The story
This sample library is a little experiment – a proof of concept – I’m just looking for sounds to get out of my cello.
Pont pizz is using the ponticello method common in bowed playing and trying it out with pizzicato – it’s simply plucking right up next to the bridge. This gives a note that dies away much faster and is much thinner in tone than a normal finger pizzicato. There is also a bit of a thump present in the note attack.
The articulation sampled is not one you will usually find as it isn’t usually played. In fact you may find cellists very reluctant to pluck right up at the bridge both for fear of unseating the strings from the grooves they occupy in the bridge and because they might end up with sticky fingers if there is any rosin hanging about on the string.
For this library I sampled 6 velocity layers in a whole tone scale over 4 octaves using an AKG C414 mic through a Focusrite ISA Preamp. The library uses a scripted fake round robin.
Hope you enjoy using it!
Reviews for Pont Pizz – Cello
- Sound
- Character
- Playability
- Inspiration
- GUI
Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!
AMAZING!! EXTREMELY REALISTIC!!!
WHAT A WONDERFUL SOUND! EXTREMELY REALISTIC
An incredible sound that can be used on many occasions!
I'm just in love and I even saved the file on my flash drive to never lose it!
Excellent work, I'm already following you to follow more of your work!!
Thank you very much!I love this more than words can express
Many of what I consider to be my better recordings are the result of fortuitous mistakes. The first demo I made with this instrument is a case in point. I was simply looking for a pianobook instrument that didn’t already have lots of demos posted; for obvious reasons, those tend to get more Soundcloud plays and I prefer my pieces to be heard. I wanted to throw a spotlight on this lovely cello and so accompanied it only with drums. Listening to the first demo posted, the rhythmic potential of the Pont Pizz – Cello was what first struck me, so I tried to capture as much of its dynamic range as possible. I’m not a media composer but I can imagine this instrument providing lots of unusual character and rhythmic impetus to a soundtrack or incidental piece. In the process I created something that’s almost Zappaesque – and if that seems immodest, it also has some Captain Beefheart qualities, I think. See what you can do with it. I guarantee it’ll kickstart your inspiration. The minimalist GUI does what's required with no unnecessary faff.
Lovely sound that gets held back by noise
For a library that features only shorts, noise can be a deal-breaker, and unfortunately this library has a lot of noise in all of its samples. In case you are familiar with noise removal tools, you might have the opportunity to experience its real glory. The velocity layers are awesome, you can tell that the instrument has more to offer.
Kind of uninteresting but its a nice clean sound
This sounds pretty well recorded and the sound is nice. I find the sound to be a bit boring on its own but maybe layered up in an arrangement it would be cool. I like that there are round robins but it would be cool to have an even more quiet dynamic layer. I'm not the biggest fan of this but for what it is i still think its a nice instrument.
A Bridge Too Far?
If it's not a bridge too far to clean some of the noise off the gentler plucks then this is a great and very useful addition to anyone's collection of string samples. Since the gentler plucks are less resonant the problem can also be solved by chopping the length of the offending samples. The Sound of plucks themselves is good and real sounding and the range of velocities available is especially valuable. I imagine it is also possible to mitigate the noise by burying the tails in reverb or using the instrument for layering. The risk reward ratio is for each to set their own.
