An interactive toolkit
Hauschka Composer Toolkit is unlike any other prepared piano, as each prepared sample is available both as an organic sound, while multiple signal options give you extra control to dramatically change the sound of each sample. Utilise the effects from Francesco’s enviable modular rig, Hauschka’s pedalboard, Spitfire’s distortion, and the Binson Echorec (a tape delay made famous by Pink Floyd in the 70s), to take each sound to a new place.
The library is split into six sections, four of which are presented in Evo Grids: Plug Hits, Plug Rhythms, Pad Sounds, Pad Hits, Swells, and Drum Kits. Each are distinctive in sound — from rhythmic hits to thunderous basses, sustained notes to atonal stabs — but are designed to complement each other when layered together.
We also give you 50 presets created by the Spitfire team, for extra inspiration. The Plug Rhythms are made by playing rhythms while objects such as tea lights and ping pong balls bounce or fly off the strings, creating dynamic, multi-layered textures. Other objects used range from saxophone reeds to toy drums, tambourines to gaffer tape and light filters to wooden pegs, creating a huge range of new instruments. Both the Evo Grid layout and multiple signal options give you endless possibilities for each sound, with different results for every user.
Our interactive and highly intuitive Evo Grid technology makes this library much more than a collection of samples — various editable parameters enable deep customisation, and each setup gives you the tools to create your own unique prepared piano. Our bespoke, sophisticated Grid UI positions ‘pins’ via an onscreen 11 x 12 grid arrangement, with access to recordings across 12 intervals. Instantly select which sound sits on each of those 12 key ranges, or explore endless possible combinations and instant gratification with built-in randomisation features.
This toolkit is for any composer inspired by the avant-garde, or any sound designer looking to explore new sonic territories — perfect for building textural beds, creating tension cues and for adding the unexpected to any composition. The sounds can be applied to a wide range of compositions, from leftfield electronic music to orchestral scores. With over 40 original preparations, 50 curated presets, and 16000 samples, you have access to almost endless combinations of thousands of sounds and a new world of inspiration.
I like the chaos. Music is a creative pursuit that has no limits. I give randomness enough space in my work, but also give it a deep purpose by incorporating it into a broader concept.
Volker Bertelmann
Uncompromising and unorthodox, Volker Bertelmann is a one-of-a-kind composer and pianist from Düsseldorf, best known under his stage name, Hauschka. He started playing the piano at the age of nine. He formed his first band as a teenager, and by the age of 18 was writing music for television shows. After moving to Cologne for university, Bertelmann and his cousin formed the hip hop crossover outfit God's Favorite Dog, immediately scoring a record deal and touring with German rap stars Die Fantastischen Vier. Volker started to create his own work, launching himself as a solo artist in 2004 under the moniker Hauschka. After three albums including The Prepared Piano, he signed to British Brighton based label FatCat Records, releasing a series of critically acclaimed albums. From 2007 to 2014, he played up to 700 live shows around the globe to establish his fanbase, constantly building on and developing his signature sound — distinctly more experimental than romantic.
“When I play shows, I always leave room for experimentation. I think people are fed up with always hearing the same stuff. I played 100 shows per year, and there was not one that was similar to the one before.”
His diverse musical output now ranges form solo albums to collaborative works with artists such as Icelandic cellist and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. In recent years, he has returned to his life-long passion: composing film scores. In 2017, Hauschka received an Oscar nomination for his and Dustin O'Halloran’s score for the movie Lion, and has also scored for movies such as Adrift, Hotel Mumbai and the TV series Dublin Murders. In February this year, Bertelmann released his latest solo album A Different Forest – a heartfelt, tender record, featuring just the piano.
