{"id":24221,"date":"2024-09-20T19:00:22","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T10:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonica.jp\/instruments\/?p=24221"},"modified":"2024-09-20T14:54:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T05:54:01","slug":"taikothunder_dev_blog1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonica.jp\/instruments\/en\/taikothunder_dev_blog1\/","title":{"rendered":"TAIKO THUNDER Development Blog \u2014 Part 1: The Library\u2019s Concept and Instruments"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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TAIKO THUNDER Development Blog \u2014 Part 1: The Library\u2019s Concept and Instruments<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In this series of blog posts, we will give you an inside look at the development of Sonica Instruments\u2019 newest library \u2014 TAIKO THUNDER: The Ultimate Collection<\/a>, which we recently announced. We are working toward a release later on this fall, and we set up a dedicated page describing the library\u2019s specs and functions, which will be updated as more details are finalized.<\/span><\/p>

This first post talks about the concept behind TAIKO THUNDER, what we paid attention to in the instrument sampling sessions, and what instruments are in the library.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Aiming for the definitive taiko library<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The concept we came up with to guide TAIKO THUNDER\u2019s development was very simple: Build the best taiko library ever in every aspect, especially sound quality, flexibility, and usability.<\/span><\/p>

We released the world\u2019s first premium taiko library back in 2008 titled Japanese Taiko Percussion, which was designed for BFD Expansion series. Many creators the world over still use the library, which speaks to its quality and performance. Nevertheless, many things have changed in the more than 15 years since its release.<\/span><\/p>

Computers, obviously, are much better today, and DAWs and plug-in platforms have changed and evolved tremendously. Another big difference is that taiko sounds have gone global and are routinely used in many types of music, particularly soundtracks. Given this background, we set our sights on developing the best-ever taiko KONTAKT library. More specifically, we wanted to provide new possibilities for the instruments while absolutely nailing down their true, authentic sounds.<\/span><\/p>

We actually began this journey eight years ago, in 2016. The project has taken so long in part because other product releases were prioritized. But we also spent an enormous amount of time working out the library\u2019s specs and what mechanisms we needed to build to fulfill the specs. We spent countless days and weeks devising and experimenting with different mechanisms and approaches.<\/span><\/p>

We eventually arrived at the current set of specs and functions that we are confident everyone will love. These include precise independent control over the left and right hitting positions and exact modeling of each taiko instrument\u2019s sonic character and qualities. Later posts will discuss these and many other functions in detail. The remainder of this post focuses on the sampling process, the most important part of creating a sample library.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Capturing elite taiko performers on the best instruments in a superb sounding hall<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As with all our sample libraries, we sampled the instruments for TAIKO THUNDER played by some of Japan\u2019s best taiko performers in one of Japan\u2019s foremost halls.<\/span><\/p>

We were fortunate to get four incredible taiko performers \u2014 Ryutaro Kaneko, Machiko Asano, Kan Hayashi, and Jun Takada \u2014 to play the taiko instruments. And given the nature of taiko instruments \u2014 i.e., they are very freaking loud, we decided to record them in a hall rather than a recording studio. We selected the cultural hall at the Tsurugi \u2018Crane\u2019 Cultural Center in Hakusan, Ishikawa.<\/span><\/p>

Because the recordings were for a sample library, each hit and note had to be recorded perfectly dozens of times with multiple articulations and with different dynamics. As a result, the sessions had a unusual tension completely different from a regular performance. Complicating matters was the sheer number of instruments to be sampled as well as the temperatures in the hall, as the sessions took place mid-winter in January. Despite the adversities, everyone worked from early morning until late into the night, recording thousands of precisely and soulfully played percussion variations, one hit at a time.<\/span><\/p>

Another key piece of the puzzle was sourcing exceptional taiko instruments. Again, we were fortunate to work with Asano Taiko, a preeminent taiko producer that has been making instruments for more than 400 years. Asano Taiko provided us with a full slate of taiko instruments, all in perfect condition, ranging from a 33-centimeter tsukeshime-daiko<\/em> to a massive 1.2-meter ohdaiko<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>

We were also careful to select highly-transparent microphones and preamps that wouldn\u2019t color the sound in any way. Mic placement was another challenge, as we wanted to capture each taiko\u2019s raw sound as realistically as possible. Because of the number of samples, the library is huge \u2014 207 GB in an uncompressed format. (The final released library will be somewhat smaller with compression and other optimizations.)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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