Music software maker Native Instruments used its presence at this week’s Musikmesse 2005 conference in Frankfurt, Germany to roll out new products including Reaktor 5, Guitar Combos and Synthetic Drums.
Reaktor 5 is the latest major release of Native Instruments’ “modular sound design studio,” which lets users create their own electronic instruments using an instrument library, routing options and customizable panels. The software uses new core technology that provides low-level signal processing design capabilities, up to 64-bit internal resolution and a run-time compiler. More than 20 new synthesizers, drump machines, sequencers and effects are included, as well as many updates to existing Reaktor modules. It’s coming in May 2005 for US$579, €499. Upgrades from Reaktor 4 are $169 or €149.
Guitar Combos is a series of three guitar amp emulators based on the same technology used in Guitar Rig — Twang Combo, AC Box Combo and Plexi Combo. Twang Combo is modeled after the Fender Twin Reverb and has been created for guitar players looking to add a distinct sound when playing in pop, jazz, blues and country styles. It models a 2×12 cabinet and a tube condenser mic, and includes an overdrive pedal, chorus, vibrator and spring reverb. The AC Box Combo is modeled after the Vox AC-30, designed to deliver clean and crunch sounds for pop, rock and alternative. 2×12 cabinet emulation and a vintage condenser mic are matched with a treble booster, tremolo and spring reverb. And the Plexi Combo is modeled after Marshall’s JMP50 amp, delivering crunch and overdrive sounds suitable for rock, metal and psychedelic styles. A 4×12 cabinet emulation and dynamic mic are linked with fuzz overdrive, distortion pedal and reverse delay effects. Guitar Combos will be available in May for $79 or €69 each, with a bundle available for $199 or €179.
Finally, Native Instruments has introduced Synthetic Drums 2, a new collection of drum and percussion sounds developed in coordination with electronic music producers and sound designers including Junkie XL, Telefon Tel Aviv, Richard Devine and many others. It includes 36 drum kits that range in style from techno and house to hiphop, R&B, ambient, two-step, drum&bass, tech funk, IDM, breakbeat and much more. The collection includes more than 2,000 samples “generated and processed by using and abusing a wide range of analog and digital synthesizers, drum machines, effects and other, more outlandish devices,” according to Native instruments. The drum kits found in this collection are available in formats compatible with Native Instruments’ Battery 2 and Kontakt products. Pricing and availability were not announced as MacCentral posted this article.