Soniccouture has released Hammersmith Free, a freely downloadable 4.8 GB grand piano sound library for Kontakt Player.
Hammersmith Free is based on Soniccouture’s flagship Hammersmith Pro ($239 value, currently 50% OFF) grand piano library. Hammersmith Pro is widely regarded as one of the best grand piano libraries on the market. The free edition of Hammersmith comes with 4.8 GB of sample data and offers 21 velocity layers per sampled note (same as in the full version).
See also: Free Piano VST PluginsUnlike the Hammersmith Pro library, which features six deeply sampled microphone positions, Hammersmith Free sports a single stereo mic pair (MK 4 cardioid microphones by Schoeps Mikrofone). It also opts for the ‘traditionally programmed’ sustain pedal method instead of the True Sustain samples used in the Hammersmith Pro.
Differences with the “Pro” version aside, Hammersmith Free is a superb piano library for Kontakt Player. It is a high-quality virtual grand piano based on top-quality samples. The sounds were recorded in Mark Knopfler’s British Grove recording facility in Hammersmith, West London.
The library sports a custom user interface for Kontakt Player. The user can fine-tune the details that make the piano sound more realistic. Adjust the room noise volume, pedal noises, dampers, key-off sounds, and more. The velocity response is also subject to customization, with optional randomization for a more human feel.
Hammersmith Free is fully compatible with the freeware Kontakt Player plugin by Native Instruments. This means that you can use Hammersmith Free completely free of charge, without any limitations.
To download your copy of Hammersmith Free, visit the product page linked below and click the Download button. This will take you to the user area on Soniccouture’s website. You will need to sign up for a free Soniccouture user account (or log in to an existing one).
After logging in, visit the user area and click the Activate button next to Hammersmith Free. This will assign a free serial number to your Soniccouture user account. Launch the Native Access license manager from Native Instruments and insert the provided serial number to activate your copy of Hammersmith Free.
The library itself needs to be downloaded separately. Find the download link in your Soniccouture user account.
Keep in mind that Soniccouture will provide a limited number of serial keys. Act fast and claim your free copy of Hammersmith Free while it’s still available.
Find more sounds in our article about free Kontakt Player libraries.
More info: Hammersmith Free (4.5 GB download size, ZIP archive, a virtual grand piano sound library for Kontakt Player)
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14 Comments
Ferenc Mosolyhozó Molnár
onSuc a great sound for free 😯 Wow 👍 Now it’s part of my arsenal. Thank you! 🙇♂️
Tomislav Zlatic
onYou’re welcome, and thanks to Soniccouture. One of the best free piano libraries out there!
Frank Wilson
onThank you very much.
Tomislav Zlatic
onBig ups to Soniccouture for the freebie!
Trex Themm
onSo much love for this. Thanks BPB and Soniccouture.
Tomislav Zlatic
onCheers!
Kirill
onAwesome sound, thanks. But it looks like they removed all other free stuff except Thunder Drum… too bad I didn’t download them when they were available.
Daniel
onDoes anyone know why Soniccouture is removing some of their freebies? It used to be 6, with this one, would be 7. Now it’s only 2. Probably has to do with Native Instruments policy concerning K.Player, but can anyone clarify? Soniccouture’s libs are simply excelent and fascinating and many are unconventional or ethnic. Many thanks to them and to BPB. Remember to always act fast when it’s a Player library,
Tomislav Zlatic
onYeah, it probably has to do with the number of available freebie licenses. Offering free content for Kontakt Player is quite costly.
bmovie
onActually it’s says so on the Free Stuff page: “We have a variety of free Kontakt Player products such as Tape Choir, Music Boxes, Tube Drum & more. Serial numbers are limited, so they’re not always available. Check back regularly or subscribe to our mailing list to find out when they’re available.”
Steve Amesbury
onTomislav,
Just wanted to suggest that you update your earlier article on free Kontakt Player instruments to include this one.
BTW, My favourite Beer is Tomislav (fit for a king!) – but unfortunately its not available in Australia :-(
Tomislav Zlatic
onYou’re right that this should probably be added to the free Kontakt Player instruments list, but it’s still not clear if this is a permanent freebie or just a temporary one. I’ll do some more research and consider adding it to the article. As for the Tomislav beer, I like it too – very strong, but it’s always nice to have a beer with your name on it. :)
David Wall
onTape Choir and Music Boxes are currently free as well as Hammersmith
joebob
onno longer available, might want to delete this page