Plectra Series 3 - Kazakh Dombra

An Impact Soundworks Sample Library for Kontakt 4
Produced by Sergei Smorgov (Fyzer)

Recorded by Asset Abdrakhmanov
Edited & Programmed by Iain Morland & Andrew Aversa
Additional Editing by Alex Kopertowski
Visit www.impactsoundworks.com to see the rest of our catalog!
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing Plectra Series 3: Kazakh Dombra! This library was designed and recorded in
Kazakhstan by Sergei Smorgov (aka Fyzer), who first told us about the fretted dombra (also spelled dombyra)
instrument. Since the earliest days of Impact Soundworks, we've sought to deep-sample unique instruments
from around the world. We're proud to enter the dombra in our Plectra Series of meticulously sampled
stringed, plucked, picked and strummed instruments!
The dombra is a traditional instrument of Kazakhstan, with origins going back many centuries. It is a twostringed lute that can be played as a solo instrument, as part of an ensemble, or to accompany epic songs and
poetry. In fact, the dombra has historically been an integral part of the oral history of Kazakhstan passed down
through generations. The bright, percussive tone of this instrument lends itself to quick rhythmic playing,
strums, and rapid solo lines.
Plectra Series 3: Kazakh Dombra is composed of over 1,500 recordings, compressed in Kontakt's NCW
format to reduce memory footprint and speed loading times. A single .NKI patch contains all articulations and a
slick scripted interface allowing you to customize the instrument to your liking.
We hope you'll find this library enjoyable to play, easy-to-use, and a brilliant addition to your tracks!
INSTALLATION / GETTING STARTED

To install the library, first ensure that you have the RAR file completely downloaded - it should be about 390mb.
You should see the following subfolders:
Instruments
Samples
Within Instruments, browse and select the .NKI patch and load it into Kontakt 4+ by dragging and dropping or
using Kontakt's built-in browser. That's it!
USING THE LIBRARY

Plectra Series 3: Kazakh Dombra was created with playability and flexibility in mind.
The instrument's natural pitched range extends from D2 to D4, though it is playable from C2 to C5.
pitched playing range

Fully choked strums can be triggered from B0 to B1. These are useful for rhythmic emphasis.
Playing higher notes will result in strumming up the neck and a slightly brighter sound.
semi-pitched full chokes

The white keys from D5 to B5 are repetition keys. These will re-trigger any notes held down in the left hand.
The black keys in this range trigger non-pitched full strokes.
white notes = pitched repetition

black notes = non-pitched full strokes
The notes from C0 to A#0 are reserved for user-defined keyswitches.
keyswitch range
In summary, from low to high...
C0 to A#0: User-definable keyswitches
B0 to B1: Semi-pitched full chokes
C2 to C5: Normal playing range
C#5 to B5 (White Keys): Repetition (re-triggers any notes held in the left hand)
C#5 to B5 (Black Keys): Non-pitched full chokes.
The list of articulations is as follows:
Sustains: Standard picked sound, sampled 8x down and 8x up per note.
Minor Trill: A repeated trill going up and down a minor 2nd.
Major Trill: A repeated trill going up and down a major 2nd.
Tremolo: Repeated striking of the same note. Modwheel controls tremolo volume!
Mordent: A single pitch bend up and down a minor 2nd.

Hammer / Pull: Legato playing that only triggers with overlapping notes.
Muted: Notes strummed when the strings are muted with the palm.
Slides: Full slides up and down the neck of the instrument. Triggered when the pitch wheel is pushed up or down
and a note is struck.
SCRIPTING / USER INTERFACE

The script for Kazakh Dombra automatically handles placement of notes on the correct string (D or G string).
There are a variety of additional controls available for your convenience and customization.
the performance page

