Handpan
Meditative, ambient and cinematic handpan instrument. Only one sample, but it works surprisingly well in wide range, specially in low register.
ByAV-Ylänne
The story
Trailer:
I was in the middle of composing music for a theatre play set in Lapland, Finland.
Between rehearsals, I took a short trip to England and visited a festival of pagans and witches.
There, I saw the performer Phil Cook (https://www.youtube.com/@philcookhandpan) playing live with handpans, and I immediately realized how perfect this instrument would be for the play — it could bring a subtle, atmospheric layer to several scenes.
Back home, I searched the internet for free virtual handpan instruments, but there weren’t many options available. Eventually, I came across this sound on Freesound.org by user jamesrodavidson
https://freesound.org/people/jamesrodavidson/sounds/243731/
— a recording of individual hits from a steel tongue drum.
I selected one sample that had a beautiful tone, applied some EQ, and discovered that it worked
surprisingly well across a wide pitch range.
Even though the handpan is a modern instrument, its sound feels ancient and organic — perfect for meditative and cinematic music.
This is the first DecentSampler instrument I’ve ever created, and I’m excited to share it with you. I hope it inspires you to create something new.
Interface
Reviews
Stunning
Genuinely breathtaking and wildly inspiring. Great work!
A Handpan without Limits
The Handpan is such a beautiful instrument, but it is limited by its narrow range of key-locked notes. This library removes these restrictions to provide a versatile instrument for performing this angelic tones. This is such a peaceful library that it transports me to a calming rainy day. The lower notes set a foundation to tracks while the high notes feel like melodic rain drops.
Turns out the Handpan is a perfect instrument for stretching across a wide range. The quality of its tone is retained across the entire keyboard. Thank you for creating this and allowing us to perform the handpan beyond its limitations.