Original price was: $US 99.00.$US 79.00Current price is: $US 79.00.
THE SCULPTURE -
One Object. Many Sounds.
The Sculpture is a metallic sound design instrument built from one object. Every sound comes from a single multi-cut metal sound sculpture, a resonant structure recorded in close detail and turned into a playable instrument for the free Kontakt Player.
Struck, bowed, scraped, and set ringing, it produces signature sounds including haunting drones, shimmering strikes, ethereal resonances, and metallic pulses that shift from delicate ambience to raw impact. The Sculpture covers a range that most metal instruments never reach.
- One-of-a-Kind Sound Source - Every sound sampled from a single handmade metal sculpture, never layered or synthesised.
- Four Microphone Perspectives - Close, far, contact, and an internal Blumlein pair for resonance from inside the metal.
- Full Articulation Set - Mallets, rolls, bowed tones, rubberball techniques, and extended FX textures across plates and rods.
- Two Instruments in One - A direct, playable Single instrument plus a five-layer Engine instrument with arpeggiators, granular voice, and effects.
- Free Kontakt Player Ready- 5–6 GB of sample content, no full Kontakt licence required.
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One Metal Sound Sculpture, Many Sounds
There are only a handful of these sculptures, and they are not for sale. Built by hand, each is different. We recorded this incredible instrument across its entire body: the large upper and lower plates, which ring out with a huge, almost synth-like sound when struck, and the thin connecting rods, which add granular detail.
Nothing is layered from another source. What you play is the object itself.
Four Microphone Perspectives Of One Resonant Body
The sculpture was captured from four positions:.
CLOSE
POSITION
Captures the immediate, intimate detail of the metal, delivering a tight, direct, and front-and-center sound.
FAR
POSITION
Picks up the natural room acoustics, adding depth, width, and a sense of spacious ambience.
CONTACT
POSITION
Mounted directly to the metal surface to record raw, tactile physical vibrations and attack detail with zero room bleed.
BLUMLEIN
PAIR
Positioned inside the physical structure using a stereo Blumlein setup to capture the instrument’s rich internal resonance from within the body itself.
Blend them to move the sound from tight and present to wide and roomy, or use the mics that sit inside the metal and hear it resonate from within. The mic mix turns a single strike into a space you can place in a score.
From Bowed Metal Tones to Granular Texture
Drag a violin bow across the rods, and the sculpture sings with long sustained tones and a vocal, almost whale-like quality. Strike the plates for weight and impact. Work the rods for fine granular detail. The articulation set covers mallet hits with different beaters and surfaces, rolls, bowed sounds, rubberball techniques, and extended FX textures. Each is a different way to play the same instrument.
Soft Mallets
Bow
Rubber Ball
Brush
Hard Mallets
Fingers
Metal Mallets
Playable Single Instrument and a Five-Layer Engine
The Sculpture ships as two instruments.
The Single instrument models the experience of playing the original sculpture, direct and responsive, for when you want the raw object under your fingers. In practice, the Single instrument shines in scoring scenarios that call for subtlety and realistic resonance, such as tension cues that build atmosphere with intimate metallic hits or emotional scenes that demand sparse, haunting textures.
The Engine layers five voices: two freely playable, two arpeggiators, and one granular, with slot and master effects for building flexible, evolving sound design from the same source material. The Engine mode is ideal for more complex environments like sci-fi or horror, where layered pulses and evolving textures can create otherworldly ambiences, driving percussive beds for action sequences, or unsettling granular soundscapes for psychological tension.
Metallic Percussion And Texture for Film Scoring
The Sculpture is built for composers who need a sound not already in everyone else’s sessions, for those who want their scoring journey to be a sonic adventure.
Its colder, resonant character suits modern and contemporary film and TV scores, atmospheric and unsettling game environments, and horror and tension work where metal does the heavy lifting.
For sound designers working in metallic, textural, and granular territory, it provides an organic source rather than a synthesised approximation.
Meet The Sculptor – Klaus Gündchen
Sculptor Klaus Gündchen has spent decades exploring the universality of the harmonic laws that shape and hold the world together, from the smallest elementary particles to the largest structures of planetary systems and galaxy clusters. Inspired by the Platonic and Archimedean solids and the Golden Ratio, he creates impressive stainless steel sculptures. He discovered early on the acoustic properties of his sculptures, which follow the same harmonic laws, thereby becoming unique musical instruments.
