Native Instruments Percussion Instruction Manual
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
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publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose,
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All specifications are subject to change without notice.
Document authored by: Adam Hanley
Software version: 1.0 (07/2017)
Special thanks to the Beta Test Team, who were invaluable not just in tracking down bugs, but
in making this a better product.
Disclaimer
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Contact
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© NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH, 2017. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1 Welcome to the SYMPHONY SERIES ...........................................................................
1.1 Document Conventions ............................................................................................................... 6
1.2 About the SYMPHONY SERIES of Products .................................................................................. 7
2 Choosing the Right KONTAKT Instrument .....................................................................
3 Playing SYMPHONY SERIES Instruments .....................................................................
3.1 Performance Controls ................................................................................................................. 9
3.2 Mapping ..................................................................................................................................... 10
3.3 Round Robins ............................................................................................................................. 11
3.4 Articulations and Variations ....................................................................................................... 13
3.1.1 Dynamics ................................................................................................................... 9
3.1.2 Attack ........................................................................................................................ 10
3.1.3 Release ...................................................................................................................... 10
3.1.4 Tuning ....................................................................................................................... 10
3.1.5 Velocity ...................................................................................................................... 10
4 KONTAKT Snapshots ..................................................................................................
4.1 Saving a User Snapshot ............................................................................................................. 15
4.2 Loading a Snapshot from the Snapshot Menu ............................................................................ 17
4.3 Loading Snapshots from the File System .................................................................................... 18
4.4 Deleting a User Snapshot ........................................................................................................... 19
5 Audio Mix-down ........................................................................................................
6
8
9
15
21
5.1 The Microphone Mixer View ......................................................................................................... 21
5.2 Refining the Master Mix .............................................................................................................. 23
5.2.1 Applying EQ ............................................................................................................... 23
5.2.2 Applying Reverb ......................................................................................................... 24
5.2.3 Applying Comp & Filter .............................................................................................. 27
SYMPHONIC SERIES PERCUSSION - Manual - 4
5.3 Balancing Section Volumes ........................................................................................................ 28
5.4 Transferring Mixer Settings Between Different Instruments ....................................................... 29
6 Credits ......................................................................................................................
Table of Contents
31
SYMPHONIC SERIES PERCUSSION - Manual - 5
Welcome to the SYMPHONY SERIES
Document Conventions
1 Welcome to the SYMPHONY SERIES
Thank you for purchasing SYMPHONY SERIES PERCUSSION. This document will give you information about the library, as well as step-by-step instructions and advice on how to achieve
the best results with it.
We hope that you will enjoy using the SYMPHONY SERIES products.
1.1 Document Conventions
This document uses particular formatting to point out special facts and to warn you of potential issues. The icons introducing the following notes let you see what kind of information can
be expected:
The speech bubble icon indicates a useful tip that may often help you to solve a task
more efficiently.
The exclamation mark icon highlights important information that is essential for the given context.
The red cross icon warns you of serious issues and potential risks that require your full
attention.
Furthermore, the following formatting is used:
▪ Text appearing in (drop-down) menus (such as Open…, Save as… etc.) in the software and
paths to locations on your hard disk or other storage devices is printed in italics.
▪ Text appearing elsewhere (labels of buttons, controls, text next to checkboxes etc.) in the
software is printed in blue. Whenever you see this formatting applied, you will find the
same text appearing somewhere on the screen.
▪ Important names and concepts are printed in bold.
SYMPHONIC SERIES PERCUSSION - Manual - 6
Welcome to the SYMPHONY SERIES
About the SYMPHONY SERIES of Products
▪ References to keys on your computer’s keyboard you’ll find put in square brackets (e.g.,
“Press [Shift] + [Enter]”).
Single instructions are introduced by this play button type arrow.
►
Results of actions are introduced by this smaller arrow.
→
Naming Convention
Throughout this document, we will refer to SYMPHONY SERIES PERCUSSION as just PERCUSSION.
