Hopkin Instrumentarium: Metaltines

Metaltines is an expressively nuanced assortment of metal lamellaphones from the mind of master instrument inventor Bart Hopkin. Featuring 4 unique instruments with wildly distinctive shapes and mechanics, but with the same sharp, yet richly resonant metal essence that shimmers brightly through each one. It includes the mallet K1 & K2, Sit or Play, and T-Rod-on-Tine. We've included a wide spectrum of playable articulations, sound-design textures, pads, drones and multiple microphones/channel options to give you complete musical freedom.

Mallet K 1 and 2 are mallet kalimbas with large, wide metal keys. Playing with mallets tends to favor the overtones more than the fundamental. On the larger K 1, this results in a clangy-sounding mix of overtones. The smaller K 2 makes a very nice bass, as the mallets impart a punchy sound that is different from either plucked tines or strings. Both Mallet K 1 and K 2 feature two mic positions and Mallet K 2 also has a direct line out from the pickup

Sit or Play is a set of three benches, each of which has a pair of circular steel tongue drums embedded in the seat. The tone of the tongue drums is greatly enhanced by the combination of the bench tops acting as soundboards and the resonance of the air partially enclosed under the seats. Sit or Play features hard mallet, soft mallet, metal mallet, finger, and hand articulations with two separate mic positions.

T-Rod-On-Tine has short lengths of hardened-steel threaded rods attached at right angles near the ends of springsteel tines. These assemblies have various modes of vibration producing multiple frequencies, and different tones are brought out by striking in different ways. To produce all these different sounds, our mallet types included rubber, metal, hard, ping pong, rubber band, pick, finger, and mallet bottom. The result is a wide range of different sounds as the different methods of playing create unique, complex vibrations with swirling overtones and bassy resonance.

We've faithfully sampled tine plucks and percussive hand slaps on the instrument bodies, with two stereo mic positions. Also included is a wide selection of custom FX presets and plenty of our signature sound designed ambient content, crafted from the raw acoustic source to give you complete creative freedom.