Reaktor 5---So far, ROCKING

[Bruce A. Richardson]

Man, I just wanted to say that Reaktor 5 sounds and feels GREAT. Love Steampipe II. Much good stuff. I have been playing with it for about an hour, and so far, I am really impressed with all the new work.

[Joanne Babunovic]

Bruce -

I know GS/Kontakt/Kompakt, but never understood many of the other NI offerings. Can you give differentiators of Reaktor?

Joanne

[newmewzikboy]

Can you tell us more about the experience. I've got ATMOSPHERE first, but almost bought and am interested on what R5 will add to my life!

[andreas]

I'll join Bruce in the praise of Reaktor 5 here. It really is great! I got my upgrade to R5 a couple weeks ago, and I've just been playing with it non-stop ever since.

It's a big step forward in terms of stability and efficiency, the new GUI is great, and, unlike some earlier versions, it really feels rock-solid!
The Core technology is a huge thing. To me this puts it a lot closer to MAX/MSP in terms of how advanced or low-level you want to get, while still keeping everything that's always been so great about Reaktor - which is that it's so easy to use, you can build stuff very quickly (at least relatively speaking) due to the large number of included modules and macros, and it can be used on so many different levels. If you're an advanced programmer, you can dig down deep and do whatever you want, but if you're someone who doesn't want to program, and just wants pre-built synths/effects/samplers/sequencers, there's still enough material included in it to keep you going for ever. And then there's the amazing NI User Library, which has tons and tons of amazing instruments. It seems every time I go there I find some new instrument that totally blows my mind.

The included library (and the user lib) tends to lean a bit toward the more experimental stuff, even more so now than with earlier versions, so Reaktor might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for anyone interested in expanding their horizons a bit when it comes to synth programming, or if you just want a ~~~~load of incredible instruments and effects to play with, I just can't recommend it highly enough.

As you can probably tell, I'm kind of into Reaktor... :)
Sorry. I'm gonna stop my gushing now.

I do have one question, though, that maybe Bruce or someone else can answer.
From the initial press releases for R5, I sort of got the sense that the new Core technology would enable us to turn our instruments into VST-plugins. I can't seem to find anything related to this in the documentation or in the program itself. Does anyone know anything about this? Did I just dream it?! Or is it something that the Core tech allows for, but it won't actually be added as a feature until future versions?
This has been kind of a dream of mine for a while, so I wouldn't be surprised if I did in fact just dream it....


thanks,

Andreas Bjørck

[Bruce A. Richardson]

Hi Joanne,

I'd check out the NI Website for screenshots, etc., but Reaktor is essentially a software modular synth/sampler design environment where one can load up a huge number of completely different designs, or design completely new instruments.

I'd say the greatest thing about Reaktor is the number of amazing instruments in the User Library, synths that would never see the light of day as standalone products, but which are deadly cool...things like noise generators, drone generators, strange and wonderful beatboxes, fake theramins...you name it, someone has probably built and uploaded it.

It's quite literally like getting thousands of synths for the price of one.

[Alexcremers]

Hi Joanne,

I'd check out the NI Website for screenshots, etc., but Reaktor is essentially a software modular synth/sampler design environment where one can load up a huge number of completely different designs, or design completely new instruments.

I'd say the greatest thing about Reaktor is the number of amazing instruments in the User Library, synths that would never see the light of day as standalone products, but which are deadly cool...things like noise generators, drone generators, strange and wonderful beatboxes, fake theramins...you name it, someone has probably built and uploaded it.

It's quite literally like getting thousands of synths for the price of one.

Quite, but not really, because they all have the same sound source.

[lukpcn]

Hi Joanne,

I'd check out the NI Website for screenshots, etc., but Reaktor is essentially a software modular synth/sampler design environment where one can load up a huge number of completely different designs, or design completely new instruments.

I'd say the greatest thing about Reaktor is the number of amazing instruments in the User Library, synths that would never see the light of day as standalone products, but which are deadly cool...things like noise generators, drone generators, strange and wonderful beatboxes, fake theramins...you name it, someone has probably built and uploaded it.

