Tuesday 4 April 2017

Organica - Soundethers for KONTAKT 5



Very nice evolving ambient sound textures here! Another great Kontak instrument!

It's a collection of tonal textures, blended with spacious field recordings (you'll notice a wide stereo field).

The Mod Wheel makes every pad pulse in sync with your Host/DAW, and adds a huge reverb to all field recordings.

"ORGANICA" is an instant atmosphere builder with a lot of personality.

You'll find SOLO pads, DUO combinations of two pads, and a TRIO section with two field recordings layers and a pad which fades in when you use the Mod Wheel.

The MULTIS folder contains pads and low mapped fields, blended together; you can obtain dronish soundscapes very easily, perfect underscores (use the mod wheel and the fields will be reverbered while the pad will start pulsing).

Technical specifications:

- 850 Mb unzipped
- 84 patches (nki/nkm)
- 48 original files of pure pleasure

- wave 44.100 / 24 bit

- Mod Wheel assigned to all patches (please try it...)

- built in the "Free Photosynthesis Engine" by Jeremiah Pena

NOTE: you need the FULL VERSION of Kontakt 5.5.2 to use this library


Monday 3 April 2017

RYAudio Sample Librarian v1.4.0


If like me you have a large (or indeed small) sample library this is an invaluable tool to get them sorted out and audition them too!

Sample Librarian is an invaluable tool for managing and auditioning all of your audio samples and sample CDs to help you home in on just the sounds you want when you're in the middle of creating your next hit.

With Sample Librarian you no longer need to waste time navigating through deeply-nested folders of all your audio samples, which is a sure-fire way to lose your focus (and then the moment of inspiration has gone). Instead you can use a tool designed specifically for the purpose of managing and searching for samples. Once you’ve found the perfect sounds for your new song, simply drag-and-drop them directly into your DAW.

Previously, breaking off from composing to go digging through your sample collection to find that elusive sample you know is in there (somewhere) could seriously interrupt your creative flow. With Sample Librarian, using your sample collection now forms a key part of your music-making process.

Key Features

Manage all of your audio samples in one place
Add any number (even many thousands) of sample files (WAV, AIFF, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, MP1/2/3, REX*, WMA) and be able to search the library extremely quickly in a variety of different ways.
*Note: Although REX files can be imported and managed within Sample Librarian, they cannot be previewed within the application.

Find audio samples "lightning fast" across your entire library
Want to quickly find and audition all "moog" or "TB-303" samples you may have, irrespective of what sample CD they came from or where on your hard drive they exist? Simple and "instant". Find all samples of a given file type, bit depth, sample rate (or combination thereof) and many more options.

Get your money's worth from those sample CDs
Sample libraries aren't cheap, but often they sit languishing on your hard drive simply because you don't have an easy way to audition their contents and make use of them. You may already have the perfect sample to really polish your latest song but if you can't find it, it's not worth having! Sample Librarian makes using your sample library easy, efficient and fun.



Sunday 2 April 2017

Gothic Instruments Dronar Guitarscapes Module KONTAKT


Amazing sounding ambient guitarscapes. Can be a deep learning curve if you so wish, but can also be simple too.  Found this takes a while to load up in the Kontakt player, but it is well worth the wait!  

Powerful, easy to use guitar-based pad, soundscapes and atmosphere creator

Create a massive range of guitar-inflected textures from natural strummy accompaniments to wildly complex and awe-inspiring soundscapes with this second module for Gothic Instruments´ critically acclaimed DRONAR.

DRONAR Guitarscapes features hundreds of beautiful presets and a huge set of controls designed to invite deep exploration, expression and discovery. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, you can create mind-expanding atmospheres simply from playing a very small number of notes.


- Includes over 320 inspiring presets
- 5.89GB of sounds
- Developed for the full (paid for) version of Kontakt.
- Sounds derived from recordings of mandolin, electric, acoustic and steel guitars
- Create huge shimmery pads, complex atmospheres and otherworldly soundscapes
- From organic and dreamy to incredibly dark and chaotic
- Simple controls deliver massive control
- Great for soundtrack projects as well as Indie, Rock, Pop and Ambient music
- Beginner and expert friendly
- Create your own rhythm patterns in amongst the pad magic with new Rhythm Editor.
- Dive deeper with DRONAR´s unique independent arpeggiators
- Onboard FX provide further sound design options

"It is when you start to play with the controls that you realise the power of Dronar, particularly when you consider what can be done with automation, or even a simple tweak of the mod wheel." said Future Music magazine about and now that power is utilised once again with the eagerly awaited second instalment in the DRONAR series.

