RRP: £399 / $449 / 449€
Promo Period: £299 / $349 / 349€
Promo Crossgrade: £274 / $309 / 309€ *
*A discount for anyone who owns Abbey Road Orchestra: Low Percussion
ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: HIGH PERCUSSION
The Professional Composer Series
A meticulously curated selection of 62 percussive instruments performed by internationally renowned percussionist Joby Burgess and expertly captured in the legendary acoustic space that is Abbey Road Studio One. Focus on bringing life to your compositions with tailored features— such as soft takeover, voice choking and right/left hand mapping. Add a layer of unparalleled realism with a variety of beaters and playing styles.
The second instalment of Abbey Road Orchestra, the most detailed range of sample libraries we have ever created, High Percussion will be instantly familiar to Low Percussion users. Housed in the same Abbey Road Orchestra plugin and drawing on the same innovative features, intuitive mapping allows for easy layering and go-between to amplify the authenticity of your composition.
HIGH FIDELITY
This new untuned percussion library will expand your percussive palette, with a range of highly detailed and tactile instruments, while also providing an immediate natural feel that sounds authentic and cinematic.
High Percussion re-emphasises the nuanced features of Low Percussion, demonstrating their dynamic responsiveness. Soft Takeover, voice choking and two handed mapping all allow for an instinctive and gratifying performance. Expertly captured by GRAMMY®-winning engineer Simon Rhodes (Skyfall, Avatar), and performed by internationally-renowned percussionist Joby Burgess (Black Panther, Mission: Impossible), High Percussion offers an agile, responsive and intuitive experience.
UNPARALLELED REALISM
- Detailed Realism
- Dynamic Precision – Audible nuance:
- With up to 11 dynamic layers
- Up to 16 round robins
- 391 articulations, including discrete right and left hand performances
- Dynamic Precision – Audible nuance:
- Ultimate Playability
- Natural Playability – Key features to ease playability:
- Soft Takeover
- Two-handed layout
- Right/Left mapping
- Voice Choking
- Easy to layer with ARO: Low Percussion
- Natural Playability – Key features to ease playability:
- Extensive Instrumentation
- Clarity and Quality – Revitalise your rhythm section:
- 62 percussive instruments, ranging from traditional orchestral staples to modern hybrid scoring essentials
- Toy box section includes a selection of Claves x 6, Castanets (machine and handle), Ratchet, Vibraslap, Whips x 2, Plastic Pipe, Guiro, Shaker Pairs, Caxixi (Basket Shakers) Maracas (pair)
- A difference in materials, recorded with multiple brush and beater options
- Clarity and Quality – Revitalise your rhythm section:
STUDIO ONE: ICON OF THE PAST, INNOVATOR FOR THE FUTURE
A host to celebrated classical recordings from Elgar and Prokofiev, as well as iconic film scores from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, and the more recent releases of Avengers: Endgame and Black Panther, Studio One needs no introduction.
Home to one of the greatest in-house collections of vintage and modern microphones and a control room fitted with a 72-channel Neve 88 RS console with a unique and comprehensive surround monitor section, Studio One is the perfect setting for our meticulously planned recording sessions. Our aim is to work with the best, to deliver you the world’s most detailed sampling orchestra and Abbey Road – one of the most in-demand recording studios in the film scoring landscape – was the perfect space to make this happen.
“Spitfire Audio are undoubtedly the best team in the world to deliver something truly groundbreaking. The bar has been raised exceedingly high and this is only the beginning for the Abbey Road Orchestra series. It feels like we are all in for a remarkable journey.”
— Mirek Stiles Head of Audio Products, Abbey Road Studios
DECADES OF EXPERTISE
This library has been formed by some of the world’s best producers in music recording, created for professional composers of film, television, game and performance.
Joby Burgess – Joby’s playing can be heard on major film and TV scores, notably leading the percussion sections on Black Panther, Rocketman, Ad Astra, Mission: Impossible, The Darkest Hour, Dr Who and The Green Planet.
