Tubular Bells [PORTABLE]
Tubular Bells (also called chimes) offer a practical alternative to imitating church bells and are available as single bells as well as in sets of up to 2 octaves. Kolberg Percussion has been equipping the world's most important orchestras and opera houses with these two instrument series for over 50 years:
Tubular Bells
2. The tubular bells "Concert" have a worldwide unique tube diameter of 42 mm (1.65")", which gives them an exceptionally full sound, a very pure tone quality and a rich resonance. Optimal for imitating the sound character of a cast church bell.
By mid-1996, Oldfield had put his Buckinghamshire home for sale and relocated to the Spanish island of Ibiza, setting up a recording studio at Casa Atlantis, a cliffside home in Es Cubells which he designed on a virtual reality simulator on his computer and had it built from scratch. With Ibiza being a major club destination, he became inspired by the electronic and dance music that local DJs were playing and decided to make a dance version of the familiar opening to "Tubular Bells (Part One)",[2] which he used with a Nord Lead synthesiser and used the "caveman" beat from "Tubular Bells (Part Two)".[3][2] Oldfield liked the results, which persuaded him to make a third Tubular Bells album, following Tubular Bells (1973) and Tubular Bells II (1992).[4] Despite not having a recording contract at the time, Oldfield secured a new deal with Warner Music UK by informing the label that he wished to start work on a third Tubular Bells album.
The album artwork is Oldfield's trademark bent tubular bell shape in silver, based upon the original 1973 Tubular Bells album cover, set upon a grey background. The artwork itself does not contain any text and typically a sticker with Oldfield's name and the album title are placed on the outer packaging.
This particular set of tubular bells has been deep-sampled to provide excellent playability and sound quality. There is a very large dynamic range on the instrument, allowing it to ring out above the orchestra as it truly would, or sink behind quietly to just accent the flow of the piece.
These tubular bells are our best-selling product, and there's good reason why! Chromatically sampled across a broad dynamic range, with a strong sound unlike even that found in the latest professional bundles, Tubular Bells is an ideal add-on for any composer or musician.
Heaven of Sound is specialized in making exquisite healing tubular bells/chimes, which are precisely tuned to the powerful ancient Chakra & Solfeggio healing vibrations (according to the correct Chakra notes based on H. Cousto's frequencies and his revolutionary cosmic octave, respectively to the Benedict monk Guido d'Arezzo)! Each tubular bell/chime comes with a wooden handled rope hanger to comfortably hold the chime in your hand. We build the tubular bells from highest quality brass and carefully tune them. The chimes are 1" in diameter and the length will vary depending on the tuning between approximately 15 and 23 inch. Each chime will be accompanied by a certificate which states... View full product details
Heaven of Sound is specialized in making exquisite healing tubular bells/chimes, which are precisely tuned to the powerful planetary or cosmic healing vibrations (according to H. Cousto's frequencies based on his revolutionary cosmic octave)! Each tubular bell/chime comes with a wooden handled rope hanger to comfortably hold the chime in your hand. We build the tubular bells from highest quality brass and carefully tune them. The chimes are 1" in diameter and the length will vary depending on the tuning between approximately 15 and 23 inch. Each chime will be accompanied by a certificate which states the exact tuning and describes the healing vibration with... View full product details
Heaven of Sound is specialized in making exquisite healing tubular bells/chimes, which are precisely tuned to the powerful planetary or cosmic healing vibrations of your Zodiac sign (according to H. Cousto's frequencies based on his revolutionary cosmic octave)! Each tubular bell/chime comes with a wooden handled rope hanger to comfortably hold the chime in your hand. We build the tubular bells from highest quality brass and carefully tune them. The chimes are 1" in diameter and the length will vary depending on the tuning between approximately 15 and 23 inch. Each chime will be accompanied by a certificate which states the exact tuning and describes... View full product details
"Doctoring the Bang & Olufsen machine with wire snippers and sticky tape to block off the erase head, I was able to bounce from one track to the other, adding a bass line to create sound on sound, while also tinkling on little children's bells that we used onstage in Kevin Ayers' band. This would later evolve into the repetitive piano and glockenspiel Exorcist piece that you often hear on Halloween.
