#jamuary2024 07 HWJ Image Inspiration '24

video upload by SynthAddict

"My first attempt was more literal, based on the sounds of stuff in the painting and the actual notes depicted in the painting, but it didn't work out.

This one is more of a period jam with acoustic instrument samples: hand perc, upright bass, harpsichord, flute, and strings. I added some arps and FX for more pizzazz. :-)"

Ambient Electronica Waldorf Iridium & Maschine +

video upload by Crybo Synth Sounds

"As usual the only way to use the Maschine + is in standalone! Not really but its the way I enjoy it the most. This time using it with the Waldorf Iridium. Lots of FX, 3 instances of Massive and 1 of Monark. There is a arp of Massive which took up a big chunk of CPU, did'nt want to re-sample it though. Re-sampling of the Iridium.

Soundpacks available for the Novation Peak, Korg Minilogue XD, Waldorf Iridium, Hydrasynth & UDO Super 6 https://crybosynthsounds.gumroad.com"

Hardware Jams Weekly Challenge - Secret Santa '23

video upload by SynthAddict

"Secret Santa for Steve Rutherford

As Steve is a drums/guitar/synth guy I tried to incorporate most of the elements he uses, but with my own spin.

I only had about 2 hours to make this from scratch in one take, so I apologize for the errors and lack of complexity. :-)

No time to edit or do any titles/visual adjustments..."

Depressive Silence - Forest of Eternity - Dungeon Synth Cover - Supernatural Darkness

video upload by Supernatural Darkness

"My absolute most listened to and favourite track in the Dungeon Synth genre. It took me some considerable time to learn by ear on guitar and arrange in Reaper DAW. It was performed with a combination of layered hardware and VST synths. Lead melodies are a combination of Juno 106 strings, Kontakt string ensemble, and Omnisphere layered OBX. My intention was not to copy the keyboards used on the original (Korg N364 and Yamaha PSS 1700 apparently) but use a combination of what I have available to achieve something as melancholic and dreamy as the original. The piece is F minor throughout slightly flattened probably from the tape speed. For ease of performance I transposed my keyboards to F# minor."

Hardware Jams Weekend Challenge -- 180 BPM (pseudo punk/speed metal)

video upload by SynthAddict

via supporting member, SynthAddit: "It has some synthy bits, but there is not a single guitar loop or real drum played on it (my guitar playing stinks). The Kontakt guitar and drum libs have some great elements in the samples

that sound pretty legitimate when played a certain way on the pads, especially the guitars with some added live 'string bending' with the M+ pitch ribbon - some luck there for sure. :-) "

Introducing Spotlight Collection: Ireland | Native Instruments

video upload by Native Instruments

"Bring authentic Irish flavor to any composition with Spotlight Collection: Ireland. Recorded with care, it puts 11 traditional instruments at your fingertips, including the fiddle, bodhrán drum, tin whistle, Irish harp, and more. Loaded with a selection of scales and patterns, it's got all you need to craft and layer expressive performances in an instant.

Discover Spotlight Collection: Ireland: https://www.native-instruments.com/pr..."

Soniccouture Releases AC-DR: Acoustic Drum Machine For Kontakt Player NKS

video uploads by Soniccouture

Playlist:
Soniccouture AC-DR: Acoustic Drum Machine
AC DR: Acoustic Drum Machine Product Tour w/ James Thompson
AC-DR: Acoustic Drum Machine | Kit Preview

via Soniccouture

"€149 | $149

Intro Offer: 30% OFF Until December 29th 2023

Soniccouture wanted to make an old school-style drum machine.

But they wanted to do it with 21st century sampling techniques: round-robin samples, multi-channel sounds, generative sequencers.

Years in the making - the idea started life as a kind of reverse follow-up to Soniccouture’s Electro-Acoustic: 'let's make acoustic drums sound electronic'. But, it took them quite lot of experimentation and head-scratching to figure out exactly what that might look - and sound - like.

Now it’s ready - check it out!"

You can find additional details in a two part article on Soniccouture' website here and here.

