Affiliate disclosure: the "Get this deal" button is an affiliate link to the store. If you buy through it we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Full policy
The Hopkin Instrumentarium: Handsome Dan Black Friday deal brings Soundiron's Kontakt library of an experimental 14-string zither to $19.50, 50% off, until Dec 6, 2026.
Handsome Dan is a custom instrument from inventor Bart Hopkin. It is a flat wooden sound box strung with 14 strings, and Soundiron sampled it for this Kontakt instrument.
A center bridge splits the 14 strings into two segments. You play one side, usually with a slide or plectrum, while a magnetic pickup sits on the other.
When a pitch on the played side matches a harmonic of the same string on the unplayed side, that segment vibrates in sympathy. The pickup captures that sympathetic vibration, and that is the sound you hear.
The maker describes the tone as dreamy and ethereal, with a floating, swelling presence.
Soundiron captured the zither's full range of usable sounds in stereo from two sources, a contact mic setup and a blended mic setup.
The library uses.nki instrument presets, so it needs the full retail version of Native Instruments Kontakt 6.2.2 or newer. The free Kontakt Player and the Add Library import process do not support it.
Yes, the Black Friday deal takes 50% off Handsome Dan, bringing the Soundiron Kontakt library to $19.50. The deal runs until Dec 6, 2026, and the library covers a custom 14-string zither from instrument inventor Bart Hopkin.
It is a Kontakt library of a custom zither created by instrument inventor Bart Hopkin. A flat wooden box carries 14 strings split by a center bridge, and the pickup captures sympathetic harmonic resonances from the unplayed strings.
The library covers plucked notes alongside sliding gestures at several different intervals, with upward and downward glissandi, captured from both a contact mic and a mixed mic position. There are up to 8x round robin and 6 velocity layers per note, plus custom FX presets and ambient sound design.
No. The library's.nki instrument presets need the full retail version of Native Instruments Kontakt 6.2.2 or newer. The free Kontakt Player and the Add Library import process do not support this open-format library.
Prices and end dates are checked at publishing time and can change, so confirm them at the store before you buy.