Bring the Sound of the Balkans Into Your Music

Strezov Sampling BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra is a large-scale virtual instrument collection built around the musical traditions and instrumental colors of the Balkan region.

Instead of focusing on a single instrument, the library brings together soloists, brass, vocals, percussion, strings and sound-designed textures into one Kontakt collection. The result is a flexible toolkit for composers working on film, television, games, trailers, documentaries and music productions that require authentic Eastern European character.

Over 40 Balkan Folklore Soloists

One of the central strengths of BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra is its collection of more than 40 ethnic folklore soloists.

The library includes instruments across several families:

• Wind instruments
• Bowed strings
• Plucked strings
• Brass instruments
• Vocal performances
• Solo percussion

The instruments feature a variety of short and long articulations, expressive phrases and multiple legato performances where applicable.

Expressive Articulations and True Legato

BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra was designed with performance and realism in mind.

Selected instruments feature true legato recordings, while the library also includes different articulation types and expressive performance options. This allows composers to move beyond static sampled notes and build more natural melodic passages.

The instruments are organized into playable patches designed to keep the workflow practical while retaining detailed performance possibilities.

Deeply Sampled Balkan Brass

The collection includes a full Balkan brass band.

This makes the library useful for energetic folk-inspired arrangements, cinematic compositions and music requiring the distinctive power and character associated with Balkan brass traditions.

Polyphonic Ethnic Quartet Choir

BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra also includes an ethnic quartet choir with polyphonic true legato.

The choir features:

• Agile legato
• 10 syllables
• Three performance speeds
• Additional sustain variations
• Syllabuilder Version 3 functionality

This provides composers with an additional vocal layer for building authentic-sounding Balkan-inspired arrangements and more dramatic cinematic textures.

Ethnic Percussion

The percussion section features ethnic percussion performances and uses the X3M Percussion Engine.

This expands the library beyond melodic instruments and makes it possible to build rhythmic foundations within the same collection.

Organic Pads and Fantasy Textures

BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra also includes organic futuristic and fantasy-style pads created from the recordings made for the library.

These sounds can be useful for:

• Film scoring
• Fantasy music
• Atmospheric compositions
• Game music
• Hybrid orchestral production
• Ambient sound design

They add another creative dimension beyond traditional ethnic instrument playback.

Two Microphone Positions

The library provides two primary microphone positions:

• Close
• Hall

The Close position provides a more direct perspective, while the Hall position captures a wider room presentation. The microphone setup gives users flexibility when balancing instruments inside a production.

Recorded in Sofia Session Studio

BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra was recorded at Sofia Session Studio using high-end recording equipment.

The recording approach was designed to capture the natural expression and performance character of the musicians while providing a detailed sampled foundation for Kontakt.

Built for Film, Games and Music Production

BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra can be useful across a wide range of projects:

• Film and television scoring
• Video game music
• Documentary soundtracks
• Fantasy compositions
• Historical projects
• World music
• Ethnic-inspired electronic music
• Trailer music
• Hybrid orchestral production

The combination of melodic instruments, choir, brass, percussion and pads makes it a broad ethnic scoring toolkit rather than a single-purpose library.

Technical Specifications

The official requirements list Kontakt Player or Kontakt version 5.7.1 or later and approximately 50 GB of free space for installation and library files.

Why Choose BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra?

BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra is designed for composers who need a broad palette of authentic Eastern European sounds without building a collection from multiple separate libraries.

With folklore soloists, brass, choir, percussion, expressive articulations, legato performances, microphone control and creative pads, it offers a large range of sounds for traditional, cinematic and hybrid productions.

Product FAQ

What is BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra?

It is a Kontakt-based ethnic orchestra collection from Strezov Sampling focused on Balkan and Eastern European instruments, soloists, brass, choir, percussion and creative textures.

How many soloists are included?

The official product information lists over 40 ethnic folklore soloists.

Does it include a choir?

Yes. It includes a polyphonic ethnic quartet choir with true legato capabilities and syllable-building functionality.

Does BALKAN Ethnic Orchestra include brass?

Yes. The library includes a deeply sampled Balkan brass band.

Does it include percussion?

Yes. The collection includes an ethnic percussion section powered by the X3M Percussion Engine.

Does it work with the free Kontakt Player?

Yes. According to the official requirements, the full version of Kontakt is not required.

How much storage space is required?

The official page lists approximately 50 GB of free space, including installation files and the extracted library.

How much RAM is recommended?

The official minimum requirement is 16 GB of RAM.

Does the library include microphone controls?

Yes. The library provides Close and Hall microphone positions for additional mixing flexibility.