Soniccouture – Grand Marimba Torrent: Overview
The Soniccouture Grand Marimba is a meticulously crafted virtual gem based on the Yamaha 6100 marimba. Let’s delve deeper and explore the details of this unique instrument. The modern marimba, descended from the African balafon, originated in Mexico. It is characterized by wooden bars mounted over metal resonator tubes, which can be tuned using stops. The Yamaha 6100 is state-of-the-art, featuring unique precision tuning, Honduran rosewood bars, and welded resonators for playing without unwanted noise.
Technical Specifications of Grand Marimba Torrent
- Five Octaves: The Soniccouture Grand Marimba models a five-octave Yamaha 6100, designed in collaboration with the legendary marimbist Keiko Abe.
- Articulations: The instrument offers four articulations: mallet, roll, stick, and bow.
- Samples: Over 5000 samples, with up to 15 velocity levels and five round-robin layers.
- Tremolo Processor: The metal resonator tubes create a natural tremolo effect, which can be modulated in real-time with a MIDI controller.
Controls and Customization in Grand Marimba Torrent
- Main Panel: The main panel provides control over articulations (mallet, stick, roll, and bow) and the tremolo processor.
- Editing Panels: Explore envelopes, filters, and microtuning to create varied sonic textures.
- Configuration Options: Adjust velocity curve, randomize timing and velocity, and create unique rhythmic patterns with the Weaver generator.
- Effects Panel: Configure up to three insert effects and utilize the spatial reverb module with Soniccouture’s custom impulse library.
Sampling Process
Recording the marimba is a challenge due to its immense size, nearly 3 meters wide. To maintain a sensible stereo image, it’s not possible to get too close to such a large instrument. Soniccouture used three pairs of microphones: AKG414s (with CK12 capsules), Shoeps cardioids, and AEA ribbon mics positioned farther back in the room. These signals were mixed into stereo in post-production.
