https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news.atomZero-G Digital Audio Samples and Soundware - The Zero-G Blog2022-04-07T21:19:13+01:00Zero-G Digital Audio Samples and Soundwarehttps://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/christopher-myczkowski2022-04-07T21:19:13+01:002022-04-08T03:20:13+01:00Christopher Myczkowski - Wins Zero-G Elements in the Berlin International Film Scoring CompetitionJon Dennis
A big congratulation to Christopher Myczkowski for winning second prize in the 2022 Berlin International Film Scoring Competition. For his fantastic winning peice, he wins Zero-G Elements - Modern Scoring Synth. Christopher talks to us about the process and inspirations which led him to his winning piece.
I will admit, this was a challenging task. I sat down with the video multiple times before I felt I understood what was happening, which is key to scoring to media (film, game, etc).
My writing process is probably fairly different from other composers’. Part of that is because of the short length of the video and the relative lack of time pressure. I jump in head first without a template and begin a sketch. I tend not to do a piano sketch as I want to hear the piece come to life as I’m writing it. I find there’s a snowball effect where I stumble upon an idea and that idea becomes the inspiration for another idea. I also typically start with chord progressions and add the melody afterward. This is because, for me, harmonic structure provides the core of the emotional content. My goal is to be able to sit back and listen to it and feel something. If I don’t feel anything emotionally, I don’t think my listeners will.
I wanted to give a mysterious feel to the opening and have it “floaty” since we were in outer space. I wanted the landing to be pretty dramatic and the descending chords mirror the robot’s descent. Then I echoed that motif with woodwinds with the goal of having a more mysterious tone again, but definitely less powerful. I knew the black box was pivotal. I wanted to capture the robot’s interest and curiosity about this mysterious item. I wanted to give some breathing room (silence) for the “boom” when the robot is transported to heighten the suspense. When I saw the green forrest and birds, I wanted to go for a lush feel. However, when we get back to the black box, I wanted to circle back around to some mystery and tap into the robot’s hesitation/skepticism/confusion about the box. The lizard needed a motif. So I came up with something playful, but still ambiguous as we don’t know the character yet. When the robot is exploring and it gets the warning message, I wanted to revisit the descending motif and add a sense of urgency. I brought back the lizard’s theme with a slightly different melodic approach when it comes back on screen.
Something struck me about the way the lizard scratched it’s “hair”. And I felt a real innocence and kindness about the lizard. That’s when I knew I wanted a tone change beginning somewhat ambiguously, but ultimately evolving into something friendly and safe. That became the friendship theme between the robot and the lizard. I did want to inject a sense of urgency without completely disrupting the friendship theme when the robot has to make the decision to stay with its new friend and face the consequences or head back to the spaceship. When the spaceship takes off, I wanted an ascending motif similar to the descending motif that would conclude the main portion of the film. For the ending, I brought back the same descending motif (slightly modified) and landed on a major chord when we see the green plant. I brought in synth elements to increase the drama a bit.
I am very grateful to my wife, the BIFSC and its supporters, all the YouTubers whom I’ve learned a great deal from, and all of the sample/plugin companies and performing musicians that have helped my creations come to life.
A big congratulation to Christopher Myczkowski for winning second prize in the 2022 Berlin International Film Scoring Competition. For his fantastic winning peice, he wins Zero-G Elements - Modern Scoring Synth. Christopher talks to us about the process and inspirations which led him to his winning piece.
I will admit, this was a challenging task. I sat down with the video multiple times before I felt I understood what was happening, which is key to scoring to media (film, game, etc).
My writing process is probably fairly different from other composers’. Part of that is because of the short length of the video and the relative lack of time pressure. I jump in head first without a template and begin a sketch. I tend not to do a piano sketch as I want to hear the piece come to life as I’m writing it. I find there’s a snowball effect where I stumble upon an idea and that idea becomes the inspiration for another idea. I also typically start with chord progressions and add the melody afterward. This is because, for me, harmonic structure provides the core of the emotional content. My goal is to be able to sit back and listen to it and feel something. If I don’t feel anything emotionally, I don’t think my listeners will.
I wanted to give a mysterious feel to the opening and have it “floaty” since we were in outer space. I wanted the landing to be pretty dramatic and the descending chords mirror the robot’s descent. Then I echoed that motif with woodwinds with the goal of having a more mysterious tone again, but definitely less powerful. I knew the black box was pivotal. I wanted to capture the robot’s interest and curiosity about this mysterious item. I wanted to give some breathing room (silence) for the “boom” when the robot is transported to heighten the suspense. When I saw the green forrest and birds, I wanted to go for a lush feel. However, when we get back to the black box, I wanted to circle back around to some mystery and tap into the robot’s hesitation/skepticism/confusion about the box. The lizard needed a motif. So I came up with something playful, but still ambiguous as we don’t know the character yet. When the robot is exploring and it gets the warning message, I wanted to revisit the descending motif and add a sense of urgency. I brought back the lizard’s theme with a slightly different melodic approach when it comes back on screen.
Something struck me about the way the lizard scratched it’s “hair”. And I felt a real innocence and kindness about the lizard. That’s when I knew I wanted a tone change beginning somewhat ambiguously, but ultimately evolving into something friendly and safe. That became the friendship theme between the robot and the lizard. I did want to inject a sense of urgency without completely disrupting the friendship theme when the robot has to make the decision to stay with its new friend and face the consequences or head back to the spaceship. When the spaceship takes off, I wanted an ascending motif similar to the descending motif that would conclude the main portion of the film. For the ending, I brought back the same descending motif (slightly modified) and landed on a major chord when we see the green plant. I brought in synth elements to increase the drama a bit.
I am very grateful to my wife, the BIFSC and its supporters, all the YouTubers whom I’ve learned a great deal from, and all of the sample/plugin companies and performing musicians that have helped my creations come to life.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/ethera-gold-atlantis-first-reviews-are-in2022-03-01T22:39:47+00:002022-03-11T14:24:41+00:00Ethera Gold Atlantis - first reviews are in!Jon Dennis
Check out the fantastic review by Pete Checkley from Sample Library Review "One of the most beautiful voices ever sampled".
Kevin Kuschel - Ethera Gold Atlantis raised the bar for Solo Vocal VSTs!
Martin Heidenreich Music - My first impression of this solo vocal library by Stefano Maccarelli
Dirk Ehlert - CTO Hands On - Ethera Gold Atlantis
Christopher Siu - Ethera Gold Atlantis - First Look
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/chat-to-stefano-elements2021-09-30T09:13:00+01:002021-11-11T21:16:47+00:00We chat to Stefano Maccarelli about his new Kontakt library - ElementsJon Dennis
Your new Kontakt library Elements, sounds very exciting indeed. Our customers are already very familiar with your Ethera cinematic and vocal libraries and these incredible products have become a ‘go-to’ production tool for many producers around the world. The Ethera series has won multiple awards and continues expand with the recent addition of Sahara Voices earlier this year.
Elements is something different for you. Can you tell us a little more about what inspired you to make Elements?
Hi guys! It’s really exciting to be back with another big product! During the development of Sahara Voices, I started to think about an idea for a new sound library. I wanted to create something unique that would be useful in the real world of everyday composer life. An Instrument to play and make new sounds rich in organicity, atmosphere, modernity, accompanied with a clean user interface that allows for easy and immediate customisation of the sound.
Being a lover of TV series and movies and also working professionally in the industry, I started to think about and build an instrument that could help not only myself but other composers to create a world of sound that I often hear in many soundtracks today. The challenge was to create an instrument that has a strong focus on organic instruments, alongside other sounds that form the basis of modern soundtracks. I am always looking for quality organic instruments and recently I have been hugely inspired by the DUNE soundtracks by Hans Zimmer. This is the sound I have a great passion for and you will find all of this sonic inspiration embedded into Elements.
How is Elements different from the Ethera series and what styles of music production would you best describe Elements is suited for?
The Ethera series is first of all, an outstanding collection of cinematic vocal libraries. Ethera Gold 2.5 is huge library that contains a wealth of inspiring hybrid sounds and it is a true ‘all-in-one’ professional composer tool. The core of Ethera Gold is centred around the incredible and unique vocal talents of Clara Sorace and Daniele D'Andrassi. For me Elements is definitely something different with a specific focus on organic and hybrid sounds. Elements allows the user to produce an extensive range of styles, from minimal and intimate to mediaeval and folk music, through to hybrid and experimental. Elements is an extremely powerful and inspiring tool.
Elements contains a massive source of organic sounds as well as hardware synths and vocals, over 23GB! What was the process of making Elements?
Exactly and from the start of this project I knew that the process needed to be simple. I wanted to develop a hybrid synth that contained sounds and ambiences captured from the elements of nature and our natural world. Water, air, earth, fire etc. I purchased an underwater mic specifically for the recording of Elements and this enabled me to record a variety of objects including water soundscapes and this in turn helped to create the formula for Elements. I recorded a range of organic instruments and bringing everything together, I realised that ‘elements’ are not only present in nature but also in the world of sound design. From that point I knew Elements would become a huge library based on organic modern sound design.
I am very lucky to know some extremely talented musicians, so I thought I’d ask them if they would like to get involved in the creation of Elements. Angelo Maria Santisi is a fantastic Cellist and plays a beautiful Cello, made in England. It sounds stunning and has a lovely breathy sound, perfect for the organic textural sound that I was looking for. I sampled many different articulations, capturing Angelo’s amazing performance. I have recorded some incredible guitar work by another great musician, David Parola and a some beautiful sounding Native American flutes, played by David Michael Tardy. And finally another cello played by Dario Ferrante from Piza. It doesn’t stop there and I have also recorded a range of instruments that I play myself, including an acoustic guitar, played with a bow, tribal percussion, a range of metal instruments and mallets, a really beautiful warm sounding felt piano and a lot of hardware synths! Elements contains a huge amount of uniquely recorded sounds, all of the elements for organic modern sound design - hence the name!
We love the ease and inspirational content of the Snapshot Presets included with Ethera products. Can you tell us a little more about the presets included with Elements?
Absolutely, the core of Elements is the initial creation of the sounds. This is taken to the next level with the Snapshot Presets, making the selection of sounds extremely easy and convenient for the user. It allows anyone, what ever their skill level to get creative and jump straight into Elements. The Snapshot Presets are a great inspirational starting point and from these you can quickly modify the sound to fit your needs. I have created 500 Snapshot Presets, clearly organised into categories.
Can you tell us about your favourite features of Elements and what are the stand-out features that users should be aware of?
The stand out feature and what makes Elements different is the large wave-rom of organic, acoustic and hybrid sounds. Elements gives the user a platform to create vibrant and textural sounds. Coupled with the extensive selection of recorded sounds and three layers, users can quickly create something awe-inspiring! For me Elements is a truly useful and inspiring tool. I already use Elements daily in my professional sound design work and I know that this will be the case for a lot of users.
So, a customer loads Elements into Kontakt for the first time, what’s the first thing you would suggest they do to really get a feel for the potential of the instrument?
Elements has a wealth of creative potential and users should definitely head straight over to the Snapshot Presets to get an instant idea of how amazing and powerful Element sounds. I recommend starting with the preset - Cello Processed, which is seriously inspiring and I could play it all day! The Soundscape section is also very inspiring as are the synth and acoustic guitar sequences. Elements also has a really cool feature which allows the users to import their own audio files. Essentially, you can drag and drop any sample file or external audio track and this is processed by the powerful Elements audio engine - this really opens up enormous possibilities and takes sound design to another level.
Would Elements be a great addition for people who already own any of the Ethera products?
Simply put - yes! The combination of Elements with for example Ethera Gold 2.5 or any of the Ethera titles is explosive! Users who add Elements to their Ethera collection will have an incredibly powerful vocal and sound design arsenal that will provide constant ideas and inspiration. Powerful “go to’ tools that for me have become the backbone of my creative profession.
Checkout Stefano's in-depth tutorial video below.
Your new Kontakt library Elements, sounds very exciting indeed. Our customers are already very familiar with your Ethera cinematic and vocal libraries and these incredible products have become a ‘go-to’ production tool for many producers around the world. The Ethera series has won multiple awards and continues expand with the recent addition of Sahara Voices earlier this year.
Elements is something different for you. Can you tell us a little more about what inspired you to make Elements?
Hi guys! It’s really exciting to be back with another big product! During the development of Sahara Voices, I started to think about an idea for a new sound library. I wanted to create something unique that would be useful in the real world of everyday composer life. An Instrument to play and make new sounds rich in organicity, atmosphere, modernity, accompanied with a clean user interface that allows for easy and immediate customisation of the sound.
Being a lover of TV series and movies and also working professionally in the industry, I started to think about and build an instrument that could help not only myself but other composers to create a world of sound that I often hear in many soundtracks today. The challenge was to create an instrument that has a strong focus on organic instruments, alongside other sounds that form the basis of modern soundtracks. I am always looking for quality organic instruments and recently I have been hugely inspired by the DUNE soundtracks by Hans Zimmer. This is the sound I have a great passion for and you will find all of this sonic inspiration embedded into Elements.
How is Elements different from the Ethera series and what styles of music production would you best describe Elements is suited for?
The Ethera series is first of all, an outstanding collection of cinematic vocal libraries. Ethera Gold 2.5 is huge library that contains a wealth of inspiring hybrid sounds and it is a true ‘all-in-one’ professional composer tool. The core of Ethera Gold is centred around the incredible and unique vocal talents of Clara Sorace and Daniele D'Andrassi. For me Elements is definitely something different with a specific focus on organic and hybrid sounds. Elements allows the user to produce an extensive range of styles, from minimal and intimate to mediaeval and folk music, through to hybrid and experimental. Elements is an extremely powerful and inspiring tool.
Elements contains a massive source of organic sounds as well as hardware synths and vocals, over 23GB! What was the process of making Elements?
