The sound of a music box has always had a profound impact on me, and probably on many of you. It is the sound of magic, lullabies and dreams. Still to this day, when I come across a sample library or an instrument with that sound, I feel compelled to make some music with it.
When a few weeks ago I heard about Speldosa (Swedish for “Music Box”), a new instrument that the Klevgrand team was developing with Martin Molin (Wintergatan, remember that incredible Marble Machine song/video?), I was intrigued.
Today Speldosa is available to the public (for Mac, PC and iOS), and having already tested its beta version, I couldn’t be happier.
The instrument has been meticulously recorded by Wintergatan and transformed into a playable, super intuitive, digital instrument plug-in.
Speldosa – Wintergatan Music Box includes four music box characters (one is a reverse-sounding music box), two different Room models, and an algorithmic reverb. No gimmicks, no fancy add-ons.
The result is an extremely realistic and intimate music box sound, that begs to be played (I enjoyed it also in combination with the Arturia Rev LX-24). Here you can listen to some audio demos:
Here’s what Martin Molin had to say about Speldosa:
“The sounds in Speldosa have been the secret sauce in my music career and I hope other musicians find it as useful as I have. There is a special quality to this exact music box sound that lifts it above the novelty feeling of a toy and turns it into a real music instrument. It just sounds so good haha, that’s really it. And it is a sound that makes you write music instantly – the music comes from the sound itself. During this collaboration, when Klevgrand sent me the first beta version of the plugin, I ended up playing around with the sound for three hours, losing track of time. I wrote three songs. One of them, “Stjärnfall” will be released in connection with the product launch. I was scheduled to do something else that day but the sound kept me playing. That’s what Speldosa does to me, and I think it will do the same for others”.
Price and Availability
$9,99 (all platforms). Introductory price: $5,99 (intro offer valid until 2023-04-06).
Requirements: macOS 10.10 or later (optimized for the M1-processor), Windows 7 (SP1) or later,
running a AU, VST3 or AAX compatible 64-bit host. iOS: AUv3 plug-in/Standalone – iOS devices
running iOS 13.0 or later.
You can learn more about Speldosa here.
