Category Archives: download

Pixelator, Voxelator and Robo-Voxelator – Game Sounds for Reaktor

Scott Riesterer of Sublime Sound has posted three retro game-sound Reaktor ensembles on his site.

Says Scott:

A while back I stumbled onto Adventure Kid’s single cycle waveform libraries. I really wanted to use his NES waveforms to make a synth that could produce chip tune style sounds reminiscent of those games from my childhood. At first I tried using Kontakt, and it was fine for just simply performing one type of sound at a time, but I wanted to dynamically blend them. I decided I’d have to use Reaktor to make it work. I used the structure of the included “Sound School Analog” synth and replaced the oscillators with samplers that play back the NES waveforms. I also designed the user interface to look a little like an NES controller. If you listen to “Pixelated” below you can hear my Pixelator synth in action.

The download link is on Scott’s site, and you can also get the instruments in the Reaktor user library.

Maschine & Reaktor Tutorial – 70s Solina Strings Ensemble

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In this video, Danny from Music Production Tutorials introduces the free Solina-V String Ensemble (available here in the Reaktor user library) and demonstrates its use in Maschine.

The Solina was a classic 70s synth used by many of the soul/funk/jazz artists of the time. It’s got a lovely spacey, trippy sound when you make use of some of the controls.

Hugo Portillo’s reconstruction of the Solina in Reaktor is jaw droppingly good, and rivals other top-drawer emulations like the DCAM Synth Squad Amber, in my opinion. If you want to trip out 70s style, get downloading and start playing!

Sending Random Notes from Reaktor

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Here’s a quick structure and mini tutorial that demonstrates how to send a random note from Reaktor on triggered input – you can use OSC or MIDI to map a control to the trigger button here:

…and the RandomNote will then send a note to the ReceiveNote instrument – or, in the properties, you can set up RandomNote to send the note to a different instrument, or a different plugin, or even a hardware synth. Use the Connect tab of the RandomNote instrument properties to select a destination.

The center pitch and rand. range knobs control the range of notes that can be selected randomly. The velocity knob sets the volume of the triggered note. This is not a finished instrument, but a demonstration of a technique. A recipe ingredient, if you will.

Here’s what it looks like inside:

The Trigger button triggers a core cell that outputs a random value between -1 and 1. This is multiplied by the Rand Range knob to produce a value, in this case between -12 and 12. A quantize module turns this into an integer, a whole number, which will correspond to a MIDI note. This value is then added (or subtracted if it’s negative) to the value from the Center Pitch knob. An Order module sends the note value first to the P(itch) input port on a Note module, and then to the Trig(ger) input on a Value module that holds the Velocity, or volume, of the triggered note. The Note module only sends when it receives a value at its G(ate) port, and it sends a note with whatever pitch was at its P input at the time.

Download the ensemble here and start hacking away at it. Replace the Rand. Range and Center Pitch controls with a scaled LFO, and the Trigger button with a clock, for example. Another recipe ingredient that might come in handy here is my Roux basic sequencer macro.

You’ll quickly notice, in sending this control signal to a synth, that it’s missing a note-off. We’ll add that next time!

Roundup: Automated Faders and Gestural Instruments in Reaktor

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Last weekend Andre Goc uploaded Weirdo to the Reaktor user library. It’s a granular sampler with automated faders controlling many of the parameters. Very cool!

The idea of automated faders has a long and interesting history in Reaktor.

One of the first times I saw this implemented was in the venerable Green Matrix ensemble that debuted in Reaktor 4:

This intrigued me but at the time I couldn’t figure out how to chop out the faders intact and use them in my own creations – I was too much the noob.

The next automated fader that came onto my radar completely blew my mind – Metaphysical Function, which was originally sold separately in the Electronic Instruments 2 package, and later incorporated as part of the Reaktor 5 factory library.

I can’t emphasize enough how Metaphysical Function shook me up and turned my mind around about music making methods and even about music itself. Anyhow, again the faders were a bit unwieldy, and though I did manage to extract the macros and get them working in my own ensembles, I eventually abandoned that and built my own from scratch.

My own recordable faders first made their Reaktor Library debut in Dubby Red Planet, which was a remix of a classic Dieter Zobel instrument, and later on their own as The Freshmaker, a tool / macro upload for Reaktor builders.

I later adapted the Freshmaker faders for use in my ParamDrum drum machine. ParamDrum is set up with its recordable faders mapped to Konkreet Performer node parameters, taking it into a whole new dimension of gestural control. While we’re on the topic of iOS, I should also mention one of the more awesome iOS gestural instruments – Figure. Gestural control is one of the most powerful aspects of tablet music making and it’s always baffled me that devs will release sonically revolutionary and intriguing instruments that slavishly stick to a keyboard style control. Props to the Propellerheads for moving beyond that.

The great Kristian Thom, creator of Acoustring, took some inspiration from The Freshmaker and built his own superb toolkit of automated controls which you can download here. And Andre Goc, creator of Weirdo, built his own modified auto-faders based on Mr. Thom’s devices.

So that’s one path through the history of automated faders in the Reaktor user library – doubtless there are things I’ve skipped over – if you know a good upload I’ve overlooked, please mention it in the comments. Perhaps you’d like to download one of the macro sets or fader based instruments and start hacking away at controlling your own synth, effect or sampler parameters. Go for it!

Update: I knew I was overlooking things!

Reichatron by Matt Mower is another spiritual descendant of Metaphysical Function, inspired by the phase-shifting music of Steve Reich. Matt also uploaded his faders separately here.

ConiX by Dmitriy Vasiliev is a package of automated faders aimed at Reaktor builders.

Floodverb for Reaktor

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Boscomac has released Floodverb for Reaktor, a lovely sounding reverb with a control that lets you shift it from static into infinite reverberation on the fly, plus a ducking mode that brings up the reverb when you stop playing.

FLOODVERB is a special reverb that inundates your sound and plunges it into the depths of the spread. Conventionally, you can choose the level of reverb, the rate of diffusion of the reverb sound and even the color of its spread by using the band-stop filters.

But the original aspect of Floodverb lies in its three modes of actions:

Fixed: you set the length of the reverb.

Controlled: you choose by a midi controller that the reverb becomes inifinite.

Ducked: when you do not play, the reverb becomes infinite and suspends your last notes.

Three interesting ways that make Floodverb is a unique effect. Let yourself go snorkeling in the background of sound ocean and maybe after a few hours of music, you will see some dolphins …

Get it here. As usual, it’s free, but users who appreciate Boscomac’s wonderful ensembles are encouraged to leave a donation.