Hammers is a comprehensive collection of drums and percussion instruments by Spitfire Audio created in collaboration with composer Charlie Clouser (Saw, Wayward Pines, Nine Inch Nails). It’s out now and Orignals Cinematic Percussion Owners can save 30% during the promo period.
Spitfire Audio has announced Hammers a cutting-edge collection of eclectic drums, percussion, and scrap metals; tailored for use in film genres, video games, and trailers. Recorded, processed, mixed, curated, and produced by composer Charlie Clouser, this library features 100% all-new recordings, specially crafted for this collection.
What’s included with Hammers?
- 58 Drums across 8 drum types.
- 1,060 Sounds – 12 Signals including 3 mixes from Charlie Clouser Himself
- 408 Loops
- 408 Warped Loops – 12 warped signals for each
- Dedicated plugin
- 100gb
Make an impact
Hammers features over 400 performance loops composed in 8 bar loop phrases and delivered to give you the ability to build your own version of patterns by stacking and rearranging via clear keymapping, breaking up loops, and end hits, so you can control and develop the performances to suit your needs.
Charlie composed each loop to be appropriate for their respective tempos—70, 90 110, 130, and 150 BPMs—with each range offering some shared and different sets of performances to work within that tempo. Slower patterns feature more minimal performances, and faster loops are composed with more energy and movement to propel action. Every performance loop automatically syncs to the host tempo.
I want to play a game
All of the performances were captured in Charlie’s own recording space—a Brutalist environment consisting of 23-foot ceilings, concrete, glass, and steel. This is the very space in which Charlie has recorded all of his scores and productions over the last 15 years. In order to obtain performances that have a sharp attack but also detailed low end, this was the environment that was needed.
It’s a jigsaw
Hammers was specially designed to create complex, dynamic performances, but it remains quick and intuitive. Further than the incredible number of mics, mixes, signals, and reverb options, Charlie Clouser and the Spitfire Audio engineering team have worked to develop customisations in the mapping of the performances inside the GUI that are unique to this library, and are based on the experience Charlie has from his years programming and composing with drums.
A custom “key brick” layout was developed by Charlie to allow for a wide range of MIDI performance styles, with total consistency across all of the drum types in Hammers. Laying out each drum across six adjacent keys following the same order (Hit, Ruff, Hit, Flam, Hit, Roll) allows you to play the hits and ornaments in between them for quick improvisation. This then repeats up the keyboard giving you the option to move MIDI performances between drums by simply dragging the MIDI information up or down the keyboard or to other instances of Hammers. Except for a few of the miscellaneous Scrap Metal sounds, this mapping scheme is completely consistent across every drum type, so it’s a matter of seconds to take a finished performance from the Darbukas and hear it playing back perfectly on the Frame Drums, Surdos, Roto-Toms, or any instrument in the library.
Other unique features available in Hammers include Reverse, Normalize, and Retro Pitch mode. The Reverse feature is very useful for modern hybrid composers across sounds in Loops, Warps, and Hits sections, with the ability to play in sync with the host tempo. Normalize appears as a single knob in the FX page, and has the effect of raising the level of the quieter samples until the quietest samples are effectively at the same loudness as the loudest samples. And Retro Pitch mode is provided as an alternative to the various time-stretching modes for host sync. With Retro Pitch mode enabled, the samples are not time-stretched to match the playback tempo of your project; instead, they are simply shifted up or down in pitch. While the pitch will be different from the original recording, the transients are immune from any effects of time-stretching and remain crisp and clear. Retro Pitch is a great option to explore for creative sound design and extends the range of possibilities you can discover within Hammers.
For control over your production, there is a choice of up to 12 signals to customise and treat your sound, including 3 personal mixes by Charlie Clouser
About Charlie Clouser
Charlie Clouser is an American keyboardist, composer, record producer, and remixer. He worked with Trent Reznor for Nine Inch Nails from 1994–2000, and is a composer for film and television; among his credits are the score for the Saw franchise and American Horror Story. Clouser was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance in 1997
Find out more on the Hammers page on Spitfire Audio.
Hammers is out now:
- Full – £249 €299 $299
- Promo – £199 €229 $229
Originals Cinematic Percussion Owners have a unique saving of 30% off RRP during the promo period
The promo period runs from 22nd July – 12th August 2021.