Ethno World 7 is the latest release of Best Service’s virtual instrument library of ethnic sounds. It builds upon a 25-year legacy of collecting and sampling instruments from around the globe by the extraordinary team of Marcel Barsotti and Andreas Hofner. KVR readers know this because previous versions of Ethno World of the KVR Reader’s Choice awards. Ethno World 7 combines all previous editions with new content, establishing itself once again as one of the most comprehensive world music libraries available. If you own Ethno 6 You can skip ahead to…
We logged our first impressions of Ethno World 7 Complete (both instruments and vocals) with a Fishman TriplePlay enabled Godin Montreal guitar played into Kontakt 8 through Ableton Live 12.
Microtuning for the Oud
First impressions is that the developers of Ethno World have done a beautiful job of catching the true umvelt of each of the sampled instruments. Clearly many hours (not counting the actual recording sessions) were spent in research of the instruments and the musicians who play them. For example, the new Turkish Oud has 12 different playing articulations including trills and up and down slides, but also various effects that are typical to the unique playing style of the instruments, like various taps on the body and neck of the Oud, and the inclusion of micro-tuning options for instruments like the Oud from the Middle East and India. We’re3 talking about scales like Bayati, Rast, and Saba. This allows composers to create truly culturally accurate musical textures.
The Sampling
The sampling was done with a focus on preserving the “natural and emotional essence” of traditional music, with contributions from over 94 musicians and vocalists. Many instruments feature different playing techniques (e.g., legato, staccato, slides), which are often controlled by key switches or MIDI CCs.
The strength of Ethno World 7 lies in its authenticity. Instruments are recorded by native performers, with cultural nuance preserved in every sample. The duduks, sitars, and ouds drip with character, while the shakuhachi and bansuri carry breath and dynamic shading that bring them to life.
Songs from Cameroon
The voices are equally compelling. From haunting Bulgarian women’s choirs to Tibetan throat chants and African solo vocals, the performances feel alive and sit beautifully in a mix. For film and TV composers, these can add instant geographic or spiritual color to a scene. For electronic and hybrid producers, they serve as atmospheric layers or hooks.
Percussion deserves special mention. The taikos, djembes, frame drums, and tabla sets are rich, deep, and playable, covering both traditional ensembles and cinematic scoring needs.
One standout feature is the vocal phrases and improvisations, which are tempo-synchronized and instantly usable in production. These are especially effective for atmospheric soundtracks, trailers, or ethno-fusion projects.
Some of what is New in Version 7
Enveloper Editor
The first thing previous version Ethno users will appreciate is the GUI’s consistency with previous versions, but there are many significant additions:
- There are 74 new instruments and voices covering regions such as West Africa, Mongolia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe.
- There is a variety new vocal recordings that include traditional chants, from indigenous peoples in North America to overtone and throat singing that are typical in parts of Mongolia.
- There are expanded percussion recordings with deeper multisampling and multiple mic positions.
- They have refined legato articulations that allow for smoother phrasing for melodic play.
- Updates to the Kontakt interface including better categorization, improved search functions, and articulation management.
New instruments
The library is a huge collection of sounds, totaling over 53 GB of uncompressed samples, with 382 instruments and voices spread across approximately 1,000 patches. Some of the new instruments include:
Mongolian Voices
- Bowed Instruments: A new Klezmer violin with loops and phrases, as well as Moroccan violin, ribab, and a Han erhu.
- Stringed Instruments: Features new additions like the Indian sitar (played by Deobrat Mishra), Turkish oud, Chinese pipa, Japanese shamisen, and West African kora.
- Woodwind & Brass: New instruments include the Indian nagaswaram, Peruvian toyo pan flute, and updated tin and low whistles.
- World Percussion & Drums: A wide and diverse range of percussion from across the world, with new additions like Indian tablas, konnakol (vocal percussion), and a variety of Moroccan instruments such as the darbuka, cajon, and handclaps.
- Gongs, Bells & Metals: This section has been expanded with playable handpans, steel drums, and tuned gongs.
- Voices: A highlight of the library, featuring solo vocals, phrases, and choirs from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. New vocal content includes Indian male vocals and rhythmic Konnakol.
The inclusion of overtone singing and Mongolian voices is a highlight, adding timbres that were missing from earlier versions and that fit beautifully into both authentic and cinematic sound design contexts. Another favorite for MIDI guitar is the Morin Khuur String ensemble.
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It’s user-friendly
Ethno World 7 is designed to be user-friendly, which is an overused term, but in this case it’s true, especially for anyone that has used previous versions of the product. Key features include:
- NKS Support: Full integration with Native Instruments’ and third party hardware means hands-on browsing and control experience for users with the hardware.
- New Patch Browser: An improved browser with over 600 audio previews makes it much faster and easier to find the desired sound without having to load a patch first. Each patch comes with its own performance controls, including microtuning, envelope shaping, convolution reverb, and effects. Articulations are typically key-switched, and many melodic instruments include true legato for more realistic phrasing.
- Interactive INFO Page: Each patch includes a dedicated “INFO” page with a photo and description of the instrument, its origin, playing tips, and tunings. This is a valuable educational tool and helps users understand how to play and use the instruments authentically.
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Pros
- The sheer volume of content is a major selling point, covering an immense variety of instruments and voices from every continent. Some could also see this as a weakness because the incredible number of instruments can actually be a bit overwhelming, especially to those of us with ADHD.
- Authenticity: The quality of the sampling, micro-tuning options, and inclusion of phrases and licks make the sounds feel incredibly real.
- User-Friendly Features: The new browser with audio previews and the interactive INFO page significantly improve the workflow.
- Legacy Content: It includes all content from previous versions, making it a comprehensive “best of” collection.
Cons
- Size: With over 53 GB, it’s a large library that requires a significant amount of disk space.
- Price: It’s priced as a premium library, but so is an entire set of encyclopedias.
- Older eyes will require as minimum 125% zoom setting in Kontakt
Conclusion
Ethno World 7 is not just a library; it’s an encyclopedia of world instruments and voices. With its deep sampling, cultural authenticity, and sheer breadth, it sets the benchmark for global music collections. Its combination of an enormous, high-quality sample library with intelligent, user-friendly features like the new browser and INFO page makes it a top-tier choice. For composers working in film, TV, games, or world music fusion, it’s an indispensable resource.
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Best Service and Marcel Barsotti have managed to preserve the soul of traditional world instruments while packaging them in a playable, modern Kontakt interface. If authenticity and variety are paramount, Ethno World 7 is among the very best options available.
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