Rhythmic Robot has released Skyline, a transistor organ sample library for Native Instruments Kontakt.
Skyline is sampled from a rare Italian GIS Skyline keyboard. The Skyline was an early 70s analog keyboard-and-rhythms combo machine with 3 combinable keyboard tones (giving it a grand total of 7 sounds) and six preset analog rhythms. It was a strikingly designed instrument, with a contoured and beveled matte black case standing on twin columns attached to a pedestal base. The casing also housed an amp and twin speakers, which helped to take the edge off the transistor sound and gave the Skyline a surprisingly sweet, warm tone.
Rhythmic Robot’s sampled version of the instrument samples all of the tones and their combinations, ensuring that combined tones sound exactly as they do on the original Skyline (rather than recreating them in Kontakt). It also contains the Preset Rhythms, which have been sliced and are fully sync-able to host DAW tempo – and also can be combined for multi-rhythms. In addition to the Preset Rhythms there are individual kit piece hits for the rhythm tones, which have been multi sampled and are triggered randomly to avoid machine-gunning.
Skyline incorporates some carefully-chosen effects accessible from the front panel, with Compression and Level controls for the Rhythm section, and Tube saturation, Vibrato and envelope Attack and Decay for the keyboard sounds, plus a lush Chorus. Although the original Skyline was mono, the sampled version includes a subtle stereo spread from the low notes to the highs. Output can be run through an amp cab simulator for an extra “live” feel.
Skyline features
All 7 possible keyboard tones sampled at 24-bit.
All 6 analog preset rhythms sampled.
Rhythms freely combinable and will automatically sync to host tempo.
Compression and Level controls for rhythms.
Tube saturation, Vibrato, envelope Attack and Decay, and amp cab simulation built in.
Stereo spread tracks keyboard position for subtle width.
Skyline for Kontakt is available to purchase for £8.95 GBP.
Rhythmic Robot has released Drawbar 350, a unique analogue drawbar organ instrument created from the overheated transistors of the enormous Stylophone 350S.
Drawbar 350 is both a homage to the original Stylophone 350S and a departure from it. You can imitate the original 350 perfectly by simply treating the drawbars as on / off switches – either fully out of fully in – and leaving the envelope controls set to minimum. (And why not? It’s a classic, after all!) Or you can go to town and create washes, pads, soundscapes and textures. Or you can turn the whole thing up to 11 for a really aggressive, Punk 70s sound that all but leaps out of the speakers and strangles you.
The Drawbar 350 is without doubt a snarling, spitting, angry character at heart, full of attitude and malice. But we’ve given you the tools to tame it and bend it to your will. It’s a sound that you simply won’t find anywhere else: original and dangerous. Welcome to the world of the Drawbar 350.
Drawbar 350 features
All eight voicings of the Stylophone 350S sampled at 24-bit.
Drawbar control replaces the toggle-switches with 12-stage blend-able drawbars.
Les Productions Zvon has announced Supertone, a free reed organ Maize Sampler instrument made by Jason Morin.
Contains samples from the Supertone reed organ that is part of my Reed Organs sample set. I recorded it with 2 different microphones including a shotgun mic, the samples in the VSTi are those recorded with the regular mic.
There are less samples than in the sample set. In the sample set, each of the 25 keys (from C3 to C5) was sampled and included. In the plug-in, 5 samples are used mapped to roughly 5 keys each. Even with less samples it is very playable and enjoyable. The fan noise and powering up samples are also not included.
Krakli Synths has set free its S3O virtual organ instrument for Windows.
Krakli S3O organ instrument
Another member of the RMP2 pack makes its way onto the free synths page. In this case it is S3O, an organ plugin designed to offer something different from the normal hammond emulators.
S3O is designed to create Church Organs, Power Organs and Electronic Organs, in fact any type of Organ that you can imagine.
S3O is now available to download as a freeware VST instrument plug-in for Windows.
Softrave has announced the Harmonium Pro, a virtual harmonium instrument for Windows.
Harmonium Pro VSTi is based on samples of real Harmonium Organ from 19th century recorded with different position of overtones switches. We also added Analog drift control to add analog touch to samples or to create new vibrato effects.
Samples are looped so you can play infinite notes on keyboard without need to pump air with your legs like in original mechanical instrument.
Harmonium Pro for Windows is avaialble to purchase for 50 EUR / $67 USD.
Rhythmic Robot has introduced ShelTone Suitcase, a funky electric reed organ sample library for Native Instruments Kontakt.
The original ShelTone 226 was sampled twice, once chromatically across its four-octave keyboard, and once for its Chord and Bass buttons, which work rather like accordion buttons to produce bass notes and full chords. The bass button samples have been integrated with the keyboard samples to extend the four octave original range considerably further, while the Chord buttons have been spread across two octaves and made switchable.
A switch on the Kontakt interface front panel switches between a full keyboard mode and a “split” keyboard, with key tones to the right and chord buttons spread out across two low octaves. This makes it easy to access the Chord sounds, which, because they use different reeds to the keys, have a subtle tonal difference. Adding to the versatility of the instrument are controls for envelope attack and decay, plus cabinet simulation, Leslie simulation, Chorus, Saturation and Distortion effects. The electric fan noise of the original instrument has been sampled separately and can be either switched off completely or blended back in to taste. Stereo spread of the sound is also controllable.
The ShelTone Suitcase is ideal as a left-field alternative to Hammond tones. It can sound either like a traditional reed organ — i.e., much like an accordion or melodeon — or can be driven hard to produce a more raucous, indie rock set of sounds.
ShelTone Suitcase features
Extended keyboard range incorporating bass tones.
Switchable access to the original Chord functions.
Electric fan sound can be blended to taste for authenticity of sound-design.
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