Native Instruments today released Circuit Halo, a new Maschine expansion. Circuit Halo combines “intricately-sampled” vintage synths and classic drum machines with more contemporary patterns. Circuit Halo’s sound set also boasts new presets for the (included) Massive and Reaktor Prism synths.

Synth Sounds. Circuit Halo features a collection of samples from vintage synthesizers such as the Roland Juno 60, Casio VL-Tone, Prophet 5, Yamaha DX7, Sequential Circuits Pro One and Six-Trak, and the original Korg MS-20. Each instrument was carefully multi-sampled to capture the “characteristic warm low end,” and idiosyncrasies such as pitch drift, that analog equipment adds to productions.

Drums. The drum sounds in Circuit Halo come from a mix of vintage and modern drum machines. Boutique outboard gear such as a classic 80s British talkback compressor and 1/2″ analog tape were used for detailed tone shaping and a good dose of warmth and character. “Lush” reverb, reminiscent of the 80s sound, was also used to add depth and vintage flavor to the expansion.

Special Kits. Circuit Halo’s four Special Kits contain a “wealth” of glitched-out, grainy sounds, noises and sweeps, sound effects, and percussion and stabs. All-new Prism presets provide organic leads, pads, mallets, and flutes while Massive presets deliver “textured, morphing leads,” basses, and stabs.

A condensed version of Circuit Halo is also available as an iMASCHINE Expansion, and features two projects, four drum kits, and two multi-sampled instruments. Tracks can be exported to Maschine Studio, Maschine, and Maschine Mikro for completion.

Circuit Halo was created in cooperation with Danish sound design expert Joël Krozer of 6 Bit Deep.

Pricing and Availability. Circuit Halo is available now via the NI Online Shop and runs exclusively in the Maschine 2 software on Maschine Studio, Maschine, or Maschine Mikro. Circuit Halo retails for $49 / 49 € / £44 / ¥ 4,800 / AU$ 79. A compact version for iMASCHINE is also available via the in-app store, and retails for $0.99 / 0,89 € / £0.69 / ¥ 100 / AU$ 0.99. Additional information is available at the Native Instruments website.