BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC: software application, software effect, and hardware processor developer Audified is proud to advance its U73b Compressor effect plug-in — an authentic emulation of its Sixties-vintage hardware namesake, now seldom seen as an all-tube vari-mu (variable gain) German broadcast compressor/limiter later involved in mastering almost all vinyl recorded and cut in Europe into the early Eighties (thanks to the speedy nature of the forward triggered sidechain and adjustable release time implemented in its design), despite its origins — and associated U78 Saturator spinoff — supplementing meticulous models of said hardware’s tube saturation with LowPass and HighPass filters alongside a unique Tone filter for adding characteristic coloration to any sound — with updated versions bolstered by gorgeous GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) and additional improvements, as of July 25…
As a software application, software effect, and hardware processor developer with history — having over 20 years of R&D, education, and collaboration connected with its own notable name, Audified was first musically motivated to breathe new life into a certain Sixties-vintage all-tube vari-mu compressor/limiter by bringing its unique sound into the modern production world when releasing the first version of the U73b Compressor effect plug-in as an authentic emulation of its
hardware namesake to widespread critical acclaim back in 2015. Ultimately, U73b Compressor succeeded in recreating one of few remaining original U73b units in existence, consummately capturing the musical magic of its analog character from the outset, then repeating the feat to even greater effect the following year when a ‘second-generation’ version was seen and heard in DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) worldwide, benefitting from an ‘audiovisual’ makeover with improved algorithms and a number of other notable improvements — including an eye-catching GUI, which was even switchable from the (authentic) German-only wording of its plug-in predecessor to English!
Fast-forward to today, then, and Audified’s ‘third-generation’ of its impressive U73b Compressor effect plug-in — updated to version 3.0.0 — is bolstered by a gorgeous GUI acting as an easy-on-the-eye gateway to easily access that still-sought-after Sixties-vintage sound, as well as improved compatibility. Again, Audified has kept the unique sound as it was originally designed — despite having already added Input and Output gain controls (before and immediately after the emulated compressor circuit to assist with proper adjustment of the compression), albeit adding a Comp. amount control this time (to allow version 3.0.0 users to adjust the compression effect of the vari-mu stage).
Saying that U73b Compressor (version 3.0.0) continues in its musical mission as a unique-sounding compressor suited to modern-day production, providing inspirational sound and intuitive workflow. An automatic (optional) output level control, additional high-pass filter (to switch between vintage and modern sound), external sidechain capabilities, and three program-dependent and three fixed Release times to choose from are among its impressive highlights.
However, those producers sold on the unique sound of Audified’s acclaimed U73b Compressor effect plug-in — perhaps intent on adding additional flavorings to their tracks, though — should seriously consider its U78 Saturator spinoff since it takes the former’s authentically emulated analog saturation to the next level with filters — HiPass sets the cutoff frequency
of the high-pass filter, which comes before the saturation circuit in the signal path, ranging between 30 to 800 Hz; LowPass sets the cutoff frequency of the lowpass filter, which also comes before the saturation circuit, ranging between 1 to 8 kHz — added alongside a Tone control to dial in (or out) the unique tone filter, with lower settings producing Dark sounds with more low frequency content while higher settings result in Bright, sparkly sounds. Sharing some features and workflow with its U73b Compressor 3.0.0 sibling, the ‘second-generation’ U78 Saturator — updated to version 2.0.0 — also improves upon its 2016-released predecessor, bolstered by another gorgeous GUI, an improved saturation circuit, and also improved compatibility.
U73b Compressor (version 3.0.0) is available to purchase at a promo price of $79.00 USD until August 8, 2022 — rising thereafter to its regular price of $149.00 USD — from Audified’s online shop (https://shop.audified.com/products/u73b-compressor), which also includes in-depth information.
U78 Saturator (version 2.0.0) is available to purchase at a promo price of $79.00 USD until August 8, 2022 — rising thereafter to its regular price of $149.00 USD — from Audified’s online shop (https://shop.audified.com/products/u78-saturator), which also includes in-depth information.
U73b Compressor (version 3.0.0) and U78 Saturator (version 2.0.0) are also available to purchase as part of the German Studio Bundle that also includes RZ062 Equalizer — itself originally released in 2017 as a two-plug-ins-in-one affair for music production and mastering, featuring complex control over the frequency spectrum and saturation, based around authentic namesake models of the now-scarce and sought-after Sixties-vintage Klangfilm RZ062a and RZ062b valve EQ modules made by German giant Siemens for installation in its film sound-centric Universal Mixing and Control Console (Klangfilm System), updated last year to version 2.0.0 status with improved tube simulation, reduced CPU (Central Processing Unit) consumption, and improved compatibility — for $199.00 USD, representing a substantial saving over purchasing the three included plug-ins separately, from Audified’s online shop (https://shop.audified.com/products/german-studio-bundle), which also includes in-depth information.
U73b Compressor (version 3.0.0) and U78 Saturator (version 2.0.0) can both be directly downloaded as AAX (64-bit), AU (64-bit), VST3 (64-bit) plug-ins with Native Apple Silicon support for Mac (OS X 10.11 and newer) and AAX (64-bit) and VST3 (32-bit and 64-bit) plug-ins for Windows (7-11) — alongside demo versions — from Audified here: https://services.audified.com/download (Note that U73b Compressor and U78 Saturator are both iLok-protected, so require iLok License Manager 5.5 or newer and a software machine license or a USB dongle.)
Watch Audified’s attractive promo video for its U73b Compressor version 3.0.0 update here:
Watch Audified’s attractive promo video for its U78 Saturator version 2.0.0 update here:
About Audified (www.audified.com)
With more than 20 years of R&D, education, and collaboration connected with its notable name (https://shop.audified.com/pages/history), Audified actively develops software applications, software effects, and hardware processors for musicians, audio engineers, and installed audio. As such, the company’s collective vision is to improve and streamline music production workflow, adding a new aesthetic value to their customer’s work while helping them to achieve the best possible results.
© 2022 Audified s.r.o.
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: W.A. Production, producers crafting creative plug-ins to help anyone achieve studio-quality processing speedily and easily, is proud to announce the availability of the InstaChord 2 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) processing plug-in — initially inspired by how chords are played on a guitar and applying that technique to experience the same feeling from a MIDI controller keyboard and DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) without memorizing chord shapes and holding down all the notes to make the chords ring true, then taking the concept to the next level of music-making with notable new features as a chord creation and sequencing tool — as of July 28…
“We were so blown away by the reception to the original InstaChord that we couldn’t resist developing that concept into a fully-fledged chord creator and mini-sequencer; simple enough to be used by anyone, but with the power to make professional music, this dynamic MIDI processing
plug-in is the chord creation and sequencing tool that will take your music to the next level.” So — speaking collectively — says W.A. Production by way of an introduction that is as easily digestible as the plug-in itself.
