drum, the toy xylophone, and the sound-designed ambiences and pads. Each sound set has different articulations and effects that you can choose from. Here is a brief overview of each sound set:
- The Whale Drum: This is the main sound set that features the large vermilion tongue drum. It has three articulations: mallets (soft), sticks (hard), and brushes (soft). It also has two effects: vibrato (mod wheel) and tremolo (velocity). - The slit drum: This is a smaller wooden tongue drum that has a more resonant and hollow sound. It has two articulations: mallets (soft) and sticks (hard). It also has two effects: vibrato (mod wheel) and tremolo (velocity). - The toy xylophone: This is a plastic toy xylophone that has a bright and cheerful sound. It has one articulation: mallets (soft). It also has two effects: vibrato (mod wheel) and tremolo (velocity). - The sound-designed ambiences and pads: These are atmospheric sounds created from the original acoustic source material using various processing techniques. They have no articulations or effects, but they can be layered with the other sound sets to create interesting textures. How does the user interface of Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT look and function?
The user interface of Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT is simple and intuitive. It consists of two main sections: the mixer section and the effects section.
The mixer section allows you to control the volume, pan, tuning, attack, release, filter cutoff, filter resonance, filter envelope amount, filter envelope attack, filter envelope decay, filter envelope sustain, filter envelope release, filter type (low pass or high pass), filter slope (12 dB or 24 dB), key range (low note and high note), key switch (on or off), mute (on or off), solo (on or off), layer switch (on or off), layer blend mode (additive or subtractive), layer blend amount (0% to 100%), layer blend curve (linear or exponential), layer blend reverse (on or off), layer blend invert (on or off), layer blend phase shift (-180 to 180), layer blend phase sync (on or off), layer blend phase randomize (on or off), layer blend phase randomize amount (0% to 100%), layer blend phase randomize rate (0 Hz to 20 Hz), layer blend phase randomize shape (sine or square) for each of the four sound sets.
The effects section allows you to apply various effects to the master output or to each individual sound set. The effects include reverb (size, dampening, width, pre-delay, mix), delay (time left, time right, feedback left, feedback right, width left, width right, mix left, mix right), distortion (drive, tone, mix), chorus (rate, depth, feedback, mix), flanger (rate, depth, feedback, mix), phaser as to create your own soundscapes. It is compatible with any software that can load .wav files or .nki files, such as Native Instruments Kontakt, Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Cubase, FL Studio, and more. It is also affordable and easy to use, with a simple and intuitive user interface. If you are interested in Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT, you can visit the Soundiron website and purchase it for $29 USD. You can also download a free demo version and try it out for yourself. You will not regret adding this instrument to your musical arsenal. It will open up new possibilities and inspire you to create amazing music. FAQs: Five frequently asked questions and answers about Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT.
Here are some of the most common questions and answers about Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT:
- Q: What is the difference between Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT and Whale Drum v1.0 KONTAKT? - A: Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT is an updated and improved version of Whale Drum v1.0 KONTAKT, which was released in 2011. Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT has more samples, more sound sets, more effects, more features, and a better user interface than Whale Drum v1.0 KONTAKT. - Q: How many samples are included in Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT? - A: Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT includes 1,029 samples, which amount to 1.5 GB of uncompressed .wav files or 1 GB of compressed .ncw files. - Q: How many presets are included in Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT? - A: Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT includes 20 presets, which are divided into four categories: All Layers, Ambiences, Drums Only, and Xylophone Only. - Q: Can I use Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT with other instruments or effects? - A: Yes, you can use Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT with other instruments or effects in your DAW or sampler software. You can also use the built-in effects section of Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT to apply various effects to the instrument itself. - Q: Can I create my own presets or sound sets with Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT? - A: Yes, you can create your own presets or sound sets with Whale Drum v2.0 KONTAKT by using the layer switch and layer blend functions in the mixer section. You can also save your custom presets or sound sets as .nki files for future use. dcd2dc6462