In this tutorial, I show how to create a sampling function similar to the ‘Cycle Random’ option in Battery. Several samples are loaded into the same slot (using the Sample Map Editor) and one is selected at random for playback upon a new MIDI note.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

This video requires very little actual programming – most of the work is done in setting up the sample map properly. By separating the samples into their own velocity ranges, it is possible to fit up to 127 samples in each MIDI slot.

Which sample is selected is chosen by the Trig input of the Sampler module – the velocity values of 0-127 in the Sample Map Editor are normalized to a range from 0 to 1.

Alternating samples in this way is an easy tool for moving away from the robotic monotony of MIDI triggered drum loops. With several similar samples of the same instrument, realistic drums are much easier to achieve.

In a followup video, I’ll show how to build a ‘Round Robin’ style sampler, where the samples are played back in a specific order as opposed to the random selection shown in this video.

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In this video, I show how to create a simple round robin style sampler in Reaktor. This technique allows you to create dynamic samplers.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

This video was made in response to a question from the Native Instruments Reaktor Forum, and was actually a bit complicated to implement than I thought it would be. The idea is that each MIDI note can hold several samples instead of just one, and the sampler will cycle through them rather than play back the same sound with each received note press.

The main thing that needs to be done is to create a counter for each MIDI note that wants to use round robin sampling. The counter simply counters the number of times that note has been received and uses that number to decide which sample to play back.

Since you potentially want to use the entire range of MIDI notes from 0-127 while sampling, I opted to use a pair of linked Event Tables to hold all of this data. The tables keep track of where each note’s counter is, and is read and sent to the appropriate voice when a new MIDI signal arrives.

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In this video, I show how to create a basic pitch shifter in Reaktor Primary, using the factory pitch shifter built in Core as a guide.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Core macro we are basing our build on consists of three oscillators, two delay lines, and two crossfaders (not to mention a bit of math). Two of the oscillators modulate the length of the delay lines, which creates a pitchshifting effect. The third oscillator controls a crossfader between the two delay lines.

This tutorial leaves out a few features that are present in the original Core macro, for the sake of brevity. These can be added in quite easily, however.

If you have any suggestions for tutorials you’d like to see in the future, please let me know in the comments.

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In this video, I show how to make a modulation ring like the ones in Massive – displaying the depth of modulation for the knob that it surrounds.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Since the graphic capabilities of Reaktor are fairly limited, and drawing nice circles that don’t look aliased is quite difficult, we’ll start by creating a simple custom graphic to use.

For this purpose, we’ll use Knobman, a program for quickly creating simple GUI elements that can be downloaded for free here:

http://www.g200kg.com/en/software/knobman.html

Knobman allows us to create images with a number of ‘frames’ of our choosing – each frame in this case is a small part of the modulation ring. By turning the individual frames on and off (using the ‘alpha’ parameter of a Multi Display module), we can create a simple modulation ring.

A good GUI can greatly improve the user experience for your ensembles. A modulation ring can instantly make clear the total range of modulation for a parameter, which in turn makes it easier for the user to dial in the precise values that they want.

For more Reaktor tutorials each week (and much much more), please subscribe to our YouTube channel!

The post Reaktor GUI Design – Create a Massive-style Modulation Ring appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

In this video, I showcase GRIP, a relatively new ensemble from the Reaktor User Library, by Uwe Hoenig (the author of Travelizer, an ensemble that comes with Reaktor).

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

DOWNLOAD GRIP HERE.

GRIP is based around Grain Cloud modules and can be a little complex for those who are used to subtractive synthesis. You can load in your own samples (or even entire sample maps), and have a ton of control over how they are played back.

By layering “grains” (small snippets of audio) on top of each other, you can transform sounds into lush soundscapes or create very glitchy effects and drums.

GRIP has a huge modulation network that allows every important parameter to be controlled by multiple sources. This allows you to create dynamic and exciting sounds very easily.

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In this video, I show how to use a Beat Loop module to create a dynamic pitchshifting effect, where each 1/16th note of a file can be controlled individually.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Replacing the Event Table with the Multi Display structure presented in this tutorial is advantageous for several reasons. Most importantly, it embeds a Snap Value Array in the structure, which allows you to save and recall snapshots, something you can’t do with the Event Table alone.

Further, the Multi Display gives you better control of the visual aspects of the module – allowing for better finalized GUIs, and even layering the Multi Display on top of the sample so you can see which part you are affecting at any given point.

The post Beat Loop Module – Creating a Dynamic Pitchshifter appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

In this video, I show how to build a beat masher using Reaktor’s Beat Loop module. The sample is divided into 16th notes, which can be triggered via MIDI. In addition, a simple stutter glitch is created as well.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

This project is simple to build and fun to use. In combination with last week’s tutorial on creating a pitchshifter using the Beat Loop, you can create some pretty interesting effects. Check out our first tutorial on the Beat Loop module here.

