This is a worthwhile buy at $9.90 if you own full Kontakt 7 and want a real quijongo, and a hard pass if you don’t.
It’s a specialist tool. It does one thing, a monocord musical bow struck with a mallet, and it does it with enough respect for the source that we’d rather you buy it for the right reasons.
Who’s it for? Composers scoring something with a folk, ritual or Central American colour. Sound designers hunting for a plucked, resonant tone with a human story behind it. Anyone who already lives inside Kontakt and wants one more voice nobody else on the track has.
If you’re after a general-purpose pluck or a big world-percussion bundle, look elsewhere. This one is narrow on purpose.
What You're Actually Getting
The quijongo is a monocord musical bow of African descent. It’s declared intangible cultural heritage of the province of Guanacaste, and the instrument sampled here was crafted by master Isidoro Guadamuz de la O.
You play it by striking the string with a mallet. It gives two fundamental notes on each side of the resonator.
The library packs 45 audio files and 412 Kontakt sample files into 340MB. You also get 8 Kontakt microphone options, so the capture isn’t locked to a single perspective.
The Good
The best thing is the source. Two fundamentals per side of the resonator means you’re not stuck on one pitch, and the character comes from harmonics, not from a pile of layered presets.
The developer says mastery of the quijongo lies in controlling its harmonics. That’s a design idea worth playing with. Strike, let the string ring, and listen to how the overtones change what you hear above the fundamental.
Eight mic options is the quiet win. Swap them while a loop runs and you’ll hear the same strike sit closer, wider or more distant. For a solo instrument that has to carry a cue, that flexibility matters a lot.
At 340MB it loads fast and won’t wreck your drive. I love that. A tiny library that does one thing well beats a 40GB monster you open twice.
The Not-So-Good
The Kontakt requirement is the sharp edge. You need Kontakt 7 full retail version or later. The free Kontakt player will not work, and it runs in demo mode. Annoying if you assumed otherwise.
Install is another snag. It needs the Pulse installer, so budget a few minutes of setup before you hear a single note.
Then there’s scope. One instrument means one voice. If your session needs five textures from a single purchase, this isn’t that.
The system floor is also dated. It asks for macOS 10.10 or later on an Intel Core 2 Duo, or Windows 7, 8 or 10 on an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64. That’s a low bar, but check your own setup before you click buy.
The Film Composer
You’re scoring a scene set in rural Guanacaste and the cue needs to feel local, not stock. Drop a quijongo under a sparse bed of strings and lean on the harmonics. It’s the sort of texture that makes a director ask what that sound is.
Buy it.
The Sound Designer
You need a resonant, plucked sound with no obvious synth fingerprint. Strike the string, bounce it, then resample and stretch the tail. A real bow gives you source material that processes beautifully.
Buy it, with a note: it’s a source, not a toolbox.
The Beginner on Free Kontakt
You’re on the free Kontakt player. It won’t work, and the library runs in demo mode. Sorry.
Skip it until you own the full retail Kontakt 7 or later.
Who Should Buy This
✅ Buy if you own full Kontakt 7 and want an authentic monocord bow for scoring or design. ✅ Buy if you value a culturally grounded sample source over a generic pluck. ✅ Buy if you like swapping mic perspectives to fit one instrument into a dense arrangement.
❌ Skip if you only have the free Kontakt player. ❌ Skip if you want a broad library of many instruments from one purchase. ❌ Skip if you can’t spare the time for the Pulse installer.
Specs & Technical Details
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sounds of the Earth |
| Price | $9.90 |
| Plugin Format | Kontakt 7 (full retail) or later |
| OS Support | macOS 10.10 or later (Intel Core 2 Duo); Windows 7, 8 or 10 (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64) |
| Activation | Pulse installer |
| CPU Usage | N/A |
| Trial Available | N/A |
| Version Reviewed | N/A |
Score Breakdown
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Quality | 4.0/5 | Two fundamentals per side plus harmonics gives real tonal range |
| Value for Money | 4.0/5 | A low entry price for a niche, culturally specific instrument |
| Ease of Use | 3.5/5 | Simple to play, but Pulse install and the Kontakt requirement add friction |
| Features | 3.5/5 | 8 mic options help, but it's a single instrument |
| CPU Efficiency | N/A | No CPU figures to score honestly |
| Overall | 3.8/5 | A focused, honest niche library held back by its narrow scope and Kontakt gate |
Our Verdict
Buy it at $9.90 if you own full Kontakt 7 and want one distinctive, human voice for a cue or a sound-design chain. It’s a small, honest library with a real story, and the mic options earn their place.
It’s wrong for anyone on the free Kontakt player, and wrong for anyone who wants breadth. Know that going in.
Strike it, let it ring, and listen to the harmonics bloom.
Related reviews: Cello Waves · Cabal 8
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Quijongo Guanacasteco Isidoro Guadamuz library work with the free Kontakt player?
No. It requires the full retail version of Kontakt 7 or later. The free Kontakt player will not work and runs in demo mode.
How big is the library and what does it contain?
It's 340MB, with 45 audio files and 412 Kontakt sample files. You also get 8 Kontakt microphone options to change the perspective of the capture.
How do I install it?
You need the Pulse installer to install it. On the system side it asks for macOS 10.10 or later with an Intel Core 2 Duo, or Windows 7, 8 or 10 with an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64.