Unearthed Sampling Hammer On — Free Download
A unique electric guitar sample library focused exclusively on the hammer-on technique, offering cinematic textures and ethnic-like tones for composers seeking non-traditional guitar sounds.
Purpose and Unique Sound
This library captures only hammer-on articulations performed on a Stratocaster, cleanly recorded and multi-sampled. While hammer-ons are often used to connect notes or in solos, making them the sole articulation creates a distinctive timbre that is rarely showcased. The result ranges from soft and sweet to creepy or tension-filled, depending on the patch and playing range.
In higher registers, the sound can evoke ethnic instruments like a dulcimer, broadening its appeal for scoring contexts. Unlike typical guitar libraries aiming for realistic rock or ballad tones, this one is crafted for cinematic and video game compositions, offering textures that are not found in conventional collections.
Key Capabilities
Thirteen unique patches form the core of the library, each providing a different character while sharing the hammer-on technique. The instrument is meticulously multi-sampled, ensuring detailed response across its range. One patch includes loops, but the rest are thoroughly recorded multi-samples, offering playability and authenticity.
The GUI provides hands-on control over EQ (bass, mid, hi), a large hall convolution reverb, and attack. Adjusting the attack and EQ knobs can drastically alter each patch’s sound and vibe, allowing users to shape everything from intimate textures to more aggressive or ambient tones. These controls are essential for fitting the instrument into a mix.
Workflow and Integration
The instrument is designed for immediate playability—load a patch, play, and rely on the hammer-on articulation to bring a unique voice to your score. The EQ and reverb allow quick adjustments without needing external processors, while the attack knob helps shape the transient for either plucky or smoother attacks. This makes it useful for both sketching ideas and finalizing tracks.
For composers, the ability to switch between patches that sound sweet, creepy, or tense is valuable for matching scene dynamics. Playing in different registers changes the character, so you can explore melodic lines in high ranges for ethnic vibes or use lower ranges for more grounded, subtle parts. The single-loop patch may suit rhythmic or pulsing cues, but most spots call for the expressive multi-samples.
Practical Applications
This library shines in cinematic and video game scoring, where unconventional timbres are needed to build atmosphere or tension. The hammer-on-only sound can craft suspenseful textures, ethereal backgrounds, or even percussive-like patterns depending on patch selection. Its unique character can also add a layer of organic interest to electronic or hybrid compositions.
Use the high-register patches for dulcimer-like melodies in fantasy or historical scores, or rely on the softer patches for intimate, emotional moments. The reverb and EQ controls let you place the instrument in various spaces, from tight to cavernous. While not suited for authentic guitar parts, its alien yet organic voice can become a signature element in your toolkit.
Key features
- Exclusively hammer-on articulation on a Stratocaster
- Thirteen unique multi-sampled patches
- GUI controls for EQ, reverb, and attack
- Large hall convolution reverb included
- Designed for cinematic and video game scoring
- One patch includes loops, others are multi-samples
- Unique timbre that can sound ethnic in high registers
Best for
Film, TV, and video game composers seeking an unconventional guitar-based texture for tension, atmosphere, or ethnic-style melodies, especially when a non-traditional sound is preferred over realistic guitar emulation.
