Pianobook

Created by Dan Keen: "On 31st March 2020, I challenged the Pianobook community to submit a note or sample, be it a household object, voice or instrument, to the hashtag #dkisolationcollaboration. I hoped for a couple of entries. Within a few days, there were 200 submissions! This library is the result of that effort.

This is the total combined instrument. There are two dynamic layers and two round robins per sample – each lasting 28 seconds! This library is intended to inspire and, due to its super long samples, chords have many minutes of unravelling notes and noises before repeating in the same way – something I find to be quite inspiring!

The sounds culminate in four sound worlds: Soft Burbles, Short Pulses, Weightless Atmospheres and Rough Edges. These sound worlds can be blended using the Exp knob (MIDI learned to CC1) and volume can be adjusted simultaneously using the Vol knob (MIDI learned to CC11).

For those of you creating your own versions, the samples have been designed to fade easily so no specific loop settings will be necessary to get your instruments up and running. In my version, I have stretched each sample down by 1 octave from the root note. If you do decide to make alternative versions, please do share them with me or via the Pianobook site for others to enjoy too!"

For more information, check out Dan's walkthrough in the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/aQmCR3TyyCs

Download it for free here: https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/isolation-collaboration/

Isolation Collaboration

New & hot: Ambient

Maiden Voyage

Demo of Christian Henson's Tape Delay Experiment Pianobook library. 
I was trying out Christian's new Tape Delay Experiments library yesterday and a whole piece just kind of fell out of me as soon as I played the first chord - very inspirational! I really liked the imprecise nature of the delays, loops and noise, so I played everything loosely without a click or quantise in order that all the delays were randomly out of sync and this helped to create a wonderfully chaotic sounds that contrasted nicely with the simple chords and melodies. 
Only uses sounds from the library. No effects used other than a tiny bit of EQ and light mastering.
The library is available on Pianobook here: https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/tape-delay-experiment

Under The Water

Under The Water (Tape Delay Experiment Pianobook Demo)

Demo of Max's Bentley Upright Pianobook library. 
I am really enjoying this library and find it quite inspirational for improvising and writing new pieces of music - it has a really great character. This track only uses sounds from the library. Only uses sounds from the library. No effects used other than a tiny bit of EQ and light mastering.
The library is available on Pianobook here: https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/maxs-bentley-upright

In Balance (Max's Bentley Pianobook Demo)

Demo of Max's Bentley Upright Pianobook library. 
The inspirational Max's Bentley piano strikes again! I loaded up this library and before I knew it, another track poured out of me. I really love this piano! Only uses sounds from the library. No effects used other than a tiny bit of EQ and light mastering.
The library is available on Pianobook here: https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/maxs-bentley-upright

Muscle Memory (Max's Bentley Pianobook Demo)

Peace of Mind

We have designed this track as an ambient sound-scaping to create a setting of an underwater sanctuary as well as a feeling of being able to breath underwater; interwining the perceived reality with an indefinite number of possible realities. For meditation purposes, Sunken is specifically focused on the Sacred Chakra. The structuring and coordination of the sounds within aim to enable smooth transitions between the levels of consciousness, thus enhance and catalyze the meditation experience.

sunken

Demo of Owl Choir Pianobook library by kenjiulmer. 
I love the ghostly, ethereal textures in this spooky pad sound, so I tried to channel Twin Peaks. Only uses sounds from the library. No effects used other than a tiny bit of EQ and light mastering.
The library is available on Pianobook here: https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/owl-choir/

Ghost Wood (Owl Choir Pianobook Demo)

Demo of Husman Modular - Alpha Pianobook library. 
The sounds in the library reminded me of 8-Bit computers, particularly the Commodore 64 SID chip which I had a lot of experience with when making the From Bedrooms To Billions soundtrack. For this demo I made a piece of Systems Music based around patterns of increasingly shorter lengths along with some randomisation. I'm quite pleased with the result. It sounds like Synthwave being performed by a 1980s secondary school computer club, which is certainly a specific genre. Only uses sounds from the library. No effects used other than a SEM LP filter sweep for the intro and and some light mastering.
The library is available on Pianobook here: https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/husman-modular-alpha/

System Regularity (Husman Modular Alpha Pianobook Demo)

This is a piece of music that uses bilateral stimulation to help with EMDR grounding meditations. I also hope it's just nice to chill out to and uplift! Best listened to through headphones or stereo speakers. Enjoy! All rights reserved.

Walk With Me

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Mixmag Live! Vol. 9.

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709 - Mixmag Live! Vol.9 - The Orb's Dr. Alex Paterson & Mixmaster Morris ‎(1996)

Demo of Isolation Collaboration Pianobook library by Dan Keen. 
I found this library to be very beautiful with lots of lovely textures and lots of lovely little details that poke through as you are playing. I found it very ethereal sounding when playing chords, so I was drawn to make quite an ambient piece. On top of an 8 bar chord pattern, I played lots of little embellishments with individual higher notes so that they come bursting through the lush chords. A the piece progresses it moves through the different layers using the expression control, which brings out more percussive and bell like tones. I really enjoyed using this library and I'm sure I continue to use it. 
The piece only uses sounds from the library. No effects used other than a touch of mastering. 
The library is available on Pianobook here: 
https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/isolation-collaboration/

Glisk (Isolation Collaboration Pianobook Demo)

Bowls

Gentle track about yearning for the past. Natsukashii translates as feeling nostalgic in Japanese.

I used Dan Keen's 'Isolation Collaboration' free sample instrument for Kontakt as part of Christian Henson's Pianobook community project:

https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/isolation-collaboration/

Natsukashii - (Isolation Collaboration for Pianobook)

Dreamscape Part 1b

I got some cool new sample libraries recently from Pianobook (free, https://www.pianobook.co.uk/)including Poly Sirin (Moog sampled by Bruce Crawford) and Isolation Collaboration (hard to describe, created by Dan Keen). I'm also loving the solo woodwinds from Fluffy Audio (oboe used here). I was playing with these along with a baritone guitar and a classical guitar and created this haunting little soundscape during COVID-19 isolation.

Haunted Isolation

Stephen Caulfield is a composer and producer from Reading, UK, crafting immersive ambient soundscapes inspired by nature, memory, and the flow of time. His current Blue Water series traces the journey of a drop of water through glacial and post-glacial landscapes, blending piano, electronics, and field recordings into layered, evolving pieces. Stephen writes and produces all his music himself, often incorporating his own photography and field recordings. His work has been featured on BBC radio and in documentary films.

Glisk (Isolation Collaboration Pianobook Demo)

StephenCaulfield