Shamisen £25

The three-stringed Japanese Shamisen is performed by master player Asako Mochizuki in this fascinating library. The 79 ready-to-go loops are provided dry and FX-processed, but the main thrust is the roster of one-shot articulations – bends, sustains, vibrato, etc – sampled note by note over three octaves, with which you can make your own lines. No sampler patches are included, so you have to map them yourself, but that’s easy. Sequencing convincing performances isn’t too difficult, either, although the lack of dynamic variations for velocity layering limits the complexity. loopmasters.com

n8/ 10n