A Revolutionary Collaboration: Orchestral Tools with Hans Zimmer
Have you ever dreamt of incorporating medieval musical instruments into your horror and fantasy film scores? Your dream has now been materialized by Orchestral Tools with their latest release, Grimm with Bleeding Fingers. This imaginative library of historical instrumentals caters primarily to the gothic-style composers.
Grimm with Bleeding Fingers, an evocative ensemble of vintage instruments, was shepherded into existence due to the collaborative efforts of Orchestral Tools and the Bleeding Fingers Music, a collective led by the famous composer Hans Zimmer. This collection, designed for an upcoming series, marks their first joint project, with Bleeding Fingers having previously worked on notable projects including The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Prehistoric Planet.
Orchestral Tools Explores Medieval Instruments with a Modern Touch
Orchestral Tools’ new ensemble features instruments typical for a medieval orchestra, yet crafted with modern expression. Despite significant parts of this music library encompassing traditional-sounding elements such as ensembles and articulations, a large proportion dabbles in discordant and flat-out eerie tones.
The library holds many authentic sounds and timbres, specifically designed to cater to modern melodies and textures. The bias of the collection leans heavily towards historical fiction, fantasy, and notably, modern drama and horror score creation.
Relishing the Harmonic Experience of the Grimm Ensembles
Three distinctive ensembles grace this library. The “high strings” ensemble debuts a Hurdy-gurdy – an instrument that belts unique sounds, courtesy of a wheel in continuous contact with the strings, essentially serving as a constant bow. The resonant, buzzing character of Hurdy-gurdy’s sound, which compares to the nerve-racking sensation of fingernails scratching a chalkboard, has been ingeniously paired with the mellower tones of two baroque violins.
The Sackbut, a predecessor to the modern trombone from the baroque and renaissance periods, offers another unsettling and uncanny instrument. The bell shape and the smaller bore cause the Sackbut to generate distinctive, harsh sounds that can be even more disquieting in the right artist’s hands. The timbre of the Sackbut deviates from the norm, and its dryness intensifies the discomfort, predominantly because listeners are accustomed to rounder sounds from brass instruments.
Diving into the Epitome of Creepiness: Processed Pads and Impacts
Besides the six traditional instrument ensembles, Grimm holds a set of processed pads and impacts that underwent distortion, filters, and other digital and analog effects. The resulting sounds bring a unique aura of eeriness. Amongst these lay creepily profound, dark sounds, so well-defined that no synthesizer could replicate them.
Instruments belonging to these ensembles play pivotal roles in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy scores. The dystopian vibe they emit is extraordinary and enough to lead curious listeners down goosebumps alley. Merging different ensembles and articulations from the library could result in exceptionally fitting scores for any scene from Grimms’ original version of “Snow White”. Skipping the sugar-coated fairytale details, let’s recall the part where the Queen, Snow White’s biological mother in the original version, orders the Huntsman to murder the poor girl and bring back her lungs and liver for her to consume.
Gearing Towards a Spine-chilling Journey with Grimm
Orchestral Tools have previously released libraries that could cause discomfort among the audience, but Grimm with Bleeding Fingers undoubtedly outperforms them all. Despite its chilling vibe, the collection boasts a wide range of articulations useful for less horrifying dramas too.
Priced at €249, Orchestral Tools’ Grimm with Bleeding Fingers is now available for purchase and promises to transform horror scoring forever.
