THE BANJO

Typically, the Banjo is a stringed instrument with four or five strings, a long fretted neck and a circular drum-like body overlaid with parchment – today, drumheads. Its unique sound comes from vibrating the body's membrane by plucking the strings with the fingers or a plectrum. The Banjo is usually associated with country, folk, classical music, Irish traditional music and bluegrass music.

The Banjo we used is a 5 String Banjo with a 33 cm diameter mahogany body. We played and recorded the Banjo in several ways to get the typical banjo sound – each in several velocity layers and 2 Round Robin variations. After editing and processing the samples, we created a banjo patch that provides various Banjo styles, shortened notes feature, an octaver, a reverb knob, and enhanced scripting. We also added the noises of strumming the Banjo to this patch. As a result, we came out with a very realistic and organic Banjo.

Update:
In 2015, we updated the Banjo and put together all separate patches into one complex patch covered by a new GUI. It is now possible to play all different articulations in one patch.

Update:
In 2022, we recorded two new articulations with a new banjo instrument to improve the older version enormously. Now you have a complex and expressive instrument that can play both familiar bluegrass sounds and imposing film score scenes. Finally, we added FX and editing possibilities, an arpeggiator, and a step sequencer in a newer, more intuitive GUI.