The story
What an amazing initiative Pianobook is. Hats off to Christian and everybody that’s contributed! After listening to some of the amazing contributions, I thought i would throw something of mine into the mix for the community to use and abuse as you see fit. The Bowed Oven Rack is a simple instrument i made from, wait for it… bowing an old oven rack! It became one of the signature sounds i used extensively in the score for the video game “Draugen”, which i was honoured to win an Ivor Novello award for. I love the mystical tone it produces, which can be both ethereal and beautiful, as well as ominous and eerie depending on the context it’s used. Be sure to give it a generous lather of reverb, delay, or both!
Here’s a couple of tracks from the Draugen soundtrack it features in so you can hear it in context.
“In the Mist”: https://open.spotify.com/track/3RCoWch7bRHqlci5xPawsG?si=1tHheTMcQnyUJsF6jKfOIw
“A Voice in the Mist”: https://open.spotify.com/track/6MzDyjli01DxlV2W5XK0os?si=fDpiDgCaQKezBACuPOZhHQ
Reviews for Bowed Oven Rack
- Sound
- Character
- Playability
- Inspiration
- GUI
Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!
Otherworldly sounding
This sounds so interesting and unique! At first listen, it sounds so breathy, it's hard to believe it is an oven rack. After playing with it a lot, I have grown to really like the blend of metal and brush sound. I found a setting that I really like using: med-low reverb, high attack, and max release, it's great to build an atmosphere around some chords and root notes. Mod wheel works really well too for build intensity. I'm definitely adding this into my regular rotation for ambience and ethnic projects!
Unexpectedly unique!
The moment you lay your finger in a key, that's when you realise how unique this is. It is about a heavily textured sound that you possibly never heard before. The sampling is great, and the sound itself is very wet even without the reverb on, though still the textures are very clear and chilling nonetheless.
Make your music breathing
It's very light and kind of hard to use, but it can add to your sound an ambiant feeling, like a little breeze in your mix. I love to use it with piano or Rhodes like keyboard, everything is more warmer with it.
I love the sound of this library
Just an awesome idea and well executed tho! The biggest downside is the playbility of this instrument. It is kinda hard to actually use this one for a song but it's a unique instument and I personally love it , thank you so much!