Stanshall agreed, and his grand, climactic announcement of the tubular bells is what resulted in them lending their name to an album which had the working title of Opus One and which Richard Branson suggested should be called Breakfast In Bed. Moreover, a drunken Stanshall also recorded a 4am tour of The Manor. Cut from the final release, this was reinserted as an extension of the 'Sailor's Hornpipe' finale at the end of 'Part Two' on the 1976 Boxed compilation that featured quadrophonic remixes of Mike Oldfield's first three albums.
The tubular bells sampled in this collection are from an 18 note vintage Leedy & Ludwig instrument (C4-F5) from the beginning of the 20th century, remarkable for the purity and clarity of its sounds and for the exceptional duration of its sustained notes.
Tubular bells were originally created with the aim of reproducing a church bell sound within the traditional orchestra. From the middle of the 19th century, the instrument evolved into a set of chromatically tuned tubes made of brass.
The bells were meticulously recorded at 96khz/24 bits at five different dynamic levels with state-of-the-art recording equipment, so as to render all the authenticity of the instrument. Besides the natural acoustic tubular bells presets, the collection is divided into three more sections: Ambient, Rhythmic and Synthetic Tubular Bells, for more than 70 presets and instruments. Taking advantage of the exceptional flexibility of Live's instruments and effects, such as Sampler, the collection brings the tubular bells into new musical territories: ambient sounds from intricate bells presets, immersive pads, intricate motions, mysterious rhythms and fascinating and powerful hybrid tubular bells synths.
Throughout the album, the tempos range from soft to intense to utterly surprising, making for some excellent musical culminations. Mandolins and Spanish guitars are joined by grinding organs and keyboards, while oddball bells and cranking noises resound in the distance. In the middle of the album, guest Vivian Stanshall announces each instrument seconds before it is heard, ending with the ominous sounding tubular bells, a truly powerful and dominating instrument. The most interesting and overwhelming aspect of this album is the fact that so many sounds are conjured up yet none go unnoticed, allowing the listener a gradual submergence into each unique portion of the music. Tubular Bells is a divine excursion into the realm of new age music.
It was usual around the time of Tubular Bells' release for rock records to be pressed on records made from recycled vinyl (partly the melted down sweepings from the floor of the record plant). The use of this recycled vinyl resulted in lower quality records - Mike (and presumably Tom Newman and Simon Heyworth as well) was not at all happy with the test pressings made on recycled vinyl, mainly because the sound of the Tubular bells themselves didn't sound right. Branson eventually persuaded the cutting plant to press Tubular Bells on the unrecycled vinyl usually reserved for classical records. The album was recorded onto an Ampex 2" 16 track recorder, with rumors that the number of overdubs ran into the thousands (although this has virtually been completely discounted).
Trevor Key, the sleeve designer, went on to do sleeve design and photography for acts like Jethro Tull, Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel. His sleeve design for Tubular Bells was probably a composite - several photos stuck together. Nowadays this is done with computers...In 1973, the tools would have been a scalpel and a tin of cow gum (a certain type of rubbery glue which smelt rather bad). The back and cover photographs are both the same place - Tom Newman thinks that it was either Hastings or Eastbourne, both places on the south coast of England. The back cover shows burning bones on a shoreline. That front cover image has become famous, especially amongst Mike Oldfield fans - the shape of the bent 'tubular bell' has almost come to represent Mike himself.
The idea for the shape came, apparently, from when Mike hit the tubular bells for the end section of part 1. To get a heavier sound, he used large metal coal hammers instead of the wooden mallets that tubular bells are supposed to be hit with. The bells bent...this got Mike thinking. After considering ideas of tubular bells smashed or broken somehow, Mike arrived at the idea of the bell being bent. Trevor Key, an expert on photographing metallic objects, was called in, who took the idea from there.
Trevor constructed the 'bell' from 1 1/2" diameter metal tubing (presumably chromed) . It was probably then photographed in his studio - if it was photographed outdoors it would have had reflections of the sky in it, judging by the angle it has been taken from. If you take the cover of the LP and look closely, you can see where it has been cut out along the edges (it has been extremely well done - Trevor Key was skilled at this sort of work). The 'tubular bell' was cut out and stuck onto one of the photographs of the beach. 041b061a72