This video gives an overview of what’s new in Native Instruments Komplete 6.

via NativeInstruments

Richard Devine, playing around with the Monome triggering Native Instruments Battery.

Native Instruments has gone Kompletely Insane!

No – it’s not because they built their new website almost entirely in Flash.

It’s because they are offering Komplete 5 for the month of July for $399 / 399 €!

According to NI, the 11 instruments in Komplete would be $3.069 / 2.689 € if bought individually. Native Instruments’ Kompletely Insane promo is good only through the end of July.

Komplete 5 comes with:

• KONTAKT 3 – industry-standard sampler with a 33 GB library
• GUITAR RIG 3 Software Edition – guitar and bass studio
• MASSIVE – sound monster for fat basses
• REAKTOR 5 – versatile, modular instrument studio
• ABSYNTH 4 -  synthesizer for vivid soundscapes
• BATTERY 3 – dedicated drum sampler
• AKOUSTIK PIANO – three grands and one upright
• ELEKTRIK PIANO – sounds of four renowned electric pianos
• B4 II – recreates the sound of the legendary B3
• FM8 – FM synth
• PRO-53 – the reproduction of a synth legend

SoundJump

The VDM Complete collection contains the following vintage drum machine emulations:
 

• 808
• DMX
• MXR
• 909
• Drumtraks
• SDSV
• 707
• Drumulator
• SK-1
• 727
• Linn9000
• Rhythm Ace

Description:

This collection of vintage drum machines was created from the original drum machine. Additionally, the sounds were modified with distortion algorithms, vintage reverb and transient enhancements to offer an even wider sonic palette.

The “VDM Complete” includes a self contained Reason ReFill featuring Combinator Redrum and NN-XT patches with “eye-candy” graphics that are reminiscent of the original drum machines. Also, an assortment of 125 blank Reason Combinator skins are included for you to customize your Reason rack.

For non-Reason users, the VDM Complete includes the “Sampler Collection” which has all the .wav files (1,448 Samples) and preset files for the following soft samplers:

• Apple Logic EXS24
• Digidesign Structure (All Versions)
• NI Battery
• NI Kontakt

Furthermore, all 1,448 of the samples in the collection are in organized folders for you to browse and load into any software or hardware device that uses the standard .wav format such as Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, Sonar, Akai MPC, Roland MV, etc.

MSRP: $39.99.

They are available now to anyone via free download.

The presets configure drum sampler Battery 3 for use with the Mandala, using only samples from the Battery 3 12GB library of more than 100 drum kits with more than 23,000 individual samples. The presets configure the Mandala pad as a straightforward MIDI controller.

The Battery 3 presets also:

• Assign samples in up to seven circular trigger zones across the Mandala pad.
• Extensively use the Mandala’s 128 circular strike zones to change triggering and effects parameters as drummers play, for true HD drumming.
• Cover playing styles from straightforward grooves to experimental sonics.

The HD Black Beauty Battery 3 Player for Mandala is designed to offer you an accurate digital representation of an acoustic drum, via 3,360 samples of a single vintage 1970s 5×14 Super Sensitive Ludwig Black Beauty Snare Drum.

A drummer’s sound changes with every strike anywhere on the surface of the Mandala, just like with an acoustic snare. Four separate players include: (1) Snare On, and (2) Snare On with Rim, each consisting of 10 zones center to edge, 20 velocity layers and 6 round robins; (3) Snare Off, and (4) Snare Off with Rim, each consisting of 4 zones center to edge, 20 velocity layers and 6 round robins.

“The Mandala drum controls pro audio software with unprecedented resolution,” said Vince De Franco, Synesthesia founder and CEO, and inventor of the Mandala. “These Battery presets really just provide an example of what drummers are capable of accomplishing with this instrument. Our goal has always been to give drummers and musicians a way to experiment and let their imaginations fly, while never losing the basic functionality that they’re already comfortable with.”

The Mandala 2.0 retails for $349, and is available online at http://mandaladrum.com. Each Mandala is hand-crafted and thoroughly tested before it is shipped.

