Cinematique Instruments
Charakter Pianos by Cinematique Instruments Review
2025
Charakter Pianos by Cinematique Instruments Second Review
Yet another piano collection rolls by – there are so many, it’s hard to keep track of them all, but I’ll be focusing on one that isn’t quite like the others here – Charakter Pianos from Cinematique Instruments.
Charakter Pianos Curbed Piano
Cinematique Instruments are known for their wide range of experimental and folk instrument libraries aimed at more eccentric styles of composing. With Charakter Pianos they have provided 5 highly characterful pianos that each have a rather unique personality and sound.
Installation
The library is downloaded and the zip file is unzipped to your folder of choice. No registration is required as it runs in the full version of Kontakt.
Sound
This collection definitely puts the “character” in “Charakter Pianos”. If you need a raw, wounded and warm piano sound, you’ll find it here. The Curbed Piano (which is my favorite) is an over-compressed lo-fi sounding gem that will fit right into your next Silent Hill-inspired composition. It has tons of flavor.
Charakter Pianos Practice Piano
The Practice Piano is my next favorite, which sounds like a mono recording with each note panned to sound like a stereo recorded piano. It has a stoic, earthy texture.
Charakter Pianos Practice Piano
The Intimate Piano sounds ultra-close and warm and is suited to dark and emotive passages with minimal instrumentation.
Charakter Pianos
The Soundboard Piano has a quirky picked sound in the higher register and a beefy, super resonant tone in the lower registers. It sounds like something Trent Reznor would have played on his experimental “Ghosts” album, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. Finally, we get the standard Upright Piano, which has an unabashed, bold sound.
When compared to the other pianos provided, this one is neither here nor there – it sounds good in the mid to lower registers but is fairly neutral all said and done.
User interface & Usability
These pianos are provided with dead-easy interfaces that allow the user to dial in some unique reverb, noise samples and add some bottom or brightness to the sound among others. The main focus here really is the sound.
Charakter Pianos Upright Piano
Of course, with these pianos having so much character, they won’t always fit in the music you’re making. They have a lo-fi quality to them with a lot of mid-range frequency content, so they’re best used with minimal instrumentation or exposed for slow, emotive passages.
In this way, the library is kind of hit/miss, where you’ll reach for it instantly in certain compositions, then let it gather dust during others. It’s certainly a niche product, and while it doesn’t provide an all-around use, those composing in the experimental, industrial and dark cinematic style will see it as a must-have.
Rating: Four out of five stars
If you’re the sort of composer who desires that dark, fat, lo-fi piano sound, Charakter Pianos collection provides a handful of uber-characterful pianos at a price you simply can’t argue with.
Rating: Four out of five stars
If you’re the sort of composer who desires that dark, fat, lo-fi piano sound, Charakter Pianos collection provides a handful of uber-characterful pianos at a price you simply can’t argue with.
Cinematique Instruments
Review of Cinematique Instruments’ Pandrum: A Fantastic Handpan Instrument
2025
The Cinematique Instruments team has outdone themselves with their latest release, the Pandrum handpan instrument. This virtual instrument is an exceptional reproduction of a real handpan, and offers the ability to extremely extend and vary the entire sound by applying numerous features. There are versions for the Kontakt 5.68 full version as well as free HALion Sonic Player available. Additionally, the Pandrum comes with a kaleidoscope plugin review, which allows users to further manipulate and shape the sound to their liking. The intuitive interface and extensive controls make it easy to create unique and expressive melodies. Whether you’re a professional composer or just starting out, the Pandrum is a versatile and inspiring tool for any musician.
Welcome to the UFO section of the musical instruments! The Cinematique Instruments team has outdone themselves with their release, the Pandrum handpan instrument.
Pandrum is the perfect instrument for anyone looking for a modern sound with a fantastic feel. With 6 different handpans and 2 tongue drums, Pandrum offers 18 scales to choose from and detailed sampling for an authentic experience. Plus, with 5 layer instruments and tone shaping capabilities, you can create the perfect sound for your music.