Epic Orchestral Collection from Audio Imperia | Native Instruments

video upload by Native Instruments

"Adam Harvey from Audio Imperia takes us through how to use the libraries in the Epic Orchestral Collection to score a scene from a short film. Spark ideas and add authentic detail to your compositions with this exclusive bundle, for a limted time only.

Save over 70% on Audio Imperia with the Epic Orchestral Collection: https://www.native-instruments.com/sp...

00:00 - Introduction
00:52 - Scoring with The Epic Orchestral Collection
03:00 - Score Breakdown
03:30 - Scene 1
10:49 - Fluid Woods in Context
11:34 - The Fluid Series
14:08 - Scene 2
16:33 - SOLO
17:11 - SOLO - Descant Horn
17:48 - SOLO - Flute
18:10 - SOLO - English Horn
18:41 - SOLO - Cello
19:05 - Jaeger - Merethe Soltvedt
19:42 - Scene 3
24:19 - Scene 4
27:13 - Outro

Audio Imperia are a team of composers and creatives with a mission to provide bespoke compositional tools that both inspire the mind, and simplify the process of making music. They work with world-class musicians, sound designers and recording studios to create their virtual instruments. Whether you are starting out for the first time, or looking for a new addition to your template, Audio Imperia’s libraries will enhance and foster your creativity – adding extra flair to your next project.

Download the final video, MIDI and Cubase project files here: https://bit.ly/4a3wv8M

Huge shoutout to the Blender Team for creating the short film Charge, and allowing their work to be distributed under the Creative Commons license.
Charge credits: https://studio.blender.org/films/char...

Native Kontrol Standard (or NKS for short) integrates third-party instruments and effects into Native’s workflow. That means streamlined browsing, consistent tagging, instant sound previews, Smart Play features, and key parameters pre-mapped by plugin creators for Komplete Kontrol and Maschine hardware. A huge number of leading developers have NKS-ready plugins, so even those with super-sized sound collections can find what they need and use it fast.
Find out more: https://www.native-instruments.com/sp..."

What’s new in the latest Vocal Colors update | Native Instruments

video upload by Native Instruments

"Explore all of the new features in Vocal Colors expressive vocal instrument, including user sample drag-and-drop, polyphonic aftertouch support, and 180 new presets additions to help you shape and blend voices.

Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:46 - User samples
05:25 - Polyphonic vibrato
06:42 - Next-generation NKS
06:57 - New presets"

VOCAL COLORS Walkthrough | Native Instruments

video upload by Native Instruments

"VOCAL COLORS creator Uli Baronowsky goes deeper into the instrument and its recording process, and illustrates how specially-recorded sample content is combined within the powerful COLORS engine to create one-of-a-kind vocal textures.

VOCAL COLORS blurs the lines between speech and synthesis with a collection of boutique vocal samples transformed in a powerful engine.

More Info: https://www.native-instruments.com/pr..."

Hardware Jams Weekend Challenge: Classic Banger

video upload by

"A very loosely inspired jam from Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor

Maschine+
I mixed up a few moments from the piece and went way off in my own direction. Not a banger per se, but lots of perc. :-)"

Introducing Spiral Strings by Tonsturm - Unique String VSTi for Composers

video upload by TonsturmChannel

"We're thrilled to introduce Spiral Strings, our first virtual instrument for composers. Experience a truly unique sound and dive into the sonic universe of the Spring Cello — an instrument like no other, with string tones that are out of this world. Spiral Strings is a two-layer instrument with 8 play styles to choose from, a modulation matrix, 3 effects per layer, and - we take special pride in successfully incorporating a true stereo convolution reverb. As achieving true stereo in Kontakt poses a significant challenge."

https://tonsturm.com/software/spiral-strings/



"Tutorial for our first kontakt sample instrument, made for composers."

Playlist:

Spiral Strings tutorial part 1 - Overview
Spiral Strings Tutorial 2 - Main page
Spiral Strings tutorial part 3 - Movements
Spiral Strings tutorial part 4 - Effects

Manhattan Bridge Subway Ride (N & Q trains) with original music

video upload by CatSynth TV

"The view looking south from an eastbound subway train over the Manhattan Bridge in New York, with original music. The southern side of the bridge carries tracks for the N and Q lines of the New York City subway.

