Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion — Free Download
Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion is a comprehensive Kontakt library featuring fifty traditional and extended percussive instruments, recorded in a hall with three microphone positions, designed for versatile scoring from intimate to epic.
Comprehensive Percussion Collection
Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion offers a broad suite of fifty instruments, spanning standard orchestral drums like bass drum, snare, toms, and cymbals, plus auxiliary percussion such as shakers, sleigh bells, castanets, chimes, and temple blocks. It also includes hand drums like djembe, bongos, cajon, and darbuka, along with chromatic instruments like glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, crotales, and tubular bells.
The library captures over one hundred articulations with deep sampling, including multiple velocity layers and round-robin variations. Recorded in a focused orchestral hall with close, stage, and hall microphone positions, it offers a clean yet not overly dry character, making it suitable for various musical contexts without being limited to epic or intimate styles.
Flexible Sound Design and Interface
The instrument interface is designed with composers in mind, providing intuitive controls for volume, tuning, and envelope shaping. A per-instrument three-band equalizer allows tonal adjustment, while built-in presets enable saving custom settings and mixes. Users can enable or disable individual instruments and microphones to manage RAM usage efficiently.
Multiple output routing lets you send instruments to different Kontakt outputs for flexible mixing. Mic mixing controls include volume, pan, width, and offset, adjustable via CC, and a convolution reverb send with wet and size parameters adds spatial depth. The interface remains elegant and uncluttered, keeping workflow efficient.
Workflow and Performance Features
The entire library loads in just eight patches, simplifying setup and navigation. Modwheel-controlled dynamic rolls and swells allow expressive performances, while easy mic mixing and instrument tweaks enhance usability. The focused hall sound with a tight reverb tail ensures the library sits well in a mix without excessive processing.
Deep sampling includes up to ten dynamic layers and five round-robin variations per note, providing natural variation and realism. The collection is suitable for both small ensemble scoring and large-scale dramatic cues, offering a versatile tool for composers needing quick access to a wide range of percussive colors.
Practical Applications and Limitations
Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion is ideal for film, TV, and game scoring, where a diverse percussion palette is essential. It works well for intimate chamber pieces, tense underscore, and bombastic action sequences. The chromatic instruments extend its use to melodic passages, while auxiliary and hand drums add ethnic and contemporary flavors.
The library requires the full version of Kontakt, version 5.3 or higher, and is not compatible with the free Kontakt Player. It needs at least four gigabytes of RAM, with eight recommended, and nine gigabytes of disk space for 24-bit samples or four gigabytes for 16-bit. Ensure your system meets these requirements before purchase.
Key features
- Over fifty traditional and extended percussion instruments
- Three microphone positions: close, stage, and hall
- Multiple velocity layers and round-robin variations
- Per-instrument three-band equalizer and envelope controls
- Modwheel-controlled dynamic rolls and swells
- Convolution reverb send with wet and size controls
- Entire library loads in eight patches for efficiency
Best for
Best for composers and producers needing a versatile, high-quality orchestral percussion library for film, TV, and game scoring, offering everything from intimate cues to epic action tracks without requiring massive sample libraries or complex setups.
