Ventus Winds – Shakuhachi (Kontakt Library)

Ventus Series Shakuhachi Library Walkthrough and Overview

Total Articulation Control Technology TACT Walkthrough

DETAILS

Our first foray into sampling traditional Japanese instruments was Koto Nation, released in 2008. Since then, we've received countless requests to explore the shakuhachi next, making it the perfect choice for the first volume of Ventus!

The shakuhachi is an ancient end-blown flute used in Japanese music for over 1,300 years. Performing the instrument using techniques like vibrato significantly differs from Western flutes and recorders. It's five (pentatonic) holes can produce several octaves of pitches with breathy, serene, and emotional tones.

Our shakuhachi library is performed by Josh Plotner, who captured all the instrument's key articulations and playing techniques: from straight sustains and vibrato to bends, ornaments, and phrases.

Ventus Series Concept
We started the Ventus Winds series to take you on a journey worldwide, capturing the tones of beautifully performed solo woodwinds outside the Western repertoire. Along with that goal, we want you to be able to create authentic performances without technology getting in the way.

Each Ventus instrument shares several key features, along with a familiar user interface:

1. Traditional playable articulations alongside a large pool of pre-recorded phrases that you can quickly drop into a composition for instant color.

2. An innovative ornaments system is designed to automatically create decorative techniques in real-time with no extra sequencing or tweaking.

3. Our unique Total Articulation Control Technology (TACT) unifies and simplifies the process of creating your own personal mapping setup for every instrument.

With these three features and our hallmark sampling depth and attention to detail, we know that our Ventus Winds will become a source of endless inspiration.