Exactly and from the start of this project I knew that the process needed to be simple. I wanted to develop a hybrid synth that contained sounds and ambiences captured from the elements of nature and our natural world. Water, air, earth, fire etc. I purchased an underwater mic specifically for the recording of Elements and this enabled me to record a variety of objects including water soundscapes and this in turn helped to create the formula for Elements. I recorded a range of organic instruments and bringing everything together, I realised that ‘elements’ are not only present in nature but also in the world of sound design. From that point I knew Elements would become a huge library based on organic modern sound design.
I am very lucky to know some extremely talented musicians, so I thought I’d ask them if they would like to get involved in the creation of Elements. Angelo Maria Santisi is a fantastic Cellist and plays a beautiful Cello, made in England. It sounds stunning and has a lovely breathy sound, perfect for the organic textural sound that I was looking for. I sampled many different articulations, capturing Angelo’s amazing performance. I have recorded some incredible guitar work by another great musician, David Parola and a some beautiful sounding Native American flutes, played by David Michael Tardy. And finally another cello played by Dario Ferrante from Piza. It doesn’t stop there and I have also recorded a range of instruments that I play myself, including an acoustic guitar, played with a bow, tribal percussion, a range of metal instruments and mallets, a really beautiful warm sounding felt piano and a lot of hardware synths! Elements contains a huge amount of uniquely recorded sounds, all of the elements for organic modern sound design - hence the name!
We love the ease and inspirational content of the Snapshot Presets included with Ethera products. Can you tell us a little more about the presets included with Elements?
Absolutely, the core of Elements is the initial creation of the sounds. This is taken to the next level with the Snapshot Presets, making the selection of sounds extremely easy and convenient for the user. It allows anyone, what ever their skill level to get creative and jump straight into Elements. The Snapshot Presets are a great inspirational starting point and from these you can quickly modify the sound to fit your needs. I have created 500 Snapshot Presets, clearly organised into categories.
Can you tell us about your favourite features of Elements and what are the stand-out features that users should be aware of?
The stand out feature and what makes Elements different is the large wave-rom of organic, acoustic and hybrid sounds. Elements gives the user a platform to create vibrant and textural sounds. Coupled with the extensive selection of recorded sounds and three layers, users can quickly create something awe-inspiring! For me Elements is a truly useful and inspiring tool. I already use Elements daily in my professional sound design work and I know that this will be the case for a lot of users.
So, a customer loads Elements into Kontakt for the first time, what’s the first thing you would suggest they do to really get a feel for the potential of the instrument?
Elements has a wealth of creative potential and users should definitely head straight over to the Snapshot Presets to get an instant idea of how amazing and powerful Element sounds. I recommend starting with the preset - Cello Processed, which is seriously inspiring and I could play it all day! The Soundscape section is also very inspiring as are the synth and acoustic guitar sequences. Elements also has a really cool feature which allows the users to import their own audio files. Essentially, you can drag and drop any sample file or external audio track and this is processed by the powerful Elements audio engine - this really opens up enormous possibilities and takes sound design to another level.
Would Elements be a great addition for people who already own any of the Ethera products?
Simply put - yes! The combination of Elements with for example Ethera Gold 2.5 or any of the Ethera titles is explosive! Users who add Elements to their Ethera collection will have an incredibly powerful vocal and sound design arsenal that will provide constant ideas and inspiration. Powerful “go to’ tools that for me have become the backbone of my creative profession.
Checkout Stefano's in-depth tutorial video below.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/ethera-gold-2-5-launching-soon2020-08-07T16:26:00+01:002021-11-11T21:15:47+00:00Ethera Gold 2.5 launching soon!Jon Dennis
We are very excited to announce the launch of Ethera Gold 2.5, within the next few months - stay tuned!
Ethera Gold 2.5 is the exciting new version of the critically acclaimed Hybrid & Vocal Kontakt Library. It is a powerful ‘All-In-One’ music production tool to create cinematic music, sound design and hybrid music and comes complete with high quality cinematic vocals and a wealth of inspiring Hybrid Instruments.
The complete solution for anyone who produces Hybrid and Cinematic Music and much more and contains everything you need to create the perfect soundtrack!
New features include:
MALE INSTRUMENT: NEW Male Vocalist, Male True Legato, Male Vocal Phrases.
TRUE LEGATO INSTRUMENT: NEW Epic Eh, Humming MMM , Epic UH (4GB of True Legato Instrument) To improve the sound quality the True Legato now has 200ms of Latency.
VOCAL PHRASE INSTRUMENT: About 650MB of new vocal phrase samples. 16 new presets (Vikings, Fantasy etc.) with a wealth of new vocal phrases.
BRAND NEW VOCAL SYNTH: Powerful Hybrid Synth based on 3 Layers, with a large waveform created with vocal samples and a powerful wavetable audio engine.
ACTION SYNTH: NEW Action Synth Reverse Version with REVERSE samples and Legato.
Check out the videos below to see Ethera Gold 2.5 in action and hear how incredible it sounds!
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/we-chat-with-echo-factory-producer-marco-rockstroh2020-07-22T21:02:35+01:002021-11-11T21:15:42+00:00We chat with Echo Factory Producer - Marco RockstrohJon DennisMore]]>
Zero-G Echo Factory Dubtechno Mechanisms 1
Zero-G Echo Factory - Dubtechno Mechanisms 1 has been created by German Dubtechno producer Marco Rockstroh - aka ‘Smooth’. This full packed sample library is massively loaded with a total of 1,238 sounds and loops, along with 53 Kontakt 6 instruments and a unique Kontakt user interface. Adding to the essential sound of Dubtechno, filters, reverbs and delays all form part of the integral Kontakt GUI.
This unique and exclusive Zero-G sample library will give any Dubtechno producer a massive source of inspiration with a wide range of beautiful, dark, mellow, cold, warm and expressive samples and instruments.
For those of our customers who are not familiar with you and your work, could you tell us a bit more about your background?
I came in touch with electronic music around 1988, when I discovered EBM and the Belgium New Beat in a local record store, where I used to buy Acid- and House vinyls. EBM and New Beat felt very new and innovative at this time, and I was addicted at once. 2 years later, that Techno and Rave thing appeared, which was very energetic and revolutionary. I bought tons of that stuff by R&S, MusicMan, 80Aum, Overdrive or Harthouse on vinyls, but one day, I visited my first rave party and watched the DJs: They took the needles from the vinyls, but the music kept playing on. At this time, I recognised the topic "mixing". Short afterwards, I spent my whole money for 2 Technics SL-1210 turntables and a Vestax mixer, and learned the technical side of mixing, and the musical side as well. After first small gigs on secret parties, I played at bigger events. It was a great experience, to let the people feel the energy of that machine music called Techno, and I learned a lot about electronic music while playing and listening, like which sounds have been used, what structures are great, what build-up works best. Around 1994, the wish to produce own tracks had become that mighty, that I started first tracks using just my Home computer, an Amiga 500. Of cause, it was working with lots of restrictions, but it forced me to be creative. After 2 years of researching and producing, in 1996, I released my first 12-Inch on the german label "Draft Records" and several follow-ups. In 1997, the game changed completely for me: I bought my first synthesizer, a Roland Juno-6. It felt very different to work on real synthesis instead of moving blocks on a computer screen. What followed, is that classic story: A second synthesizer, a third one, a fourth and so on. With the years, I dived deeper into the sound universe and it changed the way, that I consumed or listened to music, extremely. And also, I became more and more interested about sound design. When looking back, I would say, electronic music has been inside of me all the time. I just had to find the right way to express myself musically.
What inspired you to start producing sample libraries?
Since I have been involved into electronic music, I always have been interested in the process and the technical side of creating sound and synthesis very much. As I started producing Techno and House, which is essentially "machine music", it was very exciting to explore and to discover all the opportunities to create sounds from scratch, but also to deal with the technical challenge. Techno as unconventional, technological and reduced form of music, based on less musical rules than other conventional musical styles, gave me pure freedom to discover sound design in a more intuitive and unaffected way. The first gear I bought was that classical cheap and used equipment with lots of technical restrictions and reductions, but it have been exactly these machines which forced me to be creative or to try things I never would have tried with all this mighty, expensive synthesizers or samplers. For example, not one single synthesizer I used offered any storage of settings, so I had to decide right away to use or not to use a created sound. The same thing on samplers back in these days: With a total of 1 MB or 2 MB storage for sampling, you had to be very creative to use every single bit of that machines. I think, starting and working this way influences me still today. In times of total recall, nearly unlimited options or molecular sound design opportunities, I prefer using uncomplicated machines because I like to stay close to the sound without having too much alternative options. From the beginning of my own productions, it was very important to me to use self created sounds, I understood this as my personal sound signature. In my understanding, creating a unique sound from scratch is worth to spent every single second, and it also is a very exciting process, because so many unexpected things can happen. Within the last years, the idea of creating a sample library grew constantly, but it always ended up using the created sounds directly and spontaneously for new tracks or on new releases. I am very critical about sound on my own productions, and lately I thought, if my sound creations inspire me that much, they also will have a chance to inspire or to support other musicians.
What sources of inspiration and education did you have when you first started producing music and software?
At the age of 11, I discovered the radio stations BBC and BFBS, which regular played the British Top 40. Besides that typical Pop music of the 80s, they played a lot of Synth Pop, which was completely different from the german music I have listened before. These Synth Pop sounds (like beats, pads, synths, keys, effects and so on) sounded so different, and I always tried to figure out, which instruments have been used to create these fresh sounds. From the inspirational side, I am musically very influenced by acts like Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Soft Cell and Yazoo, because I always felt some kind of magic about the sounds they used. Later on, I realised, that they used keyboards called synthesizers and drum machines, and from this moment, I was fascinated about these machines. Speaking about educational background, Techno with its early Rave era has been the perfect education to learn a lot about electronic music, musical structures, the energy and the functions and roles of sounds, how it all works together and what about the magic behind. The things I discovered and learned about Techno and electronic music also worked for me when producing House, Drum&Bass, Jungle and Chillout. I understood all these electronic music genres as revolution: Far away from that classical band thing, not restricted by that musical rules of styles like pop or jazz, and you needed just a few machines to express yourself musically. Finally, over the years my musical way led me a away from the hard, minimalistic Techno stuff to the more mellow and melodic side of electronic music, like Trance, Deep House, Lounge and Dubtechno: Here I found a way for me to combine my passion for Synth Pop influenced sounds and harmonies with the energy of electronic music. My first inspirational software I used, was ProTracker running on an Amiga 500 Home computer in 1989: It featured 4 mono tracks at 22 Khz with at least 1 MB of RAM, but to me it felt like a door into a new world when creating first Techno tracks on this machine. Still today, software is an important topic to me besides using hardware. Hardware offers me a direct and musical access to the sounds, software often makes things possible you can not realise based on hardware without spending incredible much money. So, I take the best of both worlds. I am not the kind of guy who puts too much philosophy into this topic, for me just one thing counts: If it sounds right, it is right.
Your focus is to only use primary hardware equipment - what would you say are your favourites?
There are a few machines I never would give away, but the rest of my studio equipment changes from time to time. And that for an important reason: I like to deal with different equipment regular to learn new things and to change the way I work. If I wouldn't work like this, I would come to a point where everything would feel like routine. It is exciting to learn how to program a new synth or effect, and it changes the way how you design sounds. I keep myself in motion, thats a great inspiration. Echo Factory Volume 1 has been created primary using the Roland D-50 (great for raw and breathy sounds), Roland JD-800 (realtime sound design), Roland JV-2080 (excellent source for pads), EMU ESI-4000 (sampling and LoFi effects), Korg PolySix (mostly basslines), Lexicon PCM-92 (longtail reverbs), SPL Vitalizer MKII-T (to add some spice and overtones), TC Electronic D-Two and M-One (delays and smaller rooms) and that cheap LoFi stuff by Behringer, which sounds exactly that metallic and cold as I like it. Speaking about the synth side, I have a clear favourite: The D-50 by Roland. Don't know, but this synth has its own life and sometimes acts very unexpected, which results in very unconventional sounds. My unit is from 1988, and it will be the last piece of gear I would give away - we are partners in crime.
How have you used these in your sound design and sample libraries?
In very different ways. One method I used was to play the synths live synced to the metronome of the DAW and to record these sessions as audio. In the next steps, I programmed the outboard effects. Finally, I recorded the audio file again including the mixing console and the effects. I also used the EQs of the mixing console to modulate the sounds. Another method: I recorded the audio files again and controlled the outboard effects in realtime via MIDI parameters to archieve very lively results. I also recorded an audio file a second time with a microphone to have a "real" room recording, and finally I mixed the original audio and the room recording together. The basslines all have been created on a Korg Polysix using MIDI events because of a precise timing, all the rest have been recorded live with synthesizers, effects and mixers.
Given your love of hardware kit - are there any specific virtual instruments which inspire you today?
One source of inspiration is the NI Kontakt, because of the option to create own and very unique instruments from scratch and to use the internal scripting option. As web programmer, I like any kind of codes, and in addition, in Kontakt I can create own GUIs and develop an instrument which exactly does what I want. Another favourite is the free Odin II by the Wave Warden. I really like the modular options and, most important, the sound, it is pretty good and has something I miss on some other softsynths. It is easy to handle, but you can even create complex and living sounds within minutes. Thats a good and important point for sound design. But more important as softsynths are the effects to me. I primary use outboard gear for effects, but I would not go so far to say, that hardware is better than software in the effect business. Both are different and both doing a great job, but I like more that haptic thing with knobs and faders, every time it lets me act much more musically than working with the computer mouse. On the software effects side, I really like to work with all that stuff by Valhalla. It delivers excellent results and sounds special very often. The last to mention is the TAL-X by TAL Audio. That delay inspires me also very much, it feels controllable and uncontrollable at same time, it has some kind of its own live, like the early tape echoes.
There are so many virtual instruments and sample libraries available these days - do you feel that this is a good thing or is less sometimes better?
