Hidden chamber ensemble
Splinter is a celebration of experimental technique and the raw beauty of sonic imperfection. It’s a small ensemble, combining a small string section with Ondes Martenot, band instruments, percussion, and sound design. It embraces the physicality of performance, welcoming imperfections, incidental noises, and unexpected details.
These aspects become part of the sound to create something new—instruments that put you directly in control of their idiosyncrasies. Merging introspective rock music and contemporary scoring, Splinter gives you an off-center toolset to work in new ways, and a rich foundation for further sound design.
Intro offer
€199.00
RRP: €299.00 | Ends October 7, 2026
Contemporary scoring ensemble for introspective and unsettling beauty.
Highlights
Experimental chamber strings: 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 celli, bass, and tutti
Ondes Martenot, including palm speaker and SFX, with a choice of legato styles
Detuned upright piano
Drum kit and assorted percussion plus toy and scrapyard percussion
Electric guitar, bass, and banjo using bowing and other non-standard playing techniques
50 multi-layered sound design patches
Separate reverb chamber channel
Multiple (up to 11) mic positions
Recorded at Saal3, Funkhaus Berlin
A splintered aesthetic
Splinter is inspired by a wide range of contemporary film scores and classical music. We set out to create sounds that are visceral and beautiful at the same time, where darkness and melancholy are balanced by a lightness of touch and a delicate fragility. In the same way, the precision of the extended techniques has imperfection as a counterweight. The room itself, Saal3 at Funkhaus Berlin, gave us the exact sound we wanted—close and super-detailed, with the added bonus of a vintage echo chamber.
Splinter is designed for experimentation: To be played and performed and experienced. And we’ve included plenty of details for you to shape your own splintered sound.
Quite contrary
For each Splinter instrument, we set out to defy convention and apply alternative playing techniques—partly to generate imperfections, and partly to create unfamiliar sounds with familiar instruments. So we bowed the guitars and played strings with a guitar pick, and embraced the anomalies that developed. We created playable glissandi you can control with the modwheel, and took an unconventional approach to sampling the wonderful Ondes Martenot. And contrary to the contrarian spirit of the instruments themselves, they all work neatly together as an ensemble.
In the ensemble
Splinter strings
Splinter begins with strings: An unconventional section of two violins, two violas, two celli, and a bass. Using just the two instruments creates a relatively raw sound—with a little edge that doesn’t get glossed out in a larger group. An additional tutti patch and a consistent articulation set across all the strings give you a strong toolset for contemporary scoring, with wonderfully organic special articulations and clusters. A particular highlight is the playable glissandi: Use the modwheel for total and intuitive control.
Ondes Martenot
A relatively rare instrument, the Ondes Martenot offers a uniquely expressive voice. We applied a practical sampling approach in line with the overall Splinter aesthetic, and focused on the strange and experimental. The result is an evocative and nuanced sound that is beautiful and spooky in equal measure. Experiment with the additional resonating speaker and the sound effects patches. Big thanks to composer and Ondist Josh Semans for playing the Ondes for Splinter.
Upright piano
We detuned an upright piano very slightly—the effect is somehow warm and disconcerting at the same time. In the right context, it’s a living room piano. In another context, it’s a spooky messenger from beyond. You get a felt and a regular option to work with. The piano works nicely as a lead but also excels in a supporting role to hold the Splinter ensemble together.
Percussion and drums
The Splinter rhythm section gives you a combination of car springs, metal barrels, twinkling toy percussion, cymbals, and drums, bolstered and driven by a conventional drum kit. It’s a wide-ranging toolset: Add spot effects to a quiet score or create a propulsive beat for an indie rock track—it’s up to you.
Electric guitar, bass, and banjo
Forget cowboy chords—the Splinter guitars are raw and unconventional, designed for textures and effects as much as melodic playing. You get a guitar and an electric bass with bowed strings, bends, slides, and feedback—ably performed by our great friend Alexander Hacke. The guitars folder also includes a banjo: Here too you get an experimental take on the instrument, with aggressive staccatos, bowed harmonics, and noises in addition to the regular scales.
Sound design
Splinter also gives you a set of processed patches created with the raw recordings, and designed to complement and extend the sonic range of the instruments. These patches explore tension and movement through the use of tape delays, distortion, and spatial processing, resulting in evolving pads, soundscapes, textures, and gestural elements. Immediately playable, they retain a sense of instability and character while offering more sculpted, cinematic layers.
Room sound
Saal3 at Funkhaus Nalepastrasse in Berlin gave us the sound we wanted: A rich depth with lots of detail up close. Currently in the hands of pianist and composer Nils Frahm, it’s a beautiful room designed in the 50s for recording chamber ensembles. Splinter makes good use of the vintage echo chamber—you can dial it in as a separate mic channel. The studio’s vintage aesthetic was perfect for Splinter, and inspired the players and crew alike.
FAQ
Runs in SINE
Mic merging
Preserve your system resources: Fine-tune your mix using multiple mic positions, then merge into a single channel within the player.
Greater usability
SINE is designed to complement the compositional workflow. Create on the fly with auto keyswitch options, and easy remapping tools.
Download single instruments
Choose only the instruments and mic positions that you currently need—no need to download the entire collection at once.
Orchestral Perspectives
Splinter
Hidden chamber ensemble
Saal3, Berlin
Works with Orchestral Tools’ SINE Player—NOTE: Latest version required!
Size
836.6 GB of samples (310 GB SINEarc compressed)
24 bit / 48 KHz patches
SINE system requirements
Mac: macOS 10.15 or higher | Intel Core i5 or similar | Apple ARM chipsets supported | At least 8 GB RAM (16 GB+ recommended)
Windows: Windows 10 | Intel Core i5 or similar | At least 8 GB RAM (16 GB+ recommended)
Formats supported: Standalone, VST, VST3, AU, AAX