Equalizer Section: A simple 3-band EQ that is great for quickly adjusting tone.
Reverb: Enables convolution reverb.
Wetness: Controls reverb amount.
Size: Controls reverb length.
Monophonic: Sets instrument to monophonic mode (only one active note at a time). Good for lead playing.
Reset RR Seq: Resets the order of round robin variations. Use this before rendering if you want a render to sound
the same way each time.
Master Volume: Controls volume of all sounds in the instrument.
Releases: Controls volume of release noises.
Strums: Controls volume of re-triggered notes in the right hand (D5-B5).
Mutes: Controls volume of muted notes.
Performance / Mapping: Switches UI pages.
Reset to Defaults: Does what it says!
the mapping page

This page can be used to enable or disable any articulations, as well as map articulations to a specified velocity
range, or assign an articulation to a specific keyswitch.
Pressing an unassigned keyswitch key will reset the active keyswitch. For example, if you have Tremolo
mapped to D1, but nothing to C1, you could push D1 to switch to tremolo, and C1 to switch back to normal
mapping.
Note that the Hammer/Pull articulation cannot be assigned to a keyswitch. This is again because hammer-on and
pull-off playing can only be triggered by overlapping (legato) notes in the specified velocity range.
Slides are likewise not customizable in their mapping, as they are pre-set to trigger when the pitch bend/wheel is
pushed up or down, and a note is then played.
HmrRange: Sets the maximum range where hammer-on or pull-off samples are triggered with legato playing. For
example, holding C2 and playing D2 with a Hammer Range of "2" semitones will trigger a hammer-on sample.
However, holding C2 and playing E2 (4 semitones) would not.
Hammer Realism: Reduces the volume of multiple subsequent hammer-on or pull-off samples.
CREDITS
Produced by Sergei Smorgov (Fyzer)
Recorded by Asset Abdrakhmanov
Editing: Iain Morland, Andrew Aversa
Additional Editing: Alex Kopertowski
Recorded at "Solo-mono-Hits" Studio, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Programming: Iain Morland
Scripting: Andrew Aversa
Artwork: Blake "PROTODOME" Troise
TROUBLESHOOTING & FEEDBACK

Have you used Plectra Series 3: Kazakh Dombra in a project recently or have a demo or song that youd like to
share? You can email us ([email protected]) or tell the world at our Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/ImpactSoundworks
You can also catch us on Twitter at @ISoundworks!
We encourage all our users to share and promote their work. Word of mouth is the #1 way people find our
samples, so it also helps us to produce more great libraries for you!
For any technical support issues regarding the library, dont hesitate to email [email protected].
COPYRIGHT & LICENSE AGREEMENT

All sound recordings, performances, scripting and/or code contained in this product is the property of Impact
Soundworks unless otherwise noted, and remain the property of Impact Soundworks after the product is
purchased.
This license extends only to the individual who purchases this product, unless that individual is purchasing on
behalf of another individual, in which case it is the actual user of the product who is granted this license.
The licensee is entitled to the use and unlimited editing of the product within the scope of music production and
composition. The product may be installed on as many computer systems used by the licensee as desired, but in no
case does a single license allow multiple individuals to use the product.
The licensee may not use the product in the creation of other sample, sound effect, or loop libraries.
The licensee may not use sound recordings contained in the product as individual sound effects for sound design
work, unless the sounds are significantly processed, layered, and otherwise altered beyond recognition.
The licensee may use the product in the creation of music for production libraries.
Redistributing, reselling, electronically transmitting, uploading, sharing, or renting the product in any way, shape,
or form is prohibited by law. The licensee may create a physical backup copy of any digitally purchased and
downloaded product. This backup copy is subject to the same limitations as the original copy of the product, and
may not be transferred to any other individual for any reason.
Copyright 2013 Impact Soundworks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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What is the instrument featured in this library?

What are the main articulations included?

An Impact Soundworks Sample Library for Kontakt 4

Produced by Sergei Smorgov (Fyzer)

INSTALLATION / GETTING STARTED

USING THE LIBRARY

pitched playing range

semi-pitched full chokes

white notes = pitched repetition

Mordent: A single pitch bend up and down a minor 2nd.

SCRIPTING / USER INTERFACE

the performance page

the mapping page

TROUBLESHOOTING & FEEDBACK

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE AGREEMENT

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