In the world of music production, there is always room for experimentation and the search for new, unique sounds. It is for those who seek to go beyond the familiar that Smartelectronix studio has created a plugin that can breathe new life into your percussion parts – dmiHammer.
This VST instrument specializes in creating so-called “percussive chromatic percussion sounds”. What does this mean in practice? Imagine instruments where the sound is born from the blow of a small hammer on a resonator or string, and which can play melodies. This can be the gentle timbre of a xylophone, the ethnic sound of a mbira (an African “thumb piano”) or the crystal chime of wind chimes.
From Classics to Uncharted Worlds
dmiHammer is not limited to just imitating existing instruments. Although it perfectly reproduces the familiar timbres of xylophones, mbiras, and chimes, its true power is revealed in the creation of completely new, intriguing, and sometimes “strange” sounds. It is not just a sampler, but a synthesizer that generates sound based on physical modeling or special algorithms that simulate impact and resonance.
Thanks to flexible settings, you can go far beyond traditional percussion, creating metallic clicks, wooden knocks, glass chimes, or even sci-fi sound effects. This makes dmiHammer a valuable tool not only for musicians, but also for sound designers.
Key Features of dmiHammer
Despite its perhaps small visual complexity (as is often the case with Smartelectronix instruments), dmiHammer has a set of features that give it significant expressiveness and versatility:
- 16-voice polyphony: Allows you to play chords and complex musical patterns without clipping notes, which is important for creating rich textures and melodic percussion parts.
- Vibrato Control: Add life and expression to your sounds. Vibrato can be subtle, imitating natural oscillations, or extreme to create psychedelic or synthetic effects.
- Stereo Expansion: Adjust the sound width in the stereo field so that your percussive elements sit tightly in the mix or, conversely, take up a lot of space, adding depth and volume.
- 4 Individually Customizable Resonators: This is probably the most interesting part. You can independently adjust the frequency and quality factor of each of the four resonators. By experimenting with these parameters, you can completely change the nature of the sound – from a pure tone to one saturated with overtones, imitating different materials and shapes of resonators. This opens up endless possibilities for sound design.
Who is dmiHammer for?
This plugin will be useful for electronic music producers, especially in genres like IDM, Ambient, Experimental, Techno. It can also be an interesting addition to creating soundtracks, music for games, as well as for musicians looking for non-traditional percussive sounds for their compositions in any style – from jazz to rock, where a fresh accent is needed.
Its intuitive (albeit minimalist) interface encourages experimentation, allowing you to quickly get interesting results. Despite the fact that dmiHammer is no longer a new plugin, its unique approach to synthesis makes it relevant today, especially in the world of free software for musicians.
dmiHammer is available in VST format for Windows (32-bit) and macOS operating systems. This means you can easily integrate it into most modern DAWs that support these formats.
Conclusion
If you are tired of monotonous percussive sounds and want to expand your palette with unique and expressive timbres, dmiHammer from Smartelectronix is an instrument worth trying. Download it for free and discover the world of percussive chromatic percussion sounds that you may not have even guessed existed!
