A curated archive of humanity’s musical soul

Ancient Cultures is a comprehensive Kontakt library bundle that brings together four of our most evocative collections: The Zen Garden, Echoes of the Earth, Silk & Lotus, and Taiko Dojo. This curated suite captures the spirit of diverse musical traditions, reimagined for modern composition.

Spanning continents, centuries, and sonic aesthetics, Ancient Cultures offers over 120 deeply expressive instruments — from serene flutes and plucked zithers to earthy percussion and ambient textures. It’s a powerful toolkit for composers looking to blend authenticity with cinematic expression.

Included Libraries:

  • The Zen Garden
    A Synergy of Meditative and Cinematic Instruments, Soothing Soundscapes and Aura
    A tranquil collection of instruments from East Asia, focused on stillness, spirituality, and tonal purity. Perfect for meditative scoring, ambient music, and emotional storytelling.
  • Echoes of the Earth
    A Journey Through Time, Space and Our Musical Heritage
    An expansive exploration of traditional instruments from Africa, the Americas, the Middle East, and beyond. Featuring raw textures, ritual percussion, and a grounded, organic character.
  • Silk & Lotus
    An Ode to the East — Timeless Instruments, Delicate Textures, and Sonic Elegance
    An elegant collection of strings, flutes, voices, and percussive elements from East and Southeast Asia. Rich in cultural nuance and cinematic depth.
  • Taiko Dojo
    The Heartbeat of Japan — Ensemble Drumming, Ritual Precision, and Sonic Power
    A dynamic ensemble of 22 traditional Japanese drums and percussion, performed by the KyoShinDo collective — artisans and taiko masters based in the mountains of Liguria. Recorded with stunning clarity and attention to performance detail, Taiko Dojo captures the physicality, energy, and discipline of this iconic art form.

Add to Cart Added to Cart

Full version of Native Instruments Kontakt 5.8.1 
or above is required
NOT COMPATIBLE WITH KONTAKT PLAYER

Windows XP / Vista /  7 / 8 / 10. Intelmac and Mac OS 10.5 or higher.
8 GB System Ram,

Disk Space (every library can be installed individually).

The Zen Garden:
35.0 GB free on main system drive for installation + 70.0 GB where the library is installed.

Echoes of the Earth:
60.0 GB free on main system drive for installation + 60.0 GB where the library is installed.

Silk and Lotus:
40.0 GB free on main system drive for installation + 40.0 GB where the library is installed.

Taiko Dojo:
9.0 GB free on main system drive for installation + 9.0 GB where the library is installed.

Capable internet connection.

Listen to The Zen Garden

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Listen to Echoes of the Earth

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Listen to Silk and Lotus

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Listen to Taiko Dojo

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Featured Instruments

• CEREMONIAL

[The Zen Garden]
Tibetan Bell Big, Tibetan Bell Medium, Tibetan Bell Small 1, Tibetan Bell Small2, Tibetan Bell Small 3, Tibetan Finger Cymbals

• MEDITATION

[The Zen Garden]
Bowed Crotales, Crystal Bowls, Energy Chimes, Koshi Chimes, Meditation Pad, Peaceful Pad, Shiva Pad, Three Tongue Drums, Tongue Drum, Tubular Chimes - Movements, Tubular Chimes - Notes, Tubular Vibraphone


• WINDS

[The Zen Garden]
Duduk, Romanian Caval, Small Xun, Turkish Kaval

[Echoes of the Earth]
Algoza, Bansuri, Bass Recorder, Fujara, Fujara Effects, Native Flute, Overtone Flute, Pan Flute, Persian Ney, Peruvian Quena, Shaman Flute, Swedish Overtone Flute, War Horns

[Silk and Lotus]
Bamboo Xun, Bawu, Ceramic Xun, Dizi, DongXiao, Hulusi, Large Ceramic Xun, Shakuhachi, Thai Flute, Thai Khaen, Xiao - Phrases - D Minor - 100 bpm, Xiao - Phrases - G Pentatonic - 70 bpm, Xiao

