Pianoteq Chromatic Percuss Add-On (Download)

The vibraphone is based on metallic bars, thin-walled tube resonators and damper pads, bringing the specific tonal characteristics. Thanks to the physical model, the range of the vibraphones is extended from 3 to 5 octaves. Each instrument comes in several variants. By using interface features such as mallet hardness and tremolo, you can customize them to your own taste.

The celesta has an appearance of an acoustic upright piano. It consists of metal plates stroke by felt hammers resembling piano hammers and there is also a sustain pedal. The timbre is very soft and subtle. The Pianoteq virtual copy is modelled after a modern five-octave German brand.

The glockenspiel is also made of metal plates but is stroke by hard metal mallets held by the musician, and is smaller and higher in pitch. The timbre is much more brilliant than the celesta. The Pianoteq virtual copy, modelled after a modern French brand, has been slightly extended to cover four octaves.

Both instruments are often recognized in classical masterpieces - the celesta in Tchaikovsky's «Nutcracker» movement «Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy», and the glockenspiel in Mozart's «Die Zauberflöte» (The Magic Flute). These instruments are still used today in various music genres.

Thanks to Pianoteq's physical model, the instruments come in several variants including a new and exclusivehumanization feature for the strike point, achieving a variation that makes them more expressive sounding. This is particularly true for the glockenspiel where the musician never hits the plates at the exact same point.

The origin of the xylophone dates back several thousand years in Africa and South East Asia. The marimbaappeared at the same time and is today the symbol of Guatemalan music. Due to its huge size, the bass marimba sounds more than two octaves below the xylophone. Very popular both, they are used in various musical styles from classical to Latin and rock.

The Pianoteq virtual copies of these two instruments are respectively modelled after a modern 3½-octave French brand xylophone and a modern 5-octave French brand bass marimba. Thanks to the sophisticated Pianoteq physical model, they come in several variants and benefit from the recently developed humanizationfeature which allows varying the strike point, adding to the musician's interpretation a vivid and stunning realism.