DRONAR is a deep, expressive and innovative atmospheric sound creator with each module exploring a different area of sound and music. Guitarscapes is the second module in the series providing a quick, easy and expressive tool for creating a massive range of guitar-based textures.

From shimmering ethereal pads that exude heavenly enchantment to dark and chaotic tension-packed atmospheres, Guitarscapes is perfect for cinematic soundtrack projects, yet its ability to produce natural strummy accompaniments also make it a versatile tool for a variety of genres including Rock, Pop, Indie, Hip Hop and Ambient music. And, thanks to the power of DRONAR, all it takes is the press of a few notes...

DRONAR automatically spreads out the chord in the mid-range, adds a root bass note, a high note and then adds evolving sound effects. 8 simultaneous different sounds are then animated with LFOs, a rhythm sequencer and arpeggiators to bring them to life.

Such simple actions free up your spare hand to expressively control the dials and record the changes as a performance in your DAW. DRONAR instantly adds low, mid-range and high sounds plus sound effects, so you barely need any other sounds to quickly create a complete piece of atmospheric, expressive music.

Beginner and Expert Friendly

Needing to only play a few notes and move a few dials to get such rich expression is inviting for beginners, but an expert will get further by knowing which notes to play and how to express emotions using the dials. Beyond the shimmering immediacy of the ‘Main Page’ awaits a whole other world of expert control, turning DRONAR into a vast modular multi-timbral synth/sampler with multiple independent arpeggiators.

Interactions between crazy internal modulations (rhythm sequencer, arpeggiator, LFOs and delays) take DRONAR Guitarscapes it into another dimension….

Not just another cinematic guitars library...

Unlike many ‘guitar atmosphere’ products that lean towards either fairly straight recreations of standard guitar sounds, or have complex pre-made atmospheres without a deep level of control, DRONAR Guitarscapes focuses primarily on performance and expression.

Many of the raw underlying samples are straight guitar sounds and the engine provides a huge amount of control and creativity using arpeggiation, gates, pattern sequencing and modulation of 8 simultaneous sounds.

It’s designed to be played with one hand, freeing your other one to make new sounds by exploring the dials, and also recording your changes in your DAW as an expressive performance.

Furthermore, DRONAR Guitarscapes uses separate bass, mid range, high end and sound effects layers all interacting to create a complete evolving sound, rather than just guitar or pad sounds.

THE CONTROLS

Main Page
Hear the immediate impact on the sound and get a good understanding of the way DRONAR works simply by tweaking the six dials on the main page…

- INTENSITY (also controlled by the Mod Wheel) takes you from silent to powerful by fading up through different velocity layers.

- MOVEMENT has a global effect on the intensity of the arpeggiators – set it high for strong effects and zero for a flat pad sound.

- HI, MID and LO control the automatically generated high notes, mid-range notes and bass notes. Moving these dials has a huge expressive effect on the music. It’s only like using a mixing desk and yet – having it so accessible in front of you encourages you to work with the balance as part of the original creative expression, instead of a mix decision later on.

- FX controls the level of 20-second futuristic, unpitched sound effects loops in the mix and adds instant movement and complexity.

Dive deeper…

The Expert Page
The Expert Page shows you all the settings for the current, last played Drone from the 12 Drone Keys. Each drone has four layers – FX, HI, MID, LO, and the Expert page presents a separate set of controls for each layer. Each layer consists of two different sounds.

Need some inspiration? Hit the ‘Randomize samples’ button on the Expert Page and Dronar will keep all your settings but instantly swap the samples in the 8-named sound slots (2 per layer). New sound variations will abound and if it’s not quite the sound you’re after, keep hitting the button for more. Want to thicken up your sound? Each layer has a THICK button which adds in extra notes. Hearing the sound you want? Easily save the settings with the ‘Store Drone’ button.

Rhythm Editor Page
DRONAR’s brand new rhythm editor allows you to create intricate patterns re-generated from live played rhythms and intertwine them with the atmospherics and pad magic. Create your own rhythms at the speed you want - from slow chugs to high speed 32nd notes. Add accents and put in triplets, spread and humanise the chords – experimentation is the key and it’s very hard to make a bad sound! What’s more, DRONAR’s arpeggiator rhythmical tools can interact with the Editor to create unpredictable rhythms and undulations.