Yes and no. I experienced the softsynth scene from the very first hour, when Steinberg established VST. That felt not only like a giant step forward, it was a giant step forward. Suddenly, the computer, which just triggered MIDI-instruments before, has become a musical instrument itself. The very first softsynths or effects sounded a little bit cheesy, but over the following years, more and more good developers and plugins and concepts appeared on the scene. Compared to our present, you had the chance to keep overview back in these days. Today, my personal impression is, that too many people try to do the same. For example, I think, it is not necessary to develop the hundredth emulation of a Fairchild compressor or the fiftieth emulation of a MiniMoog. There is pretty cool stuff out there, but most of it repeats itself, so it has become hard to find special or unique software. Other opinion on sample libraries: Here I like the option of a large selection. Samples can be a massive source of inspiration, even if you just pick a little fragment of a whole sound. Often it happens, that just one single sound you discover will direct you into a completely alternative musical direction than expected. If you are a multi-genre producer, sample libraries also will help to keep overview about new trends. If you are a beginner or new to a musical genre, sample libraries will help you to get started and to get familiar with a specific genre. And even if you are a very experienced or advanced producer, you always will find some hidden treasures or sound pearls in any sample library. House sounds can perfectly work on Lounge productions, Drum&Bass sounds are great on Techno productions. It's just about how sounds will be used in context.
Does the process of creating a virtual instrument/plugin get more challenging as technology advances?
I would say no. The technology does not advance as fast as expected. Its more the rising power of the machines and computers, we use, which lets us do more and complex things, but I don't feel that technology really changed extremely within the last 10 years.To write a piece of code or to design a GUI for an instrument still feels the same to me as years ago. The advantage today is, that you can address much more memory and CPU power than years before, so you can create much more complex things, which is essential for sound design. Thats my statement just as sound designer - as application programmer I would have answered this question contrary. Operation systems are changing continuously as well as algorithms or code structures. As sound designer and musician, I am far away from this side of technological changes.
Echo Factory is a truly fantastic product and is capable of producing extraordinary sounds - what was your inspiration behind this library?
I discovered Dubtechno 11 years ago and was very fascinated right away about its musical structures and minimalistic approach. I liked that reduced rhythms and the ensemble of just a few sounds benefitting from weird delays and huge reverbs - these effects are acting like a musical instruments in this genre and are very stylistic. I see Dubtechno as musical evolution of early Detroit Techno, which also was based on this minimalistic chord stuff. As producer, I always was looking for that special sounds and samples, but I found it much easier and more challenging, to create own sounds to have a maximum of control, especially about the modulation of sounds. In Dubtechno, its much about perfect un-perfection, so as sound designer I feel a great freedom to try lots of unconventional things - and I like to use effects more in a way instruments are used.
Can you tell us about your favourite features of Echo Factory 1?
The versatility of the sounds, they will even work in other musical genres. On the chords, it was important to me to give the user a choice between dry and processed sounds. Additionally I created some Kontakt instruments, so its a nice option to play sounds as an instruments alternatively besides the samples of the library. And, of course, as the title of the sample library already tells, its about big spaces and rooms.
What are the other stand-out features that potential users should be aware of?
My goal was to deliver excellent sound quality without compromise, so besides creating the sounds I have spent countless hours on recording and the post production of the recordings. The complete library is provided at 24 Bit and 48 Khz. There is also a small female sound part in the collection, some of the sounds have been created, played live and recorded by my wife Jana, who actually is not producing Dubtechno. It was interesting to see how she was interpreting Dubtechno, because she is basically an Ambient musician. I guess the user will discover this or that chord or pad and will feel a little, surprising difference. Additionally, I developed some Kontakt instruments and on some patches, the sounds will not only act on the velocity value of the user, also the filter or the filter envelope will act based on velocity, which will lead to more lively sounds. At least, all tempo based sounds are available in 120 BPM and in 127 BPM, as well as dry ones or processed ones.
So, a customer loads Echo Factory 1 into Kontakt for the first time, what’s the first thing you would suggest they do to really get a feel for the potential of the instrument?
Try out the chord section and the pads section first, they will give you a good impression about the potential and the quality of this bundle and it is a good way to get inspired or to evolve ideas for a track. Another good idea could be to check out the section with the Kontakt instruments, so you can play sounds directly and play around with the filters or the envelopes to form alternative sounds.
Who do you think Echo Factory 1 is most suitable for and why?
Well, primary I created this library for Dubtechno producers, but it also was important to me to keep an eye on other genres or alternative styles and to create something producers of other musical genres will also benefit from. So, many sounds of this library are also suitable for House, Deep House, Tech House, Techno or EDM. I am a multi-genre producer myself, and I always liked the idea to use sounds from different genres, so the idea was to provide a versatile library, but definitely primary with focus on Dubtechno. And as there is not just "that one" Dubtechno style, I carefully created sounds which will work on all these sub-genres of Dubtechno. I think, this collection of sounds and instruments will be interesting for any producer of an electronic music genre.
Do you have a relaxed approach in the initial stages of producing a sample library or do you focus on a specific sound?
I would say, both. My approach always is relaxed, because creating sounds is always an inspiring and surprising job with lots of fun. So, if I have a vision for a sample library of a specific musical genre, I tend to start very open minded. Of course, every genre has its own character and specific sound signature I have to consider, but eventually I am a wanderer between lots of electronic music genres. On producing a library, I have some kind of specific sound already in mind, but not that specific that I would say it has exactly to sound like this or that. If so, I just would reproduce something which already exists. So I always try to evolve myself a little bit further or to look beyond the musical horizon, but I always like to stay within a context to give it all a sense. The best things in sound design happens surprisingly or unexpected, I define that as unique snapshot.
Do you have plans to produce more sample libraries in the future?
Yes, for sure. As musician, I am deep into Dubtechno, Deep House, Tech House, Techno, Drum&Bass, Lounge, TripHop and NuJazz. Of course, they are partly pretty different from each other, but it is exactly this difference which keeps me open minded and interested. So, next up there will be a massive Lounge/Downbeat/NuJazz sample library, but I also will integrate elements and fragments of HipHop and Breakbeats.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/we-talk-to-northern-lights-producer-frodebeats2020-06-18T08:03:00+01:002021-11-11T21:15:36+00:00We chat with Northern Lights Pad Machine Producer - FrodebeatsJon Dennis
Zero-G Norther Lights Pad Machine - Kontakt Instrument
Zero-G Northern Lights Pad Machine is a multilayered Kontakt instrument containing almost 6GB of brand-new audio content and giving you more than 970 original and unique sounds. Multi-layered patches utilizing every possible and impossible sound source. From rare modular synthesizers to metal and sounds from the Norwegian natural environment. All with one thing in mind – to create the most amazing pad sounds ever made!
For those of our customers who aren’t familiar with you and your work, could you tell us a bit more about your background?
I am in reality educated in economics and marketing. My background in sound really just started with my parent’s organ. A really cheap technics organ but with a spring reverb and cool bass pedals that sounded really beefy. The whole organ had its own big speakers and it really shook the room! My mother would also play that thing all the time, so I got pretty accustomed hearing sounds on a daily basis. One day I opened up the organ with a screwdriver and tapped the spring with my finger and from that moment, I was sold.
What inspired you to start producing sample libraries?
I like the process and everything involved, I also like big, big projects that seem hard to overcome and making an instrument truly is such a task. The process is also for me 100 % creative with no holding back, no rules and no boundaries. It just is a perfect outlet for how I see sounds.
What sources of inspiration and education did you have when you first started producing music and software?
Music and movie soundtracks and basically the things I hear in nature, factories and found sounds. Little sounds and very, very big sounds are a favourite, also sounds that are way back, if that makes any sense? If I succeed capturing a tiny element of a big whole, then I’m happy. For some reason I do not like the sound of wood and I really hate sync sounds. With a passion. I am also lucky that I have synesthesia, not being pretentious here (this is a common type) but synesthesia helps. I see sound in colour, so it is easier getting to where I want.
Your focus is to only use analog equipment - what would you say are your favourites?
Favourite monosynth is Korg Minikorg 700s for its weirdness and grit and ARP 2600 for its compactness and pure sound. I am a big and longtime fan of early Mute records. I guess that sound from that period just got stuck in my mind and stayed there. I have used only analog sounds for this library but I used some digital techniques also (morphing, spectral, granular). But mostly analog (additive, modal, FM, comb, analog Karplus strong, AM, subtractive, feedback…).
How have you used these in your sound design and sample libraries?
The minikorg have a great pallet really, if you tune it way, way down via CV and compress it, you get the sound of pure electricity! The 2600 is also in there but is a little minimal for extensive sound design compared to a big modular but still great for percussion and dark drone stuff. Used as an instrument, playing, it really shines and is a great machine. I have used them in all kinds of ways, but the 700s proved to be a great source for base samples for pads in some of the presets.
Given your love of analog kit - are there any specific virtual instruments which inspire you today?
More effects probably than instruments. But instruments utilising techniques not manageable with analog equipment (ex, resynthesis, morphing) is interesting. Kyma also have a lot of interesting stuff. Also big complex sounds like advanced pads. There is only so much analog can do without you getting totally rain man and psychotic. I have the Moog one 16 voice and that is the most advanced analog poly ever made (Matrix 12 close second). But trying to recreate Northern Lights Pad Machine on that thing with a reasonable voice count, is futile. Also digital is better in some respects. Getting exact starting points for a detune voice modulation, controlled unison, FM, 35 + other synth techniques, just to mention some things from the top of my mind.
There are so many virtual instruments and sample libraries available these days - do you feel that this is a good thing or is less sometimes better?
I think more is good! But have it all but focus on little bits at a time. Do not think about the whole palette all the time.
Does the process of creating a virtual instrument/plugin get more challenging as technology advances?
I think technology is not moving as fast as I thought it would. I do not have the complete 100% overview, but I feel there are way more creative paths to follow. Messing up the concept a bit, trying to get people to use their ears instead of eyes is the biggest challenge, I think. That is a big thing with Northern Lights. I did not want standard controls. I want people to listen, play around and get interested in sound.
Northern Lights is a truly fantastic product and is capable of producing extraordinary sounds - what was your inspiration behind this library?
Inspiration was Norway and the colours we see here. The ever changing seasons. The sea, colours in the sky, fog, ice, storms, little sounds and big sounds. I also wanted to be fully creatively driven and worry about controlling everything later.
Can you tell us about your favourite features of Norther Lights?
The intuitiveness of it. The spectra of sounds. Ease of control.
What are the other stand-out features that potential users should be aware of?
That the sounds behave in different ways depending on how you play it. Layers and modulation act on how long you hold the note, how hard and quick you hit it. It is a big deal and something I work very hard on. So, explore it and play it a lot to find out.
So, a customer loads Northern Lights into Kontakt for the first time, what’s the first thing you would suggest they do to really get a feel for the potential of the instrument?
Mess about really. Try out different presets to get you in a direction and then try to make your own presets. Try to get a feel for the flavours in the different folders. Also, when times goes by, go behind the scenes and see how the programming was done. There is no template and one set up for all sounds. There is a lot in there. See how it is done and try to put your own samples in there also.
Who do you think Northern Lights is most suitable for and why?
Popular music, EDM, scores, experimental, signature sounds. I think, if you are looking for pads, you will find what you are looking for in Northern Lights Pad Machine, no matter what kind of music you make.
Do you have a relaxed approach in the initial stages of producing a sample library or do you focus on a specific sound?
No. I focus totally on where I’m heading and have a clear vision of what I want to achieve and I also get very frustrated if I do not get there, sorry to say!
Do you have plans to produce more sample libraries in the future?
Yes! I also have started to work out the idea in my head. A really interesting concept, but it is still in the planning stage. Producing an instrument takes years, so the concept and idea have to be good. Isn`t it something like “Quality of idea x ability to finish = degree of success”. It is a great formula and very few people score high on both idea and ability to finish. Steve jobs was one individual who scored very high on both parameters. Others, we will just have to try our very best!
Neil Davidge - Record producer, songwriter and film score composer
"Northern Lights is not so much a sample library as it is a living, breathing performance synth, always surprising in an inspiring way. It’s wonderfully expressive and characterful. Each patch allows me to morph between various characters and dimensions, from subtle shifts in tonality to extreme warping. I love it, it’s a work of art. It’s gone straight into the top 5 of my favourite libraries."
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/ethera-gold-2-01-update2020-05-22T11:29:00+01:002021-11-11T21:15:32+00:00Ethera Gold 2.01 FREE Update - Import your own soundsJon DennisEthera Gold 2 has been updated to version 2.01. This is a free update for existing users of Ethera Gold 2.0
This exciting new update enables you to import your own sounds/audio in to Ethera Gold 2 and utilise the Core Synth's powerful tools to create your own truly unique and inspiring sounds. This incredible new feature takes Ethera Gold 2 to a completely new level, resulting in infinite possibilities beyond Ethera Gold's own incredible built-in library of sounds.
Updating to Ethera Gold version 2.01 is very easy!
Existing users need to download the update files from the link below.
PLEASE NOTE: Ethera Gold 2.01 audio import function requires Kontakt 6.2.2.
After downloading the files, please copy the files from the update folder in to the top level of the Ethera Gold 2.0 library. Click 'Replace' and the files will be updated with the new versions.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/sound-on-sound-give-ethera-gold-2-5-5-stars2020-05-01T11:15:00+01:002021-11-11T21:15:30+00:00Sound On Sound award Ethera Gold 2 - 5/5 starsJon DennisJohn Walden at Sound On Sound has recently reviewed the incredible Ethera Gold 2 and has awarded it 5/5 stars - thank you John and all the team at Sound On Sound!
"it is difficult not to be impressed by both the musical potential and value for money Zero‑G are offering here. Ethera Gold 2 is just epic all round."
The latest addition to Zero‑G's popular Ethera series is Gold 2. The title features a substantial collection of synth, pad, sound effects and drum options amongst its sonic arsenal, but it is the vocals of Clara Sorace that are the main attraction.
