The story
This came from the same collection as the Nepali Sarangi, but appears to be more of a functional instrument rather than an ornamental piece. It was in surprisingly good playable condition and was really the prize of the instrument hoard. Unfortunately I’m not particularly proficient with a bow so I can only make limited use of it, including in sampling. There are plucked and bowed samples with slightly varied range, and a poly patch where the legato has been disabled – this saves losing the
preset legato settings, but you could also just bypass the legato script under the hood in the main patch if you don’t mind re-doing those.
The saw u is a Thai bowed string instrument, probably adapted from the Chinese ‘hu’. The resonator is a coconut shell; this particular instrument has a tonewood soundboard rather than hide. It has two strings, normally tuned a fifth apart. It apparently typically uses silk strings, though this one came with fishing line, giving it a raspier and more metallic tone. I plan to replace these with some wound-nylon strings in the future, so there may be a sequel, ‘Saw U II’, to look forward to.
Saw U demo video
Reviews for Saw U
- Sound
- Character
- Playability
- Inspiration
- GUI
Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!
I like this
but I don't have a lot to say about it. I have nothing like it and I think you should download it, it's cool.
A lovely instrument
This isn't something that would cross my mind if I was creating a score for a medieval busy market town (very specific I know), to be frank I didn't even know this instrument was a thing (very sad, I know). But it sounds like a viola but more folky if that's how I am allowed to describe it? I like it a lot!
A cheap Saw U
As a person who has grown up in Thailand, I am more familiar than most with the sound of a Saw U. This does sound like one, but not one of the higher quality ones. That being said, this Kontakt instrument is true to the sound of a Saw U, albeit a cheaper one. So if you're going for a folksy sound that is easy to use, this is a great instrument for that.
A nice littel folk instrument
This is another simple and nicely sampled folk instrument by Eamon. This time it's a string instrument that you have access to both pluck and bowed articulations, including a legato patch. I personally prefer the bowed sound more, but keep in mind that the sample has a very short duration.
The plucked patch is also good though, but it comes with a smaller range, desipte that you don't really see that once selected. I believe it would be much more convenient to have the pluck as a different poly-only patch. In addition to that, I'd recomment to use the polyphonic patch for the pluck, since in the legato one you lose the attack if you don't play in perfect staccato motion.