LFO & FX Page
Add movement to your sound, including panning, vibrato or siren effects with the LFO settings. Or tweak the Drone Effects to distort or dampen the sound, or add thickness, interest and colour. Reverb and Delay sends can also be controlled from this page.

Arpeggiator Page
Get sounds really moving or pulsing over time, synced to your DAW’s host Tempo with DRONAR’s multiple and truly unique independent arpeggiators including PITCH, INTENSITY and FILTER.

Master FX Page
DRONAR’s Master FX page features standard effects including EQ, Compressor, Delay and Gate. DRONAR also includes a couple of digital (algorithmic) reverbs and a set of convolution impulses including some creative and unusual impulses for sound design - again, experimentation is the key!



Saturday 1 April 2017

K-Device Modulators for Ableton Live




A really excellent set of devices to modulate almost anything in live. Favourite is TIP which sets up sequences of modulations to trigger via the 64 snapshot square grid. Requires the latest version of Live to work!

Get deep with the multi-functional LFO, create a sequence of randomized preset states, or modulate parameters using an audio signal – this set of envelope followers and other device controllers can reinvent how you use your instruments and effects, and take your modulations to the molecular level.

Three of the set’s four devices work by manipulating a single target parameter for advanced modulations (EXT, REF and TED). TIP works differently: it takes snapshots of a target device’s entire range of parameters, then offers ways to switch between them. Here’s the lowdown on each device:

EXT3

A step-sequenced modulator and envelope generator allowing quick creation of automated patterns and creative modulations. Control the target parameter via steps, creating sequences with controls like swing, time resolution and time variation. You can also adjust envelopes, set independent lengths for each step and adjust the smoothness of transitions between these steps.

REF

An envelope follower for modulating any parameter using an audio source. You can band-limit an incoming signal, then shape the output using a host of functions and response parameters.The display offers accurate visual feedback on how the resulting envelope will control your target parameter.

TED

A fully customizable LFO with a comprehensive set of tools for crafting perfectly shaped control signals: six blendable LFO waveforms, advanced wave shaping parameters, cycle repetition controls and more. TED can even output CV/GATE, so can act as a function generator for modular systems.

TIP

A unique grid-based device controller with which you can take up to 64 snapshots of your target device’s entire range of parameters and store them within a cell of TIP’s grid. Then switch between snapshots by designing automations or triggering automatically using random and other definable functions. You can also randomize up to 264 of any device’s parameters in an instant, with the option to exclude volume and dry/wet functions.



Monday 27 March 2017

Tricky Traps - Sonic Faction



Excellent set of Ableton devices which can be marvellous aids if your stuck for ideas.


Tricky Traps is a collection of 16 creative contraptions spanning sequencers, instruments, Audio and MIDI effects that are tons of fun to play. Chain devices together to trigger unexpected reactions and happy accidents – and experience a new level of customized grid control on Push and Launchpad Pro/Mk2.

The Tricky Traps approach to audio effects is focused entirely on custom control mapping and hands-on interaction with an effect or instrument parameter. The 3 audio effects contained in this bundle provide a whole new dimension of modulation and expressive, hands-on control from the Push and Launchpad Pro/MKii grid.

No MIDI sequencer collection is complete without sound sources to trigger. Tricky Traps provides simple and beautiful sounding instruments to be used in conjunction with its MIDI and audio effects. Each of the 8 instruments is stripped down to its bare essence, providing the crucial controls for that sound.

Changelog
- Added support for Native Instrument’s Maschine Jam controller. Now you can use all Tricky Traps MIDI and Audio Effect sequencer devices on Maschine Jam’s button matrix. 


Monday 6 March 2017

Artvera ART Pyrite - KONTAKT


The ambient sounds from ART are among the finest your likely to hear and one of the best kept secrets in my opinion. If your into soundscapes and cosmic music, like me, this is a MUST have! All of the patches are of exceptionally high quality and rival the sounds of much more expensive vst's, such as Omnisphere!! The randomization feature and the transitions between patches is faultless. Layer up several instances of these in Kontakt and your in for some real aural bliss!!!



ART Pyrite-K offers 555 sound presets (Instruments & Snapshots) in three sound categories. You can create dynamic sequences by using options in the modulation section and/or by using a step sequencer which offers the option to assign its midi output to one oscillator, couple of oscillators or all oscillators. You can also create your own presets easily by using the "Random" feature which can be used for all oscillators as well as for step sequencer.