Simon Rhodes – Simon joined the EMI Abbey Road Studios in 1987. He is now Senior Engineer and has a long standing association with various composers including the late James Horner with whom he worked for 18 years on over 40 projects including Avatar, one of the highest grossing films of all time.
KEY FEATURES
- 62 Percussive Instruments
- 16 Signals
- 17 Main Presets:
- Bongos – A pair of Cuban bongos adept at carrying strong rhythms with a very focussed and articulate tone
- Three Techniques:
- Hands – Single strikes and rolls performed with the hands on the head of the drums in various positions to produce a variety of textures and accents
- Sticks – Single strikes and rolls performed with wooden drum sticks producing a well defined attack with added presence
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Three Techniques:
- Congas (3) – A Latin American staple, congas combine a forward tone with balanced and controlled resonance presented here in a set of 3
- One Technique:
- Hands – Single strikes and rolls performed with the hands on the head of the drums in various positions to produce a variety of textures and accents
- One Technique:
- Darbuka – An Arabian hand drum ideally suited to fast intricate rhythms, producing bright overtones with a distinctive colour
- Three Techniques:
- Hands – Single strikes performed with the palm and fingers on the head of the drum in various striking positions for the traditional darbuka sound
- Brushes – Single strikes and rolls performed with brushes on the head of the drum which accentuate the instrument’s top end
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Three Techniques:
- Djembe – A traditional African hand drum, the djembe produces a deep fundamental and strong overtones
- Three Techniques:
- Hands – Single strikes performed with the hands on the head of the drum in various positions to produce a variety of textures and accents
- Brushes – Single strikes and rolls performed with brushes on the head of the drum for a brighter, crisper timbre with reduced fundamentals
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Three Techniques:
- Log Drums (x6) – Hollow hardwood instruments with pitched ‘tongues’ struck with beaters producing a very organic, woody sound
- One Technique:
- Rubber Mallets – Single hits performed with rubber mallets producing a balanced and articulate tone which brings out the character of these instruments
- One Technique:
- Mini Bongos – A pair of miniature bongos – a delicate, lighter alternative the traditional bongo drums
- One Technique:
- Hands – Single strikes and rolls performed with the hands on the head of the drums in various positions to produce a variety of textures and accents
- One Technique:
- Octobans (x4) – A set of four Octobans – an unpitched alternative to boobams – producing a fast attack with a clear fundamental and a tight resonance
- Three Techniques:
- Sticks – Hits and rolls performed with wooden drum sticks producing a well-defined attack and a strong mid range
- Rods – Hits and rolls performed with wooden rods producing an articulate attack with reduced fundamentals
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Three Techniques:
- Plastics (x3) – A set of plastics struck with sticks spread across the hall creating a punchy ‘street ensemble’
- One Technique:
- Sticks – Single hits performed with wooden drum sticks in different striking positions
- One Technique:
- Roto Toms (x5) – A classic set of 5 rototoms producing a clear and well-defined tone with plenty of carrying power
- Sizes: 6”, 8”, 10”, 12”, 14”
- Three Techniques:
- Sticks – Techniques performed with wooden drum sticks producing a well-defined, punchy attack
- Brushes – Techniques performed with dense nylon brushes producing a crisp attack with reduced fundamentals
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Shime Daiko – A traditional Japanese drum with a very tight, focussed sound which lends itself to energetic rhythmic patterns
- Four Techniques:
- Taiko Sticks – Techniques performed with traditional taiko sticks on the head of the drum
- Rods – Techniques performed with wooden rods producing an articulate attack with reduced fundamentals
- Hands – Techniques performed with the hands on the head of the drum
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Four Techniques:
- Field Drum – A 15” field snare drum with a deep maple shell, producing a much lower tone than a regular snare drum with a rounded character
- Four Techniques:
- Sticks (Snares On) – Techniques performed with drumsticks and the snares of the drum engaged
- Sticks (Snares Off) – Techniques performed drumsticks and the snares off, producing the pure sound of the head and shell
- Brushes – Techniques performed with wire brushes and the snares engaged for a more delicate timbre
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Four Techniques:
- Snare – A vintage 15″ diameter snare drum with a chrome over brass shell, producing a full-bodied sound with a detailed top end
- Four Techniques:
- Sticks (Snares On) – Techniques performed with drumsticks and the snares of the drum engaged
- Sticks (Snares Off) – Techniques performed drumsticks and the snares off, producing the pure sound of the head and shell