After all, when making music, the right chords are needed to set the tone, and InstaChord 2 delivers exactly what was called for… fast! Finding the best chord progression and applying a single pattern to play all of them while easily mastering some of the most difficult chords (in any musical key and combination of notes and different voicings), this ideas engine will help to speed up workflow and the creative process. Producers or songwriters alike can use the plug-in in question to generate chord shapes, learn tricky harmonics, and share their creations with anyone.
After releasing InstaChord — it was initially inspired by how chords are played on a guitar (by fretting a chord with one hand and picking the strings with the other) and applying that technique to experience the same feeling from a MIDI controller and DAW without memorizing chord shapes and holding down all the notes to make the chords ring true, an oft-requested update was to gain more control over strums and chord playback. Put it this way: with InstaChord 2, W.A. Production took note and ran with it, creating the Pattern Editor as a brand-new interface window, wherein users can create their own patterns and sequences, dragging notes around in a way that is already familiar from working with DAWs — produce soaring synth arpeggios, pounding piano chords, or delicate guitar riffs with full control over Time signature (independently for each of the 24 patterns, providing more flexibility), Play Mode (Loop — keep playing, One-shot — play once, or Hold — sustain the notes), and velocity (with creative editing controls for strum programming).
Turning to InstaComposer (https://www.waproduction.com/plugins/view/instacomposer) — a new-generation MIDI generator plug-in that can conjure up Melody, Rhythm, Bass, Pad, and Chord parts at the click of a button by plying AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create real McCoy musical motifs that are genuinely gainful as the next step in automatic composition — for further inspiration, W.A. Production implemented an AI-GEN button in InstaChord 2, which will take the existing scale and spawn brand-new riffs based on complex algorithms and a touch of randomization. Results are always musical and inspirational, therefore those new ideas can be tweaked in the same way as any user-created patterns so that they will always fit perfectly into any composition.
Compared to the original InstaChord, the updated version also has many more playback options for fretting and picking notes — five in total, in fact, covering different behaviors for holding notes and toggling chords. Editing existing chords or creating custom ones by selecting intervals between notes is also possible, as is alternatively playing in notes with a MIDI controller keyboard to help InstaChord 2 learn its user’s favorite chord shapes. Since there are over 60 chord shapes to choose from, users are also free to explore inversions, voicings, augmentations, and extensions like never before, making their music sound more interesting and compelling. Choose chords from the extensive collection or hit that AI-GEN button to ask InstaChord 2 for fascinatingly inspirational suggestions. Set up to 24 different chords and switch between them using the Chord keys (for setting the chords and switching between them). It is even possible to transpose the current chords to any desired key with a couple of clicks.
Then there are more ways with InstaChord 2 to play with the Chord keys and Pick keys (for playing patterns) than there ever were with InstaChord, and all are fully customizable in its Pattern Editor. Examples include assigning a key to strum the top three notes of a chord and another to play a riff on the other three notes; needless to say, users could also play individual notes of the chord separately, so it is perfectly possible to manually arpeggiate or strum chords. Integrated into the Pick keys is an Action feature (for setting what the key should do when pressed); Action can be set to transpose by an octave or semitone, so provides an easy way to move chords around when playing live. Indeed, InstaChord 2 is highly customizable, allowing users to change things to suit their needs, such as selecting the size of the GUI (Graphical User Interface), playback type, key configuration, and position.
Programming chords and riffs with InstaChord 2 is simplicity itself, yet it is even easier to use its preset system to take care of things. Ultimately, users will never be stuck for ideas, thanks to having access to so many carefully prepared presets for both chord sequences and patterns that are suited to many types of instruments — all making for ideal jumping-off points for their next composition.
Clearly, then, InstaChord 2 is more than just an upgrade, but rather a complete overhaul of what was already an amazing MIDI processing plug-in that helped make playing chords and chord progressions faster and easier, forming a chord creation and sequencing tool taking music-making to the next level!
InstaChord 2 is available to purchase for a time-limited introductory promo price of only $26.70 USD (representing a significant 70% saving) — rising thereafter to its regular price of $89.00 USD — as a 64-bit AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in for macOS (10.15 or later) and 32- or 64-bit VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in for Windows (8 or later), as well as an AAX-compatible plug-in for Pro Tools (11 or higher), directly from W.A. Production via its dedicated webpage, which also includes some audio previews, here: https://www.waproduction.com/plugins/view/instachord-2
14-day, fully-functional trial versions of all W.A. Production plug-ins — including InstaChord 2 — are available by signing up for an account for free here: https://www.waproduction.com/users/login
About W.A. Production (www.waproduction.com)
W.A. Production was created by producer/DJ and sound designer Redhead Roman in 2014. Helpfully, his deep-rooted passion for EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and time spent in the music industry ignited a desire to put top-tier audio products into the hands of every electronic music producer at prices that they could actually afford. By building its initial reputation on delivering high-end professional-sounding samples, the six-strong team of today has hurriedly matured into boasting a successful brand that offers instrument and effect plug-ins, DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) templates, informative articles, and exclusive interviews with some of the hottest EDM artists around, alongside e-books and tutorials, as well as online video courses. It is also recognized for practicing a ‘hands-on’ style of customer support and service, ensuring that every customer’s experience is a great one. On the face of it, then, that Roman and his talented team remain extremely humble and interactive with their customers, members, and the EDM scene as a whole to this day is an amazing attribute in itself since W.A. Production has experienced substantial growth — growth that is constantly being expanded still further by testing boundaries, pushing creativity and innovation to new heights. Indeed, it is all driven daily by asking themselves the same question: “What about making your sound better?”
© 2022 W.A. Production
Spitfire Audio have teamed up with Emmy Award-winning composer and pianist, Kris Bowers (King Richard, When They See Us, Space Jam, Green Book) to offer the composing community an amazing opportunity to showcase their skills.
Spitfire Audio have secured an unscored clip from episode five of the first season of the mega-hit Netflix drama series, Bridgerton, where the Queen finds out about a change of plans and Daphne Bridgerton prepares for her marriage to the Duke of Hastings. The acclaimed series is produced by Shondaland, the global media company founded by award-winning writer and producer Shonda Rhimes. Composers can download the 90 second clip, then create and submit their own score to be in with a chance of winning some amazing prizes. Kris Bowers – who has received two Emmy nominations and a Grammy nomination for his work on Bridgerton – will pick the winner and four runners-up.
Entrants have four weeks to enter the competition and can use any of the Spitfire Audio virtual instruments – including the LABS and BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover plugins (which are available for download for free on the Spitfire Audio website) – or other music-making software.
Prizes:
The winner of the competition will receive:-
Spitfire Audio Everything Collection – every Spitfire Audio library on two external SSDs, worth over $20,000 if bought separately
The four runners-up with receive:-
Working with high-quality visual content and working around dialogue and FX, the competition is a great chance to practice composing to picture or even try it for the very first time. The Spitfire Audio Forum has a section dedicated to advise on scoring and sharing your submissions.