Demos are available at the Bitword site.

Tech Specs:

NI BATTERY 3+: 33 KITS—226mb.zip
ABLETON IMPULSE (Live v6 pack): 275 KITS—104mb.zip
REASON REDRUM (ReFill): 191 KITS—108mb.zip
RAW WAV: 1,066 files—224mb.zip

If you are looking for an electro-organic drum solution, these kits will thud, stomp and clank your problems away. Excellent for the styles of IDM and Industrial, these kits can be easily utilized for a distinct vibe and flavor in all variants of Electronica, Hip-Hop and Alternative Rock. Multimedia and Film Composers will also find inspiration in this diverse collection of drum kits.

This product is available for purchase and download via Bitword’s redesigned website, offering instant digital delivery of this product, and future products. Past customers are encouraged to create user accounts on the new website so they can be instantly notified of news, updates and special offers.

Retail price is $49.

Native Instruments has published a free tutorial video (.mov) on using Battery 3.

Native Instruments has released a free library add-on with three artist drum kits for the acclaimed percussion sampler BATTERY 3. The new kits were designed by NI endorsees Gorillaz, Einstuerzende Neubauten, and Turntablerocker, and are based on exclusive custom sounds from these artists’ own productions.

The “Dracula Eastwood” kit by Gorillaz producer Curtis Lynch provides BATTERY 3 users with high-quality drum sounds destined for all kinds of urban grooves. It includes an assortment of over 60 bass drums, snares, toms and hihats that all carry a distinctive vinyl character.

The kit designed by legendary avantgarde rockers Einstuerzende Neubauten includes a comprehensive selection of their famed custom-built scrap-metal percussion instruments, recorded in their own studio exclusively for Native Instruments, and made available to other musicians for the first time.

Berlin-based dancefloor veterans Turntablerocker contributed a special selection of drum sounds from their “wildstyle” production library. Over 60 drum and percussion instruments cover styles from house to hip hop and R’n'B.

All three artist kits are now available as a free download for registered users of BATTERY 3.

Battery 3 is a significant revision of Native Instruments’ industry standard drum and percussion sampler. The addition of time-stretching and advanced loop capabilities, authentic “articulations”, a powerful master effects section and an integrated wave editor all serve to strengthen the role of BATTERY as the premier creative drum and percussion sampler, with an enormous library of more than 100 high-quality drum kits providing a wealth of studio-quality material for all styles and genres.

The Battery 3 demo version is now available as a free download for Windows and Mac on the NI website. The demo includes a selection of 6 scaled-down drum kits taken from the Battery 3 factory library.

The demo version is based on the latest 3.0.1 version of Battery, which brings several enhancements and optimizations, and is now available as an update for registered users of Battery 3 on the NI website.

BATTERY 3 is based on a powerful new sampling engine that offers high-quality time stretching and a new “Beat Mode” for improved loop-handling capabilities, enabling musicians to get the most out of any sample library. BATTERY 3 can also turn programmed beats into truly dynamic performances through new “articulations” that allow for authentic real-time flams, drags and rolls, while the “humanize” function can now add a subtle natural feel.

The customizable cell matrix in BATTERY 3 has been extended to hold up to 128 sounds per kit, while color coding of cells now provides a better overview. A new wave editor offers direct surgical access to any individual sample in BATTERY on-the-fly, opening up an additional powerful level of in-depth customization and creative sound shaping.

While the existing cell-specific effect section has been further improved in BATTERY 3, the new version also adds a comprehensive master multi-effect section that is especially useful both for sound design and for live use.

Equipped with high-quality filter, dynamic and delay algorithms, the master effect section also incorporates a high-end convolution reverb that can even accept individual drum kit cells as impulse sources via easy drag-and-drop assignment, opening up a new resource of creative sound shaping and experimentation.

