Publisher : Fracture Sounds
Format : Kontakt (6.7.0+)
Quality : Stereo 48 kHz 24 bit
Description : Meditative instruments from around the world
Featuring a range of meditative instruments and sounds from around the world, Zen: Meditations is the perfect addition to your musical palette, adding soothing undertones to your music or creating otherworldly atmospheres using the new Layer Blends engine.
About the Collection :
To create this library, we sought out sounds that are closely associated with the act of meditation or the creation of otherworldly atmospheres and textures that evoke feelings of spirituality and calm. Featuring pitched and indeterminate percussion, Indian classical instruments, and 24 inspiring layers of sound design, this library features a wide variety of modern and traditional sounds.
Building on years of experience sampling instruments previously featured in the Fracture Sounds catalog , Zen: Meditations brings a fresh perspective by including 9 previously undiscovered instruments in our product catalog.
Based on this experience, we’ve developed realistic interpretations of instruments, a unique inventory containing dynamic performance, and our all-new layering engine that allows you to easily blend layers of ambiance and sustain articulation in an intuitive interface.
14 Inspiring Instruments
The library contains 14 inspiring instruments from various families, captured and programmed with special attention to detail.
While some instruments may seem simple at first glance, we’ve implemented advanced performance scripts to enable responsive and expressive playing. For example, the performance engine for our bowed metal instruments reproduces the gradual change in dynamics characteristic of real instruments.
Alongside the acoustic instruments are 24 specially selected atmospheric layers (pads and textures) designed to perfectly match the selection of instruments available in the library. Each customized tool is loaded with three default layers that are best suited for the tool in question. However, they can easily be replaced with any other atmospheric layer from the library to create your own unique sound palette.
A New Way to Blend Sounds
Evolving sound design and sample content in Zen: Meditations , we developed the Layer Blends engine, allowing you to combine a full range of atmospheric layers and sustain articulations in a simple interface. Load up to three audio sources at once and combine them using the modulation wheel.
Want to quickly create new combinations for inspiration? Use the Shuffle button to swap any of the sounds from the 28 sources in the drop-down menu, which can be further modified using Octave Shift or global ADSR envelope and reverb controls.
Designed by Composers The Fracture Sounds
team is a group of composers, and as such, we design each library with playability and usability in mind. We worked with composer Jay Whitsey to capture the intricacies and nuances of Indian instruments in Zen: Meditations . To achieve true realism, the sitar has a switch for different pitch bending options, the tanpura can be played with natural and endless sustain, and the tabla is programmed to mute, muting the previous note played on each individual drum.
Reimagining Legacy Products
Some products discontinued in September 2023 are returning in Zen: Meditations . Tank Drum , Bowed Crotales and Bowed Vibes (formerly Zen Drum , Frozen Crotales and Frozen Vibes ) have been improved and updated in the new interface. These instruments have not only been updated and revitalized, but are now available in the free Kontakt Player.
While our catalog previously featured the Singing Bowl and Water Glass , the Wine Glasses and Tibetan Bowl included in Zen: Meditations are completely new tools and do not contain any outdated material.
List of tools :
The library contains the following acoustic instruments:
• Handpan (hang) . A large inverted steel drum that produces a resonating metallic sound. Played with hands and soft mallets.
• Tank Drum (glucophone) . A small, rounded steel drum that produces a brighter sound. It is played with hands and soft mallets, in both muted and unmuffled versions. This instrument has been carefully sampled using an advanced sympathetic resonance mechanism that allows the tonal center of the instrument to tune to any key.
• Sitar (sitar) . An Indian plucked string instrument with resonating strings, containing regular sustain notes, bends and glissandos.
• Tanpura (tanpura) . Shaped like a sitar, the tanpura is a 4-string instrument used to create drones that have a deep, rich resonance.
• Tabla (table) . Two traditional Indian drums. Bhaya is larger and lower in tone, while tabla is higher in tone and has a characteristic resonance. Both drums were sampled using various hand-crafted techniques and programmed using an intuitive engine.
• Wine Glasses (wine glasses) . When the rims of crystal glasses are rubbed against water, this patch produces a long-lasting sound similar to a Glass Harmonica . Finger and hammer strokes add short variations to articulatory capabilities.
• Tibetan Bowl (Tibetan bowl) . Traditional large Signing Bowl (singing bowl) with a dark metallic timbre. It can be played with soft and hard hits, sustain and a layer of corrosion that adds more scratching noises for more realism.
• Tuned Gongs . A set of horizontally suspended Tibetan gongs with a distinctive spiritual tonality, sampled with soft and hard hammer strikes.
• Bowed Vibes (vibraphones with a bow) . An orchestral vibraphone with a cello bow that allows you to create ambient and soft sustaining metal textures.
• Bowed Crotales (antique bow cymbals) . Similar in timbre to bowed vibraphones, antique cymbals provide a brighter, higher metallic sound.
• Meditation Chimes (meditation bells). A set of cylindrical bells that produce sound using a hard hammer.
• Tingsha Bells (tinsha bells) . A small set of bells that have a clear metallic timbre and are used in ritual meditation.
• Tuning Forks (tuning forks) . Metal resonators that create a clear fundamental frequency are combined into one instrument that produces a very clear sound, similar to a celesta.
• Bamboo Chimes (bamboo bells) . Wooden bells. Due to the variety of playable phrases and multi-sampled single samples contained, these bells can be used as a percussive or textural instrument to create the effect of flowing water.
Peculiarities :
• New Layer Blends engine offers hundreds of blending options with atmospheric layers and sustain;
• a wide range of meditative sounds from all over the world;
• 14 deeply sampled acoustic instruments;
• 24 individual atmospheric layers;
• intuitive programming with an emphasis on ease of playback;
• full NKS support – works with Komplete Kontrol;
• works in the free Kontakt Player (version 6.7.0 and higher), no additional sampler software is required.
