The tone of the bowed cymbal is one of the most well-recognised sounds in modern visual media.
It has starred in countless trailers and dramatic scenes, effortlessly ramping up the suspense with its fluidly ethereal yet sharp tones.
Such is its success that here at Music-For-Video we have put together a sample pack of 50 bowed cymbal sound effects, all finely edited to a high standard and available in quality wav files for both professional and amateur use.
The sound of the bowed cymbal is a curious thing created by the insatiable desires of musicians to always be discovering new sounds.
Typically, this particular sound is made by running violin, viola and cello bows over the edges of cymbals that have been placed on a floor tom.
The tom acts as a resonator, while the sound can be manipulated by the player with careful movement of the cymbal and bow.
Rocking the cymbal back and forth, for example, will elicit a very different sound to when the cymbal is set moving in a circular motion.
Bowed cymbals Pack 01 content. ( 83mb uncompressed wav files)
(50) Fifty Bowed cymbals sounds edited and ready to use in your production.
Download the Free Bowed Cymbals Sound Pack 01
If you are into Bowed sound effects please check out our Bowed Cymbals pack 02 or Bowed Metals Pack 01 and Bowed Metals Pack 02.
Free sound effects for filmmakers
We have thousands of sound effects that can greatly help your video production.
At Music-For-Video we have compiled an extensive range of Free Sound Effects for video to enhance the use of our Royalty Free music catalog in your video productions.
Loaded with atmosphere, passion and tension these sound effects for filmmakers can transform your film or video production and breathe new life into it. Creating a top notch video production demands top notch sound and music.
This results in the bowed cymbal being a far more versatile musical technique than expected, offering a level of expressiveness than cannot be found in other sound effects. Combined with its distinctive voice, the bowed cymbal has become a valued tool for video producers with a nuanced interest in audio.
Its creation aside, it is important to look at the utility of the bowed cymbal in media productions and how it can be used. Typically the bowed cymbal is used to create a sense of suspense, instilling the scene in question with a mysterious component that suggests sinister possibilities outside the knowledge of the viewer. These are less about the monsters in the closet and more about some awful revelation that is on the cusp of recognition.
With this in mind it is worth acknowledging the breadth of tones and range of sounds available from bowed metals. This gives them a great degree of use in a wide variety of dramatic applications. Bowed metals can elicit many sounds that run from gentle moans to agonised drawn out screams, and which ones you wish to utilise will depend entirely on your creative requirements.
Whichever you desire for your needs, bowed metals provide a quick and simple way to achieve a certain feeling in your productions. They also carry an indefinable quality with them, a sense of professionalism that can take an otherwise low-budget product and grant a sense of legitimacy it might otherwise lack.
It is these qualities that make bowed metal samples so effective in film trailers, instantly ramping up their eye-catching credentials and acting as punctuation marks to the ebb and flow of their momentum. Better yet, they combine well with music in a far more congruous way than some other effects, making them perfect for easy use.
With this in mind, now is the perfect time to see how our bowed metal free sound effects sample pack can help take your feature to the next level.
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