Filmed in January 2023

The music is built around the original sound from the subway rides. Instrumentation includes:
Arturia EFX Fragments
Tracktion KULT
Cherry Audio Mercury 6 and Stardust 201 delay
Jaymar toy piano
Landscape Stereo Field
Strymon Starlab
QuBit Prism
John Cage Prepared Piano from Big Fish Audio (Kontakt)
EastWest Hollywood Orchestra Solo Cello"

Hardware Jams Weekend Challenge: Heavenly Pads and Hellish Drums (Noisevember 06)

video upload by SynthAddict

"Maschine+ of course :-)

Crunchy distorted and FM-tweaked loud drums, etc. mixed with pretty yet sad pads and leads…

***Oops, I just remembered I had an ARP section that wasn't even finished or implemented - I may add it and do a rev 2 version later. :-) The partial ARP version was muted the whole time.
Making stuff last-minute and in a rush is always risky. :-P"

Hardware Jams Weekend Challenge: Halloween ’23

video upload by SynthAddict

"Maschine+ and custom samples (and some dissonance)

Not as spooky as I had hoped but a quick-n-dirty entry for this week to get back in the swing. I already missed 2 weeks. :-("

Stoel Vacuum Tube Ring Mod with Native Instruments Maschine #synth #eurorack #nativeinstruments

video upload by Stoel Music Systems

https://www.stoelmusicsystems.com/eurorack

Hardware Jams Weekend Challenge: Message in a Bottle

video upload by SynthAddict

"Secret Message: Happy Birthday Dean!

Maschine+
Mellow, good vibes to celebrate a cool dude - Dean Daughters. :-)"

Eventide Riptide for Synth Heads! 5 Favorite Features!

video upload by Electronisounds Audio

"The Eventide Riptide sounds so good, and in this video, we'll check out how it sounds on loads of different synth gear (no guitars) and I'll also share my five favorite features with you!"

0:00 What is Riptide?
1:57 Example 1
2:50 Example 2
4:21 My 5 favorite Features!
7:23 Example 3
8:45 Example 4
9:41 Example 5
11:01 Example 6
12:18 Example 7
13:13 Example 8



Electronisounds:
WEBSTORE ► https://www.electronisounds.com/
PATREON ► https://www.patreon.com/DeanDaughters

KOMPLETE KONTROL MK3 - Demo and Review

video upload by

"I have the new KOMPLETE KONTROL MK3 USB MIDI KEYBOARD CONTROLLER.
Let's have some fun with it.
- UNBOXING
- OVERVIEW
- FIRST IMPRESSIONS
- MUSICAL INTERLUDE
- KOMPLETE KONTROL FOR DUMMIES
- NKS2 DEMO
- POLYPHONIC AFTERTOUCH
- KONTAKT DIRECT CONNECT
- PROS AND CONS"

MORE WOODY PIANO SHACK:
► PATREON http://bit.ly/woody_patreon
► WEBSITE https://woodypianoshack.com

Hardware Jams Weekend Challenge: So very wet…

video upload by SynthAddict

"Maschine+, ATV aFrame, Microcosm and kalimba

As directed, everything is dripping wet with some sort of reverb - some static, some dynamic."

Native Instruments Introduces New Kontrol S-Series MK3 MIDI Controller Keyboards

video uploads by Native Instruments

Press Release follows:

Berlin, September 12, 2023 – Native Instruments today announced new Kontrol S-Series MK3 MIDI controller keyboards (S49, S61, and S88), offering seamless hardware and software integration, unique expressive control, and a stunning industrial design.

Kontrol S-Series keyboard controllers are truly best in class, with powerful new features and control capabilities that enable creators to stay in the flow with an intuitive connection to instruments, effects, and DAWs, all with deep navigation on a high-res screen. They are available in three size options: 49 semi-weighted keys, 61 semi-weighted keys, or 88 fully weighted hammer-action keys.

