Fracture Sounds has announced the release of Zen: Meditations, a collection of meditative instruments and atmospheric pads from around the world. The sample library, which is licensed in the free Kontakt Player plugin, contains an array of tuned metallic percussion such as Handpan and Tank Drum, as well as a trio of traditional Indian instruments (Sitar, Tanpura, and Tabla), all recorded with composer, Jay Witsey.
YouTube.com/watch?v=nUfgscptg4k
Each instrument has been crafted individually, with playability at the forefront. In the Sitar, you can momentarily keyswitch between different ornamentations, whilst other instruments can keyswitch between percussion stick types or playing methods. The Tabla has been programmed with a bespoke muting system enabled by default, which mutes the previous note resonance from the drum when a new note is played, again creating a great sense of realism.
With Zen: Meditations returns Fracture Sounds unique Dynamic Performance engine, which ramps up to the selected dynamic for resonant instruments such as the Bowed Percussion and Tibetan Bowl. When these instruments are played in real life, it takes time for the instrument to vibrate to the played dynamic, and this has been replicated in the engine.
The library introduces a new way to blend Fracture Sounds' staple Atmosphere Layers, with the Layer Blends patch allowing three sound sources to be selected and blended together using the mod wheel (CC1). The development team have provided 14 snapshot presets to get users started quickly, but they have also included a shuffle button in the centre of the interface which randomly shuffles any unlocked layers- allowing users to find inspiration without the need to dig into menus.
Finally, Zen: Meditations updates previous libraries in the Fracture Sounds collection, with Bowed Vibes, Bowed Crotales, and Tank Drum (Zen Drum) receiving an updated user interface, as well as new recordings of previous libraries Singing Bowl (Tibetan Bowl) and Water Glass (Now Wine Glasses). Updating these libraries in Zen: Meditations also now means they can be freely accessed in the free Kontakt Player plugin, with legacy owners receiving loyalty discounts depending on what libraries they own.
Intro Price: £89.00 (Reg. £119.00) until November 30th, 2023.