What's Included
Instruments
- Plug Hits Grid
- Plug Rhythms Grid
- Pad Sounds Grid
- Pad Hits
- Swells Grid
- Drum Kit
Plug hits
- 1 - Felt Wedges (Pure)
- 1 - Felt Wedges (Warp)
- 2 - Fingernail Plucks (Pure)
- 2 - Fingernail Plucks (Warp)
- 3 - Gaffer Tape Roll (Pure)
- 3 - Gaffer Tape Roll (Warp)
- 4 - Ping Pong Balls (Pure)
- 4 - Ping Pong Balls (Warp)
- 5 - Tealight Metal (Pure)
- 5 - Tealight Metal (Warp)
- 6 - Wood Mutes (Pure)
- 6 - Wood Mutes (Warp)
- 7 - Necklace (Pure)
- 7 - Necklace (Warp)
- 8 - Natural Piano (Pure)
- 8 - Natural Piano (Warp)
Plug rhythms
- 1 - Felt Wedges 90bpm (Pure)
- 1 - Felt Wedges 90bpm (Warp)
- 1 - Felt Wedges 120bpm (Pure)
- 1 - Felt Wedges 120bpm (Warp)
- 2 - Fingernail Plucks 90bpm (Pure)
- 2 - Fingernail Plucks 90bpm (Warp)
- 2 - Fingernail Plucks 120bpm (Pure)
- 2 - Fingernail Plucks 120bpm (Warp)
- 3 - Gaffer Tape 90bpm (Pure)
- 3 - Gaffer Tape 90bpm (Warp)
- 3 - Gaffer Tape 120bpm (Pure)
- 3 - Gaffer Tape 120bpm (Warp)
- 4 - Ping Pong Balls 90bpm (Pure)
- 4 - Ping Pong Balls 90bpm (Warp)
- 4 - Ping Pong Balls 120bpm (Pure)
- 4 - Ping Pong Balls 120bpm (Warp)
- 5 - Tealight Hits 90bpm (Pure)
- 5 - Tealight Hits 90bpm (Warp)
- 5 - Tealight Hits 120bpm (Pure)
- 5 - Tealight Hits 120bpm (Warp)
- 6 - Wood Mutes 90bpm (Pure)
- 6 - Wood Mutes 90bpm (Warp)
- 6 - Wood Mutes 120bpm (Pure)
- 6 - Wood Mutes 120bpm (Warp)
Pad sounds
- 1 - Damped Piano Swarm (Pure)
- 1 - Damped Piano Swarm (Warp)
- 2 - Necklace Pad (Pure)
- 2 - Necklace Pad (Warp)
- 3 - Ping Pong Balls Pad (Pure)
- 3 - Ping Pong Balls Pad (Warp)
- 4 - Scratchy Strings Pad (Pure)
- 4 - Scratchy Strings Pad (Warp)
- 5 - Tambourine Pad (Pure)
- 5 - Tambourine Pad (Warp)
- 6 - Tealight Metal Pad (Pure)
- 6 - Tealight Metal Pad (Warp)
- 7 - Unprepared Fingertip Pad (Pure)
- 7 - Unprepared Fingertip Pad (Warp)
Pad hits
- Damped Piano Hits (Pure)
- Damped Piano Hits (Warp)
- Scratch Hits (Pure)
- Scratch Hits (Warp)
- Tambourine Hits (Pure)
- Tambourine Hits (Warp)
Swells
- 1 - Mallet Swells Long (Pure)
- 1 - Mallet Swells Long (Warp)
- 2 - Mallet Swells Longest (Pure)
- 2 - Mallet Swells Longest (Warp)
- 3 - Mallet Swells Short (Pure)
- 3 - Mallet Swells Short (Warp)
- 4 - Mallet Swells Shortest (Pure)
- 4 - Mallet Swells Shortest (Warp)
- 5 - Octave Swells Long (Pure)
- 5 - Octave Swells Long (Warp)
- 6 - Octave Swells Longest (Pure)
- 6 - Octave Swells Longest (Warp)
- 7 - Octave Swells Short (Pure)
- 7 - Octave Swells Short (Warp)
- 8 - Octave Swells Shortest (Pure)
- 8 - Octave Swells Shortest (Warp)
- 9 - Single Key Swells Long (Pure)
- 9 - Single Key Swells Long (Warp)
- 10 - Single Key Swells Longest (Pure)
- 10 - Single Key Swells Longest (Warp)
- 11 - Single Key Swells Short (Pure)
- 11 - Single Key Swells Short (Warp)
- 12 - Single Key Swells Shortest (Pure)
- 12 - Single Key Swells Shortest (Warp)
Drum kits
- Drum Kit (Pure)
- Drum Kit (Warp)
- Drum Kit Full Range (Pure)
- Drum Kit Full Range (Warp)
Artist presets
- A Scanner Darkly (Grid)
- Bamber Boozler
- Blinding Fractals
- Bouncing Around (Grid)
- Breaking Up (Grid)
- Clusters (Grid)
- Constellations 90bpm
- Crystal Piano (Grid)
- Dark Drums
- Distant Hail (Grid)
- Dr Doomsday
- Drill Down 120bpm
- Drowned Plucks
- Earth Rumbles (Grid)
- Eerie Sub Winds
- Ethereal Shimmer
- Event Horizon
- Forgotten Past
- French Touch (Warp)
- Frozen Lake 90bpm
- Ghastly Intervention
- Ghouls on Hovercrafts
- Glacial Shifts Grid
- Glory 90bpm
- Hard Glitch
- High Swells
- In The Light (Grid)
- Industrial Grit
- Malletspace (Grid)
- Morning Stream 120bpm
- Nervous Strings 90bpm
- Nostalgia (Grid)
- Omicron
- Ping Kong
- Pluck A Day (Grid)
- Popped Corn
- Popping Up (Grid)
- Purity Seal (Grid)
- Repeaters Dream
- Reverse Piano High
- Reverse Piano
- Rolling Waves (Grid)
- Satan's Staircase
- Soft Air (Grid)
- Solar Winds
- Sun Flares (Grid)
- Sunrise Over Ararat
- The Abyss
- The Ether (Grid)
- Underwater Swarm
Signals
- Close - C
- Mix - Mx
- Pedal FX - P
- Distorted -Dt
- Binson Echorec - E
- Modular FX - Md