How To Enter:
Key Dates:
About Kris Bowers (https://www.krisbowers.com/)
Emmy Award-winning composer and pianist, Kris Bowers, creates genre-defying music that pays homage to his jazz roots with inflections of alternative and R&B influences. The result is a sound rife with contradictions, a work of nuanced alchemy situated at the summit of his influences. A confluence of jazz greats, classical standards, and the alternative and experimental music of his youth, along with the cinematic storytelling of his most studied film scores. Bowers’ earliest musical inspirations were varied, transcending generation and genre to include work by artists such as Steve Reich, Radiohead, Stevie Wonder, Brian Eno, Herbie Hancock, and Jimi Hendrix. As a young musician, Bowers brought the language of jazz to his covers of artists like Death Cab For Cutie, Tune-Yards, Radiohead, and Kendrick Lamar.
Since 2013, the Juilliard-educated pianist has established himself at the forefront of Hollywood’s emerging generation of genre-defying composers. What sets Bowers apart is his unique ability to compose music that resonates across such a diverse continuum of artists, storytellers, and audiences. From scoring documentaries like Kobe Bryant’s Muse (SHOWTIME, 2015) and Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016), to scripted series including Shonda Rhimes and Paul William Davies’ For The People (ABC), Netflix’s Dear White People, and SHOWTIME’S Black Monday (Exec. Produced by Seth Rogen & Evan Golberg), Bowers’ work as a film and television composer is a testament to his versatility as an artist.
Bowers first made a name for himself in 2011, when he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where Aretha Franklin chose him as a favorite to win during the semi-finals concert. The win earned him a record deal with Concord Jazz, who later released his debut album, Heroes+Misfits, which opened at number one on the iTunes jazz chart in 2014.
In 2018, Bowers had the honor of collaborating with Emmy and Academy Award-winning director Peter Farrelly and Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali on their critically acclaimed Green Book (Academy Award Winner, ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Original Screenplay,’ 2019). In addition to scoring the film, Bowers served as Ali’s on-screen hand-double, providing the fingering for close up piano shots, as well as spending months working with Ali as his piano instructor—Ali went on to win ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for the role. Bowers’ work on Green Book landed him a nomination for ‘Best Score’ at the 2019 Critic’s Choice Awards, at which he performed a live version of “Dear Dolores” from the Green Book soundtrack.
Bowers’ scoring work can be heard across a wide range of film and television from Amazon’s TV movie The Snowy Day (for which he won a Daytime Emmy) to Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, Seeds of Time, Play it Forward, I Am Giant: Victor Cruz, and Little Boxes, which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by Netflix. In early 2018, Bowers scored the critically acclaimed drama, Monsters and Men, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. His work appeared in Ava DuVernay’s miniseries, When They See Us (Netflix) about the Central Park Jogger case, for which he was nominated for an Emmy award. He later composed music for the television miniseries Mrs. America for which he again received an Emmy nomination for Original Dramatic Score, and most recently received two Emmy nominations for his work on the Netflix drama series Bridgerton. Additionally, his original music and lyrics are featured as the main theme and end credits for Madden NFL 19: Longshot, as well as Madden 2020 and Madden 2021. Since 2021, Bowers’ work can be heard on the following feature films Space Jam 2: A New Legacy, Respect, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, and King Richard (for which he was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award).
About Bridgerton
Bridgerton is a romantic, scandalous, and clever series that celebrates the timelessness of enduring friendships, families finding their way, and the search for a love that conquers all. The series also stars Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Lorraine Ashbourne (Mrs. Varley), Harriet Cains (Philipa Featherington), Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington), Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington), Hannah Dodd (Francesca Bridgerton) Ruth Gemmell (Violet Bridgerton), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth Bridgerton), Martins Imhangbe (Will Mondrich), Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton), Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton), Will Tilston (Gregory Bridgerton), Polly Walker (Portia Featherington), and Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown. The series is inspired by Julia Quinn’s novels. Season 3 is currently in production in London.
About Spitfire Audio (www.spitfireaudio.com)
Spitfire Audio is a British music technology company that specializes in sounds — sample libraries, virtual instruments, and other useful software devices. It collaborates with the best composers, artists, and engineers in the world to build musical tools that sound great and are exciting to use.
Spitfire Audio was founded by two award-winning composers: Christian Henson and Paul Thomson. Born out of their shared dissatisfaction with string sample libraries, they pooled their resources and decided to record their own string samples at the legendary Air Studios in London. Initially, they invited a limited number of friends and associates to own copies of their samples, but whispers of this private sample club soon started to echo across the Atlantic Ocean throughout the composer community. Within a year, some of the most renowned composers in film and television signed up, so Paul and Christian decided to take their samples public.
To date, Spitfire Audio has recorded and released over 100 sample libraries, collaborating with some of the biggest names in media composition, including Hans Zimmer, Eric Whitacre, Ólafur Arnalds & the London Contemporary Orchestra. Spitfire Audio’s sounds are heard in everything, from major Hollywood film scores to recordings by Radiohead and U2. Paul and Christian’s initial side project is now a thriving international music technology enterprise, with a uniquely experienced and diverse workforce, all focused on a shared mission: to inspire a generation of composers. The composer team remains at the center of the business, drawing on their own experience as obsessive music makers to explore the needs and wants of their fellow composers.
Paris, July 26th, 2022 – UVI released Mission 6, a new instrument inspired by the most audacious 16-voice analog synthesizer. Delivering a powerful collection of all-new hand-crafted sounds, Mission 6 covers an incredible sonic range capable of morphing between lush analog sounds to gritty FM bursts and beyond, making it both an inspiring and useful sonic tool for music producers of any background. UVI Mission 6 is available now with a special intro price of $49/49€ through August 8th, 2022 (regularly $79/79€).
Packed with innovations and an iconic design, this beast came out of nowhere in the early Aughts. From custom ICs delivering 16 voices with 16-part multitimbrality to both SEM and Ladder-style filters per voice to an expansive mod matrix and built-in effects, this instrument is incredibly capable and made a powerful canvas for our sound designers to work with. Putting it through its paces we created 400 all-new presets made from 340+ layers, recorded directly from the hardware, giving you a modern take on a timeless synthesizer, all with authentic hardware sound.
With a 2-layer architecture and iconic user interface design, Mission 6 gives you deep control as you adjust the factory presets or design your own. Set unique tones per layer and blend them with ADSR amp controls, utilize flexible multi-mode filters, use pitch and voicing controls to create auto-panning and unison sounds, generate motion with the built-in step modulator, LFO, and powerful arpeggiator/ phrasers, then take it to the next level with high-quality effects including EQ, drive, Thorus, ensemble, Phasor, delay, and Sparkverb.
A true powersynth, Mission 6 delivers the authentic sounds of an epic analog synthesizer and gives you a tremendous collection of all-new patches to explore, tweak, and inspire.