BATTERY 3 ships with a huge and highly versatile sound library that includes more than 100 unique and ready-to-use drum kits, spanning a huge musical spectrum from jazz and rock to hip-hop and techno, and including a wide range of exotic ethno-percussion and special effects assortments. The library is based on over 23.000 individual samples, with both kits and samples becoming more accessible through a significantly enhanced sound browser in BATTERY 3. Creating and customizing drum kits has also become much more convenient due to a new “cell library” that holds more than 2.500 individual drum cells, all pre-categorized according to their musical role and application.

BATTERY 3 will be available in October 2006 for a suggested retail price of $ 219 / 199 Euro from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Shop. An update for owners of will be available for $ 119 / 99 Euro.

BATTERY 3 is also a part of the KOMPLETE 4 product bundle, which will in turn be available as a free update for all owners of KOMPLETE CARE 2006.

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS

NI ESSENTIALS offers a well-rounded and versatile selection of creative musical tools providing professional results for a wide range of styles and genres. The bundle includes the full versions of ABSYNTH 3, the award-winning semi-modular synthesizer; BATTERY 2, the versatile percussion sampler; PRO-53, the true-to-life emulation of the legendary Prophet 5 analog synthesizer; KOMPAKT, the versatile multi-format sampler that includes a comprehensive instrument library; and one amp emulation of choice from the GUITAR

COMBOS series that includes the Plexi Combo, Twang Combo and AC-Box Combo, all derived from NI´s groundbreaking GUITAR RIG amp emulation system.

The NI ESSENTIALS package includes the four software instruments on a single DVD, and contains a special license code that allows the download of an individual GUITAR COMBOS amp emulation from the NI website.

NI ESSENTIALS is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $ 499 / 449 Euro from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Store. A special limited-time upgrade offer also allows all owners of at least one product from the NI ESSENTIALS collection to upgrade to the full bundle for only $ 339 / 299 Euro. This upgrade offer expires on December 31st 2005.

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS

NI KOMPLETE 3 is the expanded version of NI´s professional all-in-one bundle that now includes thirteen acclaimed software instruments and effects. New additions include ELEKTRIK PIANO, the software instrument emulating four coveted vintage electromagnetic pianos, and the groundbreaking GUITAR RIG software that set new standards in digital amp and effects emulation, making the package more versatile and comprehensive than ever before.

Free software updates for the upcoming B4 II and GUITAR RIG 2 are also included in the price of NI KOMPLETE 3 and will be shipped to customers free of charge as soon as they become available.

Furthermore, owners of the bundle will be able to purchase a Rig Kontrol 2 controller unit as included in the regular GUITAR RIG 2 package for a special reduced price of $ 339 / 299 Euro.

NI KOMPLETE SOUND 2 is the updated add-on collection that contains NI´s full range of sound banks and sample libraries for REAKTOR, KONTAKT, BATTERY, FM7, ABSYNTH and B4 in a single box. The new version of the bundle now adds SYNTHETIC DRUMS 2, a massive arsenal of cutting-edge drum and percussion sounds created by the world’s most innovative electronic music producers and sound designers; and KONTAKT EXPERIENCE, the first instrument collection that was specifically designed for KONTAKT 2 and makes full use of the advanced functionality of NI´s flagship sampler.

NI KOMPLETE CARE 2006 is the continuation of NI´s popular update plan that provides NI KOMPLETE users with new versions of their instruments and effects for a highly advantageous flat fee. NI KOMPLETE CARE 2006 will allow owners of the bundle to stay up to date with major product updates throughout the next calendar year, both at a greatly reduced overall price compared to the cost of the individual updates, and with maximum convenience.

NI KOMPLETE 3 is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $ 1499 / 1299 Euro from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Store. Various update and upgrade offers are available for owners of both previous NI KOMPLETE versions and individual NI products. NI KOMPLETE SOUND 2 is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $ 339 / 299 Euro. An update for owners of NI KOMPLETE SOUND 1 is available for $ 119 / 99 Euro.

NI KOMPLETE CARE 2006 is available immediately for a special introductory pricing of $ 279 / 249 Euro that is only valid until December 31st 2005. From then on, it will be available for a suggested retail price of $ 339 / 299 Euro.

