Kantele Kontakt instrument by Have Audio, Finnish kantele sample library

Kantele: Kontakt Instrument of Finnish Plucked Zither by Have Audio

Rated 4.6/5 on Plugin Boutique (14 ratings)

Kantele is a Kontakt instrument from Have Audio, built from deep samples of an 11-string Finnish kantele. It offers playable articulations played with fingers and a pick, plus harmonics, glissandos and built-in effects.

REQUIRESKontaktHost player sold separately
Kontakt
AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique
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01Overview

The kantele is a traditional plucked string instrument from Finland, part of the zither and lap harp family. Have Audio deep-sampled an 11-string kantele and packaged it as a Kontakt instrument. The sampled instrument covers a chromatic range from A3 to D5, with an extended range, harmonics and glissandos. Its built-in FX list adds octave blending, granular delay, delay and impulse response movement.

Best for

  • Folk plucked melodies
  • Cinematic textures
  • Ambient pads and movement
  • Glissando sound design
  • Harmonic passages
Developer
Have Audio
Requires
Kontakt
Store
Plugin Boutique
02Key features

What you get

  • Deep-sampled 11-string Finnish kantele
  • Fingered and pick-played articulations
  • Normal and extended range sample banks
  • Harmonics and up and down glissandos
  • Octave blend effect for upper or lower octaves
  • Granular delay and sea waves impulse response effect
  • Up to 2 dynamic layers and 5 round robins
  • 822.3 MB uncompressed, 470 samples in one .nki file
03In depth

Sound, Articulations and Built-In Effects

The instrument is sampled with both fingers and a pick, giving two distinct playing characters. Eight key switches and sound banks cover the normal and extended ranges for each technique, along with harmonics and downward and upward glissandos.

The built-in FX list includes octave blending that layers upper or lower octaves under the original sound, an aleatoric granular delay, a standard delay, a sea-waves impulse response effect, and an effect that adds movement.

The patch uses up to two dynamic layers and five round robins to keep repeated notes from sounding mechanical.

Specs and Workflow

Kantele is a single .nki file of 822.3 MB uncompressed, containing 470 samples. It runs in the full version of Kontakt 6.5.2 or later and is not compatible with the free Kontakt Player.

The key switches make it straightforward to move between fingered and picked articulations, harmonics and glissandos within one instrument. Producers working in folk, cinematic or ambient material can use the plucked tone as a melodic or textural voice.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

DeveloperHave Audio
TypePlugin
CategoryKontakt Instrument
RequiresKontakt
FormatsKontakt
05FAQ

Questions, answered

What do I need to use Kantele?

Kantele requires the full version of Kontakt 6.5.2 or later. It will not work with the free Kontakt Player.

What formats is Kantele available in?

Kantele is available in the Kontakt format and is delivered as one .nki file.

How much memory does Kantele need?

The developer recommends 8 GB of RAM or more for Kantele.

What playing techniques does Kantele include?

Kantele includes normal and extended range sounds played with fingers and with a pick, plus harmonics and glissandos in both directions.

07Developer

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