Hopkin Instrumentarium: Aquaalt

Aquaalt is an experimental custom creation from the mind of master instrument inventor Bart Hopkin: A unique Lute with a steel bowl resonator. This handcrafted contraption’s bridge delivers the string vibrations directly to the bowl’s flat bottom. As the strings sound, a small amount of water moves in the bowl, causing ever-changing resonances and creating unusual, dreamy sounds. Made of wood and metal, Aquaalt has a richly acoustic essence that resounds brightly through each note. With the body mounted on a swaying stand, the player can rock the lute to keep the water in the bowl moving. It can be played by plucking or bowing, occasionally with a slide to vary the string pitches.We've faithfully sampled every interesting sound we could get out of this water lute, with two stereo mic positions: Close, and direct line in. Plucks, Bow Long, Bow Short, Bow Sul Ponticello, and Glisses up and down are available in all four layers to easily mix and match. With up to 8x round robin and 6 velocity layers per note, you’ll be swimming in beautiful timbres in no time. We've also included a wide selection of custom FX presets and plenty of our signature sound-designed ambient content, crafted from the raw acoustic source to give you complete creative freedom.