- Brushes: Techniques performed with wire brushes and the snares engaged for a more delicate timbre
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Four Techniques:
- Piccolo Snare A – A 12″ diameter piccolo snare drum with a shallow hammered steel shell producing an extremely tight sound to cut across even the densest arrangements
- Four Techniques:
- Sticks (Snares On) – Techniques performed with drumsticks and the snares of the drum engaged
- Sticks (Snares Off) – Techniques performed drumsticks and the snares off, producing the pure sound of the head and shell
- Brushes – Techniques performed with wire brushes and the snares engaged for a more delicate timbre
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Four Techniques:
- Piccolo Snare B – A 13″ diameter piccolo snare drum with a shallow maple shell producing a crisp and articulate sound with present upper mids
- Four Techniques:
- Sticks (Snares On) – Techniques performed with drumsticks and the snares of the drum engaged
- Sticks (Snares Off) – Techniques performed drumsticks and the snares off, producing the pure sound of the head and shell
- Brushes – Techniques performed with wire brushes and the snares engaged for a more delicate timbre
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Four Techniques:
- Temple Blocks (x4) – Hollow blocks struck with mallets producing woody sounds with a focussed midrange
- Three Techniques:
- Hard Mallets – Single hits performed with hard mallets producing a bright attack
- Soft Mallets – Single hits performed with hard mallets producing a mellow attack
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Three Techniques:
- Timbales – Latin American drums with a single head on a metal shell, played with light sticks and producing strong overtones
- One Technique:
- Sticks – Techniques performed with thin timbale sticks on the heads and shells producing a range of interesting textures
- One Technique:
- Wood Blocks (x4) – Hardwood instruments struck with mallets producing high pitched sounds which cut above the orchestra
- Three Techniques:
- Hard Mallets – Single hits performed with hard mallets producing a bright attack
- Soft Mallets – Single hits performed with hard mallets producing a mellow attack
- All in One – All available beaters and techniques for the drum presented across the keyboard
- Three Techniques:
- Bongos – A pair of Cuban bongos adept at carrying strong rhythms with a very focussed and articulate tone
- Nine TOYS – A collection of smaller percussion instruments for adding additional colours and textures:
- Claves (x6) – Pairs of pitched wooden sticks struck together
- Castanets (Pairs: Machine + Handle) – Synonymous with Spanish folk music, castanets produce a distinctive ‘clap’, particularly adept at fast flourishes
- Ratchet – Turned with a handle, the ratchet produces a distinctive rotating ‘clicking’ sound
- Vibraslap – A modern alternative to the ‘donkey’s jawbone’, the vibraslap produces a signature rattle when struck
- Whip (x2: Heavy / Light) – Wooden boards clapped together producing a very short, loud ‘crack’
- Guiros (x2: Wood / Plastic) – Ridged instruments which are either scraped or tapped to produce characterful rhythms
- Shakers (Two pairs) – ‘Pop’ style shakers for creating driving rhythmic motion
- Caxixi (Pair: Basket Shakers Low / High) – Of African origin and popularised in Brazilian music, caxixi are hand instruments filled with seeds, presented here in a pair
- Maracas (Pair) – A staple of Latin American folk music, maracas are extremely agile shakers, presented here in a pair
- Voice Choking feature – To precisely control the end of roll techniques by pressing the corresponding single hit key
- 98.05 GB download size
- ~ 234,769 samples
Product page URL: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/abbey-road-orchestra-high-percussion
AVAILABILITY & PRICING
Link: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/abbey-road-orchestra-high-percussion
RRP Price: £399 / $449 / 449€
Promo Period: £299 / $349 / 349€
Promo Crossgrade: £274 / $309 / 309€ *
*A discount for anyone who owns Abbey Road Orchestra: Low Percussion
About Abbey Road Studios (www.abbeyroad.com)
A global music icon and the world’s first purpose-built recording studio, Abbey Road Studios has been home to countless landmark recordings and pioneering advances in music technology for over 90 years. The studios’ phenomenal history encompasses celebrated work by artists from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Fela Kuti, Kate Bush, Oasis and Radiohead to Sam Smith, Florence + The Machine, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Frank Ocean, Amy Winehouse, Little Simz and Adele, as well as scores to films from Raiders of The Lost Ark, The Lord of The Rings Trilogy and many of the Harry Potter and Star Wars movies, to Gravity, The Shape of Water, 1917, Black Panther, Black Widow and Avengers: Endgame. Since stereo was patented at Abbey Road in 1933, the studios have been home to numerous innovations in recording technology and continue to innovate today with Europe’s first music tech incubator, Abbey Road Red. Abbey Road Studios is part of Universal Music.
