Prosonus Prepared Piano | MIDI Orchestration Guide

In addition to the John Cage Library, Big Fish Audio also offers the Prosonus Prepared Piano Library. Though similar, this library offers a much broader palette of timbres. Unlike the Cage, it is not associated with any composition and thus is simply a collection of interesting sounds recorded on a prepared piano. As of this writing, I do not have any information about the manner in which the piano was prepared or the way in which it was recorded. The single CD-ROM library contains two .GIG files (a stereo and a mono version containing the same instruments). There are 27 different sounds and many of these are presented as modifiable versions via the ModWheel(Vibrato, Tremolo, HighPass Filter and LowPass Filter and a KeySwitched Instrument to change between all of these). Consequently, there are a total of 71 Instruments. All of the Instruments are single layered with one velocity. The number of samples mapped on each Instrument ranges from three to over thirty. Because of the fact that they all come from the piano, there is a common thread between many of them especially in those with a percussive element. But I have to admit that if I didn't know, I would have no idea that several of these were produced on the piano. When you hear these sounds, you can tell that they are acoustic in nature and not synthetic. But you just can't put your finger on exactly what the instrument the sounds are produced on.

While the majority of sounds are percussive in nature, there are several other types sprinkled in. Clusters, Eerie Scrapes and Death Scrapes are more or less what you would expect from their names. But then there are the strange and wonderful Instruments like Whale, which emulates the singing of humpback whales and Big Boom, which is a series of huge low-end rumbles. There's Bottleneck, which is percussive and complex in overtones (and I assume produced by playing the strings with a bottle) and one of my favorites, DeepSpace, which sounds very similar to a waterphone.

There are a number of Instruments that have a drum feel to them including Log Drums, Kick Drum and Wood Thunks. You can use the ModWheel within these Instruments to alter the attack via the amplitude envelope in GS. Mutant Banjo, which does not sound anything like a banjo, is instead like a combination of a drum and dulcimer on steroids. And there are a couple of tuned Instruments, the Power Harp and the Power Dulcimer. These are very beautiful, possessing the typical dulcimer sound but with much more depth and character.

So how can you use this library? I think it is most useful for film work, especially in the horror or science fiction genres. In fact, it is really more of a sound effects library than a musical one. However, many of the drum and percussive sounds could easily be incorporated into conventional music, giving it a slightly different flavor--not ethnic, not conventional. Just different. The two Power Instruments could be used in a number of ways, from beautiful solos to percussive background ostinatos.

Though certainly not for everyone, this library can be a great place to turn for some unusual sounds and since its available for under $100, a real bargain for those doing film work and special effects.