UVI Mission 6 offers native 64-bit standalone operation by way of Falcon or the free UVI Workstation, providing comprehensive support for all modern DAWs and simultaneous authorization on up to 3 computers or iLok keys.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY:
UVI Mission 6 is available immediately at an introductory price of $49 / 49€ through August 8th, 2022 (regularly $79 / 79€)
ADDITIONAL PRODUCT INFORMATION:
Product page:
www.uvi.net/mission-6
CORONA, CALIFORNIA, USA: American audio production and online course specialist Spectre Digital is proud to announce the availability of Extinction Level Event – Master Kit — created to sound so big and explosive it could conceivably be categorized as an ELE (extinction level event) insofar as blowing the competition away as a new drum library standard that was over two years in the making, meticulously recorded with a world-class signal chain at Round Table Recording Company, a brand-new multi-studio complex located in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, to prove to the world how programmed drums should sound, with every single detail placed under the musical microscope to ensure the best-sounding drums on the market as a robust KONTAKT PLAYER instrument — as of July 25…
It is a proven production fact that recording great-sounding studio drums is difficult, tedious, and, most of all, an expensive undertaking. Ultimately, it comes down to this: the involvement of a great drummer, a fantastic-sounding live room, and the right equipment — not forgetting, of course, the years of experience and know-how needed to get the best possible sound out of the drums themselves. That same combination
clearly also applies to creating world-class drum libraries. Obviously, other drum libraries are already on the market in abundance, but often suffer from one (or more) of the following issues: the shells sound fake, due to a lack of dynamic layers; the drums are overly processed, making for a one-dimensional sound; articulations are nonsensical in a musical context, due to not being correctly sampled; the user interface is confusing, created by someone without any experience of using drum libraries; and poorly implemented important features such as room and overhead microphones, due to a lack of space or improper microphone selection.
Spectre Digital’s Extinction Level Event – Master Kit is here, however, to prove to the world how programmed drums should sound. Indeed, it is created to sound so big and explosive it could conceivably be categorized as an ELE insofar as blowing the competition away as a new drum library standard that was over two years in the making, meticulously recorded with a world-class signal chain at Round Table Recording Company, a brand-new multi-studio complex located in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, featuring finest audio and recording equipment, encompassing an extensive microphone selection spanning tube mics to ribbons and outboard gear galore, as well as an Audient Heritage Edition ASP8024 large-format console (with Slate Media Technology RAVEN MTi2 state-of-the-art 27” multi-touch production console combining to provide the best of analog and digital audio) and massive — Ocean Way Audio HR 3.5 — main monitors. An adjacent live room and three isolation booths with full sight lines make recording almost anything imaginable. Indeed, it is easy to see (and hear) why Spectre Digital spent so much time there in pursuit of creating a new drum library standard.
So why, exactly, does Extinction Level Event – Master Kit sound so powerful, then? To put it simply: ultimately, users are in complete control of their drum sound. Seeking full control of how the bleed interacts between the shells and the cymbals? Then there is a dedicated BLEED CONTROL page available, allowing users to tweak every aspect of drum bleed, whether opting for the All Bleed setting or balancing Bleed Level for each drum kit part. Processing? Put it this way: while, to a degree, other drum libraries usually ship preprocessed, preventing the user from making any creative decisions, Extinction Level Event – Master Kit allows anyone to turn off every aspect of processing and shape their perfect drum sound from scratch. MIDI mapping to create a specific drum map for playing live on a MIDI controller is also a speedily straightforward process, thanks to the dedicated MIDI MAP page. It is also possible to reroute the multiple outputs of Extinction Level Event – Master Kit beyond stereo so users can control where they want all audio signals to go in their DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).
What also sets Extinction Level Event – Master Kit apart from the sound of the drum library crowd is its unparalleled realism, courtesy of a strikingly high number of dynamic layers — ghost notes and rimshots will actually bring dynamic qualities to the user’s music as a direct result; tons of samples — no more easily detectible round-robins that are annoying during double-bass drum or blast beats; and tons of really useful articulations — allowing users to create realistic hi-hat patterns, snare rudiments, and more. Indeed, its realism effectively enables any style of music — from the softest dynamics favored in jazz circles through to the absolute shotgun rimshots required for heavy metal breakdowns.
Beyond that, Extinction Level Event – Master Kit is also compatible with electronic drum kits, providing the touch of an acoustic drum skin like never before, but also comes complete with TCI (INMOS Transputer Development System Occam Configuration Info) files of all the drum shells used, so owners of Steven Slate Drums Trigger 2 — enabling replacing a drum recording stem with drum samples whilst retaining dynamics and detail — can easily sample and replace recorded drums with Extinction Level Event – Master Kit.
Clearly, not all drum libraries are created equal; Extinction Level Event – Master Kit certainly sets a new drum library standard, showing that the two years Spectre Digital invested in making it was time well spent since it not only comes complete with a sizeable number of ready-to-go mix-ready presets to get users started with a bang but every one of its pages has been duly designed with making everything needed no more than one click of a button away — no more menu diving, no more hunting for settings, less time looking for great-sounding drums, and more time playing with great-sounding drums!
Extinction Level Event – Master Kit can be purchased and digitally downloaded for a time-limited introductory promo price of $84.00 USD until the end of August 2022 — rising thereafter to an MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of $99.00 USD — from here: https://spectredigital.com/product/extinction-level-event-master-kit/
Supporting Native Instruments’ NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD®) — bringing software instruments, effects, loops, and samples into one intuitive workflow while connecting them to KOMPLETE KONTROL keyboards, MASCHINE, and third-party controllers, Extinction Level Event – Master Kit needs KONTAKT 6 PLAYER (latest version) — a free sample player based on KONTAKT 6 — included in its purchase to run as a 64-bit-only AAX-, AU-, and VST-compatible plug-in or standalone instrument for macOS (10.14 and above) with Native Apple Silicon support or 32- and 64-bit AAX- and VST-compatible plug-in or standalone instrument for Windows (10 and above).
Watch Spectre Digital’s explosive Extinction Level Event – Master Kit promo video here:
Print-ready, hi-res images:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xk4io6eg8s7mbot/AAD7mnbT9mJ41CkUzOuFJy7ka?dl=0
About Spectre Digital (www.spectredigital.com)
Spectre Digital is an American company specializing in audio production software and online courses, creating the tools and tuition that go hand in hand towards assisting as many people as possible with making the best music they can.
© 2022 Spectre Digital LLC
LONDON, UK: Spitfire Audio is proud to announce the availability of its ORIGINALS EPIC CHOIR release — representing the 17th sample library in its inspiring ORIGINALS series making rare and classic instruments accessible and affordable to all in authentic detail with no compromise on recording quality, this time assembling a 50-piece large-scale ensemble of London’s finest vocalists in the hallowed (Lyndhurst) Hall at London’s legendary AIR Studios, split into two sections and presented in the sound-specializing British music technology company’s in-house (AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible, NKS-supporting) plug-in with three signals and 12 articulations designed to inspire and ease the scoring journey — as of July 21, 2022…
“ORIGINALS EPIC CHOIR features 50 singers, which is the biggest ensemble of voices that we’ve recorded yet.” So says Spitfire Audio in-house composer Homay Schmitz, surely perfectly positioned to make its introduction. “It’s been recorded at AIR Studios’ Lyndhurst Hall, so you get those beautiful acoustics; with it also being a former church, you get the singers in a traditional habitat as well,” she continues, before adding: “I think voices are an incredibly human — if not the most human — element you can add to music, so I’m really excited about this one.”