• VOCALS

[The Zen Garden]
Alyne - Legatos, Female Humming 1.1, Female Humming, Om Drone, Sylvia - Oh - Legato, Sylvia - Phrases - A Pentatonic Minor 90bpm, Sylvia - Phrases - C Major 120bpm, Sylvia - Phrases - D Minor 100bpm, Sylvia - Phrases - G Pentatonic Major 70bpm, Sylvia - PolyWords - MW Phrase, Sylvia - Words - Legato

[Echoes of the Earth]
Arabic Singer A Legato, Arabic Singer Phrases (8 patches, 320 individual phrases), Arabic Singer Word Legato, Asya Effects, Asya Legato, Asya Phrases (2 patches), Asya Sustain, Asya Words Sustain, Echoes Single Male Effects, Female Choir Whispers, Male Choir Whispers, Male Ensemble Shouts, Throat Singing Alternative Sustains, Throat Singing Phrases, Throat Singing Staccato, Throat Singing Sustain Vowels, Throat Singing Words

[Silk and Lotus]
Legato A O, Legato Words, Oriental Legato, Oriental Sustain, Phrases - A Min 90 bpm, Phrases - C Maj 120 bpm, Phrases - D Min 100 bpm, Phrases - G Pentatonic 70 bpm, Staccato

• BASS

[Echoes of the Earth]
Bolon, Guembri

• IDIOPHONES

[Echoes of the Earth]
Angklung, Balafon, Crotales, Marimba, Music Ceramic Tiles, Txalaparta

• PADS & SOUNDSCAPES

[The Zen Garden]
Angelic Glockenspiel, Gongs, Handpan in Dm, Percussion, Taiko Drums, Vibraphone, Wind Chimes

[Echoes of the Earth]
Arctic Strings, Barren Lands, Birdy Calls, Brass Valley, Desert Landscape, Distant Voices, Duduk Particles, Earthquake, Igil Scapes, Jungle Flutes, Lush Scape, Night Creatures, Risers, Shimmering Flutes, Stringeis, Strings of the Earth, Tandrone, The Ice Cave, ThroatDrone, Waterpad, Wind Breaths, Wooden Monkeys

[Silk and Lotus]
Blossom Trees, Bouncing Plucks, Butterflies, Dynasty Tales, Koh Tao, Okinawa, Sainshand Landscapes, The Yurta, Wooden Whispers

• PERCUSSION

[Echoes of the Earth]
African Percussion, Arabic Percussion, Bullroarers, Celtic Percussion, MouthHarps, Persian Percussion, Shaman Percussion, Talking Drum, Toys

[Taiko Dojo]
Nagado Drums, Okedo Drums:, Shime Drums, Odaiko Drums, Katsugi Drums, Katsugi Oke Daiko, Eisa Shime, Paranku, Eisa Odaiko, Tam Tam, Vocal, Hyoshigi

[Silk and Lotus]
Asian Percussion, Forest Chimes, Thai Gongs - Gamelan, Thai Gongs, Tibetan Bells

• STRINGS & PLUCKED

[The Zen Garden]
Chromatic Kalimba, Koto, Lyre Harp, Sansula, Small Kalimba, Tanpura

[Echoes of the Earth]
Adungu, Bowed Springs Effects, Bowed Springs Sustain, Dutar, Komuz, Rawap, Rubab, Thianhou, Valiha, Xalam

[Silk and Lotus]
DaRuan, Erhu, Guzheng, Liuqin, Oriental Strings, Pipa, Sanxian

• REEDS

[Echoes of the Earth]
Harmonium, Hulusi, Pungi, Shruti Box, Sipsi

Library Features:

  • 143 GB .ncw compressed sample pool (280 GB uncompressed)
  • 24 bit / 48 kHz stereo
  • 151k+ samples
  • Close, Mid, Far mics

  • 8 categories: winds, vocals, bass, idiophones, percussion, strings & plucked, pads & soundscapes, reeds
  • Special AURA and VEIL mics
  • 199 patches

Additional Videos