Difficult Audio has announced the release of RetroSound MK100 - a combined synth and drum machine based on the MK100 from the early 80s, lovingly recreated for NI's Kontakt sampler.
The MK100 was a home keyboard. Unlike its contemporaries, the stereo-chorus equipped MK100 had 12 standard presets consisting of two layers, and you could customise the waveforms and envelopes each used (the original manual proclaimed "1,376 sound possibilities").
While it's not an FM machine, its voicings and waveforms (and colour scheme) were clearly derived from the brand new DX range.
With the Kontakt recreation, all synth presets are present and can be customised with different waveforms and envelopes in exactly the same way as the hardware, together with the chorus and tremolo effects.
Kontakt's synth engine can also offer new possibilities for the source sounds, so each of the two synth layers can have its own independent filter and envelope settings.
All the preset drum patterns and fills are present, as is the Custom Drummer. The drum voices aren't just limited to the straight preset sounds on the hardware, but can be modified in a number ways - and in addition to the real-time pattern recording from the original, a full graphic step editor lets you edit your patterns, as well as full MIDI keyboard driven operation for real-time jamming and creative sessions.
The effects page ties it all together with a reverb and delay, and some other output effects to further shape the output - or you can just leave the FX off and use your usual plugins as required.
Requires Kontakt > 5.6.5 (full version)
Price: £20+VAT.
Available for purchase exclusively from KontaktHub
YouTube.com/watch?v=Oz9EnVW_sso
SoundCloud.com/kontakthub/sets/retrosound-mk-100-kontakt-instrument
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