Audio Demos
- Taking Flight Ben Hicks 1:29
- Petals Henning Nugel 1:19
- The Village Ali Goldstein 1:11
- Bring Taikos Up Alessandro Ponti 2:07
- Hokkai Bon Uta Isaku Kageyama 2:39
- Rising Light of Dawn Matias Dapena & Maximo Parisi (mixed by Titanio) 1:48
- Deathly Dance Tremendouz 1:30
- Taiko Tribute for Small Ensemble Fredrik Häthén 0:59
- 奈良市の幽霊(Ghost of Nara) Taylor Ambrosio Wood 2:07
- Mountain of Hope Andreas Wimmer 1:26
- Bring Taikos Up (Naked) Alessandro Ponti 2:07
- Petals (Naked) Henning Nugel 1:19
- Taking Flight (Naked) Ben Hicks 1:29
- The Village (Naked) Ali Goldstein 0:35
- Mountain of Hope (Naked) Andreas Wimmer 1:26
- Rising Light of Dawn (Naked) Matias Dapena & Maximo Parisi (mixed by Titanio) 1:48
Product Info

Three mic positions in a studio space
Pristine 24-bit 48kHz samples recorded with two mono mic positions and one stereo overhead for an ultra-detailed sound.

Extensive drum selection
Odaiko, two chudaiko (16 & 18″), shimedaiko, two okedo (1.5 & 1.4 shaku size)

Extra Japanese percussion
Two atarigane (high & low) and hyoshigi (clave-like wood blocks)

Expressive dynamics and variation
Play the full breadth of these instruments’ true range with up to 10x dynamics, 10x RR, 9 playing techniques

10 tonal snapshots included
Covering dry, up-close sounds to more reverberant and boomy styles.

Features

Inspiring 3D-modeled UI

Per-drum tonal shaping and tweaks

Extra performance controls

Easily create custom mappings

CONSOLE FX rack and mixer
Requirements


11GB disk space
7200 RPM hard drive or solid state drive recommended.

8GB RAM
Higher amounts of memory let you load more instruments.

KONTAKT 6.7+ (FULL version)
This library IS compatible with the FREE Kontakt Player.

Kontakt Requirements - Mac OS
Intel Macs (i5 or higher): macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11 or 12 (latest update).
Apple Silicon Macs (via Rosetta 2 & natively on ARM in Standalone or in hosts that support it): macOS 11 or 12 (latest update)

Kontakt Requirements - Windows
Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 (latest Service Pack, 32/64-bit). Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU. Graphics hardware support for OpenGL 2.1 or higher. Windows 10 strongly recommended.
Tutorials
Instrument Walkthrough
"The Village" Demo
Live Taiko Demonstration
Featured Artists & Composers

Ben Prunty
FTL: Faster Than Light, Into the Breach, Subnautica: Below Zero
"I've been using ISW since 2015, and their instruments have shown up in Into the Breach and Subnautica Below Zero, and in nearly all of my solo albums. Shreddage helped me fill in the gaps around my own guitar performances. Super Audio Cart provided some great raw synth sounds for parts of Below Zero. Impact Soundworks is often the first place I go to when I'm shopping for a new project. Everything they make works and sounds great."

Mark Portmann
(Ariana Grande, Luis Fonsi, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones)
"[ISW]'s instruments consistently deliver the sound, feel, and reliability I need to do my best work. Thank you for raising the bar and making tools that inspire."

Lena Raine
Celeste, Chicory, Minecraft, Guild Wars 2, Deltarune
Instruments from ISW are a staple of my soundtrack work for games. Vocalisa has been a mainstay vocal aesthetic of nearly every game I've worked on including Celeste & Chicory: A Colorful Tale. Shreddage 3 has also given me the confidence to write some really fun guitar riffs & solos despite not being able to play a real one. I've started incorporating Tokyo Scoring Strings into the acoustic side of my scoring work, and can't wait to try out more from ISW in the future!
Taikos have been an essential part of traditional Japanese music for thousands of years. Their deep, resonant, yet crisp sound is unmistakable, whether played solo or as part of a massive ensemble. In the last century, their prominence has risen far beyond the borders of Japan, appearing in major film & television scores, video game soundtracks, and international events. We wanted to devote a sample library entirely to taiko, with several accompanying percussive instruments, played by a master to open up as many options for inspiration as possible.
We brought these drums out of the more common ensemble or concert hall setting, focusing instead on an intimate studio sound. These detailed, up-close recordings result in a much more versatile sample library, allowing you to use it in any style of music you can imagine. We’ve recorded every drum in this set in great depth, spanning many articulations, dynamics, and variations.
Chudaiko
- 18-inch mid-sized drum recorded on the front and reverse* sides; crisp edge, rich resonant center
- 16-inch drum recorded on the front and reverse sides
Odaiko
- 32-inch large drum; deep, booming sound with a dry edge, rich central wash
- Also recorded on the reverse side*
Shimedaiko
- “Tightened” drum, higher register to soar over other percussion
Okedo (1.5 & 1.4 shaku size, approximately 18″ & 16.75″)
- “Barrel” drum; heavy attack and clear definition
Atarigane (Low and High)
- Played with a mallet; clear, metallic sound
Hyoshigi
- Wood blocks; full, resonant sound
* Playing on the reverse side of the drum is a common practice particularly in taiko ensembles, lending even greater authenticity to the library. These additional samples were recorded by Isaku Kageyama in 2022 to expand and improve the library.
Award-winning performer, instructor, and recording artist Isaku Kageyama has had a storied career. He’s been heard in concert halls like Carnegie Hall, on video game soundtracks like Ghost of Tsushima, and on TV shows, music tours, and artist residencies. We’re honored to bring his masterful playing to artists and composers around the world.
Console is a fully-featured mixer, modular effects rack, and pedal board, designed to give you full control over your mix. Effects include multiple EQs (digital and analog-style), compressors, spatial FX, modulation FX, amps, distortion pedals, reverbs, and more.
Each mic channel can be loaded with up to 8 FX in any order, plus another 8 slots on the master channel, with support for send routing as well. The new “Galois Reverb” added in Kontakt 6 Player sounds fantastic as an alternative to our included custom IRs.
Download the Console manual here to learn more!
Reviews


Kageyama Taikos – Sample Library Review
“As a working composer, for $99, this is an absolute bargain. It’s not massive, huge taikos and that’s all it can do; yes, as I say, you can layer all of these and use the ten velocity layers to create really big ensembles if you want to, but you have the option of going really really small, really delicate, really intricate. And that is what I love about this instrument. So for me, if you’re looking for some world percussion, and taikos in particular, played by a world-renowned percussionist, this is a fantastic purchase.”
Sample Library Review (12/21)