Of course, the fact that Spitfire Audio has made a 50-piece large-scale ensemble of London’s finest vocalists creatively captured in the hallowed (Lyndhurst) Hall at London’s legendary AIR Studios so easily accessible to anyone courtesy of ORIGINALS EPIC CHOIR is an especially exciting proposition. Presented in the sound-specializing British music technology company’s in-house plug-in, it features a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that is as easy on the eye as it is to use, ultimately familiar to owners of any other ORIGINALS series sample libraries and also many other Spitfire Audio releases outside of the ORIGINALS series. “If we have a look at the GUI, the choir is split into two sections, with the SOPRANOS & ALTOS making up the first and the TENORS & BASSES making up the second,” says Homay Schmitz. Still better, “Both of them are also mirroring the same set of presets.”
Put it this way: with 12 presets — SOPRANOS & ALTOS: Long Ahh (long sustained note, sung on the ‘ahh’ vowel sound); SOPRANOS & ALTOS: Long Mmm (long sustained note, hummed on the ‘mmm’ consonant); SOPRANOS & ALTOS: Episodic Combo 1 (long, episodically-changing sustained note, blending between a combination of different vowel sounds, for a textual and shifting sound); SOPRANOS & ALTOS: Episodic Combo 2 (long, episodically-changing sustained note, blending between a combination of different vowel sounds, for a textual and shifting sound); SOPRANOS & ALTOS: Short Staccato Syllables (short, sharp sound, sung on one of up to seven different syllabic sounds); and SOPRANOS & ALTOS: Short Staccato Syllables (Keyswitch) (short, sharp sound, sung on one of up to seven different syllabic sounds, with keyswitch functionality for changing between specific syllables); plus TENORS & BASSES: Long Ahh (long sustained note, sung on the ‘ahh’ vowel sound); TENORS & BASSES: Long Mmm (long sustained note, hummed on the ‘mmm’ consonant); TENORS & BASSES: Episodic Combo 1 (long, episodically-changing sustained note, blending between a combination of different vowel sounds, for a textual and shifting sound); TENORS & BASSES: Episodic Combo 2 (long, episodically-changing sustained note, blending between a combination of different vowel sounds, for a textual and shifting sound); TENORS & BASSES: Short Staccato Syllables (short, sharp sound, sung on one of up to seven different syllabic sounds); and TENORS & BASSES: Short Staccato Syllables (Keyswitch) (short, sharp sound, sung on one of up to seven different syllabic sounds, with keyswitch functionality for changing between specific syllables) — it is easy to get excited, especially as all are available across three signals: Close (all spot mics summed together for a clear and transparent sound); Tree (a Decca Tree spaced microphone array, giving a spacious and enveloping sound); and Ethereal (adds texture, brightness, and width to the vocals for a glistening and shimmering sound, while still retaining an organic feel, thanks to a treated signal of saturation, reverb, and EQ).
Further flexibility for sound control comes courtesy of REVERB — a realistic hall-style impulse response, RELEASE — a release trigger that only applies to long patches, and TIGHTNESS — cuts further into the note to make it tighter, and only applies to short patches.
Paying particular attention to the SOPRANOS & ALTOS: Episodic Combo 2 patch with an atmospheric combination of maximized REVERB and Ethereal signal settings, Homay Schmitz goes on to say, “I love it that when you trigger notes at different times they just interweave nicely with one another.” It is all personal preference, patently, but the in-house composer clearly knows what she likes: “Potentially my favorite patch is SOPRANOS & ALTOS: Short Staccato Syllables… the syllables cycle around, but it has also been programmed so that if you play multiple notes at the same time, they each play the same syllable; it also gives me Carl Orff vibes, and I think it has a pretty good dynamic range — pretty good, as the title suggests, for some epic-type stuff.”
Spitfire Audio’s 17th sample library in its inspiring ORIGINALS series certainly lives up to its 50-piece large-scale ensemble-enabled EPIC CHOIR naming. Needless to say, it impresses in-house composer Homay Schmitz in doing so. She concludes: “I’m really happy about EPIC CHOIR being part of the ORIGINALS series. Having sung in a large choir myself as a kid, I always thought that there was something quite powerful, emotive, and sort of ancient about so many people singing together in the same room. And it’s also the only form of making music where you don’t need any equipment or tools.”
That said, it could well be that ORIGINALS EPIC CHOIR is exactly the kind of music-making tool that composers and producers stepping up from Spitfire Audio’s free LABS series seeking more depth and control over their sounds are looking for from a lightweight NKS-supporting plug-in weighing in at under 3GB. It is also designed to be incredibly inspirational and easy to use straight out of the box, with presets loading up with controls set in the way that they are intended to be used. Ultimately, it ticks all the boxes — just like its ORIGINALS series siblings.
ORIGINALS EPIC CHOIR is available as an AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible plug-in supporting Native Instruments’ NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD®) for Mac (OS X 10.13 – macOS 12) and Windows (7, 8, 10, and II — latest Service Pack) that loads directly into any compatible DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for an RRP (Recommended Retail Price) of only £29.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$29.00 USD/€29.00 EUR (inc. VAT) — from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/originals/#epic-choir
Spitfire Audio’s namesake Spitfire Audio application allows anyone to buy now and download anytime and is available for free from here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/info/library-manager/
For more in-depth information, please visit Spitfire Audio’s ORIGINALS Frequently Asked Questions webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/info/faq/spitfire-originals/
Watch Spitfire Audio’s premiere of ORIGINALS EPIC CHOIR — with a welcomed walkthrough by Spitfire Audio in-house composer Homay Schmitz — here:
About Spitfire Audio (www.spitfireaudio.com)
Spitfire Audio is a British music technology company that specializes in sounds—sample libraries, virtual instruments, and other useful software devices. It collaborates with the best composers, artists, and engineers in the world to build musical tools that sound great and are exciting to use.
© 2022 Spitfire Audio Holdings Limited
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“AROUSOR™ is a compressor plug-in without equal — instantly exciting and instantly musical, there’s no turning back!”
– Greg Wells (GRAMMY® Award-winning record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and audio engineer), 2022
LAKE HIAWATHA, NJ, USA: fresh from making its musical presence felt as an ‘early bird’ BETA pre-release (for public purchase at an attractive sale price of only $49.00 USD as of June 3), Empirical Labs Inc. (ELI) is proud to officially announce AROUSOR LT™ — available as a simplified version of its AROUSOR™ classic knee compressor plug-in flagship favored by top-tier engineers with identical processing at an affordable price point, putting the professional audio signal processing equipment designer and manufacturer’s hardware Distressor ‘DNA’ into anyone’s hands with the look, feel, and sound of the best analog compressors around — as of June 29…
ELI effectively downsized its AROUSOR™ classic knee compressor plug-in flagship in order to bring about AROUSOR LT™ with identical
processing at an affordable price point, persuasively making the former’s superlative sound available to anyone, as well as top-tier professionals like GRAMMY® Award-winning record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and audio engineer Greg Wells, who is irrefutably an ardent admirer already: “AROUSOR™ is a compressor plug-in without equal — instantly exciting and instantly musical, there’s no turning back!”
