I was pretty stoked when I dug into the filter modules and tried the different tempo sync options.Īll in all, I would say that there are a few actual innovations in sound manipulation in Kontakt, the most notable being the Time Machine modules. Every sampler geek's dreams should be realized with the wide array of LFOs and pole/pass filters available in Kontakt. There are no Altiverb-class reverbs here, but they sound better than most. There are a lot of things to choose from as far as EQs, reverb, compression, stereo enhancers, etc. They have been broken up nicely into send effects and insert effects. In fact, one of my main reasons for trying this sampler was the allure of drag and drop sample bank creation, instead of the tedious approach used in EXS24. As a long time user of EXS24, this feature was like a breath of fresh air. Kontakt also includes a sample browser, which allows for easy and fast auditioning of samples. The modules have different classes which consist of a sample source, envelope sections, insert effects, and send effects. Kontakt has a modular design, allowing you to "build" instruments from the available modules. Obviously, this is a lot like ReCycle, but until NI integrated this functionality into Kontakt, I was always bouncing back and forth between applications when attempting to slice and rearrange beats. It will also spit out a MIDI file that plays the pieces in their original form. In addition to these sample players, Beat Machine allows you to slice rhythmic material (like a break-beat) and map the pieces across the keyboard. Recent releases of Kontakt have also included Time Machine 2, a further- developed version of Time Machine. I'm not sure I've seen anything quite like it before. I was pretty impressed with the sound and usability of this module. It allowed me to get it sync'ed quickly, with few digital artifacts. I found this really useful when I was trying to sync a long horn sample to a song, and their tempos differed by 15-20 BPM, and they were in different keys. This module is also based on granular synthesis, but it is designed to alter the time of a sample, independent of pitch. Time Machine is great for working with tonal audio (as opposed to more percussive, atonal stuff like dirty drums and loops). Next is my favorite (and what I consider the most interesting sampler module included), Time Machine. Second is Tone Machine, a granular synthesizer that impresses tonal info onto the sample, independent of speed. It plays the sample back and changes the pitch without changing the duration. One is a "regular" sample player, which works much like you would expect a sampler engine to work. Kontakt allows you to choose from one of five sample sources (playback engines with different characteristics) when setting up an instrument. Having used most of the competition (EXS24, MachFive, SampleTank, etc), Kontakt seems to allow easier and faster auditioning and tweaking of samples, and it provides tons of flexibility. NI touts Kontakt as the most advanced software sampler ever, and I am inclined to believe them. After reading John's review of various software samplers in the last issue, I thought I'd give my opinion as to what's happening in the soft-sampler scene.
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