BROKEN KALIMBA — 25 Cinematic Sound Design Elements for Dark Storytelling

Broken Kalimba is a collection of 25 unique sound design elements created from original kalimba performances, capturing the contrasting character of resonant wood and imperfect metal before transforming those performances into haunting cinematic sound design.

The damaged character of the metal tines gives the plucked elements a distinctive broken, unstable quality. Delicate and musical at times, warped, dissonant and unpredictable at others. Metallic plucks and bowed tones are contrasted by taps and impacts across the wooden body, adding organic percussion, resonance and texture to the collection.

Bowed performances draw out unusual sustained tones and metallic harmonics, while dissonant cues combine the instrument's fragile character with darker musical ideas. Together, the wood, metal and imperfect tuning create sounds that can move between intimate details, unsettling accents and larger atmospheric moments.

Each sound is individually performed, recorded, edited and creatively processed using haunting reverb, delay and granular effects. Some retain the close, physical character of the wood and metal, while others expand into spacious, decayed and atmospheric designs.

Every element is unique, yet the collection maintains a cohesive sonic identity. The sounds can easily be layered, stacked and combined into larger cues, textures, atmospheres and evolving soundscapes.

🎬 MADE FOR CREATORS

Designed for horror and suspense, psychological thrillers, paranormal and supernatural projects, dark fantasy, film and video production, games, trailers, YouTube, podcasts, content creation, music production and cinematic sound design.

🎧 WHAT YOU GET

✓ 25 unique sound design elements

✓ 24-bit / 48 kHz Stereo WAV

✓ Original wood and metal kalimba performances and recordings

✓ Plucks, taps, bowed textures and dissonant cues

✓ Professionally edited and processed sound design

✓ Royalty-Free License Included

✓ No AI-generated audio

Broken kalimba sound design library featuring eerie plucks, taps, bowed textures and dissonant cues. Real instrument performances in 24-bit/48 kHz stereo WAV for horror, suspense, trailers, games and cinematic storytelling.

Sound Design License Summary

These sound-design assets come with a clear, royalty-free license for personal and commercial use. You can use them as part of larger creative works including films, videos, trailers, games, podcasts, music productions, and online content. The license is perpetual, while the original sound-design assets remain owned by Gregory Webb. Reselling, re-uploading, sharing, or redistributing the files as standalone assets is not allowed. All sales are final.

Check the Sound Design License Agreement Summary for full details and restrictions..

Original Music for Dark Story Telling