This one has been a long time coming – 33 years, in fact – but we think it's worth it
We're delighted to announce that we have now launched SAHARA, which is a meticulously detailed recreation of the original factory sound library for the Ensoniq Mirage, in Kontakt format. There are 179 original patches and over 50 Multis. Every note of every patch was sampled, often at multiple velocity layers, to capture the signature thick, earthy tone of the Mirage's 8-bit DACs and analogue filter. SAHARA has been produced in collaboration with the lovely folks at Syntaur, who are the license-holders in the original samples. The results (though we say it ourselves...) are pretty damn cool 
The Kontakt front-end is designed to be simple to use, but powerful enough to allow you to sculpt your own creations using the Mirage patches as starting points. It includes a convolved period-accurate Lexicon reverb, envelope controls for filter and amp, stereo panning, a host of effects to process the sound, and performance-oriented features (velocity to cutoff or amp, mod wheel vibrato, etc). But there's also the crucial Vintage button, which instantly disables all the modern bells and whistles and gives you the raw sound of the Mirage in all its glory. (Your settings are saved, though, so when you hit Vintage again, everything goes back the way it was. Neat
)The last time we did anything at this level of forensic detail was when we recreated the Emulator II Universe of Sounds library. Press praise for that project included:
"Sampled soundbanks don't get much more classic than this" – Computer Music magazine
“There is old-school digital character on offer here in every one of the instruments… brilliantly retro” – Future Music magazine
“Rhythmic Robot strike again… The hits and chords still sound immense [and] it gets even better with a great selection of strings. Whether you’re writing ’80s retro tracks or you simply love the sounds, these collections should prove invaluable.” – Sound on Sound magazine
Tons more information, plus those all-important audio demos, are up on our website here:
http://www.rhythmicrobot.com/product/sahara
...and as usual we're running a tasty launch offer for a limited time only. If you're quick, you can get SAHARA for just £79 instead of the usual RRP of £99. If you've always wanted to know why the Mirage changed the world back in 1984, now's your chance to find out
Have fun!
The Professor (and Mongo)