Native Instruments

Synthetic Drums 2 is a massive collection of cutting-edge drum and percussion sounds, created in cooperation with more than twenty of the world’s most innovative electronic music producers and sound designers.

More than 1800 synthesized and processed electronic drum samples provide an outstanding selection of production-ready drum sounds for electronic dance music. From deep-diving bass drums and punchy snares to metallic hits and weird effects, Synthetic Drums 2 provides a comprehensive resource for the producer and composer of any sort of electronic, pop, or hip-hop music.

The following sound designers and artists contributed exclusive drum kits to this outstanding collection:

Rob Acid, Beige, Cylob, Olaf Dettinger, Richard Devine, Hardy Hard, Bob Humid, Martin Jann, Kabuki & Mainframe, Thomas Krarup, Jake Mandell, Josh Martin, MRI, Sutekh, Steffen Müller, Safety Scissors, Swag, Benjamin Wild.

The latest addition to the critically acclaimed NI Soundline range is loaded with 36 extraordinary drum kits that offer unique and inspiring material for all contemporary and upcoming styles of electronic music. All drum kits in Synthetic Drums 2 exist in Battery 2 and Kontakt formats, and make extensive use of the advanced sound shaping, mapping and modulation features of both samplers.

Synthetic Drums 2 is available for a suggested retail price of $119 / 99 Euro from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Shop.

For more information, please see www.ni-soundline.com.

SYNTHETIC DRUMS 2

Contributors to SYNTHETIC DRUMS 2 include Atom Heart, Chris Liebing, Funkstörung, Junkie XL, Lusine, Plaid, Richard Devine, Speedy J, Sutekh, Telefon Tel Aviv and many others, with every artist bringing his unique sonic signature to the project. The more than 2.000 samples in SYNTHETIC DRUMS 2 have been generated and processed by using and abusing a wide range of analog and digital synthesizers, drum machines, effects and other, more outlandish devices. The result is what is very likely the most imaginative and diverse electronic drum and percussion library available.

All drum kits in SYNTHETIC DRUMS 2 exist in BATTERY 2 and KONTAKT formats, and make extensive use of the advanced sound shaping, mapping and modulation features of both samplers. For each kit an exemplary MIDI file as well as an MP3 file is provided, giving a quick and comprehensive overview about the sonic potential of the library content.

For more information, please see http://www.native-instruments.com/sd2.info

New features:

• Direct-From-Disk streaming*
• MIDI CC automation
• In-Kit-Preview
• Enhanced output configuration facilities
• New import browser
• Extended Rex import (loads slices into individual cells)
• Improved host automation
• Option to set a “default kit” that automatically loads at startup
• 13 additional drumkits consolidating the BATTERY 2 library samples according to instrument type
• Various minor improvements, cosmetic changes and fixes

The 2.1 update for Windows and Mac is now available as a free download for all registered Battery 2 users.

For more information, please see the Native Instruments Battery site.

Native Instruments

Battery 2 features a powerful new sampling engine, enhanced sound shaping and modulation capabilities, sophisticated sample control and a revised user interface that retains all of the straightforwardness that Battery is famous for.

Absynth 3 is the latest reincarnation of what is one of today’s most creative and capable synthesizers. The new version of Absynth is fully surround-enabled, offering the most comprehensive and versatile multi-channel implementation of any available synthesizer.

Both updates are not physically included in the NI Komplete 2 package, but will be delivered free of charge after the bundle has been authorised. Each update includes a PDF manual on the installation disc. Printed manuals for both products can be ordered separately for $19 / 19 Euro each plus shipping costs.

NI Komplete 2 is available for a suggested retail price $ 1149 / 999 Euro.

For more information, please see http://www.ni-komplete2.com.

Native Instruments

Battery 2 takes drum sampling to the next level with a powerful new sampling engine, enhanced sound shaping and modulation capabilities, sophisticated sample control and a revised user interface.

The Battery 2 demo version comes with a selection of five drum kits, and is available now as a free download on the NI website.

For more information, please see http://www.ni-battery.com