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Mini Two

Reaktor User Ensembles
Mini Review
Series

Reviewed by Sleen , 03/29/02

Native Instruments Reaktor V.3.05
Winamp playlist #2


PlasmaClone 1.1.1

Ensemble notes:
- plasma originates from NI, monolake
- filter taken from anders sorvaldson's bts dream
- scratch-circuity by uwe G. hoenig
- cloned by christoph jäger Designed for using it as a vst2.0 -Instrument so there are no effects included.

Somehow I missed this one. Very simple compared to travelizer, with some similarities like fading filter changes. However, this ensemble has a 'scratcher' that lets you scratch out the grain loop position, all the while retriggering the overall envelope. You can do this in Travelizer by setting a window length, and then assigning wave position to an external midi slider. The ensemble also has an lfo to modulate the sample position so you don't have to keep scratching all the time. This is a great ensemble for people needing simple granular, with a few controls critically setup for performance. Built by Christoph Jäger



Scan

Ensemble notes:
Synth that scans through 8 subosc W/var waveform&pitch very much simpler than csound's scanned synthesis but anyway a new synthesis method with r3's scanner module. Sounds a bit like fm, includes a tiny sequenzer and stereo delay.

Created by ekki ekkijdfg@gmx.de The snapshots as you can tell from the examples are fairly extreme. Ranging from subharmonic to screeching, but also detailed and changing. Looking at the wave choices for the 8 oscillators (Sawtooth, Triangle, Sine, Pulse), I was very surprised by the output which does not sound like any of those waveforms at times. I could see a more complex sequenzer being added with some swing and using the tables instead of sliders. But this should be easy for most Reaktor builders.



Sample&Morph

Ensemble notes:
A harmonizer like effect/synth. The input signal is alternately recorded into 3 table y-slots and a lfo morphs between the sampled waveforms.

This ensemble can use a built in sample, or can be used with a live input as effect. As you can hear from the example file, the output can be pitched, taking note number from the keys, or you can simply twist the loaded sample to hell and back. As a way of mutating beats, this ensemeble can be very useful. But on other signals, you can use it to apply some very interesting 'morphing' modulation, the speed of which can be set in the panel. The ensemble in the library was missing the Int/Ext button switch. Designed by martin brinkmann.



GaterFX

Ensemble note:
Insert Effect for VST

If you want a very capable gater effect for signals in your host program that supports VST effects, then absolutely load this up. The effect syncs to the midi sequencer clock to create the gate sequence tempo. It presents a table interface for entering the gate amount, with a max number of 64 steps. You can recall multiple gate sequences, set the clock division, start and direction the sequencer will use to gate. Everything here is designed to fit comfortably into the VST shell window size. Besides simply gating though, you can control the envelope applied to each gate step, as well as add Frequency and Ring Modulation. Further there is a Lofi section that allows you to downsample the input bits and sample rate, and even add some dithering. The drive section can add additional gain and cruch, and the filter section has lfo random and envelope modes to give the gate sequence an evolving texture by modulating the cutoff frequency across the steps. Choices of filters include hi, low and bandpass, as well as the pro52 filter. This ensemble is v-vv-v-erry useful! Didier Leboz



Discotalk

Upload Notes:
I WENT TO DISCO AND I HEARD SOME DIRTY TALK...ProgramChild

Ok, Program Child has my love. I feel Pchilds' pain many a feverish saturday night here in Chicago; Trixies must die!!! Warning: Yes, the people in this ensemble talk very dirty, as is demonstrated in the example file. This kind of ensemble borderlines between instrument, videogame, and interactive oscillator art; similar to The Roswell Tube. The game is trying to remember where your favorite line is, and assemble actual dialogue. Absolutely fun, the voices were sampled from some text to speech generator, and many samples span an area that lets you change their pitch(resynth module). The waveforms at the top display the currently selected Resynthed waveform from the 'character' X-Y tables. The bottom waveform is for the beatloop, and below this is an interactive waveform that lets you tweak the beat. The dance button to the right sets the players into action; the boy of course all over the place while the girl remains primly in beat. You can get quite a stir of funky dialog going if you can mouse the characters in time. If disco bums you out, then check out this ensemble- guaranteed to cheer you up! Especially if you are 14...By ProgramChild 2002

 


 

Caterpillar

Caterpillar is available via download at em411.com and soon trash80.net Comprised of a bunch of components: A mono sequencer for bass or leads, a poly sequencer for chords, a mixer panel with 2 aux sends and delay, a control track sequencer, and also a pattern sequencer that sits on top of everything. Recently Tim added the live play live pattern sequencer control, a drum sequencer, and two really cool slice sequencers.

Caterpillar uses the tables for all the pattern and seq storage. Though it took a few experiments to get a feel for what was going on, I quickly decided it was a good thing to have 2 monitors as you will want to have all the panels open at once. Setting things up is intuitive, though you may get hung up trying to get the pattern sequence to trigger the other sequencers. The trick was to set each individual sequncer to ext, and turn OFF the run button. Then they all accept the incoming clock from Reaktor instead, and the appropriate patterns are triggered. I would have to say caterpillar is very cool, and alot of work went into this. Though it all comes down to the tables. And inputing musical information is less than ideal...for which is included a 'write' function which takes incoming midi and squirts it right in to the activated table. You will want a fast computer because the temptation to hook all of caterpillar up with instruments and effects is considerable. At the end you will have pattern sequencing across multiple instruments on different midi channels, with up to three effects.

The example file in Tim's, with added voice sequences coming from the tape loop sequencer. In addition, there is a bass instrument, logick loop(drum loop), and Trash EP on keys. Rev 6 is on Aux Send 1.

