Big Fish Audio releases Grindhouse for Kontakt Player

27th January 2017 - KVR Audio News

Big Fish Audio and Funk/Soul Productions have released Grindhouse, a cinematic virtual instrument for Kontakt / Kontakt Player 5.6 and above.

Grindhouse is a collection of edgy, lo-fi, and retro-cool multi-sampled instruments with loads of character and a unique 1970s exploitation movie vibe. The goal in creating Grindhouse was to produce a virtual instrument that had the same feel as those old exploitation films: a VI that is so bad, it's good. This library is a collection of instruments that sound like they were sampled from old vinyl LPs and recorded off a bad copy of an obscure 1970s exploitation film.

The instruments sampled for Grindhouse were chosen because they have a truly distinctive sound and character. BFA used old instruments, cheap instruments, and instruments that most sensible people would have probably taken to a music store for repairs, or thrown in the trash (in fact, at least two of the instruments in this product were recovered from a town dump).

They say, "We watched a lot of old exploitation films from the 1970s, and set out to replicate some of the vocal and instrument sounds that were used in those films. Take a look at the patch list and you'll find such B-Movie soundtrack classics as Spaghetti Western Electric Guitar, Melodramatic String Section, 1960s Cliche Jungle Movie Drums, several patches of audio clips taken from actual (public domain) Grindhouse flicks, and lots more."

Grindhouse is designed for use in all sorts of Indie-style productions, or any project that calls for a lo-fi or "home-made" vibe. Whether you're a songwriter, a producer, or a composer working on TV, film, or video games, Grindhouse can be used to add grit and character to your music. You can use it to create loops, tracks, or entire songs that have a funky, crate-digger type of vibe. And of course, Grindhouse is ideal for scoring your very own retro-style Kung Fu, Spaghetti Western, Biker Gang, Girl Gang, Women in Prison, Pinky Violence, Low-Budget Horror, Italian Crime, Japanese Yakuza, or Blaxploitation B-movie soundtrack.

Here's a quick overview of the GUI controls:

DISTORTION - adds simulated tube-amp distortion.
BASS - a bipolar control used to increase or decrease the amount of bass.
TREBLE - a bipolar control used to increase or decrease the amount of treble.
HI-CUT - reduces the high end, making instruments sound dull and slightly muffled.
LO-CUT - a filter that reduces the low end, making instruments sound thin and tinny.
REVERB - controls the amount of reverb.
Drop-Down Menu #1 - provides a selection of 10 high-quality convolution Reverbs.
TAPE SAT - adds analog tape-style compression and limiting, fattens-up sounds.
DELAY - controls the number and loudness of Delays (see below) added.
Drop-Down Menu #2 - a selection of tempo-synched Delays and delay-effects.
MOD-WHA - flip this switch and you can use your keyboard's Mod Wheel as a Wah-Wah pedal.
ADSR - separate knobs for Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release.
WOBBLE - causes the pitch to fluctuate unpredictably, similar to old film or tape.
NOISE - adds authentically awful hum and crackle sampled from actual 1970s exportation films. Flip the switch to the right of the knob to turn on this "feature", then dial in the amount of Noise you want to add.