It's quite literally like getting thousands of synths for the price of one.

Is Reactor capable of playing as a VST in Cubase or is it a totally standalone music production application ?
Is there a demo somewhere to try ?

[zonobono]

jep, reaktor works as a vst in cubase.

[lukpcn]

what about demo??

[newmewzikboy]

Does Reaktor give you good AMBIANT sounds out of the box, that cover as good or in kind as ATMOSPHERE? Or do you really need both?

[TheLastCrusader]

expect demo to be forthcoming :)

The extremely exciting thing about Reaktor 5 is that this is essentially a 'developers' release, they bought the code base of this app called "Sync Modular" some years ago. This app was much more basic in terms of building blocks, and was much more cpu efficient then reaktor.

Now that the 'core' modules exist (as NI calls them), expect to see most/all of teh new instruments that come out to be core cell based, which means

a) MUCH better cpu usage
b) MUCH better sounding ensembles.

The new library is worth the upgrade if you own it, once people get the hang of core cells in the developer community, its going to be worth it for everyone to buy :)

just my .02

[TheLastCrusader]

I'll join Bruce in the praise of Reaktor 5 here. It really is great! I got my upgrade to R5 a couple weeks ago, and I've just been playing with it non-stop ever since.

It's a big step forward in terms of stability and efficiency, the new GUI is great, and, unlike some earlier versions, it really feels rock-solid!
The Core technology is a huge thing. To me this puts it a lot closer to MAX/MSP in terms of how advanced or low-level you want to get, while still keeping everything that's always been so great about Reaktor - which is that it's so easy to use, you can build stuff very quickly (at least relatively speaking) due to the large number of included modules and macros, and it can be used on so many different levels. If you're an advanced programmer, you can dig down deep and do whatever you want, but if you're someone who doesn't want to program, and just wants pre-built synths/effects/samplers/sequencers, there's still enough material included in it to keep you going for ever. And then there's the amazing NI User Library, which has tons and tons of amazing instruments. It seems every time I go there I find some new instrument that totally blows my mind.

The included library (and the user lib) tends to lean a bit toward the more experimental stuff, even more so now than with earlier versions, so Reaktor might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for anyone interested in expanding their horizons a bit when it comes to synth programming, or if you just want a ~~~~load of incredible instruments and effects to play with, I just can't recommend it highly enough.

As you can probably tell, I'm kind of into Reaktor... :)
Sorry. I'm gonna stop my gushing now.

I do have one question, though, that maybe Bruce or someone else can answer.
From the initial press releases for R5, I sort of got the sense that the new Core technology would enable us to turn our instruments into VST-plugins. I can't seem to find anything related to this in the documentation or in the program itself. Does anyone know anything about this? Did I just dream it?! Or is it something that the Core tech allows for, but it won't actually be added as a feature until future versions?
This has been kind of a dream of mine for a while, so I wouldn't be surprised if I did in fact just dream it....


thanks,

Andreas Bjørck

I wouldn't expect to see NI give the user the ability to run individual instruments as VSTs until they've got alot of free time on their hands. That would be a difficult thing to do, mostly from a copy protection standpoint. I'm not saying it won't happen, but theres alot of potential for things to go wrong.

You know that you can load an empty ensemble with as many instruments as you want, and control them all using different midi channels etc right?

For example, its dead easy to create an ensemble with three instances of steampipe II and have one respond to midi channel 1, one to midi channel 2,and the last to midi channel 3.

This way one instance of reaktor is all you need in a project.

HTH

-Eric

[TheLastCrusader]

Quite, but not really, because they all have the same sound source.

Well, lets not forget reaktor has a sampling engine as well as wavetables, so you can use any external triggering source as you like :)

[Bruce A. Richardson]

Quite, but not really, because they all have the same sound source.

Well, only in the most general sense of the word. You are dealing with so many different filter models, different oscillator models, etc., that things always sound radically different than one another.

