Native Instruments Retro Machines MK2 User Manual

Manual

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Document authored by: David Gover, Patryk Korman

Document version: 1.0 (08/2011)

Special thanks to the Beta Test Team, who were invaluable not just in tracking down bugs,
but in making this a better product.

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1 Welcome to RETRO MACHINES MK2 ...........................................................................

1.1 What is RETRO MACHINES MK2? ................................................................................................. 5

2 Using the Instrument .................................................................................................

2.1 SYNTH Page ................................................................................................................................ 6

2.2 ARP/CHORD Page ....................................................................................................................... 14

2.3 SETTINGS Page ........................................................................................................................... 17

2.1.1 OSC section ............................................................................................................... 7

2.1.2 FILTER section ........................................................................................................... 8

2.1.3 AMP Section ............................................................................................................... 9

2.1.4 PERFORM Section ...................................................................................................... 10

2.1.5 EFFECTS Section ........................................................................................................ 11

2.1.6 LFO Section ................................................................................................................ 12

2.1.7 SOUND VARIATIONS Section ....................................................................................... 13

2.1.8 ARP and CHORD Switch ............................................................................................. 14

2.2.1 ARPEGGIATOR Section ............................................................................................... 14

2.2.2 CHORD Section .......................................................................................................... 16

3 Credits ......................................................................................................................

5

6

19

RETRO MACHINES MK2 - Manual - 4

Welcome to RETRO MACHINES MK2

What is RETRO MACHINES MK2?

1 Welcome to RETRO MACHINES MK2

Thank you for purchasing RETRO MACHINES MK2. On behalf of the Native Instruments
team, we hope this KONTAKT library truly inspires you.

1.1 What is RETRO MACHINES MK2?

RETRO MACHINES MK2 is a collection of 16 definitive analog synthesizers and key­boards, lovingly sampled and refined for KONTAKT and the free KONTAKT PLAYER.
It covers the classic, the idiosyncratic and the exotic instruments that defined electronic
pop in the 70s and 80s. Today, the originals are hard to find, expensive, and often tem­peramental. So if you'd rather be making music than worrying about tuning, RETRO MA­CHINES MK2 gives you thick, creamy, analog sound without the repairs, and with all the
benefits of state-of-the-art software technology.
The RETRO MACHINES MK2 interface provides consistent control across the board,
whichever vintage monster you're currently tweaking. Each preset captures the character
sound of the original instruments, with eight integrated sound variations. These variations
are production-ready synthesizer sounds, a specific combination of OSC, Filter, Amp and
other settings. Your tweaks are saved within each variation, and you can use the Morph
slider to shift between variations for dynamic sound. In addition, the arpeggiator can ei­ther synchronize to your host tempo, or play at it's own rate, depending on your prefer­ence, combined with the Chord In essence, RETRO MACHINES MK2 is pure vintage synth
nostalgia combined with ease of use.

RETRO MACHINES MK2 - Manual - 5

Using the Instrument

2 Using the Instrument

In this chapter, you'll find a description of the RETRO MACHINES MK2 user interface ele­ments, and how to operate them. All presets share the same user interface with only minor
differences in the control elements; e.g., where one instrument has a reverb and an echo
effect in the EFFECTS section, another one has a reverb and a phaser effect. The screen­shots used throughout this chapter will show an exemplary preset interface with a specific
mix of controls. You will find descriptions of all possible controls in the relevant "Controls"
sections below.

2.1 SYNTH Page

The SYNTH properties window is the first window you see when you load a RETRO MA­CHINES MK2 instrument. This window contains all synthesizer parameters and allows you
to edit them.

SYNTH Page

Synth Page Controls.

RETRO MACHINES MK2 - Manual - 6