The Pandrum is the perfect instrument for creating relaxing and meditative soundscapes. Its mellow tones are perfect for creating a calming atmosphere, and its modern design makes it the perfect addition to any music producer’s toolkit.
This virtual instrument is an exceptional reproduction of a real handpan and offers the ability to extremely extend and vary the entire sound by applying numerous features. There are versions for the Kontakt full version as well as free HALion Sonic Player available.
The Pandrum is a fantastic handpan instrument with an amazing sound. Its design is modern and sleek, making it the perfect addition to any music producer’s toolkit. The Pandrum is a package of seven individual Handpans.
What Instrument Is a Handpan?
A handpan is a percussion instrument that consists of a concave metal pan with a central dome, played with the hands.
The Hang and pantam are classified as idiophone musical instruments, which make up the majority of percussion instruments. The handpan, hang, and pantam are all technically part of the idiophone category of musical instruments. The vast majority of non-drum percussion instruments are also idiophones.
Drums produce sound by vibrating the entire instrument as a whole, either by striking one or multiple drums at once.
The Pandrum has seven individual handpans, each with its own unique sound.
How Does a Handpan Work?
What is a handpan, and how does it operate? – The dimples on the nitrided steel are tuned to a diatonic scale as a result of the adjustment. The dimples make sounds when struck. The sound is produced by altering the air within and then releasing it through a hole in the pan’s bottom half.
Is the Handpan Hard to Learn?
Is handpan hard to learn? – Playing a handpan is not difficult since there are fewer notes to play than on most other instruments. The scales utilized further exacerbate the problem of striking a poor tone, making it difficult to do so. A basic sense of rhythm is required, but handpan training is inexpensive and easily available.
Cinematique Instruments’ Handpan
A handpan is made up of two halves of metal shells that are joined together with a hole in the bottom. On top is a central tone field, which includes the deepest note and surrounds it with a circle of at least seven tone fields containing higher notes. The tone fields’ creation and adjustment is quite complicated. The tuner strikes numerous overtones into each tone field while tuning. This procedure takes a long time.
The handpan is available in a wide range of scales from across the world. In addition to traditional handpan instruments with sound-field damage, there is also the category of Tongue Drums, which utilize metal reeds.
It’s a rather beautiful virtual handpan replica, but it also allows you to significantly expand and alter the entire sound by using numerous features.
Cinematique Instruments has created a very sophisticated pick of handpans and tongue drums for Pandrum, ranging from simple to exquisite. They were all captured in several dynamic layers and 8 round robin variants.
Review of Cinematique Instruments’ Pandrum
Cinematique Instruments offers a variety of high-end handpan instruments such as Zephyr, Leaf, Pan Art, Camenzind, Orbi Pan, and Tiflis. Also included are recordings with the Zephyr’s special percussion set and an Orbi Drum set played by mallets that sounds similar to steel drums.
There are two amazing tongue drums to choose from: the Aqua Drum, which is long and sustained, and the RAV Vast, which has a longer sustain.
Cinematic Instruments’ Pandrum is a fantastic collection of eight pan and tongue drums with five texture layers. With simple abilities for both the studio and the stage, Pandrum is not only for the composer.
The Pandrum module from Cinematique Instruments is a digital audio workstation (DAW) plugin that generates the relaxing and meditative sound of the pan drum family. Pandrum, which has been meticulously recorded, transports the sound of these pricey and difficult-to-obtain instruments with limited tonality into a full and nuanced collection of fully chromatic sounds.
The hand pan family comprises two metal half-shells (neither of which is convex), one of which has been hammered into seven or more ‘tone fields,’ each of which must be played manually.
A Fantastic Handpan Instrument
Hang originated in the early 2000s, when a Swiss company called Hang began producing it. Around the world, musicians have created their own versions of Hang instruments since then. In essence, it’s like a steel pan instrument from the Caribbean. Because each hand pan and tank drum is made and tuned by hand by a specialist, costs are high and supplies are restricted.
