Viola da Gamba by Cinematique Instruments Kontakt instrument interface

Cinematique Instruments·Kontakt Instruments

Viola da Gamba: Nylon-Strung Viol Instrument for Kontakt

Viola da Gamba is a Kontakt instrument from Cinematique Instruments that recreates the Renaissance and Baroque viol with six nylon strings. It offers a rough, organic tone and six articulations, playable solo or as a three-instrument ensemble.

REQUIRESKontaktHost player sold separately

Kontakt

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

Download Now

Opens the store in a new tab

01Overview

Viola da Gamba is a sample-based instrument built for Kontakt. It recreates the historical viol, a string instrument of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, with six nylon strings tuned to the typical baroque pitch of 415 Hz. The nylon strings give the instrument a rough, coarse character that sets it apart from the violin and cello. The developer positions it as an alternative to conventional orchestral strings, with a range from C2 to C5.

Best for

Early music arrangements
Baroque-style string writing
Rough organic string textures
Film score atmospheres
Alternative to orchestral strings
Ensemble trio parts

Developer: Cinematique Instruments
Category: Kontakt Instruments
Requires: Kontakt
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Mix of Schoeps, Neumann U87 and Coles 4038 ribbon microphones
Six articulations including arco, pizzicato, staccato and spiccato
Unconventional articulations: arco-fragile, textures and xylo-mallet hits
Up to 16 round robins with up to four dynamic layers
Solo viol or three-instrument ensemble playback
Built-in delay, chorus, amp and drive effects
Nine reverb types, including infinite and deep valley
Nylon strings tuned to baroque 415 Hz

03In depth

Sound, Microphones and Articulations

Cinematique Instruments recorded the viol with a mix of microphones: Schoeps, Neumann U87 and Coles 4038 ribbon. The developer describes the Schoeps sound as velvety, and the mix gives you options for tone from close and warm to more distant and airy.

The instrument includes six articulations. Arco and pizzicato are joined by staccato and spiccato, plus less common options: arco-fragile, textures and xylo-mallet hits. The round robins go up to 16, with up to four dynamic layers, which helps repeated notes avoid sounding identical.

All articulations can be played solo or as an ensemble trio of three instruments.

Built-In Effects and Reverb

Viola da Gamba includes additional effects: delay, chorus, amp and drive. These let you shape the nylon tone without leaving the instrument.

Nine reverb types are included. Several differ in size, and special types such as infinite and deep valley create atmospheric spaces for slow or cinematic writing.

04Specs

Will it run?

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

Developer	Cinematique Instruments
Type	Plugin
Category	Kontakt Instrument
Requires	Kontakt
Formats	Kontakt

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What do I need to use Viola da Gamba?

You need the full version of Kontakt 5.6.8 or higher. The instrument requires about 0.6 GB of compressed data and will run in demo mode in the free Kontakt Player.

What format is Viola da Gamba available in?

Viola da Gamba is available in the Kontakt format and is categorized as a Kontakt instrument.

What is a viola da gamba?

A viola da gamba is a historical string instrument from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. This version uses six nylon strings, which give it a rough sound distinct from the violin and cello.