Buy Tubular Bells

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.

buy tubular bells

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.

Tubular Bells was recorded on an Ampex 2-inch 16-track tape recorder with the Dolby noise-reduction system, which was the Manor's main recording equipment at the time.[7] Oldfield had Virgin hire instruments including guitars, keyboards and percussion instruments.[15] Oldfield has recounted differing stories over the years regarding the inclusion of the tubular bells; in 2001 he suggested that they were among the instruments he asked Branson to hire,[6][16] but in 2013, he said that he saw them among the instruments being removed from the studios after John Cale had finished recording there, and asked for them to be left behind.[17]

Oldfield recorded side one, known as "Opus One" at the time, during his one allotted week at the Manor in November 1972.[7] He was particularly interested in starting the piece with a repeating riff, and devised the opening piano sequence after experimenting with an idea for several minutes on Bedford's Farfisa organ. He wanted a slight variation on its 16/8 time signature by dropping the sixteenth beat, and chose the key of A minor as it was easy to play. Oldfield recorded the opening riff on a Steinway grand piano, but struggled to perform in time. Heyworth solved the problem by placing a microphone next to a metronome in another room and feeding it into Oldfield's headphones.[18] The short honky-tonk piano section was included as a tribute to Oldfield's grandmother, who had played the instrument in pubs before World War II. The staff and workers at the Manor made up the "nasal choir" that accompanies it.[7] Oldfield had difficulty in producing a sound from the tubular bells, as he wanted a loud note from them but both the standard leather-covered and bare metal hammers did not produce the volume that he wanted. In the end, Newman obtained a heavier claw hammer and Oldfield used it to produce the desired sound intensity but cracked the bells in the process.[25]

The track closes with a segment featuring Vivian Stanshall, formerly of the comedic rock group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, introducing each instrument being played one by one. The idea originated when the band were due to use the Manor after Oldfield, and had arrived while he was still recording. Oldfield had liked the way Stanshall introduced the instruments one at a time on the Bonzos' song "The Intro and the Outro" on Gorilla (1967), and told Newman that he would like Stanshall to do the same.[26] Newman agreed, but had to persuade the shy Oldfield to ask Stanshall if he would carry out the request. Stanshall readily agreed to the idea and is credited on the liner notes as "Master of Ceremonies", but Newman recalled that the job proved to be more difficult than anticipated, as Stanshall forgot the names of the instruments and introduced them at the wrong points. Oldfield wrote a list of the instruments in order, indicating where Stanshall should introduce them.[27] The way in which Stanshall said "plus... tubular bells" inspired Oldfield to use it as the album's title.[28]

Steward accompanied Key to a beach on the Sussex coast to photograph the cover's backdrop. Key brought with him bones shown burning on the beach on the back cover, but the day was bitterly cold and it took some time to set light to them. The perfectionist Key also spent several hours photographing the seascape until he had a shot of the waves that he was happy with.[32] The triangular "bent bell" on the front was inspired by the damage Oldfield had caused to the tubular bells while playing them on the record.[34] Key designed and constructed one, which he then photographed in his studio and superimposed on the beach backdrop. Oldfield was captivated by the finished artwork, and insisted that his name and the album title be in small letters and coloured pale orange, so as not to distract from the overall image.[35] According to Steward, Key was paid 100 for his work,[32] but he went on to design several other sleeves for Virgin and Factory Records artists, including Technique (1989) by New Order and "Genetic Engineering" (1983) by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.[36]

Oldfield and many of the musicians who had taken part in the Queen Elizabeth Hall concert performed Part One again later in the year for the BBC arts programme 2nd House, this time as a pre-recorded performance in a studio setting without an audience. The performance was recorded on 30 November 1973 and transmitted on BBC2 on 5 January 1974.[70] The arrangement included a new part for oboe, played by Soft Machine's Karl Jenkins, and accompanied on-screen visuals of tubular steel sculptures and sequences from the film Reflections, both created by artist William Pye.[70] The performance was released on the Elements (2004) DVD and as part of the Deluxe and Ultimate Editions of the 2009 reissue of Tubular Bells.

"I never thought that the word 'tubular bells' was going to play such an important part in our lives ... Virgin going into space most likely wouldn't have existed if we hadn't hired that particular instrument."

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

Mike Oldfield's groundbreaking album Tubular Bells is arguably the finest conglomeration of off-centered instruments concerted together to form a single unique piece. A variety of instruments are combined to create an excitable multitude of rhythms, tones, pitches, and harmonies that all fuse neatly into each other, resulting in an astounding plethora of music. Oldfield plays all the instruments himself, including such oddities as the Farfisa organ, the Lowrey organ, and the flageolet. The familiar eerie opening, made famous by its use in The Exorcist, starts the album off slowly, as each instrument acoustically wriggles its way into the current noise that is heard, until there is a grand unison of eccentric sounds that wildly excites the ears. 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. 041b061a72