Ventus Series Concept

We started the Ventus Winds series to take you on a journey all over the world, 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 common 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 designed to automagically createdecorative techniques in real time with no extra sequencing or tweaking needed.

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

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

The Shakuhachi

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 and using techniques like vibrato is significantly different than Western flutes and recorders. Its 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 key articulations and playing techniques of the instrument: from straight sustains and vibrato to bends, ornaments, and phrases.