Impact Soundworks Koto Nation was created to truly capture the beautiful
sounds of three traditional Japanese instruments: the Koto, Bass Koto, and
Shamisen, as performed by koto legend Masayo Ishigure (Memoirs of a Geisha w/
Yo-Yo Ma and John Williams). The instruments were intimately mixed and
recorded with multiple dynamic levels and round-robin variations for maximum
realism and playability.
This library includes a massive number of samples spanning a wide variety of
both traditional and extended playing techniques, programmed for the
Combinator and NN-XT. Articulations include sustained picks with a plectrum,
pizzicato, octaves, glissandi of multiple types and speeds, vibrato, tremolo,
mordents (pitch bends), and mutes, as well as ‘modern’ techniques such as
atonal glissandi, finger scrapes, string hits and hard plucks.
Also included in the Koto Nation library is a set of 9 “FX” patches, which
apply online and offline processing to the core audio to take it in new,
musically interesting directions. These sounds range from granular pad
textures to warm sustains, drones, airy resonances, percussive hits, distorted
synths and eerie ambiances. The Combinator patches can be used for further
tweaking and sculpting.
Simply put, this is the most comprehensive library of Japanese plucked
instruments ever recorded. Plus, Koto Nation can be used in any musical genre,
not just traditional Japanese music: everything from video game, TV, and film
scores, to driving electronic music, rock accompaniment, atmospheric music,
New Age and chillout!
Instruments
Koto
The national instrument of Japan, and one of the oldest stringed instruments
in the world! The koto has 13 strings with an equal number of movable bridges
allowing the player to adjust tuning, something that is often called for in
pieces. It is traditionally played using three finger picks used to pluck the
strings, but a variety of other techniques have developed as well such as
finger tapping, harmonics, pizzicato, etc.
Bass Koto
Developed in the early 20th century, the bass koto is a much larger version of
the standard koto which adds 4 additional strings and allows for much lower
pitches to be played. Its deep, warm sound and large range has made it popular
in some forms of Japanese traditional music as well as contemporary music.
Shamisen
Like the koto, this three-stringed instrument developed centuries ago and
became an integral part of Japanese music, perhaps most associated with its
role in traditional theater where it is still used. It is typically played
with a large plectrum, and can be played solo, used to accompany singing or
other instruments. Many playing styles have evolved over the years - we
recorded a shamisen constructed and performed in the classical jiuta style, as
opposed to the tsugaru style typically used in rock or pop music.
What’s Inside?
- 2,000+ samples / 32 Combinator patches
- Three deep-sampled instruments: koto, bass koto, shamisen
- Extensive dynamics and round robins for each note
- Sustains, pizzicato, phrases, glissandos
- Tremolo, vibrato, harmonics, hits
- Scrapes, atonal and ‘prepared’ sounds
- Special designed / FX patches - pads, textures, percussion and more
- Keyswitch patches for live performance and convenience
