A Hand Pan Ecosystem Forged for the Modern Creator.
About this Virtual Instrument
Dyad: Hand Pan Drums is a virtual instrument sample library that puts expert and emotive hand pan performance capabilities into the producer’s hands.
To facilitate this we created the Dyad Engine: an inventive interface featuring a set of “left hand” and “right hand” pattern players that work together to emulate the capabilities of a master player.
This auto-play engine covers pitched and percussive hits, articulation switching, swing, humanization and micro-rhythms for added flair.
With a deep library of ready-made and customizable patterns, composers can focus on mood, melody, harmony and rhythm - instead of being caught up in mouse clicks.
To enhance the mystical and soundtrack-worthy sound Dyad: Hand Pan Drums features additional options to play over drones, sounds from nature, and to reinforce the drums with additional instruments.
So whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, the Dyad Engine and its extensive sound library will help you create hand pan music that is both beautiful and expressive.
Walkthrough
Presets
"Dyad": What Does it Mean?
And What it Means for You
From Greek dyas, meaning “the number two,”: a dyad is a pair of forces that function as one.
The Dyad Engine brings this idea to life.
By mirroring a percussionist’s symmetry with dedicated ‘left’ and ‘right’ hand pattern engines, you can bring real-life hand pan techniques into your music - all playable from a single key.
(and “YES”: you can play the hand pans like you would a piano, if you prefer).
What is it about the Hand Pan Sound?
It's a Sonic Chameleon.
The hand pan is a future-ancient instrument: it sounds deeply rooted in the past, but it’s a product of modern craftsmanship, first appearing in the early 2000s as a “Hang” or “Hang Drum”.
It’s made of steel, yet it’s played with fingers, providing an organic warmth to a metallic sound.
Its flexibility to sound somber, peaceful, melancholic, uplifting, melodic, percussive, foreign and familiar allows it to fit into a wide range of music types.
Use it for calm, lyrical, and grounded arrangements, or to build a sense of soundtrack-worthy unease and tension... and everything in-between.
What does the Dyad Pattern Player Actually Do?
It Does A Lot
Namely, it provides a musical system to manage nearly 1,000 samples for each drum.
Why so many samples?
Because every note has been captured with six distinct hit types (articulations), each featuring a wide range of dynamics (velocities) and multiple repetitions (round robins) for a natural, human feel.
Add to this six types of percussive "body" hits, with key articulations recorded using both the left and right hands.
The Engine allows you to access all of this complexity in moments, helping you create and play parts that would be nearly impossible using any other method.
Get More with Dyad: Hand Pan Drums
Beyond the Drums: Layering Depth & Atmosphere
DRONES
NATURE
EXTRA INSTRUMENTS
FOUR FOR THREE
DRUM 4 EXPANSION
This expansion adds a fourth drum to the Core package, specifically chosen for its balance of resonance and focus.
This pack also builds out the Pattern Library with 100 new grooves & fills (300 total), plus 14 additional preset options.
Purchase Options
Dyad: Hand Pan Drums & Expansion
Core & Expansion
ADD'L DRUM, MORE PRESETS & PATTERNS
INTRO SAVINGS: $100
Bonus For You
Every Dyad: Hand Pan Drums owner receives access to the Video Manual.
Gain a complete working knowledge of Dyad: Hand Pans in about 15 minutes through a series of short, easy to navigate videos.
Includes a SUPER QUICK START video.
An in-depth Manual is also available.
NKS READY: DYAD: HAND PAN DRUMS
NKS allows for interaction between Dyad: Hand Pan Drums and KOMPLETE KONTROL and MASCHINE hardware.
If you have a visual impairment: We have launched with six pages of NKS2 functionality for the most immediate features. NKS2 integration for all parameters will be added in a subsequent version.
THE ENGINE
PLAY MODES: Three options: Chromatic (traditional keyboard layout), Natural (drum-like key arrangement), and Pattern (triggering the internal sequencer).
LAYERS: Contains five sound engines: Drone, Nature, Hand Pan, Extra Layer 1 & Extra Layer 2.
LAYER EFFECTS: Each sound engine has controls for: Pitch, Velocity, Amp Envelope, Stereo Width, Drive, Multiband EQ & Filters, Auto Panner & More.
GLOBAL EFFECTS: Drive, Speaker Emulation, Stereo Width, Multiband EQ & Filters, Compression, Multi-Mode Delay (Modern, Analog, Tape, Vintage & Diffusion), “Psyche” Reverse Delay, and Two Reverbs (with 100+ “Space” options).
PATTERN PLAYER: Holds up to 24 Patterns, per patch. Additional controls include: Swing, Humanization and Speed (with ½ and 2x options)
HAND PAN CONTENT
DRUMS: 3 (Core) / 4 (with Expansion)
SAMPLES: Each drum has nearly 1000 samples
PRESETS: 32 Core (20 Pattern-based, 12 Chromatic) | 46 with Expansion (30 Pattern-based, 16 Chromatic)
PATTERNS: 200 Core / 300 with Expansion
TOTAL CONTENT SIZE: Approximately 4.5 GB
ADDITIONAL CONTENT
DRONES: 50 Sound Sources.
Ambient Acoustic, Bass and Electric Guitars (4), Tempo-sync’d Breathing (3), Didgeridoo (2), Female Vox (2), Male Vox (4), Prayer Bowl (2), Shruti Box, Tanpura (2) and Synths (30).
NATURE SOUNDS: 20 Sound Sources.
Moving Water (5), Nature Ambience (7), Rain (5) and Wind (3).
EXTRA LAYER SOUNDS: 80 Sound Sources.
Chimes, Crystal (2), Bells (2), Tingsha, Bonang, Music Box, Prayer Bowl (2), Hammered Dulcimer (2), Guitar (11 across five guitar types), Piano, Xylophone, Balafon, Tingklik and Synths (54)
REQUIREMENTS
SOFTWARE: Runs in the full version of Kontakt or the free Kontakt Player (v8.6.1 or higher).
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 10/11 or macOS 13 (Ventura) or higher. Native Apple Silicon (M-Series) support.
COMPUTER: Because the Dyad engine is capable of using many samples and effects at once, we recommend users have a current and powerful computer for the best experience.
