ANCIENT SOUNDS, MODERN MASTERY

Unleash the sounds of forgotten realms with Ancient Kingdom, a brand-new virtual instrument collection produced by Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix and featuring world-renowned recording artist Saulius Petreikis playing his rare selection of wind instruments from around the world. With four groundbreaking effects signal paths in addition to pristine multi-mic recordings, step into the unknown and let Ancient Kingdom transport your music into a dimension where the past meets the future and the spirits of lost worlds come to life with every note.

Ancient Kingdom’s intuitive user interface invites you to explore the primal essence of rare wind instruments while forging into transcendent sonic realms. Anchored by a vivid Center Display with striking 3D instrument models and immersive landscapes representing their origins, its interface offers effortless command over instrument libraries, articulations, multi-mic configurations, and more. The Left Panel empowers you to shape the sound with versatile Mood presets, powerful performance scripts, and precise MIDI controls, while the Right Panel transforms ancient tones into otherworldly textures through innovative FX mixes, convolution reverbs, and flexible channel routing. In addition to the pristine surround sound recordings, this collection introduces four groundbreaking signal paths. These paths employ various innovative techniques, utilizing amplifiers, vibration enhancers, metallic surfaces, distortion amplifiers, megaphones, tubes, and rotating speakers to create a dynamic and immersive auditory experience. These signal paths take the sounds into an other-worldly dimension like you’ve never heard before. The alternate signal paths enhance the presence and capture the listener’s attention by emphasizing the instruments' attack characteristics, offering a bold and vivid listening experience. Whether used in traditional compositions or experimental soundscapes, Ancient Kingdom provides a rich palette of sounds inspired by the historical essence of these magnificent instruments.

Ancient Kingdom features 26 instrument categories, each with an array of highly detailed instrument articulations and combinations across a range of instrument type sub-categories that includes Long, Short, Effects, Legato, and Keyswitch.

Features

• Armenian duduk- AVAILABLE IN A, C, AND G
• Bansuri- traditional Indian bamboo flute, known for its warm, airy timbre
• Birbyne-(AVAILABLE IN A AND DB) a traditional Lithuanian woodwind instrument, typically made of wood, with a pure, nasal timbre
• Dambrelis- a traditional Lithuanian jaw harp made from metal or bamboo, which produces sound by plucking a flexible tongue while holding the frame against the teeth or lips
• Double shepherd flute- a traditional Slavic double flute, made from wood and consisting of two parallel pipes
• Flugelhorn- a brass instrument with origins in Germany, known for its smooth, lyrical sound and rich timbre
• Fujara (AVAILABLE IN HIGH AND LARGE) a large Slovakian overtone flute made from wood, producing a deep, resonant timbre with natural overtones
• Goat Horn- traditional Lithuanian wind instrument featuring a simple design with a few finger holes
• Goat Horn Ebony- a modern variation of the traditional goathorn, crafted from dense, dark ebony wood instead of animal horn.
• Hulushi (AVAILABLE IN HIGH AND LOW) a traditional Chinese free-reed wind instrument featuring a gourd wind chamber and bamboo pipes, including one main melody pipe
• Irish Whistle (AVAILABLE IN REGULAR AND HIGH) simple six-holed woodwind instrument that produces a bright, clear tone, capable of expressive ornamentation
• Labanoro duda- a unique and rare Lithuanian bagpipe traditionally associated with the Labanoras region.
• Native American Cedar Flute (AVAILABLE IN FLUTE AND PICCOLO) a traditional wind instrument used by Indigenous peoples of North America, known for its breathy, warm timbre and haunting, deeply emotive sound
• Persian ney - an ancient end-blown flute made from a hollow reed with six finger holes, producing a breathy, intimate timbre
• Shakuhachi is a traditional Japanese end-blown bamboo flute with five finger holes that creates a rich, breathy timbre, capable of producing a wide range of expressive sounds
• Skuduciai pipes are traditional Lithuanian panpipe-like instruments made from wood or reed, producing a delicate, airy quality with a woody timbre that adds subtle, organic textures.
• Viking lur is an ancient Scandinavian and Baltic wind instrument made from bronze or wood and shaped in a long, curved form resembling an animal horn
• Viking Voices- The vocal traditions of the Norse people during the Viking Age were often tied to storytelling, rituals, and communal gatherings. Viking voices produce a raw, guttural timbre with primal expressions, taking the form of chanting as part of rituals, rhythmic recitation, mythic storytelling, and melodic forms rooted in oral tradition
• Viking war horn- a traditional Nordic signaling instrument, typically carved from animal horn or wood, which produces a deep, commanding sound whose power belies its simple design

HOLLYWOOD STRINGS 2

Description

The long-awaited sequel to Hollywood Strings has finally arrived. But this time, we made a hard pivot: Instead of going bigger, we recorded a tight 21-piece group in EastWest Studio 2 for our most nuanced string library yet — smaller room, same production team, no less cinematic. You’ll find all the essential articulations, including legato, detache, pizzicato, staccato, spiccato, marcato, col legno, and even rare textural styles like flautando, each with up to four dynamics, ensuring an unparalleled level of expressiveness and realism. From the delicate intimacy of pianissimo to the commanding authority of fortissimo, and everything in between, articulations are captured with exacting detail by an extensive array of microphones, giving you unprecedented control over the performance and sound of the strings.

