Audio demos

Confirmation - New Mr SHAKUHACHI

Improvisation - New Mr SHAKUHACHI

The last rose of summer - Dr XIAO

 

Introduction

The New Dr Xiao & Mr Shakuhachi is a virtual instrument for Kontakt, emulating two ancient bamboo flutes from Asia: the xiao and the shakuhachi.

The XIAO is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It first appeared in the Han dynasty (206 bc–220 ad). The xiao is general made of purple bamboo and has a graceful and mellow sound.

The SHAKUHACHI is a traditional Japanese bamboo flute that was originally derived from the Chinese xiao in the 8th century. The shakuhachi’s blowing end is cut obliquely outward, so that subtle varieties of tone colour can be produced. The bell (flared end) consists of the trunk of the bamboo plant with its root ends. The shakuhachi is capable of producing loud, penetrating and breathy tones.

The new version of Dr Xiao & Mr Shakuhachi is based on a much more advanced algorithm than the previous one. It allows you to obtain both the typical realism of virtual instruments entirely based on sampled sounds, and the versatility and ease of control of instruments mainly based on algorithms. The result is two virtual instruments of the highest level, which exceed the limits of the original flutes, both in terms of extension and dynamic range.

With Dr Xiao & Mr Shakuhachi you can start a note with a wide range of nuances, from portato to accented, or effects: bending or muraiki (strong breath). You can perform both legato phrases and glissato passages, up to twelfth intervals (19 semitones of distance), with great realism. It also has a wide dynamic and tonal range, adjustable and controllable in many ways, and four and a half octave range. The crescendo and diminuendo are very natural, without earing overlapping notes.

Dr Xiao & Mr Shakuhachi also have a wide range of effects, which transform the flute sound into something more modern: brilliance effect, chorus, distortion, adjustable breath noise, automatic vibrato, flutter, stereophonic effect, and more.

The New Dr Xiao & Mr Shakuhachi is designed to get the best, in terms of expression and control, from any kind of MIDI instrument:
 • Electronic Wind Instruments (Akai EWI, Roland Aerophone, Yamaha YDS, Berglund NuEVI, etc.);
 • MIDI strings (Cantini MIDI violin, Zeta MIDI violin, etc.);
 • MIDI converters, like the Sonuus i2M;
 • MIDI keyboards (NI Komplete control, M-Audio Oxygen, etc.);
 • MIDI controllers (TEC breath controller, MIDI expression pedal, Yamaha BC3, etc.).

Interfaces

Features

• A new, modern and complex algorithm for maximum realism and the best playability. UPGRADE 2023!
• 2000 samples at 24bit/48kHz.
• Perfect Crossfade: transition from piano to forte and vice versa on 3 or 4 levels, without hear overlapping notes.
• Selectable dynamics controller and editable dynamic range.
• Two monophonic modes with real time automatic recognizing of legato and staccato: by dynamic controller and by keys.
• Play on release mode: when you release a note, the software plays the previous note still pressed.
• Configurable legato mode and real time controlled glissando.
• Playing staccato, each new note is slightly different from the previous one, with multiple and gradual gradients from soft to marcato.
• Two parallel voices at configurable intervals, as used by Michael Brecker.
• Polyphonic mode for polyphonic instruments and sustain or hold 1st note modes for monophonic instruments.
• Bending technique, which consists in starting a note with an ascending glissando (Dr Xiao only).
• Muraiki technique, which consists of a loud blow at the beginning or during a note (Shakuhachi only).
• Typical xiao/shakuhachi note release technique (RFX).
• Automatic vibrato configurable and controllable live.
• flutter-tonguing effect, configurable and controllable live.
• Easy to use Chorus, Compressor, Resonance, Three-band equalizer, Convolution reverb, Distortion and Delay effects.
• Adjustable and live controllable breath noise.
• A Brilliance effect, which boosts or cuts high frequencies dynamically.
• Keyswitches that can be disabled and a live options activator to instantly switch from one configuration to another.
• 4 and a half octaves of range.
• Splitter by Suonopuro, to split and layer many sounds across your keyboard or your MIDI instrument.

 

Requirments  

• NI KONTAKT 5.8.1 or higher FULL retail version. tested with Kontakt 7. It is NOT compatible with Kontakt Player. You can open and run Suonopuro Recorder in Kontakt player just for 15 minutes. After that the demo period of the player times out and you have to re-start and reload the library.

• A COMPUTER: Windows or Mac or a Maschine+ by Native Instruments.

• A MIDI CONTROLLER: an Electronic Wind Instrument or a Keyboard or any kind of MIDI Instrument.

 

Dr Xiao & Mr Shakuhachi on action

Judd Miller is arguably THE top EVI (electronic valve instrument) player in the world. He has performed on numerous big budget movie soundtracks and with the world's top recording artists like Michael Breaker, John Williams, Stewart Copeland, James Newton Howard, The Jellow Jackets and many others.
He wrote: "I like the Xiao and love the shakuhachi! You have a very musical and sensible approach to what is going to feel and sound right on a wind controller."

In this video Ciro Pusateri, internationally renowned saxophonist, plays the Xiao via his Yamaha YDS150, in a composition for choir and orchestra by Valentina Casesa, at the "Teatro Massimo" in Palermo.