Another cool ability of the Beat Loop module is automatic timestretching (changing the length of a sample without changing it’s pitch). A sample will automatically be stretched to match the BPM of the host project. This is a fairly useful ability that is much more complicated with a standard sampling module.

For more Reaktor videos every week, and much more, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

The post Create a Sample Masher Using the Beat Loop Module appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

This video shows how to use my latest upload to the Reaktor User Library, the Molecular Music Box.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Molecular Music Box is an algorithm I found online, in this video, which outlines a process for generating 4 bar sequences. After watching the video, it occurred to me that it would be very easy to turn into a Reaktor ensemble, so I did.

The Molecular Music Box can be connected to any synthesizer that accepts MIDI input – it makes no sound on it’s own.

The post Using the Molecular Music Box appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

The Crossover Filter is a basic Reaktor tool for splitting an audio signal into two (or more) frequency bands. The bands can be processed separately and then added back together.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

This video shows what the crossover filter is, how it works, and how to set it up. The filters used were built using the Audio EQ Cookbook by Robert Bristow Johnson.

The crossover filter can be used for a variety of purposes – they are often used for multi-band compression, for example, a very standard and powerful effect used in a lot of modern music. On the other hand, you can create strange and unique effects as well, like the pitch-shifter from the beginning of the video.

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This video shows how to use Simple Arp, an arpeggiator designed for extreme ease of use, either with another Reaktor instrument or with an external VST.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Connecting Simple Arp to a synthesizer is a pretty straightforward affair – in Reaktor you can use a dropdown menu in the CONNECT tab of properties to have instruments share MIDI data. In a DAW such as Ableton, it’s a matter of routing the data using the MIDI From and Monitor parameters available for each track. Unfortunately, Maschine still does not have the capacity to route MIDI internally.

As shown in the video, you can get some pretty interesting effects using Simple Arp in combination with other MIDI effects – the built-in arpeggiator in FM8 is used as an example, but you can also use the factory MIDI Effects in Ableton to some pretty neat things.

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We’d like to take a moment to say thank you for supporting ADSR. And to say thanks in this post we’re giving all our products to you for 50% off!

Thank you!

We recently hit 1 million views of our tutorial videos on Youtube! That wonderful achievment is all thanks to people like you. Our little network is growing and this kind of support means we can continue to produce quality content for you!

To say thanks we're offering all our own courses and products for 50% discount for the next 48 hours. Click here to see all the products

There are over 60 products including all 20 of our courses (for Massive, Maschine, Reaktor, Absynth and FM8) and over 40 preset packs for Massive, FM8 and Sylenth!

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Once again thanks so much for all your support of our network and here's to another 1 million views!

Steve

The post Thank you! 50% Off All ADSR Products For 48 Hours appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

CurveBall is an ensemble I designed for automating parameters via MIDI. In this video, I’ll show how to use it, how to modify it, and also how to use the Bezier generators inside for other purposes.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

CurveBall receives incoming MIDI notes and outputs MIDI CC data, which can in turn be connected to any parameter that receives CC data in a VST or external gear. It is fairly simple to use, provided you understand how to route MIDI data in your DAW of choice. Unfortunately, Maschine still doesn’t support this type of MIDI routing. Hopefully that will change soon!

Lately, you may have noticed I’ve moved away from projects that can built in 10 minutes or less and have instead been uploading slightly more complex Reaktor projects to the User Library. This gives me an opportunity to create more complex projects, and to create things that are a little more useful to the end user.

If you have any ideas for Reaktor projects you would like to see implemented, please let me know in the comments!

The post Reaktor User Library – Curveball appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

CircleScratch is a simple ensemble I designed over the weekend for recording, playing back, and scratching loops in real time. It began life a simple circular oscilloscope, the design of which gave me the idea for the final project.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

There are two basic modes of playback. With the ‘Snap’ button off, when you release the mouse button, the sample starts playing back as normal from the position you left it in. With Snap turned on, the sample jumps back to the location it would be at if the scratch had never happened.

Snap mode can be especially useful for keeping your loop in time with other tracks that are playing at the same time.

There are many ideas I have in mind for improving CircleScratch, but before getting too far along I wanted to also solicit ideas from the larger Reaktor community. So if you have anything you’d like to see added to this, please let me know in the comments and I’ll see what I can do.

The post Reaktor User Library – CircleScratch appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

In this video, I’ll show you how to use Four Chords, an ensemble I designed for making simple MIDI sequences in a chosen scale and key.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

DOWNLOAD FOUR CHORDS HERE.

While Four Chords does not expect you to understand music theory at all, you certainly can use it more effectively if you do! The basic idea was inspired by an Axis of Awesome song (also named Four Chords). The song is a comedy mashup of pop songs using the same basic I-V-vi-IV song structure.

Four Chords the ensemble does not restrict you to this chord sequence, but does contain a few simple snapshots showing it off. It outputs 4-bar sequences and you can choose a chord within the selected scale for each bar. The notes in that chords are spread out across the bar, depending on how you set the spread, offset, and repeat knobs.

