Speedy J Creates 4 GB Custom Kontakt Instrument, A Software Version of Himself
Speedy J, aka techno/minimal pioneer Jochem Paap, has made a sort of software version of himself in Kontakt player form, with 4 GB of sounds and one of the crazier-looking Kontakt skins I’ve seen. I love the idea of making a software externalization of your musical ideas. (See also: Richard Devine’s recent loop collections for Sony, which I need to write up one of these days; Richard’s another Kontakt and Reaktor guru and can regularly be found among the NI presets.)
In the library:
- kits
- hits/tones
- loops
- sequencer-based instruments (using Kontakt’s sequencer capabilities)
- FX, Konstrukt scripting instruments
It’s all running in Kontakt Player 2, so you don’t need a full copy of Kontakt – you can get at the sequencers and knobs and fiddly bits and ought to be able to get a pretty rich set of sounds out of this. US$199.99 retail for the whole set.
fixednoise.com [Sound Design House]
KREATE by Speedy J (check out those sound samples)
Fixed Noise has also created an “IDM workstation” by Otto Von Schirach, in Kontakt 2, as well, called Otto. (No Kontakt 3, though?)
Speedy J is on his own label, as well. In a way, this is a bit like buying a box set of albums, only getting the actual tools instead of the tracks or stems, something reflecting music you care about but that you could also make your own.
But this makes me dream of us putting together some massive Kontakt instrument of sonic goodness. So, Kontakt gurus, get patching.
The visual stuff looks great; I wish we had more imaginative visuals for music software in general. (I’ll be posting the first results of our Reaktor survey soon, though, which has no shortage of eye candy.)
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11 Comments
Leave a Commentlogickal
Being involved in a similar project at the moment, let me say that this does raise the bar quite a bit. I love Paap’s work – hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to check this out.
Let me also second the praise for Richard Devine’s library on Sony (Electronic Music Manuscript) – it’s not packaged in a Kontakt player like the Fixednoise products, but it’s still an awesome collection.
August 7, 2008 @ 11:29 am
Loopy C
I sure would love a true descriptive user experience of the Devine collection (and the above ‘Speedy J’. The blurbs don’t really tell me much other than it’s ‘cool’ and the demo files still are not giving a good overview of what is in it.
Anyway, as always thanks for the ‘heads (headz?) up’ on this
August 7, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
endekks
Huge huge huge Paap fan. Just wish he would put out some new material soon. Last SJ release I got was Collabs 401, and that was in 2006!
August 7, 2008 @ 8:35 pm
Phil Durrant
sorry, i just don’t get Richard Devine. i just listened to the audio examples from Electronic Music Manuscript, and they did very little for me. i just don’t think the quality is that good.
that leads on to “shouldn’t we be making out own loops and textures?” Devine’s drum loops, could easily be made in Reaktor, same with the bass stuff – maybe Massive would be good for his bass sounds.
anyway to end on a more positive note, i used to be a big fan of Speedy J
in the early 1990s… oh those innocent times, i miss them
August 8, 2008 @ 1:07 am
logickal
On the topic of the Richard Devine library – I’ve been meaning to review this set myself, so maybe I’ll find some time this weekend to write a bit about it. One thing that Richard is known for is some impeccable, rich sound design, and you definitely get that in that library. I haven’t listened to any of the audio examples Sony offers, so I guess I can’t compare – I guess I should check them out first!
Phil, your point on whether or not we should be doing our own sound design is as old as sample libraries themselves, isn’t it? I definitely agree that handmade is always best – in general, I think that sound libraries are generally marketed and are useful to a different type of musician/consumer than yourself or many of the people who frequent these blogs…
August 8, 2008 @ 8:05 am
mateo
We all have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to creating music, and there are many otherwise excellent producers who are weak in sound design and for whom a good sound library is extremely useful. I think the perception of sound libraries being for the lazy is that many of them are the equivalent of techno for dummies, but that doesn’t mean the concept of a library itself is flawed.
Check out his remix of Syncom Data’s Beyond The Stars, from last year. It’s good stuff.
August 8, 2008 @ 9:36 am
sowari
one of my worries about sound libraries, is that companies are investing time and money into their production and not the development of their software. but then if they are selling, i suppose it makes sense.
and to be honest, i am not a big fan of Devine’s music so it makes sense that i don’t like his sounds.
logickal, is your review going to be on the internet? i would be interested to read it.
August 9, 2008 @ 6:37 am
logickal
Sowari – I’m actually working on it right now. It’ll be at http://www.offnominal.com/ when it’s done.
August 9, 2008 @ 8:23 am
sowari
thanks logickal
confession time… sometimes i do use libraries. libraries can be very useful when you have to create something very quickly that is not entirely part of your usual way of working. i have just got hold of Urban Arsenal which will prove very useful for doing anything that implies a connection with hip-hop. i think the drum stuff is very good and there are little gems such as the Rhodes and the Celesta, which will be very useful in all kinds of situations.
and during my earlier career doing House/Techno/Breakbeat i of course used samples from other sources.
August 10, 2008 @ 12:25 am
Peter Kirn
@sowari: there’s really no shame in looking to samples sometimes; I find almost all composers will do at least some of it, even including those who do really extensive sound recording and design. And even Richard I know *occasionally* looks at a library. You know, sometimes it can spawn an idea, or help you find something specific you’re looking for, and you can always take it some place else. No need to make everything from scratch.
I also sometimes enjoy pies made with pre-made pie crusts.
August 10, 2008 @ 8:00 pm
sowari
Yes Peter as I said, I do sometimes look at sources that were not created by myself. Sometimes it nice to put something pre-made in the microwave, rather than prepare everything
August 11, 2008 @ 12:02 am
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