Rekombinator III

After three years hiatus I'm back and just released Rekombinator III. Working on this instrument was a long and bitter journey, but finally I managed to make it all work. This is granular sound machine, a major update of Rekombinator II. Version III has the same sample pool and basic mechanics as version II, but is has entirely different internal structure, also effect section is completely redesigned and modulator has new design mode and vastly improved functionality. So here's what's new:

Support for sample drag and drop. Rekombinator II had a bad release timing, NI released Straylight (which has very similar concept) just when I have been finishing the manual and then introduced sample drag and drop loading to Kontakt. Rekombinator II had somewhat compromised functionality, because I struggled to make it user manageable to edit and expand sample pool. Now when you can just drag a sample into UI it made no sense, so I had to rebuild internal design. Anyway in Rekombinator III you can just drop the sample into UI to load it. The instrument will attempt to detect pitch and volume level and adjust sample settings automatically. Additionally the same functionality applies to convolution reverbs, now you can just drop your IR files into the UI.

Effects section is completely new. Rekombinator II only had chorus and phaser hard coded into specific point in signal chain. Now there's a kind of effect rack. There are four effect containers, you can select which effect to load into each of them, and where to put it in signal chain. Whether to process only one sample, both or put it as insert after send point or in master bus after send return point. It supports effects that has been added to Kontakt after Rekombinator II release: Choral, Phasis, Flair, Replika delay and new algorithmic reverbs. Also there is brand new preset system for all the effects, with a browser and ability to save your own presets.

Modulator has now new shape design mode, based on idea similar to vector graphics. You can set up LFO waveform by moving/adding/deleting nodes in XY pad area.

Finally the modulator can now be attached to (almost) any controller in the instrument including the effect rack. Also controllers have visual live feedback of modulation. This part, combined with editable effect rack, was particularly challenging and it made me almost gave up on the whole thing multiple times.

You can watch instrument quick walkthrough here:

The instrument requires full version of Kontakt 6.6.1, the last version which supports Windows 7.

Available at Loot Audio.

ps. I gave up on Facebook, my apologies if you tried to contact me there and I did not respond. I just can't stand it.

Rekombinator II

I have just released Rekombinator II at Kontakt Hub. I started this project last November, so it took me quite a while to finish. It's the sequel to granular machine from 2015. Sequel rather than an update, the theme is similar, but it's whole new and quite different instrument. It's a take on granular playback implementation in Kontakt. There are built in granular based playback modes in Kontakt (time machine), but here it done with scripting. High frequency step sequencers are being activated for each note and grains are generated by playing fragments of the sample using internally triggered notes. It does result in high voice count and relatively high CPU utilization, but it opens some fun possibilities.

This instrument gives you full control over playback speed and playback position in realtime, play forward, backward, in nonlinear fashion or just freeze the sound. Works nicely for very slowly evolving drones and soundscapes when using extreme playback speeds, like 0.5% of the original. Rekombinator II has two waveform slots, so you can blend two samples. Each slot has independent control of basic engine parameters, like speed or playback position and separate audio path. Then there's hybrid modulator, introduced in Sawmill, where you can use step sequencer controller to render an LFO waveform. You can use it, for example, to create a nonlinear playback curve, make the playback head position travel around the waveform in fancy ways. Like in first Rekombinator, it is possible and not complicated to use any samples.

The instrument requires full version of Kontakt 5.8.1 (Kontakt 5 with latest update) or Kontakt 6. When pushed, it can produce noticeable CPU load, it's fine on my 10 years old 6 core, so I think any half decent modern processor should handle it easily.

Rekombinator II is now retired and replaced by Rekombinator III.

Midnight Bell

I had borrowed an old wall clock from my grandmother, to get the ticking sounds for another project. It's a late 19th century/early 20th century clock, my grandfather has re-built 30 years ago. Besides annoying loud ticking, it also does ring a bell. The bell itself is a spiral formed metal stripe and while it wasn't my primary interest, it just sounds too interesting to pass it by. So here's a little bell instrument made in Kontakt. Bell recordings have been widely stretched and reinforced by a layer of electronic bell sound, obtained from self resonating filter (recorded from Moogerfooger LPF, volume envelope shaped digitally). It sounds like this:

Get it here, if you like it. Only 10MB download, requires full version of Kontakt 5.6.6. There's no manual and GUI is a sonic mystery for you to solve. A perfect companion for Spookomatic.

Spookomatic

Spookomatic is one of a kind instrument for generating eerie ambiances, melancholic pads and ghastly atmospheres. It is using multiple layers of melodic sounds, background ambiances and sequenced environment noises, all being dynamically transformed by an array of step sequenced modulators, to create an organic, rich, living soundscapes. As the name suggests, the instrument is focused on chilly, mysterious and creepy tones, while not being deadly serious. Like a generic horror flick, it's a bit scary and a little silly, but unlike such kind of a movie, it can be quite unpredictable.
Spookomatic is self-configuring sound machine, it automatically creates random patches, which can be tweaked afterwards. Just press the shuffle button and hear what you can find, it's a sort of a ghost in the machine.

Here's a how it sounds, in a compilation of different patches:

And here's a brief guide to user interface:

There are eleven step sequencers per layer, modulating parameters, like pan, tune, filters cutoff and send effect levels. What is uncommon about the sequencers, is that the sequence can be interpolated, that is, the parameter values can change gradually in between sequence steps, according to different curves. Each sequencer can run at different speed and different cycle, creating quite non-repetitive, yet tempo synchronized textures.

Here's how modulation sequencers work:

Spookomatic in cold numbers:

• 21 melodic sound sources, created with acoustic instruments (guitars, reed organ, voice, non-musical objects), vintage analog synthesizer and digital synthesis,
• 30 types of background noise from field recordings, or digital sound manipulation,
• 192 noise fragments to create sequenced ambiance,
• up to 10 sound layers,
• up to 110 modulation sequencers,
• 4 instrument configurations,
• 144 selected presets,
• 999999999 possible patches.

The instrument requires full version of NI Kontakt sampler, version 5.5.2, or newer to run. Depending on patch, it may be rather CPU intensive (there's a lot going on under the hood).

It's available at Loot Audio.

This instrument is new take on the idea, I was exploring with older, free instrument, Scape-o-matic. It has similar character and engine, though Spookomatic takes it to a new level.