Concept
Our goal with Rhapsody: Orchestral Percussion was nothing less than creating the most versatile and affordable percussion library ever. With 50 instruments, 100+ articulations, and 21+ gigabytes of raw recordings, calling this collection ‘comprehensive’ is an understatement. Each instrument has been exhaustively sampled with up to 10x RR and 5x velocity layers, captured across three mic positions in a gorgeous orchestral hall.
Rhapsody: Orchestral Percussion goes beyond the standard suite of drums (i.e. bass drum, snare, toms, cymbals) to include a wide variety of aux percussion (i.e. shaker, sleigh bells, castanets, chimes, metals, wood & temple blocks), hand drums (i.e. djembe, bongos, cajon, darbuka), and chromatic instruments (i.e. glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, crotales, tubular bells).
Besides its scope and affordability, what else sets this library apart? Most orchestral percussion libraries strive for the ideal of “epic” through big halls and lots of reverb: a huge sound for a huge price. Rhapsody: Orchestral Percussion was instead recorded & designed to function in any musical context, from small, emotional pieces, to tense underscores, and even bombastic, loud, and - yes - epic tracks.
Interface
Our philosophy when building instruments is to design with composers in mind. To that end, we’ve created a intuitive interface for the library that provides customization and control without being overly complex.
Script Features:
- Volume, tuning, and envelope controls for each instrument
- Internal preset system for saving your settings & mixes
- Per-instrument 3-band "Solid-G" EQ
- Enable / disable instruments & mics to preserve RAM
- Multiple outputs - send instruments to different Kontakt outs
- Mic mixing - volume, pan, width, offset (via CC)
- Convolution reverb send with wet & size controls
This exquisite symphonic collection for KONTAKT features a comprehensive collection of 50 traditional & extended percussive instruments recorded through three mic positions. With a clean, focused character that is not clinically dry OR overly ‘epic’, Rhapsody: Orchestral Percussion is highly flexible for everything from small ensemble scoring and intimate cues to dramatic & bombastic. No other percussion library is as extensive AND affordable!