1.2 About the SYMPHONY SERIES of Products
SYMPHONY SERIES PERCUSSION is part of the SYMPHONY SERIES of KONTAKT Instruments. This series supplies composers with a comprehensive tool set for creating highly realistic orchestral productions with an expansive sound full of character.
PERCUSSION allows you to use a production-ready STEREO mix or create your own mix from
CLOSE, MID, FAR and SPOT microphone positions. On the dedicated Mixer page, a parametric
EQ, convolution REVERB, COMPRESSION and FILTER effects let you adjust the sound to suit
any project you're working on.
Five performance controls are pre-assigned to MASCHINE controllers and the KOMPLETE
KONTROL S-series of keyboards.
SYMPHONIC SERIES PERCUSSION - Manual - 7
Choosing the Right KONTAKT Instrument
2 Choosing the Right KONTAKT Instrument
PERCUSSION ships with a total of 66 KONTAKT Instruments (.nki files). To help you select
the right one for your specific task, here is an overview of the included Instruments.
Single Instruments
Single Instruments are KONTAKT Instruments that only contain articulations from a single percussion instrument.
Single Instruments can be found in the following folders:
▪ Cymbals: a collection of cymbals and gongs
▪ Drums: percussion instruments with membranes, like Bass Drums, Snares, and Toms
▪ Metal: metallic percussion that are not part of the Cymbals selection, for example: Trian-
gles and Bells
▪ Wood: percussion for which wood is the main sound source, for example: Castanets and
Guiro
Tuned Percussion
Like the Single Instruments, the Tuned Percussion contain only one percussion instrument in
an nki. However, these instruments are tonal and can be played chromatically.
Examples include: Glockenspiel and Marimba.
Kits
Kits contain a number of different percussion instruments in one nki. In some cases, these are
an easier way of getting all of the percussion you need into your track, but with less flexibility
in the mix options.
SYMPHONIC SERIES PERCUSSION - Manual - 8
Playing SYMPHONY SERIES Instruments
Performance Controls
3 Playing SYMPHONY SERIES Instruments
3.1 Performance Controls
When you load a PERCUSSION Instrument, the Performance Controls are the most prominent
feature of the Instrument's user interface. These controls are used to refine the response and
sound.
The Performance Controls
3.1.1 Dynamics
The Dynamics control is assigned to the Mod Wheel (MIDI CC 1) by default. It allows you to
control the loudness and intensity of the Tremolo articulations (rolls) in real-time. That way,
you can easily automate intensity changes to e.g. transition from leading to supporting passages.
If the Dynamics control is not available, because there are no Tremolo articulations in the loaded Instrument, it is still present and displays an intensity meter for the incoming MIDI notes.
SYMPHONIC SERIES PERCUSSION - Manual - 9
Playing SYMPHONY SERIES Instruments
Performance Controls
3.1.2 Attack
The Attack control allows you to increase the fade-in time per note, which can change the
hardness of the initial transient. By setting the Attack time to higher values, you can cause the
notes to fade in slightly, giving the notes a soft and gentle character.
3.1.3 Release
The Release control applies an additional envelope to the fade-out phase of the notes.
Reducing the Release setting to 0% shortens the naturally recorded reverb tails to a minimum,
producing a very “dry” sounding result, which can sometimes make the result sound artificial.
However, this can be very useful when adding internal or external reverb effects, as this allows
the additional reverb to avoid conflicting with the natural sampled ambience.
3.1.4 Tuning
The Tuning control sets the overall pitch of the instrument(s).
Even if the instrument is not tuned percussion, matching the tone of a drum to the key of your
track can help fit it into your mix.
3.1.5 Velocity
The Velocity slider controls the dynamic range of the MIDI notes.
The dynamic range is unaffected when the slider is in the central position. Turing the slider
down will make the incoming notes softer and turning it up will make them louder.
3.2 Mapping
All of the Single Instruments have a Mapping page which displays the articulation mapping for
the Instrument.
SYMPHONIC SERIES PERCUSSION - Manual - 10
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