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For those of you that use sequencers and love the hang but maybe cannot afford more than one, there are a number of “virtual instruments” out there that recreate (and in some instances improve on) the beautiful sound of the hang.



As someone who wants one but is very frustrated by the pathetic way in which they are sold, and also as an electronic musician, I went down the software route. I thought it best that I only review the items I’ve actually used in the studio. There may be others out there but I really only have experience of these 3!



You can get these on your Iphone/ ipod touch as well as your PC/mac sequencer



Firstly the ipod/iphone item: its made by avacata http://www.avacata.com/iphone/oddtunes/ ... atures.cfm ( these use a pitched up/down scale recorded at a single velocity speed for all parts (i.e. only one strength of hit). There are a variety of tunings which have all been very well researched and as far as I can hear, are actually very accurate. However because you are limited to one velocity layer (i.e. 1 sound played at middling speed) its incredibly limited, it does have a built in sequencer which is fun….. for £.059 it’s a novelty….



Secondly the cheap (10euro) vst, its available from http://www.tikov.com/softrave/hang.htm its been updated relatively recently but because it only has 4 velocity layers it really is limited. The sound is of pretty average quality. For 10 euro’s you get what you pay for I guess…. A youtube demo is attached. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG2b0vND ... r_embedded using a korg padkontrol for note input.



Finally the real deal. Soniccouture’s PAN drum (I don’t think they could license the word Hang!). These have 21 velocity layers per note (more below) and a number of really inspiring extras for those of us that use ableton live (amongst other sequencers). Various areas of the hang were recorded (Gu, Ding, Outer Ding, Tone-field Centre, Tone-Field Edge, and in-between the Tone-field), and played with finger, slap and knuckle. These modes can be triggered by simple key switches.


This uses a mark 1 hang and a mark 2 hang in their native tunings (note it does not combine them), they appear as separate in your instruments folder in live (under the drum rack). This means you can (in live at least) merge these 2 instruments together in one instrument for some very unusual sounds. You can also adjust a number of settings including the decay of the sound amongst others. The samples are incredibly detailed (24 bit sound) and really show off the wonderful tone of the hang. I’ll post a demo up when I get time.



It also has a generative pattern sequencer. This allows for relatively random/ humanized patterns so that a lazy musician…. (And there are plenty of them out there!) could literally lay down a 1 bar pad on a couple or 3 notes and it would sound scarily human with syncopation etc etc… you’d then record this into an audio track and bang you have instant chillout! the live version allows for further tweaking so that you can lower the attack for a pad sound, and sharpen up the sound as if you were really attacking the hang ( poor thing!). its very customizable and with a decent pad controller or a keyboard you can get the most wonderful sounds out of it. It also allows you to pitch up and down several octaves on all notes including the ding and the gu (+/- 48 semitones). This gives a complete palette of beautiful sounding sonic loveliness!



The download is available in ableton live instrument (ALS file) as well as a native instruments kontakt player file for each version. Its available from http://www.soniccouture.com/en/products/p27-pan-drum/



A Dvd version is £59, the download is £49. its actually the second best bit of money I’ve ever spent on a virtual instrument.

You need a fully functional sequencer that can host vsti’s or ableton live to run this.

I think this is a promise that cannot be hold. What you get, when you sample the tone fields of a Hang is a sample of Hang tone fields and not a Hang sample. The way the Hang is tried to sample in the examples you wrote about is in principle not able to "recreate the beautiful sound of the hang".

The reason is that the creators of the samples didn't understand how a Hang works. They understand the Hang as a number of independent sounds (Ding, Gu, tone fields) that can be sampled on its own to represent a Hang. This is the logic of a keyboard.

But a real Hang works in another way. A real Hang sounds as a whole. The center of the sound is the Gu-Ding-resonance. Playing the Gu-Ding-resonance excites also multiple resonances with multiple tone fields and their overtones. And playing a tone field excites the Gu-Ding-resonance and other resonance in other tone fields as well.

Playing a real Hang doesn't mean to play a number of single tones and combine them. It means to play the whole thing. The current Hang - the Integral Hang and the Free Integral Hang - has a limited number of sounds (7) in the tone circle. This is basic for the instrument concept of the Hang - not a limitation. The special arrangement of limited sounds all related to the center sound of the Gu-Ding creates sound possibilities that are not possible with more tones or arbitrary scales.

This potential of the the Hang is lost, when it is sampled in the way used to produce the virtual instruments you describe. What you get is not a virtual Hang but a knew virtual instrument that sounds quite different than a real Hang. Also the sort of music you play with this virtual (chromatic) instrument is quite different than you can play with a real Hang.

This is the reason why PANArt refused Soniccuture to use their trademark "Hang" to name the virtual instrument: It is not representative for a Hang and would produce misunderstandings if the same name was used. I assume Avacata will have to rename its instrument too.



To my ears the sound is not average but pants. This has nothing to do with the issue I told about above but the result of the fact that the one who recorded the samples doesn't understand how to play the Hang. The recorded sound is completely distorted. The Hang was played far above its appropriate range.

Ix

interesting and valid points IX. However, i'm not sure you have played the soniccouture item, you may be surprised.

I understand where you are coming from, but if you get a chance try the sonic couture item.

thanks

Phil.