Be reassured, though, that there is now no need for those seeking that superlative sound to turn their back on it due to cost considerations as AROUSOR LT™ likewise improves mixes — at a persuasive price to suit most pockets. Put it this way: with AROUSOR LT™, ELI effectively downsized AROUSOR™ by simplifying its controls, hiding a few functions, and adjusting its focus from 12 varied RATIO settings to four carefully chosen ones that provide a perfect balance between versatility and ease of use: 1:1 — no compression, allowing AROUSOR LT™ to be used in a smooth-sounding saturation capacity without compression; 3:1 — a gentle compression curve with a 10 – 30dB knee, depending on ATT (attack) and REL (release) settings; 8:1 — the same ratio and curve as the hardware Distressor’s popular 6:1 setting, and a more aggressive ratio that just works on any instrument or vocal track; and 20:1 — another favorite ratio for peak-skimming purposes, or creating natural ambiances when heavily used with room mics or dry- and lifeless-sounding sources, thanks to the slower attack that mellows out the ‘grabby’ sound.
Such simplification of available AROUSOR™ parameters is reflected in its younger software sibling’s smaller GUI (Graphical User Interface). Indeed, anyone already familiar with AROUSOR™ will readily recognize the ‘LED’ bar graph for AtMod (Attack Modification) — which slows down the initial slope of the attack envelope to add just a little bit more of the transient back into the track — that also assists in AROUSOR LT™, albeit this time it is implemented with a fixed setting (set to the equivalent of selecting 3 in the AROUSOR™ ATTACK MODIFICATION panel, as opposed to the latter’s default setting of 2). The ‘LED’ bar graph denoting Pinned, Toasty, Hot, and Warm in the AROUSOR™ SOFT CLIPPING panel similarly forsakes functionality (for introducing more second harmonic distortion and the ability to place the compressor input before or after the soft clipper circuit) in favor of fixed, smooth-sounding settings in an AROUSOR LT™ implementation that duly delivers — whether seeking subtle or extreme amounts of vintage-style harmonic distortion. Although AROUSOR LT™ does not allow for full control of ELI’s proprietary AtMod or independent soft clipping adjustment, it includes a simple, yet incredibly useful single sidechain EQ — 110 Hz DET HP (high-pass) filter — function to remove low frequencies from triggering the compression detector, preventing pumping and low-frequency modulation, making for an easy-to-use, yet flexible plug-in that is right on the musical mark.
Although anyone investing in AROUSOR LT™ — pocket change-priced as it is in effect — will, without doubt, become addicted to its creamy sound and ease of use, it is worth noting that its purchase price provides customers with a coupon for that same amount redeemable against purchasing AROUSOR™ at a discount during any AROUSOR™ sale promotions. Put it this way: with AROUSOR LT™ itself remaining on sale for only $49.00 USD — representing an attractive $30.00 USD discount — until July 8, 2022, what’s not to like?
And anyone upgrading to AROUSOR™ at a later date, however, has a lot to look forward to (including 12 greatly varied ratios; full control of ELI’s proprietary AtMod; independent adjustment of soft clipping; a BLEND control — allowing users to Mix between fully Comp and Dry signals; a fully-sweepable DETECTOR SIDECHAIN EQ; two Opto modes — using time constraints to emulate renowned hardware compressors using an opto ‘light controlled’ element; and more). Moreover, ELI even provides an AROUSOR™ preset perfectly set up to match the default insert settings of AROUSOR LT™ that are a little different in character to those provided by AROUSOR™. As a result, anything AROUSOR LT™ users have been working on will now sound the same when moving on up to AROUSOR™… again, what’s not to like? Just ask GRAMMY® Award-winning record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and audio engineer Greg Wells!
AROUSOR LT™ is available for purchase as an AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-supporting 64-bit effect plug-in for macOS (OS X 10.7 or higher); an AAX-,VST2-, and VST3-supporting 64-bit effect plug-in for Windows (7 or higher); and as an AAX DSP plug-in that runs natively on Avid VENUE (4.61 or higher) at an ongoing ‘pre-release sale’ price of only $49.00 USD until July 8, 2022 — rising thereafter to its regular price of $79.00 USD — directly from ELI here: https://www.empiricallabs.com/product/arousor-lt/
A fully-functional, 15-day trial of AROUSOR LT™ is also available to download from here: http://www.empiricallabs.com/downloads/ (It is necessary to activate AROUSOR LT™ — demo and full versions alike — via an iLok USB dongle or iLok Cloud.)
For more in-depth information, please visit ELI’s dedicated AROUSOR LT™ webpage here: https://www.empiricallabs.com/product/arousor-lt/
About Empirical Labs Inc. (ELI) (www.empiricallabs.com)
Empirical Labs Inc. (ELI) designs and manufactures professional audio signal processing equipment used in recording studios, live sound, broadcast studios, and other audio production facilities all over the world while working hard to live up to its stated simple philosophy: “We want to make products that work a little easier, a little better, and a lot longer — and make sure they’re fun to use.” After all, the word empirical — in its most positive interpretation — means fashioned from experience. ELI also produces plug-ins for DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) and software for DSPs (Digital Signal Processors).
© 2022 Empirical Labs Inc. (ELI)
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: having released development partner Muramasa Audio’s Bassment to widespread critical acclaim a little earlier this year as an all-in-one single-screen bass guitar solution, independent development teams federation United Plugins is proud to announce the availability of Bassment Core — creating a ‘light’ version of Bassment that effectively favors power and simplicity over complexity by peeling off its bigger brother’s additional effects to form an amp- and cab simulation-retaining plug-in that quickly cuts to the desired bass tone-creating chase — as of June 28…
Following the tried-and-tested formula of the Electrum and Electrum Core plug-ins preceding it, by first releasing Bassment as an all-in-one single-screen bass guitar solution and then Bassment Core — creating a ‘light’ version of Bassment that effectively favors power and simplicity over complexity by peeling off its bigger brother’s additional effects to form an amp- and cab simulation-retaining plug-in that quickly cuts to the desired bass tone-creating chase, Muramasa Audio has now completed a family of all-in-one single-screen solutions aimed at guitarists and bass guitarists alike.