EMOTIONAL. INTIMATE. RAW. We close-mic’d every instrument closer than we ever have before, capturing the grit, depth, and air of every note in the finest detail possible. You can independently control 3 separate close mic positions (including mics attached directly to the instruments), plus main, mid-field, and surround mics. There’s no limit to the depth you can create — Hollywood Strings 2 is even Atmos-ready, so you can create Atmos mixes in DAWs that support Atmos. Epic arrangements are great, but there’s more to strings than scale alone... and while its predecessor is indeed epic, Hollywood Strings 2 goes even further, molding itself to any task.

THE ORIGINAL CAST RETURNS The original Hollywood Strings featured the collaboration of award-winning producers Doug Rogers & Nick Phoenix and engineer Shawn Murphy. Together, they created the most advanced string library of all time... and now, all 3 returned to do it again. Their goal was simple: Capture the same cinematic quality as the original, but with more granular control than any string library to date. The result is clear, clean, and dry, with a character that effortlessly lends itself to any genre.

WHAT’S INCLUDED? Hollywood Strings 2 boasts an extensive library of 134 meticulously crafted instruments, offering an unparalleled range of sonic possibilities, including the best ever recorded playable trills and runs. With over 160 gigabytes of extensively sampled sounds, every note resonates with unparalleled authenticity, capturing the essence of each instrument with breathtaking detail. And powered with our state of the art OPUS engine, you can instantly download just the individual instruments you need for instant access or download them all, it's your choice.

6 - 1st Violins - Lyrical legato, crisp, laser-focused spiccato, articulate detache — everything you could want from 1st violins, captured in pristine detail. A common issue with violin libraries is that they refuse to come to the front of the mix, no matter how you treat them with EQ. Not so with Hollywood Strings 2; you can mix for the sound you want, without wrangling other string libraries to fit inside a box they weren’t made for.

4 - 2nd Violins - All the flexibility and rawness of the 1st violins, but in a smaller support ensemble ideal for doubling and harmonizing. The main, mid, and surround mics provide as much or as little depth as you need, or you can mute them for an in-your-face yet cinematic sound. With every articulation, style, and control mapping for maximum flexibility — spacious, bone-dry, or anything in between.

4 - Violas - Rich, resonant, and full. The Hollywood Strings 2 violas excel at delivering an earthy, dry, brilliant tone that pierces through any mix — but it just as easily melds into the background during soft, lyrical passages. Tight pizzicato, gritty spiccato, and tons of other articulations are at your disposal. Play through the various staccato options and you’ll find a mix of clean and staccato slur articulations for maximum realism and character.

4 - Celli - Sonorous in the bottom octave and brilliant in its top range, this cello section delivers a full spectrum of timbres and articulations. All, of course, with the same ultra-close miking and 6 adjustable mic positions. Many patches contain expressive vibrato controlled via the mod wheel; combined with deep slurs and portamento, you can capture any performance you need, in any style. The same grandeur as the original Hollywood Strings, but with infinitely more flexibility.

3 - Basses - Your double basses never need to sit in the background again. We captured every detail of their rich harmonics with fantastic balance, lending intense raw power to the bottom octave of any string arrangement. They’re equally adept with hefty staccato and lyrical melodies in their higher range, with every articulation captured in pristine detail and next to zero bleed or ambience in the close mics.

Full Strings - Close mics don't mean sacrificing power. We stacked all 21 players in octaves for a rich, bright tone perfect for filling the entire frequency range. Of course, all instruments have 3 Mood options: Classic, Soft, and Epic.

Features

• Includes all 5 highly detailed strings sections perfect for a close up and intimate sound, available as separate instruments (6 1st Violins, 4 2nd Violins, 4 Violas, 4 Celli, and 3 Basses), and together in full string ensemble performances with all 21 players in octaves.
• Offering six microphone positions that allow you to tailor the sound to your exact specifications, Hollywood Strings 2 puts you in control of every nuance with an range of intimate close mics, and an array of microphones capturing the tight, magical room sound of EastWest’s Studio 2.
• Use the Moods to find the right feel for your composition. Use the Soft mood for more detailed, intimate writing, the Classic mood for a traditional studio orchestral sound, and Epic for a larger, cinematic sound. The color of the user interface indicates the currently selected mood.
• Comes with innovative new features and a suite of powerful effects available in the revolutionary Opus software engine.

Tech Specs