New polyphonic aftertouch functionality allows creators to take expression further with the slightest pressure on individual keys, controlling cutoff, pitch, vibrato, and much more without reaching for an extra encoder or dial. All three models include polyphonic aftertouch on an industry-leading keybed developed in collaboration with renowned Italian manufacturer Fatar.

Kontrol S-Series controllers bring virtual instruments to life and offer a genuinely immersive experience with in-depth control via extensive Kontakt integration and next-generation Native Kontrol Standard (NKS) technology. NKS brings software instruments, effects, loops, and samples into one smooth workflow, creating seamless integration between NI software, all major DAWs, and thousands of partner sounds, instruments, and effects. This effortless integration enables creators to focus on their performance, without being distracted by the need to look at a computer screen.

All three models feature a stunning industrial design with a large glass screen, touch-sensitive anodized aluminum encoders and mod wheels, and redesigned tactile buttons. A highly visual lighting system makes it easy to stay in the creative zone with an intelligent Light Guide that illuminates switches, key zones, scales, and more.


Kontrol S-Series controllers come with a range of software that enables creators to start making music out of the box:

Komplete 14 Select is the essential production suite, including powerful synths, drums, percussion, studio-grade effects, and a wide range of customizable sounds.
Komplete Kontrol software unites and organizes instruments, effects, loops, and samples, mapping everything to the keyboard controller.
Plus: Stradivari Cello, Hypha, Guitar Rig LE, iZotope Elements Suite, and Ableton Live Lite

Top Kontrol S-Series Features:

Refined industrial design, manufactured to the highest level of quality for the best playing experience
Full-color glass display for intuitive browsing, tweaking, and mixing
Industry-leading keybed from Fatar with polyphonic aftertouch as standard
Metal-touch pitch and modulation wheels with central illumination
Unparalleled hardware/software integration with direct connection to Kontakt helps you find, adjust, and play sounds quickly and easily
Seamless integration with all major DAWs lets you control transport and mixing commands directly from the keyboard: record, stop, rewind, mix, edit, and see project channels on the display
Precision tweaking for all your sounds, pre-mapped to key instrument and effect parameters
Redesigned Light Guide pinpoints notes with a light above each key
USB, MIDI, and bus-powered USB-C connectivity plus inputs for four pedals: one sustain, one expression, and two assignable pedals

Learn more https://www.native-instruments.com/kontrolsseries

Pricing and availability
Starting today, Kontrol S-Series MK3 is available for pre-orders from www.native-instruments.com and select retailers.

Kontrol S-Series MK3 will be fully available online and in stores this October, with preorders also shipping at that time.

Kontrol S49 MK3 pricing:
€ 749,00 / $ 749,00 / JPY 107.400,00 / £ 649,00 / AUD 1.099,00 / CAD 969,00 / CHF 749,00 / CNY ¥ 5.899,00

Kontrol S61 MK3 pricing:
€ 849,00 / $ 849,00 / JPY 121.700,00 / £ 749,00 / AUD 1.299,00 / CAD 1.099,00 / CHF 849,00 / CNY ¥ 6.699,00

Kontrol S88 MK3 pricing:
€ 1.299,00 / $ 1.299,00 / JPY 186.200,00 / £ 1129,00 / AUD 1.949,00 / CAD 1.679,00 / CHF 1299,00 / CNY ¥ 9.999,00

Update:

NI Kontrol S Series MK3: The pros and cons of upgrading // S49/S61/S88 MK3 Review & tutorial

video upload by loopop

TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
1:10 Overview
1:55 Poly AfterTouch
2:55 Modes
6:35 Panel & guides
8:05 MK3 Changes
8:40 Next-gen NKS
9:15 More AfterTouch info
10:00 Panel changes
11:30 Connectivity
11:55 Settings
12:15 Komplete Kontrol
12:50 Preset filters
14:10 Non-NKS plugins
16:05 DAW devices
17:30 FX in Komplete
18:40 Scales
19:25 Chords
19:50 Arpeggiator
21:25 Loops & samples
22:00 Kontakt 7
22:30 Multi layers
23:10 Maschine?
24:30 MK3 S88
24:45 Pros, cons
24:55 vs MK2
26:55 vs the world
28:45 Outro