Developer: Elementary Sounds
Website: elementarysounds.com/tish
Version: 1.0.0
Release Date: December 6, 2025
Format: VST3, AU
Medicine: Not required
Bit depth: 64-bit
System requirements: Windows, MacOS
Size: 7.11 GB
Concert vibraphone. This rare instrument has been featured in European opera houses for decades, filling majestic halls with its sounds. We brought it to our studio and recorded it in an intimate setting with a remarkable musician. Despite its history, it sounds quiet and introspective—just the way we love it.
SOUND CREATION
The instrument includes 5 presets, each with its own X slider, mixing four sound layers.
All layers are based on the original vibraphone sound, as well as rare synthesizers, oscillators, and test equipment. Recording was done very quietly using 8 microphones—mostly ribbon and tube microphones—with 5 layers of velocity sensitivity and 8 recording cycles:
SUSTAINS
Sustains were recorded in two styles—with soft mallets and wooden sticks. Even the loudest dynamic sounds were played incredibly quietly. Using high gain in various tube preamps, we captured every nuance.
This preset also includes randomly played octaves on the X slider side, which sound especially beautiful when playing chords.
FADES
Short masked notes, recorded in two versions – with soft mallets and wooden sticks.
One layer of the sound design is synthesized using a tube oscillator modulated by the vibraphone itself. The other layer is a tape version of the masked notes, repeatedly recorded at low speed on an old Japanese tape recorder.
LAUGHTER ART
Cello bowing has two layers of velocity sensitivity: short and undulating at soft dynamics, and longer and more intense at louder dynamics.
The X-slider layers simulate the bow sound using oscillators, LFOs, and function generators – some of which are fast enough to reproduce the musical tones we sampled for this patch.
GLASSY SUSTAINS
Vibraphone sustain recorded on several reel-to-reel tape recorders (Studer, Telefunken, and Uher) in two versions:
• Type I – Recorded at half speed, using tube compressors and equalizers
• Type II – Recorded at double half speed for a more distorted, lo-fi sound
The X slider in this preset enables multiphonic sounds played on the vibraphone tubes with a bow – a rare and enigmatic technique. Another layer is vibraphone tremolo, where the playback speed of each note changes depending on the playback cycle.
PREPARED
The prepared vibraphone was recorded with various objects placed on each note – coins, paper, foil, wood – all vibrating from the hammer strike.
Each of the 8 playback cycles uses a different object, creating an unpredictable sound.
The X-slider includes a fast, accented tremolo, and its processed version is routed through tape delays, loopers, and pitch shifters.
Source
The main sound is shaped by four sliders controlling the volume of each microphone type, each with its own panning slider. The instrument features five patches, each with four additional sound layers, blended with the original sound using the X-slider.
FX
Classic effects with vintage charm:
• Vibrato – adds small, periodic changes to the signal’s pitch.
• Warm – creates rich, nonlinear distortion for a sharp, bold sound.
• Tremolo – introduces subtle amplitude modulation that adds movement and pulsation to the sound.
• Echo and Reverb – create an ethereal and enchanting sound.
• The Master section features a filter and shelving EQ for precise sound shaping.
Movement
The Movement panel includes a 12-step, easily customizable sequencer and two LFO modules—the heart of our instrument—that can be connected to all key elements.
Master
The Master panel features two vintage octave filters that split the signal into 10 and 16 bands, as well as a three-band shelving EQ with adjustable crossover frequencies. Pitch, noise level, and output controls are also included.