The recent instruments added are the Tape Loop Player, the Logick Loop player, and the Sinus 8 sample player. The logick loop is a slice sequencer with tempo, beats, slices, pitch and offset parameters, while the tape loop is much simpler but also offering attack and decay for the slices.

Overall this is a very well built collection of elements. The distribution has changed from a single assembled ensemble, to individual instruments. Tim felt he spent more time adding each instrument to other ensembles in the library, and that an assembled ensemble is too constraining. For the purpose of demonstration, a single ensemble should be included so the user can get a feel for how everything is related from pattern sequencer, to actual instruments, and then also how the mixer works. Everything is very intuitive and after some initial learning, you will be making cool mixes in no time flat. Built by Timothy Lamb, 2002.



BioSynth

Biosynth is certainly cool look at, and interesting to play as well. The sounds sometimes take a while to coelesce, but the direction with this synth is definitely on the evolution of the sound. It is actually not that complicated, by combining the sampler FM with various other oscillators, some mild effects and a multimode filter. Some of the snapshots can play melody lines, others are even labeled pads, but I think this one might be in the special effect niche. Though no doubt further experimentation could swing this either way. Very interesting synth! Built by Morphlab, 2002.



heishere

Ensemble note:
. . . h e i s h e r e . . . this ens built on 'who is here' technology . . .

There was a really, nice, intellectual, plachyderm type of a fish and he was real creative. He was having alot of fun and living his life gently along in the Upper Devonian Penninsula. And suddenly out of nowhere came a band of religious fanatic sharks! And they organized themselves in crazy fiendish groups and just ate everything. Leaving nothing for this talented creative plachyderm type fish...

I don't want to die
thinking
unknown language
There inside in the tube
he really doesn't know the answer
Sometimes
He is not alone

... concocted by lazyfish 2000.



OUZO 2

Ensemble notes:
Greek FM synth with funny sekwenzaon & effectos modulakis

An original sequenced FM/RM synth with copius amounts of modulakis! The snapshots take you on a short trip through ancient greek mythology with tributes to Charybdis, Medusa, and a few other characters I don't recall such as Technos and Flatulencas. The sounds Ouzo2 makes are fairly spartan, leaving space between articulated taps and lo-bit sounding pulses. For all the activity that happens in the pantheon of realtime scopes, this ensemble is not that heavy on the cpu. Like the modern Metropolis, the instruments are well organized and properly documented. In sharp contrast to other synths whose builders never bothered to include info comments, I found myself making cool sounds from the panel very quickly with Leboz's added details. To finish things off, there is a sends section with three echos and reverbs, with overdrive distortion for the final sauce. Cooked up and served by Didier Leboz



Komplex Delay

Ensemble Notes:
Komplex Delay is a huge Effect-Ensemble and more then one more simple Delay. It contains 4 effect lanes with a Delay, a Overdrive and a Filter with a lot of modulation possibilities (5 LFOs, 2 Envelopes, 2 Step Sequencer) for the most parameters.

A fitting name for this ensemble, Komplex Delay can make some very elastic sounds. Because of its 'Komplexity', snapshot transitions are accompanied with nasty buffer interruptions. These were left in the example file for people that want to know what Reaktor sounds like when it struggles to change. In marked contrast to SynC Modular where output is dropped completely until the ensemble is fully loaded. Komplex Delay is more than some effects. It has two sources: a Beatloop sample player with smoothing and pitch control, and the Bimachine; a noise and sine percussion sequencer/synth made by Ekik. There is some input feedback, saturation and overdrive to make things both crunchy and unpredictable. Getting to know this ensemble will take some incubation, but as a creation it covers a fair number of things that Reaktor is good at. Komplex Delay would make a good ensemble to base a tutorial on. Built by Steffen Fuerst 2001



ATMA
ATMA2

Ensemble note:
Sequencer Driven Granular Synthesizer

Similar in style to other ugh designs, this ensemble wants to be performed. By presenting in the panel only those controls critical to getting good results, ATMA is useful for those moments on stage, or when the producer is watching you work. Though compared to more explicit designs with alot of controls, you can get an amazing range of sounds out of one sample. This is accomplished with a nice balance of sequencer and LFO modulation on the grain synth's parameters. For each parameter like grain pitch, speed, offset; you can select them to be modulated by the sequencer, the LFO, or both with sensitivity. The sequencer is fairly standard but also containing a shuffle knob. What is nice here, though, is that ugh dedicated an additional LFO to modulate the sequencer step position. Not a steps' place in time, but the current step that is played. Both LFO's wave shape can be changed, and the step modulation combined with shuffle can produce some sexy ungulations.

The compound edits applied in example 2 follow this sequence: No modulation, Sequence*level, LFO*Pan, LFO*Pitch, Sequence*Offset, LFO*Speed, LFO*Offset, Shuffle= 80 deg/2:00.

This ensemble is highly recommended and sounds like people licking in time. Built by Uwe G. Hoenig 2001.



SuperPan

Ensemble note:
This pan uses physical modelling to move a sound source not just left-right, but forward, back, and round and round. This is all done in STEREO mind you, not surround.

SuperPan is fairly immersive and depending on the source can indeed create the illusion of 3d placement. In the example file, a sample made from grainstate is sent into SuperPan. It starts in the center, and slowly spirals out, and then the spiral accelerates. Since this is an instrument and not an ensemble, it is intended to be used as a Reaktor FX plugin from an ASIO host, or inserted into an existing ensemble. You can use the auto pan controls for X and Y axes, or disable it and use the mouse pointer to control the z plane. Now if only the midi remote could control both, you could use a joystick. Built by Joe Orgren 2001.

All Compositions: Copyright  Sleen, 2002. All Rights Reserved.