Taiko drums come alive via the new Nine Volt Audio sample library, Stickbreakers Vol 2: Ten Man Taiko.
This sample library for Native Instruments Kontakt captures the rich, unique sounds of a taiko drum ensemble. Ten percussionists playing ten deep and resonant Japanese taiko drums in a 1,200 seat hall were recorded for this collection, from various areas in the hall. Performances were recorded from the stage, the balcony, and with two separate hall microphone positions, each capturing tight hits, loose hits, extra loose hits, tight rim hits, loose rim hits, tight stick clicks, and loose stick clicks.
At a little over 1 GB in size, Stickbreakers Vol 2: Ten Man Taiko includes nearly 1,400 samples and 18 Kontakt instrument patches designed to meet a range of needs, from traditional open-air taiko ensembles to the sound of distant armies on the march, according to the manufacturer. Check out the rest of the features of Stickbreakers Vol 2: Ten Man Taiko:
- 1.06 GB of 14-bit, 44.1 kHz samples
- 18 Kontakt 3.5 / 4 instrument patches
- A wide range of articulations, some with as many as 111 samples per key, with a total of 1392 samples
- User interface controls are available to control the depth of automatic sample rotation and other humanization features
- Contains a “Master FX” patch capable of implementing 24 different FX chains
- Each FX chain has alternate effects that can be crossfaded in real-time using the pitch bend wheel
- Ensemble recordings were made with percussionists placed in suitable acoustic positions to accommodate composers wanting accuracy in stereo width and depth
- Patches are available with multi-microphone mix controls
- User interface controls include convolution reverb (with 14 custom IR WAVs), saturation, stereo width, Velocity curve, lowpass and highpass filters, delay, low, mid and high EQ gain, AHDSR, remap knob, and humanization
- Compatible with full retail versions of Native Instruments Kontakt 3.5 and higher (the free Kontakt Player will only allow for 30 minutes of unrestricted use)
Nine Volt Audio Stickbreakers Vol 2: Ten Man Taiko is now available for $69.99. To learn more, please visit the company’s Web site at ninevoltaudio.com.