If you are looking for nice, interesting and abstract sounds, ART Pyrite-K is exactly for you!

•Four sound sources (oscillators) based on samples. All samples are looped.
•Oscillators 1 & 2 powered by 24 basic multisampled waveforms.
•Oscillators 3 & 4 powered by 256 single waveforms. (The total number of Groups is 560).
•Two filters 24dB LP and HP (selectable) for oscillators 1 & 2.
•One multi filter 12dB LP/HP for oscillators 3 & 4.
•Two amplitude ADSR-style envelope generators.
•Two filter ADSR-style envelope generators including the envelope amount.
•Two units EQ 2-band, one of them for each pair of oscillators.
•One effect unit Chorus for oscillators 3 & 4.
•One effect unit Delay (controls two units) with the option to select the free or synchronic echoes.
•One special section Subdelay for the control of echoes and positions of sounds.
•One effect unit Stereo for all oscillators.
•One effect unit Reverb for all oscillators.
•One effect unit Torsion for all oscillators.
•One special polyphonic 16-step sequencer (the number of steps is adjustable) with the option to route the Midi output to any oscillator, the pair or to all oscillators.
•Nine modulation slots with the free or synchronic modulation for all filters, mixing and panorama for each pair of oscillators.
•One section Option with the Master Limiter and possibility to set the Velocity sensitivity and Pitch Bend Range for the live playing.
•Three "Random" buttons for the exchange of all waveforms at all oscillators and the randomly setting at Volume level & Pitch shift at all steps in a step sequencer.
•RAM usage 178 MB.
•CPU usage about 7-10 %.
•Three preset categories (+Bonus) include 555 presets in the format NKI and NKSN (snapshot).

ART PYRITE-K - CATEGORIES OF PRESETS

* Atmospheres & Pads & Synths (210 presets)
* Ambient Atmospheres & FX textures (180 presets)
* Rhythmic & Melodic & FX Sequences (150 presets)
* Additional few presets created for the free demo version only with the included waveforms



Friday 3 March 2017

Kontakt 5.6 - Native Instruments



Got to love Kontakt and it's wealth of instruments.

KONTAKT is the world’s leading software sampler. Its sophisticated sound engine, wide array of effects, powerful modulation possibilities, and advanced scripting brings a universe of sound to life with unrivaled playability and realism. And with an ever-growing feature set, KONTAKT continues to be the sample engine behind the future of sound.

INFINITE SOUND

The KONTAKT Factory Library includes a versatile range of instruments right out of the box – a ready-to-use toolset of over 43 GB of high-quality samples and more than 1000 production-ready instruments, including synths, choirs, acoustic and orchestral instruments, drum machines, and much more.

KONTAKT’s cutting-edge features and advanced performance possibilities are the driving force behind Native Instruments' growing list of premium sampled instruments. An open platform for development, KONTAKT powers a vast array of third-party instruments from the world’s top instrument builders.

EDIT AND BUILD

KONTAKT is a playground for anyone working creatively with samples. Arrange, edit, loop, slice, and time-stretch your samples using seven playback modes. Shape samples in ways subtle to extreme using 84 built-in effects. Animate any sound with endless modulation possibilities and take control of multiple sample groups with sophisticated routing options.

LIGHTING THE WAY

The KONTAKT interface mirrors the Light Guide on KOMPLETE KONTROL S-SERIES keyboards for one-to-one visual feedback when looking for key switches, setting up key splits, and more. It also helps instrument builders turn their original concept into an integrated software/hardware solution that works flawlessly out of the box.

Kontakt 5 – current: 5.6.6

The update includes the following improvements and fixes:

•Improved the On-Screen Keyboard’s color legibility based on user feedback
•XY Pad: Individual cursors can now be hidden via KSP ($HIDE_PART_CURSOR)
•The customized string representation of parameter values in XY Pad is now shared with the host correctly
•Updating the value of a cursor from within the control’s callback is now reliable in XY Pad.
•No longer any potential crashes when trying to view the Host Automation tab with certain NKIs loaded
•Crash when trying to view the Infos (sic) tab of the Instrument Options dialog with certain NKIs now fixed
•Certain NKIs no longer trigger the “Really quit…” dialog every time they were closed