I hope you guys enjoy the ensemble, and it has been designed to be easily upgraded so if you have any features you’d like to see, please let me know. Another version should be coming along in the next few weeks with additional features.

The post Reaktor User Library – Four Chords appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

In this video, I’ll show how to use PongX, my latest upload to the Reaktor User Library. PongX is a modular synthesizer with 64 modules that can be connected in a nearly infinite number of ways.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

DOWNLOAD PONGX HERE.

By clicking on the ‘Add New’ button, you get a list of available modules that can be added to the interface. Once a module is on the interface, you can move it by left-clicking and dragging on its name, or delete it by right-clicking on its name. In addition, you can add connections between modules by left-clicking and dragging your mouse from an output to an input. Connections can be deleted by right-clicking an input or output.

This gives you a high level of flexibility similar to Reaktor itself!

Since PongX has you building sounds from scratch, and there are several nuances to the system it is suggested that you turn your speakers down while experimenting. Have fun!

The post Reaktor User Library – PongX appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

In this video, I show how to use Optimus Prime, an ensemble I made a few years ago and recently added to the Reaktor User Library. Optimus Prime is a dynamic glitch ensemble that allows you to turn FX on and off using MIDI notes.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

There are 16 ‘slots’ that contain FX and can be triggered via MIDI. Each slot has 4 controls – FX type, MIDI trigger, a depth knob, and a knob that’s function is determined by the FX type. In addition, the knobs can be automated by means of a modulation network.

This allows you to set up effects and turn them on and off dynamically. Up to 4 effects can be active at one time – each new effect added to the chain takes audio the previous effect.

I hope you all enjoy this ensemble – please let me know if you have any suggestions!

The post Reaktor User Library – Optimus Prime appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

Since releasing PongX, I’ve had several requests for help with making modifications. In this video, I’ll show you the basics of modifying existing modules.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

If you can get over the seeming complexity of the ensemble itself, modifying PongX isn’t so bad – you just need to know what’s going on with the existing code. Helpfully, there is already a stacked macro containing every module with a very standardized ‘container’ macro that receives all necessary data from the ensemble. All you need to do is modify the existing containers.

Each container has a macro named “CONNECTIONS” which can receive up to 4 audio inputs from other containers. In addition, each container has a single output which can be sent to other containers. The rest of the ensemble will take care of the hard parts, all you need to do is design the audio processing between the inputs and the outputs.

I hope you are all enjoying PongX, if there is anything you would like to know that was not covered in this video, please ask in the comments!

The post Reaktor User Library – Modifying PongX appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

In this video, I cover all of the new features in the just-released Reaktor 5.9.2.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Of course, we are all hopeful that Reaktor 6 is just around the corner, so news of a new point upgrade of R5 is bound to upset some people. However, this is a pretty big update with a lot of new stuff.

There are two new modules – the Automation module, and the Hardware module. In addition, there are several improvements to existing modules such as the Voice Info module, and the Mouse Area.

Personally, I’m most excited by the changes to the Mouse Area module, which has a new output, ‘MO’ (MouseOver), which tells you when the mouse is hovering over the module. This allows you to create substantially more dynamic GUI elements.

The changes to the Voice Info module are pretty great as well – creating a polyphonic Unison effect is substantially easier and less clunky than it used to be.

There is also a new Reaktor VST version with 16 inputs and 16 outputs, which gives you a lot more flexibility than the previous 6-in, 6-out version.

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The post Reaktor 5.9.2 Overview appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

In this video, we’ll cover the very basics of the brand new Automation module in Reaktor 5.9.2

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Automation module can record data to your DAW, and play it back as well. There are 3 inputs to use – Touch, Value, and Trigger.  To send a value to your host, you must first set Touch equal to 1, and set the Value input, which is the data that will be recorded.

Finally, the module must be triggered. If the Touch input is set to 1, but you aren’t using the Trigger input, the DAW will continuously receive the last Value that was sent before the last Trigger event.

For this reason, we want to create a setup that sets Touch to 1 for a short period of time after an event is received, but not so long that the DAW continues to record data long after you’ve stopped trying to send it. For this purpose we can use the Hold module.

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The post Using the Automation Module (5.9.2 update) appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.

In this video, I show how to use one of the new features in Reaktor 5.92 – Polyphonic Unison!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Unison allows you to play multiple voices of a synth with the press of a single key. Of course, you don’t want the triggered voices to be exactly identical – it would add nothing to the sound (other than making it louder)! However, by adding a bit of ‘spread’ to certain synth parameters (such as pitch, or oscillator phase), so that each voice has slightly different values, you can create some pretty huge, wide sounds.

Reaktor 5.92 added a few new inputs to the Voice Info module, which allows you to set the number of unison voices. Using the Spread module, you can widen a sound by creating slight variations in each voice.

However, the Spread module has a few quirks that need to be addressed – in this video, I show my preferred method of creating spread, and demonstrate using both pitch and panning as examples.

The post Reaktor 5.92 New Features – Polyphonic Unison appeared first on NI Reaktor Tutorials.