An amplifier is clearly crucial to creating any desired bass tone, and, as such, Bassment Core creatively cuts to the chase with its AMP acting as a crucial component, thanks to its input GAIN going all the way from gentle to brutal settings alongside perfectly tuned five-band (LOW BASS, HIGH BASS, LOW MIDS, HIGH MIDS, and TREBLE) EQ controls; a self-explanatory DRY/WET control; a Parallel saturation/distortion component with six associated controls combining to maximize varying sounds; as well as Bass, Mid, and Treble controls (for controlling the way that users work with bass, mid, and treble frequencies, respectively). Indeed, it is well worth mentioning that Bassment Core pays particular attention to bass — as one might expect — by including dedicated COMPRESSION, LOW PASS filtering, and AGGRESSION and PRESENCE controls to help the all-important sound fight through the mix; middle frequencies can duly determine the final bass character, so not only can users of Bassment Core control FREQUENCY and LOW-CUT but also midrange BRIGHTNESS and COLOR. Clearly, one amp is enough, then, if it is universal, as is the case with Bassment Core — unlike when working with most hardware.
However, hardware comparisons are almost impossible to come by when it comes to talking about Bassment Core’s creative Cabinet component — comprising 15 simulations combined with 15 adjustments to assemble a true virtual amp simulator with several parameters to produce a much smoother and more natural sound that avoids all the unnatural resonances present with almost all IRs (Impulse Responses). Creative controls therein include ‘Speaker’ — select from 16 predefined speaker sounds based on some classic speaker measurements that provide the basis of the cabinet sound; CHARACTER — customize the cabinet sound (to produce over 300 virtual cabinets when working with ‘Speaker’); OUTPUT — controls the output gain, and TILT — makes the cabinet sound darker or brighter using a very natural tilt filter.
Following in the fanciful footsteps of its Bassment plug-in predecessor, Bassment Core has an ace up its virtual sleeve: hitting the ANALYSE INPUT LEVEL button before hitting the strings of a bass guitar as hard as its player intends to perform results in Bassment Core automatically setting up its INPUT level to match the signal strength with the particular processor’s ideal working point — perfect gain-staging and volume balance to help get the most out of Bassment Core.
Creating a ‘light’ version of Bassment that effectively favors power and simplicity over complexity by peeling off its bigger brother’s additional effects to form an amp- and cab simulation-retaining plug-in that quickly cuts to the desired bass tone-creating chase within a single-window while making use of its internal 64-bit audio processing to handle any sampling rate up to 192 kHz (or even higher) plus smart bypass and intelligent sleep on silence attributes has worked in Muramasa Audio’s favor when it came to following the tried-and-tested formula of the Electrum and Electrum Core plug-ins preceding it in order to arrive at Bassment Core. No need for Bassment users feeling the need for (even more) speed to feel left out, though, as they can now use Bassment Core for free since the Bassment license automatically activates Bassment Core, with welcomed access to the best of both (Bassment) worlds — whenever the need suits them.
Muramasa Audio’s Bassment Core is available to purchase at an almost giveaway introductory promo price of only €9.00 EUR until the end of August 2022 — rising thereafter to an attractive regular price of €49.00 EUR — as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in (using internal 64-bit audio processing capable of handling any sample rate) directly from United Plugins here: https://unitedplugins.com/BassmentCore/
A 15-day, fully-functional trial version of Bassment Core for macOS 10.10 and newer and Windows 8/10 can be downloaded for free from here: https://unitedplugins.com/download/ (Users can still use the plug-in after the 15-day trial expires, but will lose access to some parameters.)
Note that no iLok, dongle, or internet access is required for Bassment Core activation. (All United Plugins software uses license files for activation and owners can freely use purchased software on all their computers as long as they are the user.)
See and hear Bassment Core in action in United Plugins’ illuminating introductory video here:
Alongside the Bassment Core announcement, United Plugins is simultaneously announcing the availability of the United Guitar Bundle (https://unitedplugins.com/UnitedGuitarBundle/) — comprising Muramasa Audio’s Bassment (https://unitedplugins.com/Bassment/), Bassment Core’s bigger brother, together with Muramasa Audio’s Electrum (https://unitedplugins.com/Electrum/); Instant Audio’s QuickBass (https://unitedplugins.com/QuickBass/); Instant Audio’s Quick AG (https://unitedplugins.com/QuickAG/); and Soundevice Digital’s DIFIX (https://unitedplugins.com/DIFIX/) — for €199.00 EUR, representing a substantial saving over purchasing all five plug-ins separately for €525.00 EUR.
About United Plugins (www.unitedplugins.com)
As implied in the carefully chosen wording for an apt appellation that really represents how the Prague-registered Limited Company came about and what it collectively creates, United Plugins is a federation of small, independent development teams comprised of individuals involved in the music industry. Indeed, the founding triad of FireSonic, JMG Sound, and SounDevice Digital can count engineers, producers, and artists amongst their ‘united’ names. Needless to say, all were seeking the freedom to create the tools that they would like to use in their studios and on their projects. And all agreed that this could be better achieved when working together. Though United Plugins’ proliferating product portfolio may not always be for the musical masses, surely someone, somewhere will always find those tools to be a perfect fit for their own music productions… just like those inventive individuals behind United Plugins’ partner brands, the ranks of which have since swelled to include Muramasa Audio and MeldaProduction. Thanks to the latter letting United Plugins utilize its super-easy licensing system, which is why selected MeldaProduction products are also available from the United Plugins website, a thriving future for the federation is assured.
© 2022 United Plugins
“The music we love today — techno, drill, trap… none of this would exist without dub; with these sounds and this album, I wanted to celebrate that history and approach to sound.”
– Nok Cultural Ensemble (NCE) founder Edward Wakili-Hick, 2022
LONDON, UK: Spitfire Audio is proud to announce availability of NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION as its latest release — realised in close collaboration with the Nok Cultural Ensemble (NCE) collective of percussion prodigies (rooted in traditional African and Caribbean musical concepts, aesthetics, and forms, inspired by the ancient civilisation of Nok dating back to 500 BC but drawing particularly on the legacy of cultural ensemble bands from Sixties-West Africa) as an intuitive toolkit that encapsulates explosive Afro-percussion articulated through free jazz sensibilities and glitching beats that unfold on African timelines to extend the futuristic pulse of dub technologies, recorded to tape at Ariwa Sounds, a renowned reggae studio set up in South London, and presented in the sound-specialising British music technology company’s award-winning AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible, NKS (Native Kontrol Standard)-ready plug-in that loads into all major DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) without the need for any additional software — as of July 7…
Spitfire Audio’s NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION obviously owes its intriguing-sounding name to NCE, a collective of percussion prodigies led by London- based drummer and producer Edward Wakili-Hick, himself an original member of the South London artist collective Steam Down and present-day player with MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards-winning British jazz group Son of Kemet. All are leading lights playing across different genres underpinning London’s eclectic jazz and beat scenes. Together, they craft a visionary rhythmic continuum that tunes into living traditions stretching back through time to ancient civilizations and calls in liberated futures through experimental frequencies and propulsive, frenzied textures. As a modern take on the drum/percussion ensemble, possibly the oldest instrumental formation in human history, the collective in question is rooted in traditional African and Caribbean musical concepts, aesthetics, and forms, inspired by the ancient civilization of Nok dating back to 500 BC but drawing particularly on the legacy of cultural ensemble bands from Sixties-West Africa. “We’re looking to those groups and concerts for inspiration, but doing it from our time and experience,” explains Edward Wakili-Hick himself, before adding: “We’re interpreting that through electronics, drum machines, and more.”