The fundamental overtones in these tones fields, themselves packed with harmonic components, are frequently organized into an ‘ethnic scale.’ The tone fields for a hand pan, often known as a “steel tongue drum” or “tank drum,” are replaced by tongues on this variant of the hand pan, which may be played manually or with mallets.
Drums are unique in their sound, but they also share a uniformity of tone when played together. Individual drums have a particular tonality and key center that may be achieved relative intervallic relationships with one other. There is a relationship between each drum and its performative environment, just as there was for brass players 400 years ago.
To make things more simple, Cinematique Instruments has compiled and assessed a variety of pans and tanks to meet the demands of each piece or production.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cinematique Instruments’ Pandrum is an exceptional instrument with a fantastic sound in a modern design. Finally, it is a very impressive reproduction of a real handpan instrument but also offers the ability to extremely extend and vary the entire sound by applying numerous features. There are versions for the Kontakt 5.68 full version as well as free HALion Sonic Player available.
Cinematique Instruments’ Pandrum is a fantastic collection of eight pan and tongue drums with five texture layers. With simple abilities for both the studio and the stage, Pandrum is not only for the composer. In conclusion, I highly recommend this instrument to anyone looking for high-quality handpan sounds.
Rating: Five Out of Five Stars
The Cinematique Instruments team has outdone themselves with their release, the Pandrum handpan instrument. This virtual instrument is an exceptional reproduction of a real handpan and offers the ability to extremely extend and vary the entire sound by applying numerous features.
Cinematique Instruments’ Pandrum offers a delightful set of eight pan and tongue drums, as well as five texture layers. Pandrum is not only for the composer; it’s also for the performer with simple settings for both the studio and stage.
Pandrum is the ultimate handpan instrument. It has a modern design and an exceptional sound. With 6 handpans, 2 tongue drums, 18 scales, and detailed sampling, Pandrum offers endless possibilities for creating unique sounds. Tone shaping features also allow you to customize your sound however you like.
Cinematique Instruments’ Pandrum FAQ
What formats does Pandrum come in?
Kontakt, and HALion Sonic format
I’m a composer; will this work for me?
Yes! The instrument has a variety of sounds that are perfect for composing.
Is there a demo version available?
You can listen to some audio demos only.
How many instruments are included in Pandrum?
There are eight pan and tongue drums with five texture layers included in the instrument.
What is the difference between a handpan and a tongue drum?
Handpans are smaller but heavier than steel tongue drums. They consist of thicker steel and resonate for a longer period than a Handpan. They have a contemplative tone to them, but they aren’t suitable for rapid percussive playing.
Is the handpan hard to learn?
No, the handpan is not hard to learn. There are a variety of YouTube videos that can help you get started.
How Does a Handpan Work?
What is a handpan, and how does it operate? – The dimples on the nitrided steel are tuned to a diatonic scale as a result of the adjustment. The dimples make sounds when struck. The sound is produced by altering the air within and then releasing it through a hole in the pan’s bottom half.
What Instrument Is a Handpan?
A handpan is a percussion instrument that consists of a concave metal pan with a central dome, played with the hands.
The Hang and pantam are classified as idiophone musical instruments, which make up the majority of percussion instruments. The handpan, hang, and pantam are all technically part of the idiophone category of musical instruments. The vast majority of non-drum percussion instruments are also idiophones.
Drums produce sound by vibrating the entire instrument as a whole, either by striking one or multiple drums at once.
The Pandrum has seven individual handpans, each with its own unique sound.
Review of Cinematique Instruments’ Pandrum: A Fantastic Handpan Instrument
Summary
The Cinematique Instruments team has outdone themselves with their release, the Pandrum handpan instrument. This virtual instrument is an exceptional reproduction of a real handpan and offers the ability to significantly extend and vary the entire sound by applying numerous features.
Cinematique Instruments’ Pandrum offers a delightful set of eight pan and tongue drums, as well as five texture layers. Pandrum is not only for the composer; it’s also for the performer with simple settings for both the studio and stage.
