(BOWED) PIANO
"..a beautiful, floaty reverb-like wash: a unique and colourful pad sound."
Sound On Sound, July 2008
".. The looped sustains’ tone is rich and somewhat ethereal, like a cross between a church organ ‘mixture’ stop, a waterphone and a small string section playing without vibrato. At the top end, they sound like a disembodied mini-orchestra from outer space; at the bottom, not unlike the twangly bass-drone of an Indian tambura. The pulling/bowing action imparts a lot of harmonic movement to notes, adding a slightly voice-like character, and because the piano was bowed with the sustain pedal down, the sympathetic resonance of other undamped strings creates a beautiful, floaty reverb-like wash: a unique and colourful pad sound.
With a fiercer attack and louder harmonics, the stronger sustains bear a passing resemblance to a hurdy gurdy but sound way more pleasant and melodious. The short staccato notes reminded me of a bass harmonica, and of early stringed instruments such as the viol. I guarantee that if you use this sound in an arrangement no-one will know what it is!
The ‘Bowed Piano Synth’ patch adds superb effects, making the samples sound immense. A fantastic ‘glissando’ control transforms long bowed notes into sirens, seagull cries and wailing choirs — just the thing for your latest psychedelic epic.I can recommend this exotic library to all sonic adventurers... it does a great job of exploring its fascinating chosen theme. "
Dave Stewart
"..You get the set, start fooling around, and ideas come. I think that's worth its weight in gold.."
"..This is a fairly crafty set, and (like most Soniccouture sample sets) unique. You don't have to worry about accidentally doubling up on a particular sound with these guys. It is, as the name suggests, a 9' Baldwin grand, with individual strings bowed by a rosin-coated fishing line contraption (essentially a garrote, if you're a ninja/pirate). In typical Soniccouture fashion, the set is complete overkill, with round-robin samples of three different flavors: hard legato, soft legato, and staccato. Apparently the staccato sound is done with a horsehair/tongue depressor gee-gaw.
For the two legato sets (switched via the mod wheel), pads are the comfort zone. It is an odd sound, but nice and pleasing, and organic as hell. The soft legato sits in a mix in the same way that violas or a cello played on a high register would, albeit with a far greater range. The hard legato is fairly bright and active, and frankly you'll have to essentially invent new music to use it with, as it is simply too lively for normal pad usage. I really like how the bottom two octaves are essentially only second and third harmonics on the hard legato. The sound of this is hard to describe but extremely cool.
The staccato mode (accessed via whacking B6, versus C7 for legato) sounds like nothing so much as an oboe with a lot of lip, for want of any other descriptor. That isn't to say that it actually sounds like an oboe at all, lip or no. It just reminds me of that more than any other sound.
The nice thing about this set (and the Hang Drum set, for that matter) is that these aren't instruments that you think of needing, as in "boy, you know what would really set this off? A bowed piano!" These sounds, and many of the other Soniccouture sets, work in the opposite direction. You get the set, install it, start fooling around, and ideas come. I think that's worth its weight in gold, and as inspirational material this sample set would be a bargain at five times the price. (Which is, by the way, fifty quid.) "
Chris Randall, Analog Industries, August 2008