Notably, NCE is on a musical mission to celebrate the diversity of global black percussive styles and the cultures from which they emerge, embodied in the five FULL KITS — comprising detailed drum hits from five distinctive acoustic and electronic drum kits — pulled from the explosive epicenter of London’s multi-faceted jazz scene that are at the beating heart of the NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION collection. All are deeply sampled with three dynamic layers and three round robins. Representing a selection of rarely-sampled African and Caribbean percussion, shakers, and bells — including the Kpanlogo, Ravann, Shekere, and Agogo — that have effectively journeyed several-thousand kilometers, are six one-shot PERCUSSION patches. Elsewhere, eight KIT LOOPS — tempo-synced drum loops fusing contemporary jazz with African percussion, Caribbean rhythms, and dub-inspired warps — stems out on the keyboard, so NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION users can play the full loop on a single key, or deconstruct it key-by-key for dramatic effect, and drama that continues across ATMOSPHERES — two experimental drum loops played live with various kits and percussion that reach beyond rhythm to capture the essential character of each instrument’s sound. Then there are 13 TONAL WARPS, which transform percussive hits into tuned synths and pads — some dark, some bright, and some searing with chaos, behind which sit a range of premium effects accessed via five controls: REVERB — controls the amount of reverb being added from a bespoke collection of seven impulse responses, spanning short studios and rooms through to long, cavernous churches and halls; RELEASE — changes the length of the release of a note; TAPE SAT. (saturation) — controls the amount of tape saturation added, and ATTACK — changes the length of the attack of a note; plus, of course, Spitfire Audio’s award-winning AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible, NKS-ready plug-in’s all-important dynamics fader — this time allowing NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION users to fade into a processed signal featuring bespoke effects by dub titan Mad Professor and his son, Joe Ariwa, at Ariwa Sounds, a renowned reggae studio set up in South London.
As a renowned hub of dub and reggae music, it is little wonder that NCE founder Edward Wakili-Hick worked with fellow percussionists Onome Edgeworth and Joseph Deenmamode (a.k.a. Mo Kolours) in both rooms at Ariwa Sounds to fuse together analog and digital elements, recording live and straight to tape at Are we Mad? — Mad Professor’s room, comprising equipment from the original Ariwa Sounds studio — with those tape takes then transferred to the digital plane in Ariwa Studio, a well-equipped air-conditioned control room designed especially for mixing, by Joe Ariwa. Indeed, in creating the NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION samples alongside recordings destined for Njhyi, Nok Cultural Ensemble’s upcoming debut album release — itself the result of extended group improvisations on acoustic and electronic percussion already available to pre-order online (https://sarecordings.com/release/318283-nok-cultural-ensemble-njhyi-) as both a limited- edition vinyl and digital download release via London-based label and music platform SA Recordings (committed to releasing digital and physical works, commissioning creative projects, producing limited-edition merchandise, and developing bespoke, artist-led sample libraries in collaboration with Spitfire Audio), the collective of percussion prodigies concerned drew upon the legacy of the ingenious dub rhythmic scientists that changed the face of music, including such seminal figures as Lee Scratch Perry. “It’s important to remember that dub is one of the original electronic musics,” maintains Edward Wakili-Hick, who applied his independent learning from African ethnomusicologists to technology: “Over lockdown, I was learning more music tech and saw that — on a digital level — there are so many European frameworks in terms of how we think about sound.”
Amazing artist-led sampling — encapsulating explosive Afro-percussion articulated through free jazz sensibilities and glitching beats that unfold on African timelines to extend the futuristic pulse of dub technologies, recorded to tape at Ariwa Sounds — is clearly discernible when working with NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION, any result of which surely speaks for itself. “It will be an amazing addition to any producer or composer’s toolkit; whether wanting to add really cool, rare percussion sounds to a piece or just delve out of your comfort zone and make something that you’ve never made before, this library will definitely inspire you to do so,” summarises Spitfire Audio in-house composer Cairo St Luce-Sinclair — and rightly so.
Amazing artist-led sampling — encapsulating explosive Afro-percussion articulated through free jazz sensibilities and glitching beats that unfold on African timelines to extend the futuristic pulse of dub technologies, recorded to tape at Ariwa Sounds — is clearly discernible when working with NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION, any result of which surely speaks for itself. “It will be an amazing addition to any producer or composer’s toolkit; whether wanting to add really cool, rare percussion sounds to a piece or just delve out of your comfort zone and make something that you’ve never made before, this library will definitely inspire you to do so,” summarises Spitfire Audio in-house composer Cairo St Luce-Sinclair — and rightly so.
NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION is available as an AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible plug-in supporting Native Instruments’ NKS (Native Kontrol Standard) for Mac (OS X 10.10 – macOS 11) and Windows (7, 8, and 10 — latest Service Pack) that loads directly into any compatible DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for an RRP (Recommended Retail Price) of only £29.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$29.00 USD/€29.00 EUR (inc. VAT) — from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/nok-cultural-ensemble-tape-percussion/
Spitfire Audio’s namesake Spitfire Audio application allows anyone to buy now and download anytime and is available for free from here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/info/library-manager/
For more in-depth information, including some superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/nok-cultural-ensemble-tape-percussion/
Watch Spitfire Audio’s launch premiere of NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION — including its illuminative trailer video and accompanying walkthrough with Spitfire Audio in-house composer Cairo St Luce-Sinclair — here:
About Spitfire Audio (www.spitfireaudio.com)
Spitfire Audio is a British music technology company that specializes in sounds — sample libraries, virtual instruments, and other useful software devices. It collaborates with the best composers, artists, and engineers in the world to build musical tools that sound great and are exciting to use.
About Nok Cultural Ensemble (NCE)
Nok Cultural Ensemble (NCE) was founded in 2017 by London-based drummer and producer Edward Wakili-Hick, with its namesake NOK CULTURAL ENSEMBLE – TAPE PERCUSSION sample library released by Spitfire Audio featuring fellow members Onome Edgeworth and Joseph Deenmamode (a.k.a. Mo Kolours). Together, the collective crafts a visionary rhythmic continuum that tunes into living traditions stretching back through time to ancient civilizations, and calls in liberated futures through experimental frequencies and propulsive, frenzied textures. As a modern take on the drum/percussion ensemble, possibly the oldest instrumental formation in human history, it is rooted in traditional African and Caribbean musical concepts, aesthetics, and forms, inspired by the ancient civilization of Nok dating back to 500 BC but drawing particularly on the legacy of cultural ensemble bands from Sixties-West Africa. As such, NCE duly draws on the heritage of its members from St Kitts and Nigeria to Mauritius and the UK for a contemporary tapestry of black expression.
© 2022 Spitfire Audio Holdings Limited