The headline amongst the various vocal options is a brand‑new version of their true legato engine stocked with samples for creating 'epic' vocal parts; if you are a media composer who works in the cinematic or epic trailer fields, Ethera Gold 2 is aimed very much at you.
Zero‑G have a very helpful PDF available on their website that details the differences between the various Ethera titles. For Gold 2, the library clocks in at a hefty 27GB of sample material. This includes lots of content for the two well-featured hybrid synths — Action Synth (both v1 and v2 are included) and Core Synth — which can provide a wide range of sounds spanning acoustic instruments, various organic sounds, synth pads and textures, and sound effects. There is also a large collection of drum, percussion and other rhythmic loops. And, while I expect many working composers would have dedicated virtual instruments that perhaps cover similar ground in more detail, Gold 2 has plenty of raw materials to build complete instrumental beds 'in house'.
That said, you could layer the various vocal sounds with almost anything and it is still going to sound great. Separate instruments are provided for sustained vocal sounds, a 'builder' (you can construct combinations of syllables) and special effects via 'vocal chop' and vocal reverse instruments. However, it's the Vocal Phrases and True Legato instruments that really shine. These are organised into 43 style/key presets spanning styles such as drama, epic, ethereal, ethnic, modern, angelic and battle and, in each style, an impressive selection of phrases are spread across the MIDI note range. They sound fabulous and are super-easy to work with.
The Ethera product line is one that offers various incarnation of instrumentation, all operating from within the Native Instruments Kontakt domain, and now Zero-G bring us the next Ethera chapter, with debatably the largest number of enhancements to date, which include new instrument choices, a vast new collection of sample-based content, and more vocal dexterity from their featured vocalist, Clara Sorace.
Ethera Gold 2 is a download-only product, which will require the use of the full version of Kontakt, rather than the Player incarnation. The free Kontakt Player will offer the ability to audition the package for up to fifteen minutes, but as EG2 is not NI Library compliant, loading will have to be accessed through the file browser, rather than the slightly more convenient Kontakt library hierarchy. Installation will also require a degree of file shuffling, as the presets or ‘snapshots’ will have to be manually moved to the Kontakt User directory, before they initiate. Once in play, any elongated installation will be left behind, as you are hit with the wealth of significantly stylish content within.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/sample-library-reviews-first-look-at-ethera-gold-22020-01-30T17:13:00+00:002021-11-11T21:15:10+00:00Sample Library Reviews first look at Ethera Gold 2Jon Dennis
Sample Library Review contributor Brian Freeland got his hands on a pre-release of Ethera Gold 2.0 and shares a first look!
“Zero-G goes for the gold again, with a huge update to one of their most popular libraries Ethera Gold 2.0.”
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/northern-lights-awarded-5-5-by-sound-on-sound2020-01-28T17:25:00+00:002021-11-11T21:15:09+00:00Zero-G Northern Lights awarded 5/5 by Sound on SoundJon DennisSound on Sound's Paul White has awarded Northern Lights Pad Machine 5/5 Stars.
Here is the full review.
Supplied as a downloadable Kontakt instrument that needs the full version of Kontakt (5.8.1 or higher), Northern Lights has at its core a library of samples running to almost 6GB and holding over 970 sounds. Some of the sound sources are derived from modular synthesizers, others from industrial and natural sounds, but it is the way in which these sounds are layered and controlled that makes Northern Lights so appealing. There's no complicated editing as everything starts life as a preset that you can then adjust using just a small set of controls.
Each instrument comprises at least four layers, and all the necessary manipulation is done using just six controls for multiple 'behind the scenes' parameters, including morphing and effects. 'Complexity' adjusts the relative levels of the layered samples making up the patch, while 'Movement' modifies the sound using convolution, filtering, controllers, LFOs, envelopes and delay. The rotating mirror ball gives an indication of the amount of movement applied to a sound — and helps the GUI look pretty. The subjective effect of the Complexity control varies according to the preset instrument you call up.
'Storm' is also patch–dependent and utilises distortion/saturation, effects, controllers and LFOs to change the texture of the sound. 'Color' affects the overall tonality but it isn't just EQ or resonant filtering: it combines both of those along with convolution and envelopes. 'Attack' and 'Release' behave more predictably, though their range seems to change according to the instrument you're working on. Control–clicking on any control resets it to the default setting for the current instrument. As well as the six knobs and their functions the sounds also respond to key pressure and pressure length, so that fast notes have a different character to held notes.
The beauty of Northern Lights is that you don't get bogged down in deep editing — the six controls make tweaking purely instinctive.
There's a huge range of preset instruments arranged in categories that give some clues as to the types of sound to expect, though in reality there's often scope to reshape sounds from one category so that they'd fit quite comfortably into another. The beauty of Northern Lights is that you don't get bogged down in deep editing — the six controls make tweaking purely instinctive, and of course you can save your favourite tweaks as new user patches. I also had a lot of fun using DAW automation to vary the control settings during long notes to create smoothly evolving textures.
Many of the sounds are best played monophonically, as chords can sound too complex, though slimming down a sound using the controls can produce more comfortable pad sounds that will work as chords. I can see some of these sounds getting used in film scores, ranging from sci-fi to horror, but there's a lot of scope, from tortured metal to more peaceful, organic timbres, so there are plenty of more conventional musical applications too. Given its low cost, Northern Lights is a useful 'left-of-mainstream' instrument, but remember that it needs the full version of Kontakt and won't work on the free Kontakt player.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/stefano-maccarelli-reveals-ethera-gold-22020-01-21T15:42:00+00:002021-11-11T21:14:55+00:00Stefano Maccarelli reveals Ethera Gold 2Jon DennisStefano Maccarelli reveals Ethera Gold 2 in this live stream recording.
Ethera Gold becomes even more powerful! Ethera Gold 2 is the new hugely improved big sister product to the amazing Ethera Gold with many improvements and additions including a massive 10GB of extra sample content.
Ethera Gold 2 includes a collection of awesome vocals, hybrid instruments, epic hits, bass synths, organic sounds, violin textures, tribal percussion, hybrid brass, drum loops and much more. In fact, it’s all you need to create the perfect soundtrack!
Launching on Friday 31st January 2020 with a 2 week 25% discount. Upgrade available for owners of Ethera Gold (version 1).
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/ethera-gold-2-is-on-its-way2020-01-10T17:03:00+00:002021-11-11T21:14:49+00:00Ethera Gold 2 is on it's way!Jon Dennis
We are very excited to announce that Ethera Gold 2 will be available for to buy on Friday 31st January 2020.
Ethera Gold 2 is the new hugely improved big sister product to the amazing Ethera Gold with many improvements and additions including a massive 10GB of extra sample content.
Ethera Gold 2 includes a collection of awesome vocals, hybrid instruments, epic hits, bass synths, organic sounds, violin textures, tribal percussion, hybrid brass, drum loops and much more. In fact, it’s all you need to create the perfect soundtrack!
Ethera Gold 2 is the perfect new tool for creating soundtracks, cinematic music, epic music trailers and any music requiring fantastic solo vocals and powerful, inspirational, hybrid wavetable synth sounds. All the samples included in this library are completely new and unique to this instrument. The vocal instruments included with Ethera Gold 2 use the magnificent vocals of Clara Sorace. Clara has sung with many of the greatest soundtrack and video games composers. Her voice is a thrilling blend of soul, cinematic, epic and emotionality with the charm of latin flair. For the two Hybrid Synths we have sampled many hundreds of organic sources, acoustic instruments, and hardware synths.
What’s new in Ethera Gold 2 compared to Ethera Gold:
An Extra 10GB Of New Original Cinematic Samples
New Epic Ah True Legato With Multi-sampling
True Legato "Epic Oh" Has Been Improved
An Extra 600 Mb Of New Cinematic Vocal Phrases
New Vocal Phrases Reverse
New Vocal Chop For Epic / Dubstep Music
New Hybrid Synth: Core Synth 2.0 And Action Synth 2.0
About 1200 Cinematic Snapshot Presets Ready To Use
New Hybrid Unique Samples
Action Synth 2.0 now has 4 Layers
Launching with a 2 week 25% discount.
If you have previously purchased Ethera Gold (version 1) and would like to upgrade to Ethera Gold 2 for just $29.95, you will need to send proof of purchase to support@zerog-shop.reamaze.com. On the launch day (31st January 2020) we will send you a special code to purchase Ethera Gold 2 at the discounted upgrade price.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/ethera-soundscapes-2-0-has-been-updated-to-2-012019-12-07T12:18:00+00:002021-11-11T21:14:41+00:00Ethera Soundscapes 2.0 has been updated to 2.01Jon DennisEthera Soundscapes 2.0 has been upgraded to version 2.01. The new feature is an improved true legato, designed to create a more “Lisa Gerrard” sound for a dark, slow true legato. This update is FREE!
Existing users can download the upgrade from the link below.
Please add the Ethera Emotive True Legato 2.01 file into the following folder: Ethera SoundScapes Vocal / Ethera SoundScapes Vocal Instruments / Legato
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/ethera-gold-2-0-in-the-making2019-11-07T11:58:00+00:002021-11-11T21:14:39+00:00Ethera Gold 2.0 in the making!Jon Dennis
Stefano Maccarelli and Clara Sorace, the producers of the incredible Ethera series are currently working on Ethera Gold 2.0, which will be launching in 2020.
Ethera Gold 2.0 Upgrade New Features:
Core Synth :
About 3 GB of new Hybrid Samples
New Cinematic Snapshot Presets
New Hybrid & Acoustic Instruments
Action Synth:
Now Action Synth has 4 Layers
About 8 GB of new Hybrid Samples
New Cinematic Snapshot Presets
Other new features:
New Hybrid Organic Loop
Vocal True Legato
New “AH” EPIC True Legato Multi Sampling Articulation
Vocal Phrases
New Incredible Cinematic Vocal Phrases
Here are some work-in-progress videos!
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/new-release-ethera-evi-electro-virtual-instrument2018-04-17T15:33:00+01:002021-11-11T21:09:22+00:00NEW RELEASE! ETHERA EVI - Electro Virtual InstrumentGarrick WarehamETHERA EVI presents a reimagining of the critically acclaimed cinematic vocal instrument, this is the ultimate Electro Cinematic toolkit.
ETHERA EVI presents a reimagining of the critically acclaimed cinematic vocal instrument. As well as the astounding vocal prowess of Clara Sorace, ETHERA EVI incorporates deeply sampled hardware synths - powered by two unique audio engines. Add a new True Legato, Drum Loops, over 500 presets and a beautiful 1929 Felt Piano and you have the making of the ultimate Electro-Cinematic toolkit.
True Legato
A new, powerful, True Legato forms the core of ETHERA EVI's vocal instrument. With different timbres and phonemes it sits apart from previous ETHERA titles and offers a brand new palette to work with. There are 4 different articulations, selectable via MIDI, available to users that alter the tine and performance. The vocals are aimed, as is the rest of EVI, towards Electro-Cinematic compositions. Shades of Blade Runner and Ghost In The Shell are evident throughout.
EVI Synths
The EVI synth is built on two layers, based on two different audio engines. Many hardware synths have been deeply sampled, creating perfects sounds for cyber-punk, Electro-Cinematic soundtracks. There are also many sound design FX and textures as well as drum loops, vocal textures, horns, acoustic guitars, basses and arpeggiators.
The Felt Piano
ETHERA EVI comes equipped with a gorgeous 1929 Felt Piano, recorded with two microphones for mono or stereo use. This Keyboard is perfect for soundtracks with it's rich, warm and soft tones.
Extensive Presets
With over 500 presets, easily accessible and organised into categories, ETHERA EVI is an incredibly deep and versatile tool kit or any electronic/cinematic project that requires rich and multi-layered synths and vocals.
Inspired by cyber-punk soundtracks, iconic movies such as Blade Runner, The Matrix and Ghost In The Shell, it's the perfect complete toolkit to suit all of your needs.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-kontakt2018-01-26T09:08:00+00:002021-11-11T21:11:44+00:00Everything You Need To Know About KontaktGarrick WarehamMore]]>
Native Instruments Kontakt is an incredibly powerful sampler and shell. More and more developers have embraced Kontakt as a tool with which to give huge control to end users in their virtual instruments, instead of programming custom VSTs. We also get a huge amount emails with questions around Kontakt, it's file formats, and general usage, so I'm going to try and hit all of the notes in reasonably bite-sized chunks in this article.
Kontakt & Kontakt Player
Kontakt 5 and the Kontakt 5 Player are essentially the same application. Kontakt Player is a free app from Native Instruments that allow you to load Kontakt Libraries, either from Native Instruments or licensed 3rd party developers. Non-licensed libraries can be used for 15 minutes at a time in demo mode and without the ability to save your work.
Most instrument editing features disabled, although you can still edit parameters via the Performance View.
If you purchase a product which contains Kontakt Files, you will need to have purchased the full version of Native Instruments Kontakt. If you use one of these products in the free player it will only work in demo mode for 15 minutes. Please make sure you check that you have the full version of Kontakt before purchasing one of our Kontakt Files products.
Kontakt Libraries & Kontakt Files
As mentioned before, the free Kontakt Player is only able to run Kontakt Libraries and all Kontakt Files require the full version of the Kontakt engine.
The main difference between Kontakt formatted files and Kontakt libraries, is that Kontakt libraries are locked, and require a Serial Number (instructions on this are emailed to you when you place your order). Kontakt formatted files, are unlocked and can be located under the Files tab within the full version of Kontakt. Kontakt libraries are located under the Libraries tab after you Add Library.
Kontakt Libraries are downloaded and delivered in .nkc format, which is securely encrypted, and cannot be opened except by Kontakt or Kontakt Player. Kontakt Files are delivered in .nki and .nkm formats with their respective WAV / AIFF samples and these cannot be added to the the library tab. The WAV / AIFF samples from Kontakt Files can still be used individually by the owners of these products.
