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Rhythms forged in the furnace
Inject a metallic edge into your orchestral compositions. This library not only delivers traditional metals from the orchestral palette, but includes the resonant clang of anvils, the shimmering brilliance of bowed cymbals, the otherworldly textures of waterphones, and of course a range of cowbells, agogos, guira and more. Meticulously recorded with a variety of beaters and techniques, Metal Percussion captures the unique character and full dynamic range of each instrument. Dive into the gritty world of oil drums, trash cans, and scaffold poles, or explore the delicate shimmer of temple bowls and wind chimes. Whether you're crafting cinematic soundscapes, industrial sound design, or adding a unique rhythmic layer to your music, this library provides a wealth of metallic textures and articulations to create everything from sharp, percussive hits to lush, atmospheric textures.
With a microphone mix masterfully engineered by GRAMMY® -Award-winner Simon Rhodes in the legendary space of Abbey Road Studio One, and performed by world-renowned percussionist Joby Burgess, Metal Percussion Core elevates your rhythms with a gorgeous room sound and exceptionally detailed sampling.
- You can buy now and download any time
Listen to Abbey Road Orchestra: Metal Percussion Core
A Balearic Orchestra - Alejandro Naranjo
Pitter Patter - Daniel Almeida-Linke
Bembe - Daniel Almeida-Linke
All Hell Breaks Loose - Oliver Patrice Weder
Hiding in the Crowd - Homay Schmitz
Thin Line - Oliver Patrice Weder
RHYTHMIC FUNDAMENTALS
To further enhance your creative workflow, this product includes a free MIDI pack of essential drum rudiments. These building blocks of percussion technique are programmed specifically for Abbey Road Orchestra Percussion, leveraging the intuitive right/left hand mapping for authentic performance.
Drag and drop these rudiments into your compositions at any tempo, and freely edit them within your DAW, adding realistic drum techniques with ease.
Admirably varied and highly dynamic
Sound On Sound
HEAVY METALS
Expertly captured by Simon Rhodes (Avatar, The Banshees of Inisherin), Metal Percussion encapsulates a thoughtfully curated collection of versatile and diverse percussive instruments. Inclusive of both classic orchestral staples, such as a variety of cymbals and crashes, and more eclectic cinematic sounds and texture, such as the Oil Drum, Waterphone and Giant Crasher, this library truly inspires organic composition.
Hand selected by world renowned percussionist Joby Burgess the majority of these instruments come from his personal collection — which has been used extensively on major Hollywood productions — and offers true diversity. Whether you're looking for the delicacy of Bells and Chimes, the roaring sounds of the Thundersheet or something more abstract like the variety of textural elements played on the Oil Drum, this library layers and combines beautifully to spark your imagination and inspire your own patches and creations.
CURATED VERSATILITY
What makes this collection incredibly special is all of this attention to detail — Joby’s incredible understanding of his collection of instruments, Simon’s particular way of micing everything and setting up the mixes, the level of detail offered in the features, such as the right/left mapping — and you get so much more than some percussion chucked at the back of the room - it can become such a significant part of your production.
— Paul Thomson
Orchestral staples
An expertly curated selection of 58 percussive instruments, including but not limited to a myriad of cymbals, tam-tams, and 3 triangles
- Up to 10 dynamic layers
- Up to 10 round robins
- 409 articulations including discrete right and left hand performances
- Boundless creativity
Inspirational instrumentation
- A Joby Burgess hand-selected range of unique elements and metallic tones including an oil drum, trash cans, a waterphone and many more to inspire your creativity
- A wealth of both standard and alternative beaters and techniques, including mallets, brushes, sticks, hammers, bowed cymbals, scrapes and superball drags
- A huge sonic pallet, from trashy scrap metals to meditative temple bowls which excite the glorious acoustic of Studio One
Realism at play
Key features to heighten playability
- Voice Choking precisely controls the end of roll techniques when pressing the corresponding hit keys
- Two Handed Layout which mirrors mapped keys further up the keyboard to enable flexibility and speed when playing
- Right/Left Mapping recalls left and right hand performances on adjacent keys for playing and programming true-to-life rudiments
- Presented in the same plug-in as Low and High percussion, with the same intuitive layout and mapping.
Tech specs
macOS requirements
PC requirements
File size
What's Included
Key Features
A notable list of features to extend the playability and natural realism of this sample library
Soft Takeover
Useful when playing in rolls and hits as part of a passage, and wants to trigger rolls sympathetically and intuitively to the dynamic of the hits being played quickly without having to set the position of the modwheel (whilst also having the option to crescendo/diminuendo if desired). Having the rolls velocity sensitive is great for triggering short rolls to portray drags, flourishes and pickups etc. as part of longer rhythmic passages when physically playing on the keyboard.