I don't know of any case where I would be able to hear the sounds blind and say, "Oh, that's Reaktor."

[TheLastCrusader]

Does Reaktor give you good AMBIANT sounds out of the box, that cover as good or in kind as ATMOSPHERE? Or do you really need both?

There are lots of 'musicbox' type ensembles in Reaktor, where you tweak parameters and music self-generates. This stuff can be quite ambient, and actually much more 'alive' sounding then most of atmosphere.

However, assuming you can afford both, no need to choose one or the other, as Persing is an absolute sound design genius (imo), atmosphere is broken into banks of sounds, which is crucial, and he's used a ton of different gear to create the stuff.

Both atmopshere and reaktor are pretty essential to have in the toolkit imo.
I wouldn't say one is better then the other in general.

[TheLastCrusader]

Well, only in the most general sense of the word. You are dealing with so many different filter models, different oscillator models, etc., that things always sound radically different than one another.

I don't know of any case where I would be able to hear the sounds blind and say, "Oh, that's Reaktor."

To expand on that, the new core cell technology will allow people to write their own filter and osc types from scratch, so this will give reaktor 5 unprecedented sonic flexibility.

[Bruce A. Richardson]

You know that you can load an empty ensemble with as many instruments as you want, and control them all using different midi channels etc right?

For example, its dead easy to create an ensemble with three instances of steampipe II and have one respond to midi channel 1, one to midi channel 2,and the last to midi channel 3.

This way one instance of reaktor is all you need in a project.


Yes, this is how to use it--both in studio projects and as a live performance app. Add some cool effects and loopers, and you're having fun!!!

[Andrew Aversa]

R5 is certainly cool stuff, but it's most certainly NOT for casual musicians, or even synthesists. Especially with the new core technology, this is for people who really want to get their hands dirty with low-level math and physical operations. I'm currently working on a relatively basic subtractive synth, and it takes a LOT of effort and knowledge just to do that and make it functional, much less to make it sound nice and unique.

Of course, if you're just into presets and that sort of thing, you'll love R5 too because of the sheer amount of ensembles available.

[Bruce A. Richardson]

I am about as non-technical on the electronic/low-level stuff as anyone. But, I have used Reaktor to learn about those things.

I started off just combining instruments into new Ensembles. Then I started looking under the hood of instruments, substituting one part of the engine in one instrument for the same part in another, etc.

Pretty soon, I had started making some of my own effects and processors, from even lower level parts.

Even if you did nothing but combine instruments into different ensembles, with different effects and routings, for the price of Reaktor you are getting more sound sculpting potential than you'd get almost anywhere else.

[Andrew Aversa]

I am about as non-technical on the electronic/low-level stuff as anyone. But, I have used Reaktor to learn about those things.

I started off just combining instruments into new Ensembles. Then I started looking under the hood of instruments, substituting one part of the engine in one instrument for the same part in another, etc.

Pretty soon, I had started making some of my own effects and processors, from even lower level parts.

Even if you did nothing but combine instruments into different ensembles, with different effects and routings, for the price of Reaktor you are getting more sound sculpting potential than you'd get almost anywhere else.

Oh, I agree. It is definitely very powerful. But I do not think it is as accessible as, say, Tassman 4 or Vaz Modular (though those are less powerful programs).

[moosethree]

Geez I get to combine the options of Reaktor 5 with
Pulsar Modular III with Flexor.........what phun!

Apparently the modular genius Dr. Sync... employed by NI has made his impact on their future in a major way...with more to come.

Can't wait for Intakt 2.0

[Brian2112]

Does it do Scripting?:p (Just kidding Bruce;) :D )

I've been holding off for a while now, but this latest release looks too inviting. I love my samples, but I'm a synth/technogeek at heart. The possibilities for sound design look nearly limitless. Samples+good texturing is a great sound - sometimes it seems it's all or the other too often these days...

...2112:)

[Bruce A. Richardson]

Oh yeah. If you don't have Reaktor yet, you are missing out. You'd have a blast with it.