On our website we have both Kontakt Files and Kontakt Libraries. Always check the FORMATS section of the product to make sure that you can take full advantage of your purchase.
Using Kontakt Files
Once you have downloaded your new sample library which contains Kontakt Files, make sure you have put them into your desired sound storage area - this can be anywhere on your computer, it's just so you know where they are - it's not really a good idea to leave it on your Desktop or in your Downloads folder. We place all of our sound files onto a secondary 1TB hard drive, to save space on our main drive.
Open up Kontakt and select the Files tab. On this screen you will want to navigate through your hard drive to find the location of your new sample library.
Once you are in the library you can then simply double-click (or drag & drop) one of the Kontakt instrument files (.nki) and it will load it into Kontakt.
Going back and forth from one tab to the other can slow down your work flow, so this is why Native Instruments have included a handy Quick-Load feature in Kontakt, which you can custom set up to access all of your Kontakt Files in one quick location. Check out our video here to watch me do it in real time.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/2018-resolutions2018-01-03T13:36:00+00:002021-11-11T21:09:53+00:002018 & Musical ResolutionsGarrick WarehamMore]]>
2017 is over, the festive season has passed, and most of us are trekking back to the workplace (or school!). All that being said, now is the time to make some choices about how you shape your music creation in 2018. There’s loads of resolutions that we usually make for ourselves - getting fit, spending more time with the family, starting a new hobby, but have you made resolutions for your music? Here are some of mine:
Theory, Theory, Theory
I’ve talked about musical theory a couple of times in previous blogs and on twitter. I’m a fan of knowing how and why things work, but it’s never the be all and end all of music! Musicality and feel will always trump the ‘by the numbers’ compositional methods - but I’ve decided to really commit to learning new harmonic music theories, understand more advanced Jazz theory, and generally increase my knowledge of how music works.
As I’ve said, theory never replaces musical feel and expression, however it can really help when you’re searching for that elusive chord or harmony for the next bar. At the very, very, least, you’ll learn to read sheet music - which can really help your musicality and ability to bring your ideas to other performers without playing or singing everything all the time.
There are loads of good resources online, and I’d really recommend checking out a guy called Rick Beato - he’s super insightful about theory, and also has a load of other content around music production and the industry. You can also check out Adam Neely for interesting musical facts and theory. There are loads of great books about music theory, from beginner to advanced, out there to pick up - and I recommend that you do!
Make More Music
It’s an easy one to say, but not always one to carry out. My plan is to set a target and then keep to it, no matter what. A lot of us as musicians and artists like to tweak, to really try and perfect every second of the music - but this gets in the way of a piece that’s actually finished. I’m going to try and get something out on YouTube or Facebook for people to see on the last day of each month - whatever kind of state that audio is in. I’m hoping this will fire some creative drive in me, and also give me a deadline to work towards as the year goes on.
You could always give Record Production Month a try as well. The RPM challenge is for musicians to really push themselves during February. 10 songs, or 35 minutes of music, previously unreleased (preferably composed during February) is the task, and you have 28 days to do it in. It’s stressful, but liberating, and the more you do it, the more tricks you pick up to increase your workflow. Have a look at their FAQs to learn more.
Practice & Learn
Practicing can sometimes be a hard thing to bring yourself to do, especially when you’re in a rut about learning or polishing pieces. Motivation comes down to each of us personally, what gives me a kick to practice might not give you the same kick, but there are things you can do to make practicing more productive, or at least fun! My goal for 2018 - 30 minutes per day, or at least 3 hours a week. I’m not copping out and saying that the time I spend doing theory, or writing music counts as ‘practice’, I mean I’m grinding scales and pieces that challenge and stretch my abilities.
Also, practice what you like, and what you don’t - I don’t enjoy bebop, but there’s a high level of technical skill in playing it. Conversely, I love fast passages in classical and modern compositions - and the technicality and fast thinking that I can take from bebop will help me excel in these places. I struggle to enjoy Debussy, but the level of expression and musical emotion required to perform his pieces is very high. Equally, I enjoy pieces like All Blue and Blue in Green by Miles Davis, and the expression I can take from Debussy will help in my articulation and interpretation of this kind of music. What it comes down to is, you can't just practice music that you love - and even the music you really hate has so much to offer you!
Alternatively, it might be to learn a new instrument. You’ll find that if you already play a woodwind instrument, you can take some of those motor skills to another one. You’ll always be able to take your musicality with you regardless of the instrument. Something that I’m going to try and do this year is learn... Drums. My understanding of written rhythms is ‘fine’, but if I’m sight reading in a band I find I pick up rhythmic and musical cues from my fellow musicians rather than the dots in front of me. I’m also not highly coordinated, so Drums seem like a great idea! All joking aside, I’m hoping that it’s going to help my sense of rhythm and timing in all of my music.
Talk to us on Facebook or Twitter and let us know what some of your musical New Years Resolutions are!
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/cinematic-trailer-music-with-giuseppe-vigliotti2017-12-12T15:03:00+00:002021-11-11T21:10:03+00:00Talking Cinematic & Trailer Music with Giuseppe VigliottiGarrick WarehamI got chatting with up and coming trailer and soundtrack composer Giuseppe Vigliotti, and wanted to pick his brains about cinematic and trailer music. His answers were so good that we wanted to share them with all of you!
]]>
I got chatting with up and coming trailer and soundtrack composer Giuseppe Vigliotti, and wanted to pick his brains about cinematic and trailer music. His answers were so good that we wanted to share them with all of you!
Hi Giuseppe, first of all, tell us who you are and what you do musically.
Hi. I'm an Italian composer from Rome, like one of the best composers of all time - Ennio Morricone. I started playing guitar at the age of 13 and I grew up listening to artists like the Beatles (my main musical influence), as well as a lot of other music (Classical, Rock, Pop, Metal). Among other things I have scored the soundtracks for trailers of two Italian writer’s book releases: Luca Giannantoni (L'ultima settimana - The Last Week) and Valerio Marra (Il Volto del Male - The Face of Evil). I was also awarded an Honourable Mention Award at the Indie Gathering Film Scoring Competition 2017, a contest where I had to write the soundtrack for the trailer of a wonderful short movie called Roman Citizen by Luca Elmi .
Cinematic music is very different to pop (or even Classical) music. What do you think are the most unique things about Cinematic music that make it so different from other forms of music?
When you score for a horror movie scene you can use, for example, only violins playing a single high note for all the scene to transmit anxiety and fear. Writing for movies frees you from the traditional concept of a song structure (verse, chorus, bridge) and lets you experiment with many different sounds. A soundtrack, too, can be written using the "conventional" song structure, or be totally free from it. An example is the song "The Mole" by Hans Zimmer (Dunkirk Soundtrack) where he start with dark and ethereal sounds followed by a growing synth pulse. This track is made entirely with synths and sound design, there isn't a real melody, but it perfectly fits the mood of the movie. What I'm trying to say is that you can write a beautiful movie soundtrack without a memorable or catchy melody, if it serves the movie. There are a lot of sample libraries which gave you the starting point for an underscore soundtrack but with imagination you can make new sounds by yourself. For instance try recording a melody on piano, reverse it and then add delays and reverbs!
When it comes to film, how important is music, really?
Music can help a director to amplify his mood, his vision. So the dialogue between the composer and the director is very important because one serves the other, not the other way around. On the other hand, inappropriate music can literally destroy a beautiful film. Imagine a tense Star Wars scene with the music of "The Benny Hill Show" on it!
How much work would you normally do with the film writer/director before beginning to score a soundtrack?
We talk a lot on what they want the music to do for the movie. Then I sit down and try something. Some composers need to be alone when write music. Others want the director stay close, at the beginning at least, to let listen them "on the fly" and catch the mood together. I'm in the middle of the two.
Do you tend to score the entire film and then let the director/producer cut what they don’t want - or do you purposely leave silence throughout sections of the film for effect?
If you have to score a movie already shot you can talk about it with the director. They can tell you when they want music and when they don't. Otherwise you can start scoring your music and, maybe, the director could adjust the timeline of the video according with the music. This is quite typical when writing trailer music.
How do you prepare to write a soundtrack, what steps do you go through to get ready?
Sometimes the movie has already been shot so you can watch it and let the scenes help you find the right mood. Other times the soundtrack is a result of the dialogue between me and the director (and the producer too). In both cases the dialogue with them must be constant, because we have to remember we are not creating a music for our taste. A wonderful soundtrack that doesn't fit the movie is useless! Before I start composing I need to check that all my physical instruments are in tune because I don't even know when I could need one of them. Once I've done that I’ll open my template on my DAW, Cubase, to have instrument tracks ready to record. One of the most important things to do before I start composing on a video that has already been shot is to put markers on the video timeline to highlight the most important points. You can then, for instance, raise the tension leading up to an explosion or a certain camera shot.
Are there any certain instruments or synths that you gravitate to on every project?
I like to experiment on every track, so every beginning is different. If I want to score an epic hero theme I can, for instance, start with percussions at different tempos to try to find the right character for the piece. If I write an inspiring, emotional, theme I could start with piano or with a flute or a harp. Nowadays, with computers, we can play every instruments we want and then, eventually, change it later.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to write cinematic music - but no idea where to start?
My advice is to "listen" to a lot of films and then steal with your ears! Try putting a movie scene on a second monitor, or on a tablet, with no audio on it and then start playing as if you were the composer of that movie. Focus on the most important part of that scene (a camera shot, a kiss) and let your track serve it. Be creative. No one will stop you playing a slow piano theme during a high adrenaline scene if it works!
What do you feel the relationship between sound design and soundtrack composition is? With composers like the previously mention Hans Zimmer using more and more sound design in their soundtracks, do you think composers need to be equal parts musicians and sound designers to create the kind of soundtracks that people want nowadays?
If you need to write a score for a romantic movie you could use less synthetic sounds to provide the right emotions, while for a "Marvel style" movie we can use more "boombastic" sounds. I think that the ability of a composer to offer a wide range of musical possibilities can only please a director, who can listen and choose what it's best for their movie.
What are some of your favourite film soundtracks and why?
- Gabriel's Oboe (The Mission) by Ennio Morricone. Poetry with no words
- Forrest Gump (Feather Theme) by Alan Silvestri. A very simple melody that evolves in a such beautiful way
- Batman by Danny Elfman. The only and one Batman theme. Made by a guy with no musical education... just like me!
- The Last of the Mohicans by Vangelis. Epic, glorious and uplifting.
-Indiana Jones by John Williams. One of the easiest music score to remember and you just can’t get it out of your head!
What kind of musical tricks do you use to make a soundtrack sound really epic or grand?
When I'm composing an epic, heroic, track I usually start writing an ostinato pattern on strings and then try and write a melody around it using french horns or maybe a solo cello. Then I can duplicate the melody on other instruments (brass or choirs) or maybe create a counter melody played by strings. After that I work on percussion by layering different instruments to get that "epic" Hollywood sound. When I find the right overall sound I begin recording every single instrument.
An important aspect of composing a soundtrack is not to bore the listener by repeating the same loop or pattern, but adding something new every 16 bars (or less). An example is the song Time by Hans Zimmer.
Another trick is to stop all the instruments just before the chorus, or the main part of the song, leaving only the reverb sound and let it fade out... Then, when you play the main part, it will sound bigger.
Sometimes, when inspiration lacks, I load a piano and a sustained strings library together. It can give a lot of new ideas. For Cubase users your DAW has a wonderful tool called "Chord Assistant" who can help a musician that isn't trained to choose the right chord progression in the Circle of Fifths.
When you are composing an orchestral track, think which instruments will play in the low, mid and high register. A good mix starts from a good arrangement.
What 5 pieces of advice would you have for someone about to start writing their first bit of trailer music, or their first soundtrack?
- Experiment, as I already said. Hans Zimmer is a master of experimentation!
- You don't know when a music theme will enter in your head... You can use the recorder of cell phones to sing or whistling and record it!
- If a theme sounds good on piano try and play it using another instrument as well… maybe it will sound even better!
- Try to listen what have you written the next day... if it's good even after you slept on it maybe it's really good!
- Let children listen your music. Children don't know anything about music theory but they listen with their heart. If you touch it you win!
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/why-is-sound-design-important-in-music2017-11-29T10:25:00+00:002021-11-11T21:08:03+00:00Why is Sound Design important in music?Garrick WarehamCreating a final, professional, track nowadays is a lot more work than just pure musicianship. You could almost argue that with modern production standards, being a musician isn’t enough - you need to be an audio-artist.
]]>
Creating a final, professional, track nowadays is a lot more work than just pure musicianship in the traditional sense. As well as knowledge of music production, marketing, social media, and a whole host of other things, comes a need to create immersive and engaging sounds. You could almost argue that with modern production standards, being a musician isn’t enough - you need to be an audio-artist.
Sound FX have been a staple in cinema for years, bringing us the audio representations of all of our favourite Sci-Fi noises, building tension in horror films, and creating vast and amazing soundscapes. Creating tension soon worked it’s way into the world of dance music, using risers, drops, and SFX to add interest and depth to (what would traditionally be) a repetitive hook. Minor audio deviations like this can undo the repetitive monotony of a simple house track, and transform it into a far more engaging and interesting tune.
Only using Sound FX can limit oneself though, and some artists push further into an area of Sound Design within mainstream music releases. Rob Swire (Pendulum, Knife Party) brings a distinct ‘cinematic’ feel to a lot of his musical projects with extensive use of Sound FX and design to create a sense of epic immersive-ness that not many other artists are capable of - and this signature sound could be part of the reason why he’s seen so many of his projects reach critical an commercial success. The prime example of this comes from Knife Party, in the song ‘Internet Friends’.
