Though Will and I are unable to physically attend NAMM this year - partially because we're feverishly at work on awesome new virtual instruments, and partially because of brutal post-convention flu - we wanted to nonetheless participate in the festivities! Over the next few days, we'll have what I call a "virtual press conference", where you'll learn about some very exciting upcoming projects coming out Q1/Q2 of this year.
Day 3: Announcing VOCALISA: Women's Slavic Choir
January 25th, 2014
VOCALISA is our upcoming choir library, capturing in detail the electric and powerful sound of a Slavic (Bulgarian) women's choir. We've been working on this collection for quite some time, and now are finally coming down the home stretch with editing & programming! Vocalisa features a full choir, as well as sections - altos, mezzos, sopranos, and soprano soloist - with multiple vowels/consonants, pitch bends, and word building.
This type of singing is very unlike traditional Western choirs. It frequently relies on harsh vowels and syllables, tight harmonies, and extensive use of pitch bends to create a truly powerful and ethereal sound. Slavic & Bulgarian singing has been used on classic soundtracks & scores like Xena: Warrior Princess and Ghost in the Shell. Here's an example of a classic piece performed in this style:
By using Vocalisa's different sections as well as the full choir and soloist patches, it is possible to create a choral sound that is as subtle or dramatic as you need. An inspiring UI includes such features as a phrase builder, allowing you to construct your own musical parts from syllables like "eh", "mah", "oh", "shteh", "svah", and consonants. Here's a preview of the phrase interface!
More info about Vocalisa will be released in the coming months, including audio demos, pricing & availability. As a ballpark, we expect to begin beta testing in February, and release in March. Vocalisa has been in progress since 2011: we have been meticulous about details of the recordings, editing, and scripting, making sure the final playable patches are as musical & intuitive as possible. Now, we're almost there, and we think you'll agree the wait was worth it!
Day 2: Announcing CELESTIA: Heavenly Sound Design
January 24rd, 2014
We are thrilled to announce our next KONTAKT instrument, titled CELESTIA: Heavenly Sound Design! This library has been in the works for some time, and we're really excited to be finally wrapping it up. Celestia is a collection of incredible custom-produced sound sources, ranging from acoustic to vocal to synthesized, wrapped in a gorgeous and inspiring UI with a powerful synth engine. As the name suggests, the library focuses on beautiful sounds: atmospheric textures, heavenly strings, galactic pads, angelic plucks, ephemeral ambiances, etc. The engine is our most advanced yet, providing incredible customization. Create totally new sounds in just a couple clicks with multiple internal preset menus and a randomizer function, or sculpt tones from scratch using a vast selection of controls and FX.
Check out the UI below!
WHO IS IT FOR?
As with our entire catalog, we think film, game, and TV composers will find CELESTIA exceptionally useful and inspiring. Whether you are working on subtle underscore, sweeping themes, sci-fi, uplifting commercials, electronica, or anything in between, this is an incredibly versatile library with immense tweakability. That being said, we also think it will be very useful for producers and musicians in many genres: chillout / downtempo, EDM, ambient/New Age, space music, jazz fusion, etc. Though price is not announced yet, what we can say is that it will be highly accessible!
SOUND LIBRARY FEATURES
* 8 categories of sounds: Warm, Motion, Acoustic, Vocal, Plucks, Bells, Noise, Texture
* Found & crafted acoustic/organic instruments
* 'Best of' soundsources from other ISW libraries (koto, harps, mallets)
* Gorgeous piano, acoustic guitar, plucked piano, string section
* Pure ambiences (including field recordings)
* Complex noises and layering elements
* Analog & digital synths - pads, sweeps, stabs
* Mangled & designed sounds and elements
* 5.7gb of sound content (NCW compressed!)
ENGINE FEATURES
* Stunning and inspiring user interface
* Dual layer architecture: load two soundsources and tweak independently
* Per-layer multimode filter, amp/pitch envelopes, filter LFO, sample start, tuning
* Intelligent RAM management: dynamically loads only sounds in use
* Comprehensive FX suite with full controls and 1-click access
* Custom impulse IRs that can completely change a sound
* Rhythmic sequencer / arpeggiator /gate
* Three-part preset system: LAYER presets, FX presets, RHYTHM presets
* Preset randomizer to create endless variations!
AUDIO
We'll have many audio demos for Celestia coming up, but for now, enjoy this simple preview demo of some of our favorite sound sources including the warm acoustic piano, Martin acoustic guitar, viola, various bells / mallet instruments, synth FX, pads, textures, etc!
https://soundcloud.com/isworks/celestia ... dentity-by
RELEASE DETAILS
We are currently working on presets for the library, after which we'll enter into final testing. CELESTIA will be released in February/March 2014 for Kontakt at a very accessible price! :mrgreen:
Day 1: Juggernaut Expansion & Shreddage 2 Updates
January 23rd, 2014
In 2013, we released Juggernaut: Cinematic Electronic Scoring Tools, a powerful Kontakt Player instrument that offers a wide range of cutting-edge electronic drums, basses, FX, and other scoring elements. We've received lots of great feedback on this release, and we're putting that feedback together into a Version 1.5 Expansion.
This FREE downloadable update will add a ton of new content: multiple brand-new, custom drum kits, new presets, loads of additional cinematic effects (including new glitch type FX, textures, whooshes, impacts, etc), oneshots, etc. Additionally, we'll be updating the patches themselves with new features based on your suggestions and comments. Again, this expansion will be FREE to all Juggernaut owners!
More recently, we launched our new Archtop: Hollowbody Electric Guitar instrument for Kontakt Player, bringing the gorgeous sound of a clean/DI hollowbody guitar to your DAW. Archtop's UI - which includes customizable articulation mapping, engine options, an on-screen help system, easy-access FX rack, etc - has received tons of praise, and honestly it has made our Shreddage 2: Absolute Electric Guitar UI look a wee bit dated in comparison.
So, to bring Shreddage 2 in line with the beautiful visual design of Archtop, we're working on a redesign of the S2 interface that will make it much more similar to Archtop's scripting. The core functionality and killer rock/metal sound of the library will remain the same: it will just be organized in a more accessible fashion, along with various other usability improvements and script enhancements.
For those who currently own Shreddage 2, note that we've already updated the library multiple times with new content and script features - you can pick those up right here on our support forum!
Questions? Comments? Hard-hitting investigative journalism?! Ask us anything, and stay tuned for tomorrow's announcements!
