Native Instruments Intros "West Africa" Virtual Instrument
Native Instruments has just introduced Discovery Series: West Africa, a new instrument that centers on the polyrhythmic grooves of traditional African music.
"West Africa" is powered by Kontakt
For use in Kontakt 4 and in the free Kontakt Player, the instrument provides the full sonic spectrum of a West-African percussion ensemble, and represents a unique and highly versatile resource for film scoring as well as contemporary pop and club music styles.
NI’s West Africa virtual instrument recreates a typical six-person percussion ensemble centered around multiple types of Djembe and Dunun drums. This setup is complemented by Calabash and Krin, as well as unique melodic instruments like the Kora and Bolon harp, various Balafons, the distinctive Ngoni, and the Fula flute. All instruments were recorded in Native Instruments’ studios in Berlin, resulting in 3 GB of studio-quality sample material.
West Africa features a specifically designed sequencer that provides over 70 pre-programmed ensemble patterns with complex West-African grooves, complete with solos, fills and single hits that can be intuitively triggered via the keyboard. Patterns automatically sync to the tempo of a host sequencer, and can be edited or created from scratch using an intuitive visual interface.
Discovery Series: West Africa is available as a download in the NI Online Shop for $119.
Check out the following video for an introduction to the instrument, and click for more information and demo tracks.