Incorporating sound FX and ‘real’ sounds into music can also add to the narrative and mood of a track/album. ‘rain on me’ by joji is a great example tying the name of a track, the mood of the track, the message of the song, and the audio FX that have been married into the tune. If you’ve ever studied drama or literature then might have come across pathetic fallacy i.e. “the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature.”. In terms of weather this means sun when happy things are happening, and rain when there is sorrow. Using sound design like this in music can make it possible to impart almost exactly the message you want your song to send, without having to add lyrics - they’re the icing on the top.
All that being said, if you have the penitence to delve deep into audio manipulation then IDM and Sound Art might await you in the future. These areas of music are highly technical, and place equal weight on creating completely unique audio, and musicianship - whilst focusing on breaking its rules and boundaries; think of it as the electronic version of 21st Century classical composition.
Sound Design never needs to be in your face when you’re incorporating it into your music. In fact, a lot of the time it has more impact when it sits comfortably in the mix. It could be argued that the best kind of music is the kind that lets you hear something new every time that you turn it on and having that unobtrusive, multi-layered, approach to incorporating sound design in your music will elevate your tracks - making them far more engaging and immersive.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/epm2017-11-07T13:39:00+00:002021-11-11T21:09:28+00:00Getting Started With... Eastern Percussion ModuleGarrick WarehamZero-G’s latest release, Eastern Percussion Module, is a composers dream toolkit. Adding unique ethnic flare and flavour to every project imaginable.
]]>
Zero-G’s latest release, Eastern Percussion Module, is a Native Instruments Kontakt instrument based on MIDI loops, round robins, and performances. The Kontakt instrument gives you access to over 40 instruments, as well as a whole host of articulations, 4 FX, reverb sends, and complete mixing and panning control.
There are almost 1000 unique MIDI loops from regions all across the East. These loops can be played from inside of the Kontakt interface, or dragged and dropped straight into your DAW, and then played back by EPM. All of the MIDI loops tempo map to your DAWs host tempo. To compliment these rhythms and performances there are 4 preset ‘regions’ (Egyptian, Turkish, Khaligi and North African) with their own local instruments, and variations of those instruments. There are varying sizes of Bandir’s, and different variations of drums like Dohola, Darabuka and Djembe - they all have their own timbres and voices, so you can create your own unique ensembles. Alongside the region presets, there are also some ‘location’ presets as well, including ‘In The Basement’ and ‘Pitched In The Booth’.
Included in the interface are 4 FX modules. EQ, Transient Shaper, Compressor, Tape Emulation/Saturation. These, coupled with the reverb send, give you a huge scope for creatively manipulating these samples and loops, to make something very unique. The reverb sends give you access to 41 individual reverb locations - ranging from concert hall to ‘small cave’, with options to adjust the reverb size and pre-delay.
You can also play in the individual samples and articulations using a MIDI controller, or by drawing the notes into your DAW. With access to the samples it does mean that you can create your own MIDI loops and parts for any projects that you might be working on. In the video Garrick incorporates Eastern Percussion Module into a progressive house track (using loops from Zero-Gs Progressive House sample library), and talks about the potential uses of EPM in both Cinematic and Dance tracks.
Overall, Eastern Percussion Module is probably one of the most invaluable tools available for composers, both in the World & Ethnic scenes, and in EDM and Cinematic/Game areas as well. With a huge amount of depth, variety, and a whole group of FX to boot, you can be almost certain that the parts you create with Eastern Percussion Module will be unique to you in every project.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/a-definitive-guide-to-the-ethera-series2017-10-24T11:50:00+01:002021-11-11T21:09:42+00:00A definitive guide to the ETHERA seriesGarrick WarehamMore]]>
With the release of ETHERA Soundscapes 2.0 this week, we thought now would be a better time than ever to put together a definitive guide to the ETHERA series...
Firstly, what is ETHERA?
ETHERA is a vocal instrument for Native Instruments Kontakt, with the original title (ETHERA 2.0) being geared towards cinematic and Celtic vocal styles. The voice of every ETHERA release is Clara Solace, an incredible and accomplished vocalist from Italy. Her husband, Stefano Maccarelli, who is a Hollywood sound-designer/composer, was searching for a vocal library that would meet his needs - and after finding nothing, decided to make his own.
As well as including stunning voicebanks, ETHERA titles come with a host of in-built features. Using tools like the phrase builders and arpeggiators gives users a huge amount of creative and sonic control over the samples. The FX section gives you control over audio effects inside of your instance of Kontakt, and the recent 'True Emotive Legato" in ETHERA Soundscapes 2.0 is possibly the absolute best realistic representation of a live voice that you could get in any vocal library.
What titles are in the ETHERA series?
Each title in the ETHERA series is a completely unique library (they are not ETHERA 'expansions') and is geared towards a certain vocal style (despite their applications being broad and varied).
(Most of these can be upgraded to the current editions for a nominal upgrade price)
So what are the differences?
ETHERA 2.0 is a cinematic vocal instrument geared towards Epic, Fantasy, Celtic and Operatic styles, however there are also presets for World, EDM and Soul as well. The Fantasy/Celtic style comes through strongly with the vocal palette and it certainly lends a weight and gravitas to your compositions. The tools available in ETHERA 2.0 are also shared by ETHERA Soul Edition, and allow a stylistic flexibility that means that you may be able to fit ETHERA 2.0 into some project that you never dreamed it would work in!
ETHERA Soul Edition combines stunning Soul and Gospel vocal samples. These range from your solo and choir ‘oohs’ to lyrical vocal phrases that will let you construct full length songs using this library. Whilst the samples and phrases are quintessentially Soul and Gospel, some of the team in the Zero-G office find uses for them in EDM and cinematic projects, due to the flexibility of the ETHERA interface and tools, you can see ETHERA Soul Edition popping up in some rather unexpected places...
Certainly the largest release in the series is ETHERA Soundscapes 2.0. Weighing in at almost 24GB, ETHERA Soundscapes is not only a vocal instrument, but also includes a full atmospheric ambience library, and another full library of custom synth instruments. There is a huge amount of ‘bang for buck’ in this instalment. the voice of ETHERA, Clara Sorace describes the sound in our interview with her on the Zero-G Blog... "Ethera Soundscapes contains a deeper vocal palette...a stronger sound and many different vocal approaches (from dark and powerful to soft and dreamy).
What do users think of ETHERA titles?
We absolutely love the ETHERA series, and a huge amount of our customers do as well, in fact they are now the best-selling titles in the Zero-G store! Not only that, the whole series has been a huge critical success in international publications – none of the ETHERA libraries have been given less than a 9/10 review rating, with the quality of the instrument, sounds and value for money receiving particularly glowing praise.
"Ethera 2.0 sounds absolutely amazing and the range and variety of vocal noises that can be coaxed from it is endless - 9/10" - Computer Music Magazine, UK
"Just like Ethera, Ethera Soundscapes offers a top quality sound with variety. Clara's voice is second to none and will bring any music project to life, coupled with the awesome voice of Marco to deliver a male voice to compliment. Soundscapes also offers pads and other effects that are very useable and easily tweaked to get the sound or effect that you may want. This software is top rate and is a must have for anyone wanting to add something special to their music." - Jamie M (Zero-G Customer)
"I am loving these, these are fantastic" - SampleLibraryReview on ETHERA Soundscapes 2.0 update Click here to watch the video
"Packed with vocal phrases ("oohs, "ahs", etc) emotively and soulfully sung by Clara Sorace and also featuring more in the way of actual words. The Phrases and Phrase Builder instruments are the main events, the first drawing on 12 presets that map phrases up the keyboard for stretching, shifting, shaping, processing and stringing together; the second for creating phrases by arranging words and phonemes in a step sequencer. Legato control and effects wrap things up, and it all comes together in an effective, capable package. Rated: 9/10" - Computer Music Magazine, UK (ETHERA Soul Edition)
"I'm really pleased with this product. It provides a lot of great sounds and combinations in order to create very lush sound textures. I highly recommend it." - Marc B. (Zero G ETHERA 2.0 Customer)
"If you're after a multi-talented sample-based instrument that covers all kinds of composition and sound design uses, Zero-G's Ethera Soundscapes might be just what you've been looking for... This is a powerful and genuinely useful toolbox for anyone working with sound design or scoring for games, TV or film. The textures and synths are great and the vocal section is an added bonus, providing authentic sounds that can fit into a number of different situations. It’s easy to subtly or radically alter the character of most sounds using the onboard controls, and the price is really attractive too considering how much content you get." - ASK AUDIO
Still not convinced? Here are three video demos for you to sit back and enjoy...
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/creating-ethera-soundscapes-2-02017-10-17T14:12:00+01:002021-11-11T21:12:04+00:00We talk to Stefano and Clara about creating ETHERA Soundscapes 2.0Garrick WarehamWe catch up with the creators of ETHERA to get the down-low on Zero-Gs new title - ETHERA Soundscapes 2.0.
]]>
Hi Stefano, we’re really excited about ETHERA Soundscapes 2.0. Everyone in the office was a fan of ETHERA Soundscapes, and we didn’t think it could get better! For those that aren’t familiar with you and your work, how did you get into music, and what inspired you create the ETHERA series?
Hello guys, thank you so much. I’m a Sound Designer & Composer and I’ve been doing this professionally for years. I’m currently working for FOX Networks Group as Senior Sound Designer & Composer and I began my career as Sound Technician. I worked with several studios and brands during that time.
What inspired me to create the Ethera series? I got the idea while working on a trailer for FOX. I worked on many TV series & trailers (Walking Dead, Outcast, etc.) and I was always looking for a great vocal library and not only, but also, synth, arp, pad, and textures. But I was always in need of a precise type of sound and vocals that was not easily found. So I thought… Well I can create it myself. So I started recording vocals with Clara, and also many sounds from synths, sound field recording, acoustic instruments. etc. Originally it was meant to be a personal tool, but thanks to my friend, Fayez, I decided to polish it and build a complete Vocal Library, sound design and music too , which then became Soundscapes.
Clara, you’ve been the iconic voice of ETHERA since version 1, but most people probably know your voice from trailers and soundtracks without knowing it’s you! Take us through your musical journey and how you came to be the voice of the ETHERA series.
Well, I studied piano for 12 years and singing for 8 years. I participated in various competitions and festivals,
In 2014 I obtained the certificate for “Competence in the Figures CFP, Estill Voicecraft” from the Estill Voice International as Certified instructor.
I’ve gained a lot of experience over the years in music production and vocal arrangements, widening my stylistic versatility and range; that allows me to switch from Soul, Pop Rock, Electro and Cinematic Music easily. I became the voice of Ethera thanks to an intuition of Stefano… His constant search for that particular vocal sound and mood (similar to the great Lisa Gerrard's), and the consequent lack of result in that search, led us to embrace that sound and make it our own; so we thought: we should make a library out of that!
If you had to describe ETHERA Soundscapes 2.0 in five words, what would you say?
I would say :
Creative - Powerful - Helpful - Deep - Inspirational
With the ETHERA series being such a huge success, how does Soundscapes 2.0 stand apart from the rest of the series - what’s unique about it?
The main difference from Ethera 2.0 / Soul Edition and Soundscapes 2.0 is that in the latter (other than the great vocal library) we added many useful sounds: Drones, Bass, Arpeggiators, Textures, SFX. I created a big Cubase Template using only Ethera Soundscapes 2.0
Soundscapes 2.0 is obviously an upgrade from 1.2, can you give us a super quick rundown of what’s new in the 2.0 version compared to Soundscapes 1.2?
The first important new feature in Soundscapes 2.0 is the new "Emotive True Legato". Clara and I worked hard to create a powerful and realistic True Legato. In addition to several scripted legato patches, now Soundscapes 2.0 has a great emotive True Legato. Here’s some of the new features: 4 Round Robin for sustains and up to 3 velocity layers, and up to 3 True Legato velocity layers.
With this new emotional True Legato the user has more control over the sound by just setting a different velocity, people will find it very useful. In addition to everything I’ve already mentioned, Soundscapes 2.0 has several new sounds and presets for synth and ambience, a new very nice Vocal Arpeggiator . Several users asked for the ability to use “Snapshot to load Presets”... And it is now possible to do so! Last but not least there are some new beautiful and inspirational vocal phrases from Clara.
With the updates and new features available, what’s you’re favourite change that you’ve made to Soundscapes 2.0, is there anything you’ve been itching to include for a while?
That would be the new “Emotive True Legato”. The scripted legato works very well in several situations but the True Legato is awesome because we have sampled all vocal transitions with lots of different styles. All transitions are controlled by Velocity, so if you set a low Velocity value you can trigger an emotive transition, if you set a high or mid value a more powerful transition will be played. Obviously this requires a lot of work and many samples, but the result is very pleasant.
What are the sessions with Stefano like to record, are they different from other studio recordings you’ve done, Clara?
Recording sessions are all different, depending on a lot of factors. Each session has it’s own process. The recording sessions for Ethera are vastly different from recording takes for a song: behind every Ethera sample there’s a true vocal gym, a continuous updating and research of various styles, and different vocal approaches, keeping in mind that Ethera contains many different vocal styles (from Cinematic to Soul, Gospel to Pop, Electronic ... etc etc).
I can say this much: making a library that feels and plays like a real human voice, is the greatest vocal and mental exercise that a singer can experience!
With ETHERA being so expressive it really deserves to be played - not clicked in with a mouse. What controllers or extra hardware would you recommend people pick up to make the most of Soundscapes 2.0?
My favourite controllers are: Native Instruments “S Series Keyboard”, (I made a preset for this keyboard, so all parameters of Ethera Soundscapes will be mapped). I think that one of the best feature of Ethera Soundscapes is the possibility to change the sound very easily so it’s important to have all Soundscapes controls mapped on the Midi Keyboard.
Anyway Ethera Soundscapes 2.0 has the “midi learn“ functionality ( right click of mouse on the controller) so it’s really easy to map all midi parameters; another awesome midi controller is the ROLI SEABOARD. In Ethera Soundscapes there are many special ROLI Patches. In particular some ROLI vocal presets are really cool.