About Joby Burgess (https://www.jobyburgess.com/)
One of Britain’s most diverse percussionists, Joby is equally at home performing with Peter Gabriel at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Who at Wembley Stadium as reimagining Blade Runner at Sydney Opera House and Ibiza Classics at the Royal Albert Hall.
Known for his virtuosic performances, Joby’s solo projects Powerplant and Pioneers of Percussion have taken him from Berghain, Berlin to SESC Pompéia, São Paulo. Recent releases for Signum include Gabriel Prokofiev’s ‘Concerto for Bass Drum’ and Eric Whitacre’s ‘Marimba Quartets’.
Often found at Abbey Road and Air Studios, Joby’s playing can be heard on major film and TV scores, notably leading the percussion sections on Black Panther, Rocketman, Ad Astra, Mission: Impossible, The Darkest Hour, Dr Who and The Green Planet.
In demand as an educationalist, Joby created the Virtual Marimba Choir, which brought together 227 percussionists from around the world during Spring 2020.
About Simon Rhodes (https://www.abbeyroad.com/engineer/simon-rhodes)
Following a strong musical upbringing and after graduating with an honours Degree in Physics and Music, Simon joined the EMI Abbey Road Studios in 1987. He is now Senior Engineer and is well known throughout the record and film industries.
Simon has a long standing association with various composers including the late James Horner whom he worked with for 18 years on over 40 projects including Avatar, the second highest grossing film of all time.
Simon has also had the pleasure of working with many of the world’s top film composers including John Williams, Thomas Newman, John Debney, James Newton Howard, Howard Shore, Alexandre Desplat, Alan Sylvestri, Trevor Jones, George Fenton, Roque Banos, Brian Tyler, AR Rahman & Elmer Bernstein.
In 2008, Simon was invited to record the famous Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games in China. Simon has 4 GRAMMY® Awards and is a Cinema Audio Society winner.
About Spitfire Audio (www.spitfireaudio.com)
Spitfire Audio is a British music technology company that specializes in sounds — sample libraries, virtual instruments, and other useful software devices. It collaborates with the best composers, artists, and engineers in the world to build musical tools that sound great and are exciting to use.
Spitfire Audio was founded by two award-winning composers: Christian Henson and Paul Thomson. Born out of their shared dissatisfaction for string sample libraries, they pooled their resources and decided to record their own string samples at the legendary Air Studios in London. Initially, they invited a limited number of friends and associates to own copies of their samples, but whispers of this private sample club soon started to echo across the Atlantic Ocean throughout the composer community. Within a year, some of the most renowned composers in film and television signed up, so Paul and Christian decided to take their samples public.
To date, Spitfire Audio has recorded and released over 100 sample libraries, collaborating with some of the biggest names in media composition, including Hans Zimmer, Eric Whitacre, Ólafur Arnalds & the London Contemporary Orchestra. Spitfire Audio’s sounds are heard in everything, from major Hollywood film scores to recordings by Radiohead and U2. Paul and Christian’s initial side project is now a thriving international music technology enterprise, with a uniquely experienced and diverse workforce, all focused on a shared mission: to inspire a generation of composers. The composer team remains at the center of the business, drawing on their own experience as obsessive music makers to explore the needs and wants of their fellow composers.