EastWest Ancient Kingdom Virtual Instrument Library - Electronic Delivery

Unleash the sounds of forgotten realms with EastWest Ancient Kingdom, a virtual instrument collection produced by Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix and featuring world-renowned recording artist Saulius Petreikis playing his rare selection of wind instruments from around the world. With four groundbreaking effects signal paths in addition to pristine multi-mic recordings, step into the unknown and let Ancient Kingdom transport your music into a dimension where the past meets the future and the spirits of lost worlds come to life with every note.

FROM THE ECHOES OF ANTIQUITY TO THE EDGES OF THE UNKNOWN

Ancient Kingdom’s intuitive user interface invites you to explore the primal essence of rare wind instruments while forging into transcendent sonic realms. Anchored by a vivid Center Display with striking 3D instrument models and immersive landscapes representing their origins, its interface offers effortless command over instrument libraries, articulations, multi-mic configurations, and more. The Left Panel empowers you to shape the sound with versatile Mood presets, powerful performance scripts, and precise MIDI controls, while the Right Panel transforms ancient tones into otherworldly textures through innovative FX mixes, convolution reverbs, and flexible channel routing.

UNIQUE RECORDING TECHNIQUES

In addition to the pristine surround sound recordings, this collection introduces four groundbreaking signal paths. These paths employ various innovative techniques, utilizing amplifiers, vibration enhancers, metallic surfaces, distortion amplifiers, megaphones, tubes, and rotating speakers to create a dynamic and immersive auditory experience. These signal paths take the sounds into an other-worldly dimension like you’ve never heard before. The alternate signal paths enhance the presence and capture the listener’s attention by emphasizing the instruments' attack characteristics, offering a bold and vivid listening experience. Whether used in traditional compositions or experimental soundscapes, Ancient Kingdom provides a rich palette of sounds inspired by the historical essence of these magnificent instruments.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

Ancient Kingdom features 26 instrument categories, each with an array of highly detailed instrument articulations and combinations across a range of instrument type sub-categories that includes Long, Short, Effects, Legato, and Keyswitch.

• Armenian Duduk (Available in A, C, and G): The Armenian duduk is an ancient double-reed woodwind instrument known for its warm, soulful, and deeply expressive sound with haunting depth, ideal for crafting emotive melodies in cinematic or world music scores.
• Bansuri: The bansuri is a traditional Indian bamboo flute, known for its warm, airy timbre, producing a serene sound ideal for melodic or meditative layers in both solo and ensemble settings.
• Birbyne (Available in A and Db): The birbyne is a traditional Lithuanian woodwind instrument, typically made of wood, with a pure, nasal timbre producing a bright, folk-like sound, ideal for lively or rustic themes in Baltic or historical compositions.
• Dambrelis: The dambrelis is a traditional Lithuanian jaw harp made from metal or bamboo, which produces sound by plucking a flexible tongue while holding the frame against the teeth or lips.
• Double Shepherd Flute: The double shepherd flute is a traditional Slavic double flute, made from wood and consisting of two parallel pipes, creating a rich, dual-layered sound with a warm, harmonious timbre and a bright upper range well-suited for pastoral or emotive themes.
• Flugelhorn: The flugelhorn is a brass instrument with origins in Germany, known for its smooth, lyrical sound and rich timbre, bridging the gap between the trumpet and French horn.
• Fujara (Available in High and Large): The fujara is a large Slovakian overtone flute made from wood, producing a deep, resonant timbre with natural overtones, delivering a bold, earthy sound perfect for dramatic or meditative melodies in folk or cinematic scores.
• Goat Horn Amber: The goathorn is a traditional Lithuanian wind instrument featuring a simple design with a few finger holes. It is made from a real goat horn, sometimes adorned with amber, and produces a raw, earthy timbre ideal for adding intensity to battle themes or creating visceral ceremonial cues.
• Goat Horn Ebony: The ebony goathorn is a modern variation of the traditional goathorn, crafted from dense, dark ebony wood instead of animal horn.
• Hulusi (Available in High and Low): The hulusi is a traditional Chinese free-reed wind instrument featuring a gourd wind chamber and bamboo pipes, including one main melody pipe and often one or two drone pipes.
• Irish Whistle (Available in Regular and High): The Irish whistle is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument that produces a bright, clear tone, capable of expressive ornamentation and fast, intricate melodies by a skilled player.
• Labanoro Duda: The Labanoro duda is a unique and rare Lithuanian bagpipe traditionally associated with the Labanoras region. It features a single drone with a melody pipe (chanter), typically made from wood and animal hide, which produces a robust, droning timbre with driving rhythmic energy.
• Native American Cedar Flute (Available in Flute and Piccolo): The Native American flute is a traditional wind instrument used by Indigenous peoples of North America, known for its breathy, warm timbre and haunting, deeply emotive sound.
• Persian Ney Flute: The Persian ney is an ancient end-blown flute made from a hollow reed with six finger holes, producing a breathy, intimate timbre and poignant, emotional sound ideal as a solo melodic voice.
• Shakuhachi: The shakuhachi is a traditional Japanese end-blown bamboo flute with five finger holes that creates a rich, breathy timbre, capable of producing a wide range of expressive sounds through subtle breath control and finger techniques.
• Skuduciai Pipes: Skuduciai pipes are traditional Lithuanian panpipe-like instruments made from wood or reed, producing a delicate, airy quality with a woody timbre that adds subtle, organic textures.
• Viking Lur: The Viking lur is an ancient Scandinavian and Baltic wind instrument made from bronze or wood and shaped in a long, curved form resembling an animal horn.
• Viking Voices: The vocal traditions of the Norse people during the Viking Age were often tied to storytelling, rituals, and communal gatherings.
• Viking War Horn: The Viking war horn is a traditional Nordic signaling instrument, typically carved from animal horn or wood, which produces a deep, commanding sound whose power belies its simple design.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Below are the minimum and recommended hardware and software specifications for using Opus 1.5.6 (required for LO-FI) on Windows and MacOS systems.

MINIMUM SYSTEM:

• CPU: Quad-core (four cores), running at 2.7 GHz (or above)
• RAM: 16 GB
• OS: macOS 10.15 (or later); Windows 10 with ASIO sound drivers
• Drive: HDD (7200 rpm, non-energy saving)

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM:

• CPU: Octa-core (eight cores), running at 2.7 GHz (or above)
• RAM: 32 GB or more
• OS: macOS 10.15 (or later); Windows 10 with ASIO sound drivers
• Drive: SSD (SATA or PCIe)