Impact Soundworks MBG Percussion Boobams [KONTAKT]

Featuring famed Hollywood percussionist M.B. Gordy, welcome to the first-ever Boobams sample library: a ‘secret weapon’ percussion instrument long-coveted by composers for its powerful attack and punctuating timbre. Recorded with four different hit types for maximum versatility, Ensemble mode for epic sounds, and with an extended three-octave range, MBG Boobams injects excitement and texture into your productions in a completely unique way. Perfect for film, game, and TV scores.

What Are Boobams?

Constructed of rectangular wooden tubes of varying sizes, Boobams are a tonal percussion instrument with a woody sound that can range from tight and punchy to more full-bodied depending on the type of strike (mallet, fingers, sticks, etc.). This rare instrument’s lineage can be traced to composer and instrument creator Harry Partch, and it has had a storied Hollywood history, appearing in Planet of the Apes, the Batman TV show, The Pink Panther, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Hollywood composers turn to it for a completely unique injection of texture, excitement, tension, and action. Recording artists such as jazz musicians Chet Baker and Shelly Manne have exploited its singular sound and color for their innovative compositions.

Composers will appreciate the Boobams’ versatility. Its well-defined transients allow it to cut nicely through a mix. As a rhythmic element, the Boobams deftly perform in both quiet tension and epic tracks, particularly with the Ensemble feature and/or the stretched notes in the lower range. As a melodic instrument, it adds definition with an unexpected color when doubled with instruments such as strings, timpani, and piano. Its unique flavor integrates nicely within many genres, including jazz, pop, rock, electronic, and experimental music.

About the Library

We sampled the Boobams fully and meticulously with four hit types (implements) – fingers, hot rods, mallets, and sticks – and all four can be altered using our playback controls, which include ADSR, tone, doubling, note stretch, and transposition, among others. We’ve expanded the original two-octave range on either end for greater usability, with a range from C2 to C5. We extended its acoustic possibilities by providing an ensemble setting, in which two to all four of the hit types can be layered together for a rich, unique sound. Dial in the tightness or looseness of the ensemble’s playing using the Slop feature.

In addition to the comprehensive array of acoustic sounds, we’ve provided a range of controls and a set of presets that bring it fully into the sound-designed world – including apocalyptic impacts, sizzling bursts, filtered pops, and delicate sounds that would fit well in any fantasy game. Use the presets to fly through a huge range of possibilities, or use the Playback and Perform controls to quickly and intuitively create your own unique sounds.

The library started as a collaboration between acclaimed Hollywood percussionist and drummer M.B. Gordy and game, film, and TV composer Lennie Moore. M.B. has performed on such blockbuster scores as Transformers, Harry Potter, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty, and has toured with Pharrell Williams, Josh Groban, Beck, and many others. Lennie’s long career as a composer in video games, film, television and commercials includes such credits as Outcast 2: A New Beginning, Halo: Combat Evolved, and a big band album, Mentors. When Lennie reached out to us about joining this collaboration, we were thrilled.

Unique percussion instrument

Wooden, chromatic percussion used on many famous soundtracks and scores, with a powerful attack and punchy decay.

Three individual mics/mixes

Recorded with four mics available in two channels (C414 wide, KM140 ORTF) plus a pre-mixed third channel.

Four hit types (implements)

Select from Mallets, Hot Rods, Sticks, or Fingers, each with a distinct timbre, attack, body, and decay time.

Deep chromatic sampling

Two octaves of individually recorded pitches with four dynamics (p-ff) and four RRs, with three stretched playable octaves total.

24 inspiring snapshots

From natural and close, to epic and soaked in reverb, distorted to clean: there’s something for every track.

Requires Native Instruments Kontakt Player or Kontakt FULL v6.7.1 and higher!