Riot Audio – Ritual Gong Drum

Epic bronze percussion

Ritual Gong Drum is a library of epic bronze percussion sampled with pristine clarity. It is a versatile virtual instrument that ranges from soft taps to ringing hammer strikes.

This is a library of ceremonial bronze drums from Southeast Asia, recorded in their original form and carefully sampled.

This particular drum had spent most of its life in the ground as a ceremonial drum, being dug up for ancestral and other rituals in the local village. It was brought to the UK by renowned Southeast Asian expert and anthropologist Andrew Turton during his research in the 1970s. It has since been part of his private collection of artefacts and musical instruments from the region.

The drum was recorded dry.

The library is very playable, with separate left and right hands for easy playing and programming of rolls and crescendos. The user interface allows control over sustain, tape saturation and fine-tuning of the low frequencies, as well as the level and size of the reverb.