Soniccouture Bowed Gamelan

I run this in Kontakt 5 with a Macbook pro i7 with 8gb ram and an RME Fireface 800. So far I have had no compatibility issues. I have not needed to reference the manual as this is a basic, straight forward sample set. The set up is as simple as installing, then going into Kontakt and locating the file. After it loads, you have all your options sitting in front of you.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

I have only used this sample set a couple of times but so far it has saved properly in my sets and I have had no playability/sequencing issues so far. I give this a 10 out of 10 for performance. It is a relatively simple instrument and Soniccouture has always done a great job at making sure the stuff they release performs properly, even when it is a free sample set. I have had this for about two months but really only use it sparingly. The main reason it only gets a little use is because is sonically reminds me of the Glassworks sample sets and I really like those. When I want this odd pad sound, I usually reach for the Glassworks first.

OVERALL OPINION

What I like most about it is it was free. Had it cost something, I probably wouldn't have purchased it, only because I already own Glassworks and these are fairly similar sonically. There isn't much to say about it that would be bad. It has a nice GUI, the samples sound great and it plays great from a keyboard. It also has a few nice options like Reverb and High pass filter to give it that old recording thin sound. Because it was free, the value is the best it can be. I have attended some Bali Gamelan performances in my time and have always loved the style. Although I have never seen anyone bowing anything at these performances (mainly flutes and mallet instruments) I imagine this sound would fit in very well. Like I said before, I believe this sample set and glassworks are very similar, although glass works is superior due to its plethora of options and it's collection of rare instruments. Again, because it was free after 3 purchases, you would be a fool not to grab it if you can.