Since the 1990s, his works have been exhibited internationally and played as instruments in numerous concerts.
HOW TO USE THE SCULPTURE
Watch our walkthrough of THE SCULPTURE for fast and efficient workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of scoring work suits THE SCULPTURE?
Its cold, resonant character suits modern and contemporary film and TV scores, atmospheric and unsettling game environments, and horror or tension work where metal needs to carry the weight. The Engine mode fits sci-fi and horror layering, driving percussive beds, or unsettling granular soundscapes. The Single instrument fits sparser, more intimate cues. Beyond scoring, THE SCULPTURE also works well in experimental music projects, ambient and electroacoustic pieces, or sound installations where unique metallic timbres and organic textures are desired.
What is the difference between the Single instrument and the Engine instrument?
The Single instrument mimics the way the original sculpture sounds, being direct, responsive, and well-suited to cues that require subtle, intimate metallic strikes or sparse, haunting textures. For example, you might use the Single instrument to underscore a tense dialogue scene with gentle metallic resonances, or to add delicate detail to a suspenseful moment in a psychological thriller. The Engine instrument includes five voices: two are freely playable, two are arpeggiators, and one is granular. Together with slot and master effects, this enables you to create flexible, evolving sound designs from the same source material. The Engine is ideal for building larger, more dynamic soundscapes, such as creating an unsettling rhythmic layer beneath an action sequence, crafting evolving drones for sci-fi transitions, or underpinning a horror introduction with shifting, otherworldly textures. Apply the Single instrument when you want restraint and clarity, and use the Engine when you need scale and complexity.
Do I need the full version of Kontakt?
No. THE SCULPTURE runs entirely in the free Kontakt Player. It includes 4GB of sampled content, two instruments, and four microphone positions, all playable without a Kontakt licence.
How was THE SCULPTURE captured?
The instrument is recorded from various angles using four microphone positions: one in a close-up position, one from a distance, one placed in contact with the metal, and a Blumlein pair positioned inside the structure to capture its internal resonance. The different recordings are then combined so that the sound shifts from tight and immediate to wide and spacious.
What techniques are involved in playing?
The articulation set includes mallet strikes with various beater types and surfaces, rolls, bowed tones, rubber ball techniques, and extended FX textures. Bowing the rods produces long, sustained, almost vocal tones. Striking the plates adds weight and impact, while manipulating the rods creates detailed, granular textures. All articulations are recorded in depth, providing a rich, organic source for metallic and granular sound design rather than relying on synthetic approximations.
Is THE SCULPTURE available for both Mac and PC?
Yes. THE SCULPTURE runs on macOS and Windows wherever Native Instruments Kontakt Player is supported. Check the Native Instruments website for the current list of supported operating systems.
Will it work in my DAW?
Yes. THE SCULPTURE runs in Native Instruments Kontakt or the free Kontakt Player, which loads as a plug-in inside any DAW that supports VST3, AU or AAX, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Ableton Live and Reaper.
Built for scores that need something special.
For those who connect with it, there’s nothing else like this instrument. It’s special not because of the recording or the plugin, but because of the instrument itself. Only ten exist in the physical world, and now you can play one.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO DEMOS
LISTEN TO THE PRESET SNIPPETS
Key Features
- One-of-a-Kind Sound Source – Every sound sampled from a single handmade metal sculpture, never layered or synthesised.
- Four Microphone Perspectives – Close, far, contact, and an internal Blumlein pair for resonance from inside the metal.
- Full Articulation Set – Mallets, rolls, bowed tones, rubberball techniques, and extended FX textures across plates and rods.
- Two Instruments in One – A direct, playable Single instrument plus a five-layer Engine instrument with arpeggiators, granular voice, and effects.
- Free Kontakt Player Ready – 5–6 GB of sample content, no full Kontakt licence required.
System Requirements
- Works with the FREE KONTAKT PLAYER
- KONTAKT Version 7.10.9 or higher
- Apple Silicon Macs: macOS 13, 14 or 15 (latest update)
- Intel Macs (i5 or higher): macOS 13, 14 or 15 (latest update)
- Windows 10 or 11 (latest Service Pack), Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU
- Graphics hardware support for OpenGL 2.1 or higher and Direct 3D 11.1
- 4GB RAM (more recommended)
- 4 GB hard disk space
