Monochord

21 Strings in the Same Tune

The word “monochord” literally means “single-stringed”. It is an instrument with many strings of the same length stretched over a wooden soundbox, all tuned to the same tone. If you slowly pass your hands alternately over the strings without a break, you get a long-lasting sound that is rich in overtones. Cinematique Instruments recorded several different articulations and interesting FX patches, which are all available in one patch.

The Instrument

The word “monochord” means literally “single-stringed”. It was first constructed 2500 years ago by Pythagoras for basic experiments on harmonics. It was a simple wooden plate with only one string in those days.
 Today, the Monochord is an instrument with many strings of the same length stretched over a wooden soundbox, all tuned to the same tone. If you slowly pass your hands alternately over the strings without a break, you get a long-lasting sound that is rich in overtones. The German Monochord has 21 strings, one string tuned one octave lower. All strings are tuned to B.


The Library

Firstly, Cinematique Instruments recorded separately each of the 21 strings of the Monochord plucked both with hands and plec in 2 or 3 dynamic variations. They mapped the strings in a range from C2 to C5 that you can pass your hands alternately over the keys related to the strings of the Monochord.
 Using this playing technique, you get the typical long-lasting sound of the Monochord, which you can transpose by using the key switch. Beyond that, Cinematique Instruments recorded single strings in several Round Robin variations and dynamic layers so that you can play the Monochord chromatically.


Finally, Cinematique Instruments created some exciting FX patches assembled from weird and experimental noises made with Monochord. We also added some scriptings to provide more opportunities.

Update: In 2015, Cinematique Instruments updated the Monochord and put together all separate monochord patches into one complex patch covered by a brand new GUI. It is now possible to play all articulations on one patch - besides that, you can also layer all FX patches to your own requirements.

Update: In 2022, Cinematique Instruments updated the Monochord to include, amongst others, 5 articulations and an arpeggiator. And you have now all the singe nki files included in one big instrument.

Kontakt 5.8.1 or later, full version required