Right/Left Mapping
Most of the drums in High Percussion have been recorded with both right and left hand sticking. How much difference does this actually make? Some drums and beater types do have a distinct timbral difference between the two hands which contributes to the feel and realism especially when programming or playing true-to-life rudiments.
Two Handed Layout
This duplicates the main original mapping blocks to a higher octave, allowing you to play using two hands (spacing the keys out further to feel more like actually playing a drum).
NOTE: Two handed layout is not available on ‘All in One’ techniques.
Vocal Choking
Playing a hit when a roll key is held will choke the roll. This allows for very tight roll ends to be played in using a single hit.
Instruments
Anvils (x3)
Metal bars struck with hammers creating ringing sounds with excellent projection - A modern equivalent to the traditional metalworker's anvil used in orchestral settings.
Lump Hammer
Hits performed with a heavy lump hammer with a dark but metallic attack
Pin Hammer
Hits performed with a light pin hammer creating a bright, metallic attack
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Brake Drums (x3)
Literally the brake drums from an automobile, these produce a surprisingly clear and resonant tone when struck - presented here as a set of three.
Poly Beater
Single hits performed with poly beaters creating a bright attack
Rubber Mallets
Techniques performed with rubber mallets producing a balanced attack
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
China Cymbal
A traditional 24" China cymbal hand-hammered in Wuhan, producing a distinctive attack with a dark, washy sustain.
Felt Mallets
Techniques performed with felt mallets for a rounded attack
Sticks
Techniques performed with drumsticks producing a hard and pronounced attack
Scrapes
Scrape techniques across the surface of the cymbal
Bows
Techniques performed with a bow across the edge of the cymbal to produce unearthly overtones
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Crashers and Stack
A set of two crashers and a cymbal stack creating a palette of short, sharp and dirty metallic sounds - great for fast passages or layering.
Sticks
Techniques performed with drumsticks producing a hard and pronounced attack
Rods & Dreads
Techniques performed with a mix of rods and dreads for a variety of crisp transients
Pin Hammer
Hits performed with a light pin hammer creating a bright, metallic attack
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Giant Crasher
Two thundersheets (rectangular metal cymbals) stacked together and struck from above to create powerful, shattering hits with little sustain
Pin Hammer
Hits performed with a light pin hammer creating a bright, metallic attack
Puili
Hits performed with bamboo puili sticks creating crisp attack
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Oil Drum
A 40 gallon oil drum struck with a variety of beaters producing very unorthodox but highly complex sounds
Rubber Mallets
Techniques performed with poly beaters creating a bright attack
Felt Mallets
Techniques performed with soft felt mallets producing a mellow attack
Brushes
Techniques performed with wire brushes for a delicate timbre
Hands
Techniques performed with the hands producing very natural 'tapping' sounds
Superball
Drags across the instrument with a superball creating other-worldly textures
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Piatti (x3)
An orchestral staple, piatti are hand-held clash cymbals struck together creating a dense and brilliant shimmer - presented here as a set of three (21” Dark/Germanic, 19” Mellow/Viennese and 17” Bright/French) performing a range of techniques.
