The story
When it came time to rent a marimba for a recording session on a film score, I knew before it was to be returned, I must sample it! After a long 10 hour session playing and reading through cues, I knew it was now or never and sucked up the added hour it took to capture as much of the instrument as I could. I was very pleased with the results, as you never know how a sample instrument will turn out until final programing begins, but I find this instrument very inspiring and fun to play. It’s my go-to marimba now, though every time I load a patch, I can vividly remember the strong smell the lacquer the wood had. Something I can’t share through sampling but probably for the best.
With so many sampled marimbas being too wet or the close mics sounding too flat, to have this dry yet detailed sounding marimba in my bag of tools is very welcoming. Included as well is a patch of various octave and major & minor third tremolo swells. Combining the various major and minor thirds leaves to door open for many chord combinations and great when you need that extra magic on a cue.
This marimba was recorded with a stereo pair of Telefunken ELA M 251’s and an AEA A440 Ribbon mic. The two mic positions are adjustable to your liking and production, so enjoy!
Interface
Reviews for Rental Marimba
- Sound
- Character
- Playability
- Inspiration
- GUI
Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!
Aye marimba!
Lovely, warm, rounded sound to this marimba. Beautiful instrument, well done!
If you need a good Marimba this is it
This is probably my favorite Marimba sample at the moment. I love how nice and intimate it sounds. It's well sampled and very responsive. You also get a huge range of almost 5 octaves. The GUI is pretty and there are some useful options like Volume, Stereo, Mono, Plate and Room. There is also a very cool and useful Tremolo patch. Overall this is simply a great Marimba library and a joy to play with.
Using this on the big stage!
Nice job on this! Just what is needed with a sound that cuts. I thought you'd enjoy knowing that I'm using this for Wanna Be Startin' Something on tour with The Jacksons coming up. Cheers and thanks for this lovely contribution! -Chris Cadenhead
Good Marimba - Thank you!
Nicely recorded Marimba. Thes sound is neutral and blends in well with other instruments. Recommended!
A fantastic marimba!
This marimba is simply wonderful! It's deeply sampled, it sounds fantastic, and it also plays really well, with unique samples spread on almost 5 full octaves. The extra settings on the minimal but aesthetically pleasing interface are very nice to have, though I will never get used to the horizontal knob movement.
The rolls are also quite good, though them fading away instead of looping might initially appear as a less interesting. Overall though it's a remarkable marimba!
