Ensemblia Percussive: Kontakt Percussion Instrument by Cinematique Instruments

The library contains more than 200 percussion instruments, including 25 snares, 24 big drums, 27 toms and ethno drums, 29 cymbals, 15 shakers, gongs and singing bowls. Sources range from orchestral and world percussion to glitch, electronic and domestic sounds.

Most instruments were recorded in Brisbane, Australia, with percussionist Michael Askill. The developer says the recordings focus on a close, intimate sound without a large hall acoustic, so room sound can be added later in your mix.

A pre-listen function lets you audition an instrument before assigning it to a slot.

The arranger has eight beats, and each beat can be divided into 4 x 16th notes, 8 x 32nd notes, 3 x 8th notes (triplets) or 6 x 16th notes (sextuplets). Note velocity and dynamics can be shaped per note.

The library includes more than 600 preset beats that load through a file browser. Four separate units sit in one interface, so you can switch between different beats and rhythms on the fly. Live FX add five effects that can be dropped in with a key press while a pattern plays.

You can also play the instruments manually with trigger keys and record the result into your DAW. Ten single-instrument patches let you load a single group, such as only snares or only shakers.