wind chimes [DS instrument]

I’ve always loved the sound of wind chimes; the harmonic-rich “bell” sounds played in their somewhat unpredictable patterns by the swinging of the wind. But when I decided that I wanted to use them in my music I discovered that, not only are they all ‘tuned’ to a particular scale, but most of them are out of tune with themselves as well as having minimal relationship to A440. So I set out to make an instrument that would bring wind chimes into our more structured musical context, while preserving their unique character and paying homage to the natural physics of their patterns that we’re so used to hearing.

I gathered 6 distinct sets of wind chimes from friends and neighbors. Using my stereo Zoom H1N I sampled each chime several times by tapping them with their own wooden ‘striker disc’. I ended up choosing 3 round robins for each individual note. But because the initial samples represent only a small section of the keyboard, I took all the samples within each set and programed them to be randomly triggered with each key strike. So every note you play is actually pulling randomly from a set of 9-18 round robins (depending on which set you’re playing).

The instrument comes with 2 IR-based stereo delay lines called ‘patterns’. Instead of engineering a complex delay module with tons of options capable of mimicking the organic patterns of wind chimes, I opted for 10 preset delay patterns to keep things simple and immediate. Each ‘pattern’ is made up of sparse reflections that cover the stereo/volume spectrum and are devoid of any relationship to grid or bpm. The signal path is processed in parallel (as opposed to serial) so any changes you make to one pattern don’t affect the other. You can even cut out the dry (‘chime’) signal all together and only hear the delays. This can be a fun way to experiment with the unpredictability.

You can shape the sound using attack, decay, and the ‘soft’ control which adjusts the starting point of the sample, effectively cutting off the transient of the strike to give a softer sound. You also have a high-pass filter, which only affects the ‘pattern’ signal, and a filter that affects the entire instruments output.

In addition to the original 6 chime sets, I’ve included extra cassette-tape-processed versions of 2 of the sample sets for a total of 8 presets. This instrument can be anything from quirky and playful plucks, to smooth full-bodied keys, to huge ambient pads. Designed for simplicity and immediacy.

Features:

– 8 sample sets total
– 6 sampled wind chimes
– 2 cassette tape processed sample sets
– Each note pulls from 9-18 round robins
– 2 IR-based stereo delays
– 10 delay patterns to choose from
– Attack/Release controls
– ’Soft’ knob cuts off transient
– HP+LP Filters

Enjoy!