Hello all. I was wondering if there’d be anyone who could help me identify an instrument I hear in a few songs. It’s some sort of percussion, I’m sure - most likely from a keyboard, synthesizer, etc. Maybe even some computer software. It’s like a metallic, clangy, echoey, haunting, really cool sound. Here are some pieces I’ve heard it in.
I’m a retired music teacher, and my grandson just closed out his first year as a music teacher. He does a lot of music work with his church, and he liked this sound when I showed him. But we can’t find it anywhere. If anyone knows even a keyboard make/model or patch name for this instrument, it’d be a great help in our search. Thanks!
Basically, I’d say it’s an electronic approximation of the sound of sticks, possibly like these below as one type:
Good ones (real ones) can have a pretty notable basic quality of tone, but I’m pretty sure that the other stuff you hear would be added reverb and some other goodies that you can tweak into the sound profile from a computer.
As to what if anything it’s actually called in the recording industry, I have no idea.
What I’m hearing are processed beats/loops. The sound that you’re describing is the snare on most of the tracks, but is the hi-hat on one of them. The beats have been filtered and have been run through reverb and delay. My favorite tool for this kind of sound is a VST plugin called Stylus RMX.
To use a plugin like Stylus, you need a host program (called a sequencer or DAW). One of the least expensive ones is Reaper. There may be free ones, but I don’t know of any off hand. You can get that sound without Stylus. There are tons of free loops available, and tons of free VST plugins for manipulating loops (check KVR.com for free VSTs).