Pandrum is the ultimate handpan instrument. It has a modern design and an exceptional sound. With 6 handpans, 2 tongue drums, 18 scales, and detailed sampling, Pandrum offers endless possibilities for creating unique sounds. Tone shaping features also allow you to customize your sound however you like.
SONIC ALCHEMY AT ITS BEST – Colors by Cinematique Instruments
Colors is a box full of ambiances, pads, and textures. You can create your own sound from a beautiful set full of characterful and lovingly selected source sounds in no time at all – as easy as mixing colors together in a paint box, simple and ingenious at the same time. The included modulation section adds subtle life or extreme weirdness, depending on what you need. So, you are able to paint your own sound!
With the exquisite preset color box offering around 40 presets sorted by color only, you’ll have a huge selection of timbres in no time.
What Is Colors?
COLORS is a unique tool that opens the way for you to create modern pads and textures with lots of movement and variations. Besides the excellent presets you can also build your own sound from scratch. Four layers with useful sound-shaping tools in combination with a clever modification engine offer you almost infinite possibilities to create beautiful, atmospheric, deep, and even abstract sound sculptures that will help you to add more color to your music. And if you seeking even more inspiration, just let COLORS create a sound randomly for you.
– Score Tranquil creates soft, modern and poppy pads for background, ambient, hip hop, or scores.
– Score Tensed delves into the world of suspense, creepiness, horror to soundlessness.
Colors will initially be available in five different versions, all based on the same engine. Each version is fed with individual sound sources and shaped by its own character and approach. Right now there are 2 versions released (A retroactive bundle for all 5 will be possible at any time).
Uniqueness
The way the sound sources work in conjunction with the modulation and movement possibilities is absolutely unique and results in beautiful, inspiring and – most importantly – very usable sounds that can be adapted to one’s needs in no time..
Preset Color Box
Offering lots of presets sorted by color only, you’ll have a huge selection of timbres instantly.
Characterful and rich sources
Each unit is equipped with very carefully and lovingly selected sound sources, which all fit very well with each other and achieve an optimal result.
Easel Section
The core of Colors. Here are 4 sound layers, all of which can be equipped with different sound sources and are equipped with many edit options such as equalizers or different modulation sources.Modulations of the Colors
The Master Section contains all global setting options. Decay of the sounds, reverb, delay /with different types, a modifiable chorus effect, 2 different filters, and distortion types.
Live Modulation by ModWheel
Almost all parameters of the Master Section – as well as Layer 2+3 – are connected with a 100 step long programmable table so that you can dynamically set and run your own parameters via the Mod Wheel. So you can change the complete sound in no time.
Automatic MovementsAs a small special feature, Cinematique Instruments added a few automatic movement tools to the master section. These are Auto Filter, Filter Sweep, Main Volume Chop. All these tools can be played simultaneously in many tempos and are synced to the host.
Random Sounds
Cinematique Instruments added a few automatic movement tools to the master section. These are Auto Filter, Filter Sweep, Main Volume Chop. All these tools can be played simultaneously in many tempos and are synced to the host.
Tranquil
Tranquil creates soft, modern and poppy pads and textures for background, ambient, hip hop or scores. There are 51 presets ready to play.
Tensed
Tensed delves into the world of light suspense, creepiness, horror to atonal atmospheres. It provides 41 presets sorted only by color.
As a bonus, you get an 808 beat machine – with original as well as processed recorded Roland TR808 samples.
Pricing and Availability
Tranquil and Tensed are available now. If you like to purchase more than one colors unit, please click here for the bundle price. A retroactive bundle for all will be possible at any time.
Virtual Instrument Library
Cinematique Instruments New Java Mallets – Unique Mallets With Indonesian Flavor
2025
Java Mallets – Unique Mallets With Indonesian Flavor
Java Mallets is an inspirational instrument that offers a selection of unique mallet sounds combined with a mythical Indonesian flavor. Because of its particular character, it suits a lot of many styles of music.
