The story
This sweet little instrument is called a Merlin. Itβs a dulcimer by Canadian guitar makers Seagull. I recorded it using two handmade, cardioid mics, then passed it through my reel to reel, for a real Sufjan Stevens sound π
I intentionally kept the noise, but I realise, playing it, that it has quit a lot of low end, which piles up if you play too many notes.. Also it’s a bit at out tune.
The keyboard is divided into two sections, From C0 to C4, it’s an arpeggiated, sustained note, from C4 to C6 is one note.
I suck at coding so my nki isn’t the best… But feel free to create a new one of course.
Reviews for Sufjanwho
- Sound
- Character
- Playability
- Inspiration
- GUI
Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!
Expectations exceeded
This one little patcht that is barely 60mb in size has to offer some huge amounts of inspiration and creativity. The sampling is nice, though the swarms could definitely befenit from some noise reduction. In general though everything sounds amazing, and the patch is very nicely crafted.
I have only 2 recommendations:1) The knob sensitivity should be massively increased, since the average screen real-estate is not enough to make a full change.
2) Separate the swarming samples from the single ones by changing the colour of the keys in Kontakt - at some point I thought the swarms were not working properly, but to my surprise it was what I was looking for.An easy recommendation for everyone though!
One sound, hundreds of possibilities!
There are some really creative arpeggiators and generative players included within the GUI of this instrument, the likes of which I've never really seen before. Clearly, lots and lots of time went into programming this instrument. The GUI isn't flashy, but it is highly functional, and I was able to figure out what everything did without seeking documentation, which to me is the sign that things are thoughtfully and musically laid out. It's difficult to describe what this instrument does to the notes you play. It's part arpeggiator, part pitch shifter, part creative partner. I strongly recommend downloading it and playing with it for yourself rather than relying upon my words, which I feel will never do it justice. Yes, there is some random noise in some of the samples. However, it's such a cool, creative tool that none of that seemed to really get in my way. So, stop reading and start downloading. You won't regret it!
Can add a lot of realism and interest
This is a really cool library that you can use for swarm type effects. The GUI is colorful and really well done, giving you a decent amount of options for articulation and other ways to change the sound. The original instrument is very noisy but im happy to see there is now a noise reduced version. Nothing bad to say about this one. For such a small download size you can really get alot out of this instrument. I renamed it strummed dulcimer in my drive so i can remember what it is when im scrolling through libraries. Its a really memorable, whenever i see strummed dulcimer i instantly picture the GUI and the tremolo swarm sound you get from the instrument.
