The Koto is a traditional japanese instrument with 13 strings that are usually strung over 13 movable bridges along the width of the instrument. There is also a 17-string variant which is also known as the bass koto, its sound is similiar to a cello. Premier Sound Factory has painstakingly sampled both instruments using super high-res recording techniques to capture the beautiful tone of this historical instrument.
From the moment you load this Koto sound library and let it ring out on your keyboard, the deeply stirring sound and emotion you will experience is something that Premier Sound Factory has been striving to capture for the last 20 years. As the near mythical and magical Koto chords start ringing out, endless musical inspiration will take hold of you!
Features :
All conventional Koto playing methods typically used in traditional Japanese music are covered. It is easy to switch between all 16 available styles with the simple and intuitive articulation panel and key switch.
For example, when using the “Real” style, note on begins the picking sound, and note off provides the sound of the string as you release the key. For “Normal” “Staccato”etc, note on creates a slight delay for the string sound after picking, to replicate a real koto. The delay time can be controlled using the pick knob, zero to 100ms.
The pitch bending (Up and down) aspect of Koto playing is achieved through the timing of releasing your keyboard, therefore you can control the timing of your bends to match the tempo of your song.
214 audio phrase patterns are also included, such as glissando etc.
36 Traditional Japanese Scales
As well as the standard chromatic scale, traditional Japanese scales can be assigned to the white keys of your keyboard. It is also possible to save up to 20 of your own original scales. You can perform glissando with white keys just like a real koto.
When using a preset, the top note of the 13 strings, A4, will automatically have tremolo assigned to the next black key, A#4. From this it is possible to reproduce SARARIN typical of traditional koto playing style, the combination of tremolo and glissando, without using any key switch. (F#4, G#4 also have the same automatic tremolo.)
The classic scales are usually played with the 13 string koto. However when using Expand Mode, the assigned scales intelligently and automatically extend to meet the higher/extra notes covered in Expand Mode.
All factory presets and user presets can be transposed to fit your song.
The 17 String bass Koto is a contemporary instrument which was not used in the past, therefore the 17 string koto only has the chromatic scale.
Other Features
Stereo and center microphones are editable independently. Lo-cut is effective when you want to distance the stereo image arrangement. It can be hard bypassed when Lo-cut knob is zero.
Five varieties of convolution reverb are included. IR recorded in authentic, time honored Japanese Noh theatre.
And the image of Princess Kaguya’s moon also relates to the long, ethereal and mysterious reverb of the Koto, uniting both themes of Princess Koto – Kaguya.
