Native Instruments has announced the release of its new granular-based Kontakt instrument Straylight, offering sound designers and film, TV, and game composers direct-to-picture performance of tones, drones, atmospheres, and transitions.
Straylight combines specialized grain and sample playback modules with carefully captured sound sources, effects, and a powerful performance-based X-Y modulation matrix, allowing inspirational dynamic performance and sound design, direct to picture.
At the core of STRAYLIGHT are screen-ready cinematic sound sources. Much time was spent testing sources and playing techniques, looking for the best and most interesting sounds for the granular engine – such as rubbing a rubber ball on glass or playing clay pots and oil drums. The result is over 360 unique sound sources for the granular and sample modules, with over 380 presets.
STRAYLIGHT also features a bespoke granular engine that places the source audio into a powerful – yet easy-to-use – interface. It provides lush, organic timbres that can defy time and pitch, yet still retain the pristine character of the source sounds (strings, glass, stone, membranes, and more). Sounds evolve over time and risers and transitions can adapt automatically to project tempo. The granular engine is paired with a layer from the sample module, which itself offers the same level of editing and modulation.
STRAYLIGHT’s modulation and effects sections allow a fast, creative workflow. The precise X-Y control enables expressive direct-to-picture performance and detailed control over intensity and timing. Up to 14 different effects can be applied simultaneously – taken from nine different categories: Filters, dynamics, EQs, gaters, drivers, modulation, delays, utilities, and reverbs. STRAYLIGHT even includes specially captured reverb impulse responses, selected to complement its audio content and granular engine.
LA-based composer (and former Tangerine Dream member), Paul Haslinger, was consulted in the design of STRAYLIGHT. His credits include Underworld, Minority Report, Fear, The Walking Dead, and Rainbow Six: Siege.
Straylight for Kontakt 6 and the free Kontakt 6 Player is available for $149 USD / 149 EUR / £129 GBP.
More information: Native Instruments