There are really obvious themes in all of the ETHERA libraries, what was the initial inspiration behind the Soundscapes sample library? Did you hear anything in particular that made you go ‘I need to make a library based around that!’?
Yes, the first was the voice of Lisa Gerrard. I really love her voice because it is not an “operatic vocal", and of course I love Clara’s voice too and I think that their voices are very similar in the low vocal register, Clara’s is more versatile when it comes to different musical styles and it has a wider vocal range. Furthermore I love Hans Zimmer and Vangelis so my inspiration is their sound.
Clara, was there any difference in the way you approached recording the ETHERA Soundscapes library compared to ETHERA 2 or ETHERA Soul Edition?
The biggest difference lies in the stylistic approach. Ethera Soundscapes contains a deeper vocal palette, embracing a world of music bigger than ever before. While one could say that Ethera 2.0 is similar to Soundscapes, it’s atmospheres were closer to a more particular type of sound (of the epic and Celtic kind); the Soul edition instead is very specific in genre. Recording that was very stimulating and impactful (I adore Soul music).
With this latest edition (Soundscapes) we built a more “all-round” library, with a stronger sound and many different vocal approaches (from dark and powerful to soft and dreamy and so on and so forth).
How did you go about recording the samples for Soundscapes 2.0, are they all exclusively vocal samples from Clara?
All the female vocal samples are from Clara. She has a great Voice, a fantastic range and she can sing many different styles, from Cinematic to Soul to Electro, so it’s easy to create a complete vocal tool using her capabilities. In Soundscapes there are also some Male Vocal samples from another Italian vocalist. At last but not least i sampled many sounds from FM Synths, Hardware Synths, Organic Sounds, Acoustic Instruments and Many Sound Field Recordings.
Without giving away all the tricks of the trade, what kind of FX processing did you use to get the final results?
I sampled all vocals with a Neumann U87 , Neumann M147 and AKG Solid Tube with a MIC Pre Focusrite RED 6 (an awesome vintage pre). All samples are recorded very “close” to achieve an almost completely dry sound (so the users are free to add their own effects). For the Synth & Ambience samples I also used a Zoom H6 for field recording (city, lake, crowd, organic sound etc), and a simple but very useful “ contact mic" that can produce a very particular sound (so a simple fire of a candle can become a great sound texture). After the capturing work, sounds are processed, edited and exported in Cubase. A very crucial tool that I used a lot is Grainspace from Audiority.
If we dropped you onto a desert island, what 2 instruments (real or virtual) would you make music with until you were rescued?
Ok, other then Soundscapes 2.0 right? Jokes aside, I’d choose Spectrasonics Omnisphere because I think it’s the best virtual Instrument ever, and a Piano. Of course I would force Clara to be stranded with me… So we would have all we need to make music on a desert island :)
Same to you Clara, if we dropped you onto the desert island, what instruments would you be taking with you (don’t worry, you don’t have to take Stefano too!)?
:-) ….I would bring with me a good book “The Lost City of Z “of David Grann, a keyboard, paper and pen!
Are there going to be any further expansions to the ETHERA series? Can you give us any ideas on the next big Stefano and Clara project?
I think that there will be future updates, maybe the next will be something more “Soul and Pop" :-)
Are you working on any projects at the moment that you’re allowed to talk about Clara? Are we going to be hearing you on anything else in the near future?
I'm working on many projects right now. At the moment I'm collaborating with various musicians for soundtracks and albums, and I hope I can let you listen to something as soon as possible... Among the many projects, I will surely approach the Soul theme again...
I am also part of a pop / gospel choir in Rome, as a soprano, and we will be part of several musical events in the near future.
What kind of music are you listening to at the moment? Any artists in particular that you can’t get enough of?
I listen to all good music and different styles. My musical super heroes are Hans Zimmer, Vangelis, Junkie Xl, Ennio Morricone, James Newton Howard, Howard Shore, and John Williams of course. Regarding more mainstream music I listen to Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Skrillex, Flux Pavilion and more. Of course I also listen to “older" artists like Pink Floyd, U2, Queen, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston (they are always timeless).
Who are your go-to artists at the moment Clara? Anyone that you can’t stop listening to?
Well.. My favorite artists right now are Sam Smith, John Legend, Hans Zimmer, Maria Callas, Muse and Bruno Mars just to name a few…
One particular song I can’t stop listening to is “Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Losing Game”… Her vocals in that track are just sublime, and the overall vibe of the song overwhelms me every time!
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/epica-producer-sam-spacey-on-the-making-of-zero-g-s-best-selling-virtual-synth2017-10-16T15:57:00+01:002021-11-11T21:12:52+00:00Epica producer Sam Spacey on the making of Zero-G’s best-selling virtual synthGarrick Wareham
We got in contact with the instrument’s creator Sam Spacey, who was also responsible for Zero-G’sPhaedrasynth a few years ago, to find out what Epica has to offer…
Hi Sam, first up, could you tell us a little about your own musical background?
Since 1997 I’ve had 43 releases under various names, was signed to Sony at one point with track in charts … MTV video etc.etc. Having just hit 40, I think those days are behind me as oddly enough I find myself enjoying sound design more than composing which is where I find myself today.
What was the original aim for this instrument?
wanted a truly epic synth, a synth which suffered no fillers but only the most beautiful and attention grabbing sounds I could design. It had to be more than just a playback engine… it had to be a synthesizer in its own right. Modern computers had advanced enough to be able to deal with bigger samples and also way more multi-samples than before, so I wanted to create something with true artistic freedom from technological constraints.
Being a big fan of colour in sound I knew that I would need to go all out with the hardware FX. What I mean by this is that you can take a technically perfect sample recorded through the best converters but still end up with something that has no soul to it. I still sample through my Akai S950 for drum beats for this reason, it just does something to the sound.
So it was a case of splashing out on some hi-end colour hardware for recording through and getting down to it.
How long did it take to create?
Three years in total, the first two of these were a bit slow because I was working full time on recording projects as well which took a lot of time up. Epica made music fun when I worked on it so I went full time working on Epica for the last year. It really benefited from the full time attention to detail.
As any decent library developer will tell you, it’s the editing of the samples that takes a lot of the time. Each of the 16,548 samples need to be checked, edited and looped by human ear and hand. I do get annoyed with lazy developers who let a machine do it for them. I defy anyone to hear my loop points, these are the time killer as in a say ‘Pad’ preset you have to spend a lot of time manually moving the loop points of each sample so that you just can not hear where it was looped. The problem becomes tenfold when you are dealing with stereo samples… you really can’t automate these things, but when it’s all done I feel it’s all worth it.
No virtual synths were used for the samples, everything comes from the big guns of the synthesizer hall of fame. Think big Oakley Modular, Sequential Pro 1, Arp Odyssey, Future Retro, Matrix 6 and much more from the analog along with DX7, D50, Akai S-950. Add in some oddness like the local pre school choir and you have quite a mix. The Eventide H8000FW was just a real ear opener for FX, I really have never heard anything like it, it was a key part to this library.
Tell us more about the key pieces of analog and digital hardware you used for the 17,000+ samples that are found in Epica.
The synth that I have still to scratch the surface on is my ever expanding home built Oakley analog modular synth, the oscillators on this synth even on the lowest note fire audio frequencies hitting above 30khz and the richness of the sound is just a thing of beauty.
Pride of place in the hardware recording chain has to go to the UBK Fatso which you just have to turn on for everything put through it to have that solid weighty organic feel to it. I might have overdriven the unit a few times on purpose to get a certain tone. Epica sounds produced and like a record straight out of the box.
One of the surprising highlights for me was that my sister-in-law came to visit with a bad cold to record her amazing voice. We carried on with the session and the end result that, due to her cold, the “Aaaahs” that I sampled were just jaw dropping, after looping and adding some Neve, UBK and H8000FW goodness the results were truly angelic.
Like the Kentucky Colonel I’m not going to give away my secret spices…. but I can say that I have used a UBK Fatso on everything along with a certain UBK EQ, Radial DI’s going into a couple Neve 1073N preamp’s and sometimes the Thermionic Culture Vulture. Also heavily used were the amazing Eventide H8000FW Fx unit and the Lexicon PCM 81 and PCM96 along with many analog phasers, analog delays and some distortion units. This all ends up into a Lynx Aurora 8 sound card.
For the recordings you used “a very boutique chain of analog hardware” – can you tell us more about that?
I must confess that I am a bit of a hardware snob when it comes to sampling. It’s not that I do not like VST fx it’s just that the extra weight from all harmonics that just ooze from the analog gear makes it all worth it for me to get the sound correct at source rather than applying fx inside the computer.
What would you say are the Top 3 selling points of Epica?
1: The sound, it’s big, glorious and a completely different flavour from anything else out there. Kontakt 5’s engine has really grown since Phaedra, the filters in Kontakt 5 are now really really good. I gave the user 6 of the best filters choices for the synthesizer.
2: Epica’s GUI interface for the synthesizer gives the user so much control over the sound and gets the creative juices going fast when creating new sounds. I’ve found that I don’t go into the Kontakt engine when making presets as the Epica GUI is a lot faster.
3: The sheer size of the 16,548 sample 12GB library and over 600 presets all fully editable means this Synthesizer will keep on going when other libraries fall out of fashion. This is not a preset machine though, the interface makes it so quick and easy to roll your own presets for your own unique sound.
Which types of music would Epica be particularly suitable for?
Originally I was thinking Film Score music with the emphasis on Strings and Pads but the library kept on growing into other areas so I just went with it.
Electronica and Ambient composers are going to love this but also any type of music that wants a huge diverse synth library that does not sound like a virtual instrument. Anyone bored with the same two dimension virtual synth presets should look into this library as it really does have its own sound. I would imagine a lot of radio and TV advert composers will love this library.
One of my Beta testers now swears by Epica for his Drum and Bass releases.
Your previous virtual instrument Phaedra was acclaimed for its ‘obsessive attention to detail’ and ‘excellent value for money’, what’s the key differences between that instrument and Epica?
Even more obsessive multisampling lol….seriously! The pad/string multisamples are never mapped more than 1 note away from their original sample and most are for 7 octaves when possible. For the shorter sounds like bass we are talking every note sampled as well as up to 4 round robins per note. I’m quite sensitive to aliasing so I don’t believe in stretching samples up the keyboard… it just doesn’t sound right.
For example the shorter sounds like say some of the Pro 1 and Odyssey synth sounds needed the kind of attention that would normally go into a drum library. Every note sampled with Round Robins are needed on synthesizer sounds because no two same note key hits sound the same. This is a big part of the sound, playing 16th notes on the same note with round robins breeds life and analog randomness to the sound. Doing the same with a single sample note just sounds …well… sampled.Having learnt a huge amount from creating Phaedra before, I had also gathered a larger amount of more unique analog equipment. Thinking this time I would really push the boundaries of what was possible using the new Kontakt 5 engine.
A similar technology was used with longer sounds where a random (all variable in the GUI) sample start point was used so you never hit the same start point when you triggered the sample. This is how a real analog synth oscilator works and it really makes a big difference.
For Filter sweeps where possible I used the real filter from the synth I was sampling using velocity to sample start tricks to give the user real time control over the actual hardware synths filter. It is hard to explain in words but I would have the synth I had sampled playing side by side to the preset I was building to ensure the most accurate sound possible.
Finally, anything you’d like to add about Epica that we’ve not covered here?
I’m very impressed with the GUI interface, the guy who put the final interface together did a great job and worked closely with my requirements. I love the fact that if you wish to control any of the EPICA interface knobs, all you have to do is right click on the GUI knob and then just turn your midi controller knob… that’s it… done!
Also I did something that I do not believe has been done before, in the main multi presets I also used the excellent H8000fw and PCM96 fx units to add a reverb that I felt suited the preset. BUT…..the reverb is adjustable in volume as it has its own preset within the multi. So if you want more, less or none at all just adjust it in the multi within a second. You can also synthesize the reverb which makes for some very unique sounds.
Thanks Sam! Epica is powered by the Free Kontakt Player, find out more byclicking here
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/we-talk-to-the-people-behind-zero-g-s-kontakt-instrument-impact-designer2017-10-16T10:31:00+01:002021-11-11T21:08:52+00:00We talk to the people behind Zero-G’s Kontakt instrument ‘Impact Designer’Garrick Wareham
Produced by Dan Graham, who was also responsible for Zero-G’s Animato, Spiritoso, Luminoso and Perpetuocollections, the live environmental sounds that were recorded for this collection were processed by Italian Professor of Sound Design Alessandro Camnasio whose trailer credits includeTHOR,Transformers: Age of Extinctionand many more.
We got in touch with both Dan and Alessandro to find out more…
Hi Dan, good to see you back with a new Zero-G library! What’s this one all about?
The title says it all really, but it’s a tool to create your own customised Impacts, also known as epic slams, hits, bangs, booms and whacks.
I’m a busy composer specialising mostly in trailer music and although there are some great sample libraries out there you can quickly feel like you’ve used all the best sounds. This solves the problem by giving you the tools to create a huge number of possible sounds yourself with a lot of control. Equally though, there are a lot of presets to get you going so you don’t have to make your own sounds if you really hate the idea of making your own amazing unique sounds.
I tried to achieve several things at once with this – a fantastic selection of raw sounds so that you don’t waste your time with anything less than world class hits, everything being extremely simple to use, all controlled with a few knobs and buttons, and a huge variety of sonic possibilities.
I think we’ve achieved something very very special here, kind of unique but also very simple and obvious. The main thing is that almost any noise you can get out of it sounds amazing.
Your previous libraries, have been very much geared towards orchestral instruments and FX, what was your inspiration behind this title?
Being involved in trailer music I inhabit a world of orchestral instruments, sound design and percussion, so for me it’s all the same thing – creating tools that I want to have myself but then spreading the fun to everyone else who can make good use of it.
