The waterphone is an atonal instrument that features a stainless steel cylinder-shaped resonator filled with water, a handle and several bronze rods of various length installed around the resonator. The sound is obtained bowing or hitting the rods with brushes or mallets and moving the instrument so that the movement of the water within the resonator will change the resonance. The sound of this instrument is often used to evoke mystery and suspense.
The waterphone used by Spitfire was recorded using vintage microphones, Neve Montserrat preamps and a Studer 2" tape machine, and then passed through Prism A/D converters.
Several articulations are available, with the following mappings:
- C0 – B0: bowed rods with 4 round robins, 2 instrument positions controlled by velocity and water level control
- C1 – C2: “plucked” rods with 4 round robins and water control
- C3 – A3: hand sweeps
- C4 – A4: brushes sweeps
- C5 – A5: fast bow sweeps
- C6 – B6: bowed sweeps
Hg2O requires the full Kontakt version. It is available with the introductory price of £33 instead of £44 for 10 days. You’ll find more details at www.spitfireaudio.com/hg2o.
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