Scaffolds (x3)
A trio of scaffold poles struck with beaters or hammers producing bright ringing sounds with discernible pitch
Yarn Beaters
Hits performed with yarn beaters for a rounded attack
Pin Hammer
Hits performed with a light pin hammer creating a bright, metallic attack
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Spiral Cymbal
A spiral cymbal with a very bright attack, moderate sustain and a distinctly 'trashy' character
Sticks
Techniques performed with drumsticks producing a hard and pronounced attack
Splash Cymbals
A pair of splash cymbals (8” and 10”) with a fast attack and short sustain - ideal for accented hits
Sticks
Techniques performed with drumsticks producing a hard and pronounced attack
Suspended Cymbals (x3)
A set of three suspended cymbals (20” Dark, 21” Mellow and 16” Bright) performed with a variety of beaters providing a huge range of crashes and shimmering textures
Felt Mallets
Techniques performed with soft felt mallets producing a mellow attack
Brushes
Techniques performed with wire brushes for a delicate timbre
Sticks
Techniques performed with drumsticks producing a hard and pronounced attack
Scrapes
Scrape techniques across the surface of the cymbal
Bows
Techniques performed with a bow across the edge of the cymbal to produce unearthly overtones
Dark - All in One
All beaters and techniques for the dark 20" cymbal presented across the keyboard
Mellow - All in One
All beaters and techniques for the mellow 21" cymbal presented across the keyboard
Bright - All in One
All beaters and techniques for the bright 16" cymbal presented across the keyboard
Tam Tams (x2)
A pair of orchestral Tam Tams - large ‘gong-like’ instruments of indefinite pitch with a very long, deep resonance and dark overtones
Tam Tam Mallets
Techniques performed with tam tam mallets producing a soft attack and blooming sustain
Scrapes
Scrape techniques across the surface of the cymbal
Superball
Drags across the surface of the instrument with a rubber 'superball' producing other-wordly textures
All in One (Tam Tam A)
All available beaters and techniques for Tam Tam A (30" Swiss) presented across the keyboard
All in One (Tam Tam B)
All available beaters and techniques for Tam Tam B (36" Wuhan) presented across the keyboard
Temple Bowls (x4)
A set of four temple bowls to create meditative sounds with a rich blooming sustain
Rubber Mallets
Techniques performed with rubber mallets producing a balanced attack
Brushes
Techniques performed with nylon brushes producing a delicate attack with reduced fundamentals
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Thundersheet
An extremely large (64” x 42”) but very thin suspended metal sheet which produces a characteristic thunder effect when struck or shaken
Felt Mallets
Techniques performed with soft felt mallets producing a mellow attack
Dreads
Techniques performed with heavy gauge coiled metal brushes producing a very metallic sound
Bows
Techniques performed with a bow across the edge of the instrument to produce unearthly overtones
Superball
Drags across the surface of the instrument with a rubber 'superball' producing other-wordly textures
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Small Metals
A comprehensive collection of smaller metals to add additional colours and textures
Bell Tree
An instrument comprising of cup-shaped bells played by stroking with poly mallets
Mark Tree
Suspended metal tines played by stroking with the fingers to produce the instrument’s signature glissandi
Agogos (x2 pairs)
Pairs of cone-shaped bells with a short decay, each occupying a different pitch and struck with thin sticks to create characterful rhythms
Spring Coil
A large coiled spring played with a triangle beater - either suspended from a stand (open) or resting on a soft surface (muted)
Cowbells (x3)
Clapperless bells with a short, hollow decay and struck with drum sticks - presented here with three pitches
Cabassa
A hand instrument with beads wrapped around a ridged metal cylinder and turned with a handle, often used in place of a shaker
Chains
Heavy gauge chains dropped into a trash can to create aggressive metallic accents and textures
Finger Cymbals (x2)
Pairs of small cymbals struck together to produce a long and high pitched ring
Guira
A Caribbean instrument with a heavily textured metal surface, either tapped or scraped to create characterful repeating rhythms
Reco Reco
Popularised in Brazilian music, the Reco-Reco consists of springs extended across a hollow metal frame which are struck or scraped
Sleigh Bells & Indian Bells
Pellet bells attached to a handle (Sleigh Bells) or rope (Indian Bells) and shaken to produce a crisp 'jingle' sound
Tambourines (x3)
Metal 'jingles' attached to a hoop and either shaken or struck, equally adept at fast, repeating rhythms or single note accents - presented as a set of three
Wind Chimes
Small suspended metal tines which add light splashes of colour when flicked
Triangles (x3)
An orchestral staple, the triangle produces a bright, high pitched bell sound with a long decay - presented here as a set of three
Trash Cans (x2)
A spread pair of trash cans creating a 'street' sound - great for both layering and creating complex polyrhythms
Sticks
Techniques performed with drumsticks producing a hard and pronounced attack
Dreads
Techniques performed with heavy gauge coiled metal brushes producing a very metallic sound
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Waterphone
A remarkable instrument of metal tines surrounding a water-filled chamber. Played with a bow, the tines create a otherworldly sounds with mesmerising harmonics
Bow (Arco)
Bow strokes performed across the instrument's tines to produce the signature waterphone sound
Bow (Col Legno)
Taps performed on the instrument's tines with the back of the bow
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard
Wind Gong
A 26" Wind Gong with quick and bright attack which produces a sound resembling the rushing of wind when struck
Felt Mallets
Techniques performed with soft felt mallets producing a mellow attack
Bows
Techniques performed with a bow across the edge of the cymbal to produce unearthly overtones
All in One
All available beaters and techniques for the instrument presented across the keyboard