My inspiration was just that I had a glaring gap in my set of gigantic power slams and this is my idea of the perfect square peg in a square hole. Just what I needed – and I’m already using it on everything to great effect.
The sounds were “built from live environmental recordings” – can you tell us more about the sources of these?
Alessandro the Sound Designer should tell you all about this, though I do wonder if he needed a permit for those explosions. Probably less said the better… (Ed: see Alessandro’s interview below).
Run us through some of the most unique and useful feature of Impact Designer.
Each basic sound has 3 round robins and 3 dynamic levels crossfaded. Then when you hit a MIDI key it very rapidly cross fades between 3 or 4 different parts of the impact sound – the attack transient, the body of the hit and the decay part, all from different source sounds. So that already gives you a huge amount of variation in the sounds.
Then you have all these controls – effects like distortion, compression, filters, delay, reverb. Then pitch shifting and envelopes. All of this can massively vary the sound.
Two totally unique features are the RANDOM button which gives you a totally randomised set of source sounds, and the PRE-HIT button which gives you a short backwards whoosh in to the hit, which in turn can be controlled with the GAPcontrol (controlling how long there is between the whoosh and the slam).
And… it has a lot of great presets including a folder by Matt Bowdler aka ‘The Unfinished‘ who is a world class synth programmer. The presets cover a very wide range, were all made using the basic GUI and show how versatile this is.
And then there is the flashing light show which needs to be experienced. It’s all very addictive stuff! Really!
Who would benefit from using this library and why?
Anyone who needs powerful slams and percussive hits would benefit from this. Which is to say, almost anyone doing modern production with epic needs. So that includes trailer writers, film composers but equally dance, pop, EDM and hip hop producers.
I think almost anyone playing with this will get a big light bulb over their heads and think – WOW – imagine what I can do with this new toy!
Italian-bornAlessandro Camnasioprocessed the Impact Designer sounds using his own customised software, here he tells us more…
Hi Alessandro, how did you become involved in this project?
I worked with Dan on other projects related to his trailer music library company. One day he asked me to create the core sounds for a new Kontakt instrument that would have been able to recombine them into a multitude of new ones. Considering my love for sound experiments, I was really excited about the idea of a tool like that, so I joined the project.
What was your approach – did you know the sounds you wanted to create or was it primarily a case of experimentation?
Dan gave me a general brief of the main sound categories as a starting point for my sound design work. So I knew the kinds of sounds we needed for this particular project, but I also had the liberty to experiment with different approaches to see how I could fill each specific category in the best way.
Dan already knew my skills and attitude from our previous project – the Advanced Sound Design album – for which I used many interesting techniques that flow into the creation of the Impact Designer, like: super high frequency recording, high precision microphones, doppler effects, acoustic environment modeling, frequency warping, scaling and shifting, convolution, sub-harmonic generators, modified instruments, etc.
When you are able to work in team like this, it really is a case of continuous and fruitful brainstorming. In fact, even after the sound design part was finished, I was able to follow the development of the Kontakt instrument closely and give some ideas about possible improvements and features.
Can you tell us more about the customised software you used to process the original recordings?
Well, with “customised software” I actually mean a synergy of different things and approaches. During my sound design explorations, I’m sometimes lucky enough to stumble into some interesting ideas of processing the sounds or just realize that I need a particular tool for a specific task. This involves creating my own little plug-ins or standalone tools with a visual programming language (i.e. Max/MSP, Kyma X, Synthedit), modifying an existing Reaktor ensemble, or just assembling complex chains of plug-ins in my favourite sequencer.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/we-talk-to-si-begg-about-extreme-vocal-environments2017-10-16T10:31:00+01:002021-11-11T21:07:46+00:00We talk to Si Begg about Extreme Vocal EnvironmentsGarrick Wareham
Electronic Dance Music DJ, musician and record producer are just a few of Si Begg’s job titles, and when we last chatted, he’d just producedExtreme Environments us atZero-G. Since that was two years ago, and he’s just released a unique vocal sound design tool ‘Extreme Vocal Environments’ (E.V.E)for Zero-G, we thought it was about time for a catch up.
In this interview, Si gives us the low down on his new library and what he’s been up to since our last chat…
Hi Si, thanks for talking with us today. Last time we spoke to you was back in 2014 when you released ‘Extreme Environments’ – what have you been up to since then, other than working on this new library?
My biggest projects have been scoring two feature films, Kicking Off and My Hero (title TBC) and sound design duties on Rise of the Krays. Kicking Off won best feature at the Raindance Film Festival and is out in April this year. I’ve also been noodling around on some of my own projects which will hopefully see the light of day this year…
Congratulations on the release of Extreme Vocal Environments (EVE), the main concept of this library is that users can create dense and complex soundscapes and ambiences using vocal sources – where did the idea for this come from?
With the original Extreme Environments instrument it was my own personal need, it was something I wanted that didn’t exist so I thought I’d make it! I tended to end up spending a lot of time layering sounds and samples then processing heavily to get what i wanted and it struck me that one Kontakt instrument could do this really easily.
So I started building a library of tones that would work together. That worked well, so then for this follow up, I wanted to explore the idea of using the human voice as a sound source for the whole thing. I’ve always loved choirs and was interested in taking a fresh, more creative look at how you might sample and use the human voice.
So what are the advantages of using vocals as the sound sources?
I feel that, even when heavily processed, the human voice has an inherent “soul” that somehow affects your brain in a way other sounds don’t. So you can get a lot of emotion and humanity out of a single held note that a synth or other instrument doesn’t give you. Also the detail and imperfections in the human voice instantly make things interesting sonically, so its a great universe of sounds to work with.
How would you describe the vocal sources included and where did they derive from?
Basically, I tried to source as large and varied range of human voices as I could, including out takes of various vocal sessions I’ve done, field recordings, my own voice and even my kids’ voices! Then I did a lot of processing, granulating, stretching, vocoding, auto-tuning, distorting etc etc.
I tried to take the voice as far as it can go, whilst still retaining something of the characteristics of what makes up a human voice. So even though the sounds are pretty abstract, somewhere in there is the ghost or after image of a human being.
The Kontakt instrument element of this library makes it a useful sound design tool for creating beds, drones, pads and FX – can you tell us more about the key features of this?
I think what makes it special is the use of very creative impulse responses that power the convolution reverb. So you already have these interesting source samples to combine and play around with, then when you put them through these interesting impulse responses you get instantly, highly characterful sounds that are also put into a huge, rich stereo space or environment.
So, a customer loads EVE into Kontakt for the first time, what’s the first thing you would suggest they do to really get a feel for the potential of the instrument?
Flick through the presets… then start twiddling! Try changing the impulse responses for instant fun. Try different samples and save what you come across.
The library is developed for the full version of Kontakt but also includes Apple Loops and Wav audio loops, therefore is it as useful for someone who doesn’t own Kontakt and if so, how?
I use the Apple Loops a lot in Logic as it’s really quick and easy to drag and drop them into your project for a quick bed or soundscape. Also the impulse responses are provided in a separate folder so you can load them up into NI Reflektor, Logic Space Designer or any convolution reverb you like. I think those alone are a lot of fun and super useful.
How well does this library collaborate with Extreme Environments?
It takes the same principles, but gives you a whole new palette of sounds. So it’s almost like doubling Extreme Environments.
Who do you think EVE is most suitable for and why?
Lots of people! I would say it’s for anyone interested in deep cinematic scoring along the lines of Reznor / Atticus. But then also for fans of immersive electronica along the lines of Boards of Canada or the epic depth of Sigur Ros. Then it also will appeal to sound designers for its great sounds, tones and drones which give instant richness to any project.
Zero-GDistant Lightsis a multiformat sample pack crammed full of sounds to inspire soundtrack production in many genres including sci-fi, fantasy, space and action - in fact anything requiring out-there weird and wonderful audio!
Immerse your audience into a universe of eerie, ominous and foreboding soundscapes, alarming, futuristic and industrial FX and supernatural sounds...
Distant Lights is divided into three parts – Ambiences, FX and Layered Sounds – which consist of complex atmospheres that are then split into their constituent parts.
With categories such as Scene Setters, Moments and Moods, Confusion, Strange Planet, Whisper & Whistle and many more, this is an incredibly useful collection of galactic proportions.
Distant Lights is available now with an introductory 20% off until 31st August. Why not download the free taster pack today?
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/new-sound-bites-a-versatile-voiceover-collection2017-10-16T10:31:00+01:002021-11-11T21:11:56+00:00NEW Sound Bites - a versatile voiceover collectionGarrick Wareham
With almost 1,000 samples ranging from the grittiest to the hilarious, new Zero-GSound Bites is a must-have voiceover collection for producers looking for that elusive ´something´ for their tracks.
In addition to one-shots, there are many extended samples which can be used ´whole,´ or chopped to produce your own original pieces. Styles include Conversation, Gangster, Humour, Love, Sci-Fi, Military, Musical and Old School.
From the seamy to the steamy - there´s something in this library for every producer.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/ethera-2-0-sound-on-sound2017-10-16T10:31:00+01:002021-11-11T21:08:48+00:00Ethera 2.0 - Sound on SoundGarrick Wareham
As you might have guessed from the name, Ethera is meant to sound ethereal, and it can’t be denied that Clara Sorace, whose vocal performances were sampled to create this 3.4GB library, definitely leans more towards Enya than Aretha.
The instrument created from Clara’s recordings is presented as a collection of Kontakt interfaces, which enable the user to build choral pads and distinct articulations using both staccato and legato phrasing. Version One of Ethera offered some of these features, but this second version adds a gigabyte of samples, more legato and polyphonic phrases, extra pad patches, and a number of interfaces that do things like play samples in reverse and allow the user to build long phrases out of a sequence of phonems and edit their relative levels.
The minimal design common to all the interfaces, featuring a pale image of a contemplative Clara Sorace and a distant tree, is simple compared to some Kontakt control panels, but there’s still plenty of editing that can be done. The Ethera Legato.NKI interface, for example, offers Ah and Oh phrases performed in legato and staccato. Once one of these phrases is selected, it can be manipulated using a set of dials that alter its attack, playback start, release time and release volume, vibrato, pan and overall volume. Elsewhere, there are buttons for turning on/off true and/or simulated legato, the sample release playback and double-tracking.
The Phrases interface is more complex still, providing a massive list of options and extra dials for things like altering pitch, sync’ing the samples to the host tempo and offsetting their start points.
In contrast, Ethera Pads.NKI is very simple and has no knobs or buttons at all. However, it does include a larger options menu than the Legato interface and its samples are spread over a greater portion of the keyboard. For me, the Pads interface works extremely well (although I noticed some strange fizz sounds that I suspect are something to do with the looping algorithm). After playing a few of the Pads keys, I found myself trying to pastiche the haunting choral section at the end of Lou Reed’s song ‘The Bed’, and got a satisfying result very quickly.
Much of Ethera’s content is broadly classical in style, but some of the special-effects patches could be used for contemporary dance tracks, and I even detected a touch of soul here and there, so there’s plenty to explore amongst the interfaces.
By default, most patches are drenched in reverb and delay (for that ethereal feel, of course), and treated to processes like EQ and compression, but some or all of the above can be turned off (or even turned up), on the FX Rack tab.
Us humans are very attuned to the subtle nuances of the voice, so whenever there is editing, looping, stretching or tuning, we are likely to notice it, unless it is done very carefully. Ethera can sound very artificial, which is great for highly processed dance music, pop and hip-hop styles, but it can also be made to sound like a bespoke studio recording when played with care and consideration. I can see myself using it in both ways.
]]>
https://zero-g.co.uk/blogs/news/sam-spacey-epica-bass-sound-on-sound-magazine2017-10-16T10:31:00+01:002021-11-11T21:10:32+00:00Sam Spacey Epica Bass - Sound on Sound MagazineGarrick Wareham
I reviewed Sam Spacey’s original Epica sample library for Kontakt back in 2014, and was hugely impressed; Epica was, well, epic, with lots of fabulous sounds build around samples of classic analogue synths. All these were presented via a powerful Kontakt front-end and a huge selection of presets to explore.
Epica was released via Zero-G, but Sam is now back with a new product — Epica Bass — and this time it is being released under his own label. The underlying concept is similar: Epica Bass presents a large selection of sample-based (mainly) monophonic bass sounds, all derived from some classic analogue hardware synths, and presented in a dedicated Kontakt front-end that offers all sorts of additional sound-tweaking possibilities. Synth sources include the ARP Odyssey MkIII, SEM, SH1000 and the CS30, among others. Every attempt has been made to capture ‘analogue’ in digital and, as explained in the documentation, Sam’s approach to the detailed sampling also means that every effort has been made recreate the inherent variability in sound that an analogue synth produces. Installed, the library is around 5GB in size and delivers over 400 preset sounds.
The front-end is something of a triumph. At first glance it looks pretty simple (that is, not too scary) yet, across six sub-screens, four of which are dedicated to the synth engine itself, there is actually a huge range of control offered. There is a really excellent balance struck here between ease of use and level of control. The two additional screens offer arpeggiator and multi-effects options. Again, both have plenty to offer without too much danger of bogging you down in endless details.
But, of course, while the interface is important, a virtual instrument really stands or falls based on its sound and, on that front, Epica Bass is an absolute triumph. I’m not prone to analogue elitism, but I have to say that these are some of the most convincing analogue bass sounds I’ve heard in software. There are some truly awesome presets offered, and the depth of sound, and the way the sounds seem to respond under the fingers, is very impressive. However much work has gone into Epica Bass to capture that ‘analogue’ vibe has, to my ears at least, paid off big time. The combination of the filter and modulation features within the front-end are particularly effective and, while you might have used more sophisticated arpeggiator functions elsewhere, when applied to a monophonic bass sound, Epica Bass’ arp is suitably epic. Indeed, just like the original Epica, Epica Bass lives up to its name. I think I’ve just found my new ‘go to’ source for all things synth, analogue and bassy. Epica Bass comes highly recommended.