The Definitive Steel Pan Sample Collection
The Ilio Ellie Mannette Steel Pan Collection is a steel pan collective like no other. The collection boasts 22 instruments from legendary steel pan builder Ellie Mannette’s personal collection, performed and recorded with passion and care by Ellie’s lifelong prodigy, Andy Narell. Included pans fall into tenor, double second, triple guitar, tenor bass, and bass categories — all tuned to precision by Ellie himself. This software collection makes it easy to use pans in solo or ensemble combinations, and several massive orchestra options are onboard as well. Sweetwater audio enthusiasts love this collection’s obvious passion for steel pans; not only are the instruments immaculately sourced, but the software also puts users first with convenient tools and effects that make navigating the collection a breeze.
Related Videos: Andy Narell Steel Pans Virtual Instrument - The Ellie Mannette Collection
Steel pans: from trash to musical treasure
In the past 100 years, the steel pan is perhaps the only instrument that’s gone from a non-existent creation to a globally recognized sound. Steel pans first appeared in the 1940s on the island of Trinidad when residents without money for instruments fashioned drums from discarded trash like biscuit tins and paint cans. A teenage Ellie Mannette was among the first on the island to craft oil drums specifically tuned to produce clear tonal melodies. Some of the very same pans that defined this instrument as we know it make appearances in the pack, a prestigious claim that no other steel pan collection can make. Ellie’s steel pan builds earned him the title of “The Father of the Modern Steel Pan,” which makes it all the more special that this collection features pans from his personal drum collection that were tuned by him before he passed away in 2018. It was Ellie's prodigy, Andy Narell, who took the steel pan from the streets to the studio with recordings that reached millions via film scores, commercials, and recordings. With this collection, Andy has ensured that other musicians will be able to tap into Ellie's undeniable legacy.
User-friendly tools
This collection's easy-to-use software place the full dynamic scope of live steel pans at your fingertips. With features like a roll tool, MIDI velocity parameters, built-in effects (reverb, delay, sustain, etc.), and transposing tools, you can rapidly tweak sounds to your taste. An especially useful feature is the automatic harmony tool that lets you quickly build rich accompaniment from just a single source track.
Great for solos, accompaniment, and full compositions
This one virtual instrument tool covers the entire tonal range of steel pans. The tenor pan is by far the most recognizable steel pan sound, but this collection dives deeper with multiple double second, triple guitar, tenor bass, and bass pans across the harmonic spectrum. With such a range, you can enhance songs with simple solos, but also branch out into multi-layered accompaniment and even whole steel pan orchestras should you so choose.
Ilio Andy Narell Steel Pans Virtual Instrument Features:
- Recordings of steel pans from Ellie Mannette’s personal collection played by Andy Narell
- User interface built for speed and versatility with features specifically tailored to steel pans
- Includes solo pans, pre-mixed sections, and full steel orchestras
- 21 total instruments and 1 vintage pan: includes multiple tenor, double second, triple guitar, tenor bass, and bass pans
- User friendly interface with automatic harmony tools and intuitive controls for controlling instrument groups
- MIDI velocity tool for extra control
- VST, VST3, AU, AAX-compatible download
- Requires Native Instruments Kontakt Player (included with download)