Cinematique Instruments obtained the traditional sound aesthetic of a Javanese gamelan orchestra in particular and performed it to fit their special way of thinking about what Cinematique Instruments expect from instruments to make modern music with – and it doesn’t matter if it’s a cool movie score or a fine pop song. Each instrument is equipped with multiple articulations to provide a wide range of sound possibilities.
JAVANESE GAMELAN
Gamelan is traditional ensemble music from Indonesia based around mallet instruments, most commonly metallophones. For Java Mallets, Cinematique Instruments was inspired by the Javanese style tradition which is characterized by a softer nature.
For a long time, Cinematique Instruments has been fascinated by the unique timbres the Gamelan offers and have been searching for a way to capture them to implement the sounds into our music.
Searching for an opportunity to record Cinematique Instruments formed a cooperation with Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum and their curator Hartmut Zänder to record their exhibits. While the orchestra of the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum consists of instruments that were built around 1900, the private collection of Hartmut Zänder contains modern built instruments which bring new colors to Java Mallets.
| 16 Mallet Articulations Cinematique Instruments have collected a ridiculous amount of single instruments, with each articulation containing related instruments being playable over several octaves so you can play them over the full range of the keyboard. Additionally, Cinematique Instruments played each of these groups with mallets Cinematique Instruments admire and felt fitting for the according to the instrument. 5 Bowed Articulations Cinematique Instruments always enjoyed bowing things not supposed to be bowed so Cinematique Instruments seized the chance and bowed the Gender and the Saron. An instrument supposed to get bowed though is the rebab, which Cinematique Instruments recorded metal and yarn stringed. Since this has become a quite rough-sounding collection Cinematique Instruments complemented this category with a rubbed gong with a calming character. 4 String Articulations In order to furthermore enrich the versatility of Java Mallets Cinematique Instruments recorded a rebab metal stringed and a rebab yarn stringed. Each of them is a plucked and a spiccato variation. | Ombak Simulation Ombak is a technique in Gamelan music doubling an instrument with a slightly detuned companion creating a chorus-like shimmering effect. Appreciating this Cinematique Instruments created such a companion for each articulation letting you control the amount of the detuning and the stereo width. Sound Shaping Besides the regular tools such as envelope (attack, decay) there is an EQ, a reverb, and a delay as well as additional FX options such as octaver, drive, rotary or tremolo. This is perfect to quickly change and shape the entire sound of the Java Mallets. 16 Presets In order to show the versatility and possibility to build textures, there are 16 presets available. Each one stands for a different way of playing the Java Mallets. |
Java Mallets Instruments
Gender / 5 Articulations
Is a metallophone consisting of thin bronze plates suspended over tuned resonators. We played our gender instruments with Tabuh, hammer, rubber mallet, finger and brush. It mainly consists of a Slenthem in the bass, a Gender Barung in middle range and a Gender Panerus in the highs.
Saron / 5 Articulations
Is a metallophone consisting of thick bronze plates placed over a resonating frame. We played our Saron instruments with Tabuh, yarn mallet, rubber mallet and knuckles. It mainly consists of a Saron Demung or Slenthem in the bass, a Saron Barung in middle range and a Saron Panerus in the highs.
Gambang / 3 Articulations
Is a idiophone consisting of thick wooden plates placed over a resonating frame. We played our Gambang instruments with tabuh, hammer and rubber mallet.
Gongs / 4 Articulations
Is a collection of several kettle gongs consisting of bronze placed over a resonating frame. Here we offer an articulation of big kettle gongs called Kenong and small kettle gongs called Bonangs which are played with Tabuh, rubber mallet and knuckles. Each of them is enriched with a collection of Gong Ageng and Kempul for the bass regions.
Rebab / 4 Articulations
Is a bowed string instrument with a drum like resonance body. We offer a yarn stringed and a metallic stringed option each played plucked and spiccato.
Bowed / 4 Articulations
For further sound design options we bowed a gender, a saron and a rebab as well as we rubbed a big Gong Ageng.
Pricing and Availability
Java Mallets is available now.
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