Icebreaker Audio Akebono Collection

The Akebono (literal translation: “Dawn”) Koto Synth was probably released sometime in the mid-1980s. Detailed information in English is scarce, as it was never intended for use by western musicians. It re-creates a number of traditional Japanese instrument sounds using a combination of samples and digital synthesis. Designed primarily as a Koto practice instrument, Akebono uses buttons instead of piano keys, has a joystick for pitch and volume modulation, and a speaker built into the suitcase.

What's Included?
15 instruments that include plucked, percussive and wind
Plucked and wind both use keyswitches to mimic the articulation buttons on the original hardware
Percussion mapping which mimics the original hardware and makes it easier to play repeating patterns on the same drum
4 different effects: Tape, EQ, Mod (chorus) and Echo
Choose either mono or poly voice modes
7 mic positions of the speaker using a rare Thuresson CM402 and direct line out samples. You can choose direct, speaker or a mix of both
Kontakt 6.4.2 or higher

Impulse Responses
In order to fully recreate the authentic sound of this unique instrument, several impulse responses of the speaker were recorded at a variety of microphone positions and configurations. A rare Thuresson CM402 microphone was used for the recordings, and a total of 7 microphone configurations/positions are available in the custom designed Kontakt interface. The instrument samples were recorded from a direct line out. You can opt to use the direct signal, the speaker signal, or a mix of both.