Soniccouture Grand Marimba

A descendant of the African balafon, the modern marimba originated in Mexico, and is typified by wooden bars mounted above metal resonator tubes, which can be tuned using stops.

Soniccouture has launched The Canterbury Suitcase, a new virtual Rhodes instrument for Native Instruments Kontakt Player. Back in June of 2012 we were recording Grand Marimba at Canterbury Music in Toronto. Studio owner Jeremy Darby was showing us his collection of vintage instruments, and let us try his Rhodes Suitcase 88. It immediately struck us as one of the most beautifully maintained and best sounding Suitcases we’d ever played.

An "Extended technique" is a term to describe playing a musical instrument in an unconventional way, to coax new timbres from a traditional instrument. Since the early 20th century, the piano has been at the forefront of this trend, with many composers from John Cage onwards finding innovative, unorthodox ways of generating sound.

Welcome to AGE – Acoustic Grand Ensembles – the most comprehensive collection of alternative ensembles ever done. AGE (Acoustic Grand Ensembles) series is produced by Academy Award, TEC and G.A.N.G Award Winning Composer, Troels Folmann and Emmy nominated composer and orchestrator, Colin O’Malley.

Get the authentic sound of the Rhodes Stage 73 and Wurlitzer 200A electric pianos. Carefully sampled at multiple velocities and recorded with vintage equipment for ultra-realistic sound and feel. Comes with 70 Instrument Racks providing all the classic keyboard sounds.

We wanted to combine classic drum machines ( 15, to be exact ) with the the organic ambience and warmth of studio recorded drums. So, we took a club PA to two different studios, turned it up really loud, and recorded the results: through high-end mics, vintage consoles, valve pre-amps, bass-amps and even acoustic drum shells.

Pedal-powered reed organs (often referred to as pump organs) were once the most popular instruments in the USA. Manufactured by the Estey Organ Company from 1860 onwards, they were often housed in ornate and elaborate pieces of furniture.

The idea that certain places take on the weight of past events is familiar to all of us. Renowned field recordist Chris Watson has spent years collecting audio recordings from such places in one of his most personal projects. Ancient Temples, Ice Lagoons, Cold War Bases, Abandoned Silver Mines, Power Stations, Cathedrals, Canyons, Underwater Tunnels, Deserted Art Galleries and Maori Burial Caves all feature in this unique collection of recordings.

The Japanese percussionist turns to the cello suites and violin sonatas of J.S. Bach for her fourth studio recording with Linn.