Post on 18-Jul-2018
CONTENTS
1. Welcome&About2. Overview&SystemRequirements3. Installation&QuickStart4. TheMIDIKeys5. MainPage6. ExpertPage7. LFO&FXPage8. ArpeggiatorPage9. RhythmEditor10. MasterFXPage11. UsingExternalMIDIControllers12. RecordingDialChangesToYourDAW13. FactoryPresets14. LicenseAgreement15. Tips16. FinalWords
1 – WELCOME! ThankyouforbuyingtheDRONARDarkSynthesisModule.DRONARisadeep,expressiveandinnovativeatmosphericsoundcreator,eachmoduleexploringadifferentareaofsound&music.ThisDarkSynthesisModulecreatesdark,eerieandmysterioussynthetictexturesbycombiningstrangesynthwaveformswithcomplexprocessedrealworldrecordingswithahugesetofcontrolsthatinvitedeepexploration,expressionanddiscovery.
ABOUT GothicInstrumentsareDanGrahamandAdamHanley.DanhasproducedsamplelibrariesforZeroGandisthefounderofGothicStormMusic.AdamownsIcebreakerAudioandhasscriptedmanyblockbusterproducts.TheincredibleDarkSynthesisaudiowascraftedbyAdamPietruszkoandAlessandroCamnasio.TheGUI&boxartisbyRyoIshidowithdialanimationsbyKokeNúñezGómez.
2 – OVERVIEW
AUNIVERSEFROMANOTE:
DRONARcreatesmind-expandingatmospheresfromaverysmallnumberofnotesplayed(1to4recommended).Itautomaticallyspreadsoutthechordinthemid-range,addsarootbassnote,ahighnoteandthenaddsevolvingsoundeffects.8simultaneousdifferentsoundsarethenanimatedwithLFOs,arhythmsequencerandarpeggiatorstobringthemtolife.Theresultsarerichanddramatic.
AHANDFREEFOREXPRESSION:
ThissoniccomplexityfromonehandfreesuptheothertoexpressivelycontroldialswithmousedragsorexternalMIDIcontrollerknobs,andrecordthechangesasaperformanceinyourDAW.Subtledialmovementsgivedeepexpression,idealforsoundtracksaswellashighlyexpressivepads,patternsandatmospheresinanygenre.
ACOMPLETEATMOSPHERE:BecauseDRONARinstantlyaddslow,mid-rangeandhighsoundsplussoundeffects,youbarelyneedothernon-Dronarsoundstoquicklycreateacompletepieceofatmospheric,expressivemusic.
BEGINNERANDEXPERTFRIENDLY:Needingtoonlyplayafewnotesandmoveafewdialstogetsuchrichexpressionisinvitingforbeginners,butanexpertwillgetfurtherbyknowingwhatnotestoplayandhowtoexpressemotionsusingthedials.Beyondtheshimmeringimmediacyofthe‘MainPage’awaitsawholeotherworldofexpertcontrol,turningDRONARintoavastmodularmulti-timbralsynth/samplerwithmultipleindependentarpeggiators.
DRONAR’SPRESETHIERARCHY–BRIEFOVERVIEWDRONARstartsfromthousandsofevolvingsampleloops.8oftheseareloadedintoeach‘Drone’(an.nkapresetfileinthe/Datafolder,oneloadedontoeach‘DroneKey’),andthenthereare12Dronesineach.nkipatch(inthe/Instrumentsfolder).
CAUTION
Expecttolosehoursinanaddictive,hypnotictweak-stateofsound-and-dialwonder,nothelpedbymagicalglowingdialsandshimmeringanimations.Ifyoudogoonthesevoyages,savepresetsorrecordwhatyoudointoyourDAWwhileyouwork,toloadbacklaterlikepostcardsfromanotherrealm.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • 4GBRAM• Kontakt5.6fullversion(notthefreeKontaktPlayer)• MacOSX10.6andabove• Windows7-10
3 – INSTALLATION DRONAR-DARKSYNTHESISMODULEcontainsKontaktFormattedfiles,whichcanbeaccessedfromtheFilestabwithinthefullversionofKontakt.FromwithinKontakt,pleaseensureyouareontheFilestab,andnottheLibrariestab,andusethebrowsertolocateyourchoseninstallpath.
Now,withtheproductfolderinthebottomofthetwoleftwindows,navigatethroughthefolderandtherewillbeKontaktinstrumentfiles(.nki)whichyoucandouble-clicktoloadintoKontakt.
Goingbackandforthbetweenthelibraryandfilestabcanslowdownworkflow,thisiswhyNative-InstrumentsincludedahandyQuick-LoadfeaturewithinKontakt.BysettinguptheQuick-LoadfeatureyoucancustomisethelayoutandaccessallofyourKontaktformattedfilesandlibrariesinonelocation.PleaseseethehandyTime+Spacevideoformoredetailsonhowtosetthisup:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtON7YKor5Y
QUICK START
LOADAPATCH:Inthe“/Instruments/!!PresetMenus”folderyou’llseeasetof.nkifiles.LoadonefromtheKontaktbrowserordragacrossfromExplorer(PC)orFinder(Mac).
AUDITIONADRONEFROMTHE12KEYSWITCHES:Every“Menu”patchhas12differentdrones(completeatmosphericsounds)toauditionfromthe12keyswitchesonaloweroctave(G1toF#2)ofyourMIDIkeyboardrange.
HOLDDOWN1TO4KEYS:1keywillgiveyouanoctave-baseddrone.Tryholdingdowndifferentnumbersofnotestoheartheoptions–octaves,fifths,fourths,chords.Youcanholddownmorethan4keys,especiallyifyouwantthearpeggiatortocreateintricateruns,but1-4isusuallyenough.
MOVETHEMODWHEEL:LookingattheGUI,theINTENSITYdialismappedtotheModWheelandimmediatelyopensuptheexpressivepowerofDRONAR.
MOVETHEMAINPAGEDIALS:
Movethedialswithyourmouseasyouholddownthenotes(orsustainthemwithasuspedal).YouwillheartheimmediateimpactonthesoundandgetagoodunderstandingofthewayDRONARworks.INTENSITY(alsocontrolledbytheModWheel)takesyoufromsilenttopowerfulbyfadingupthroughdifferentvelocitylayers.MOVEMENThasaglobaleffectontheintensityofthearpeggiators–setithighforstrongeffectsandzeroforaflatpadsound.
HI,MIDandLOcontroltheautomaticallygeneratedhighnotes,mid-rangenotesandbassnotes.Movingthesedialshasahugeexpressiveeffectonthemusic.It’sonlylikeusingamixingdeskandyet–havingitsoaccessibleinfrontofyouencouragesyoutoworkwiththebalanceaspartoftheoriginalcreativeexpression,insteadofamixdecisionlateron.
FXcontrolsthelevelof20-secondfuturistic,unpitchedsoundeffectsloopsinthemixandaddinstantmovementandcomplexity.
Youshouldnowbeupandrunning.Readontodelvedeeper.
4 – THE MIDI KEYS
TheKontaktkeyboardshowsacolourcodedguidetowhat’shappeningineachrange.
THE12DRONEKEYS(redkeys,F0toE1):
EachoftheseredDroneKeyscontainsadifferentDrone(apreset).Playaredkeytoselectoneandanotherredkeytoswitchtoanother.The“Menu”presetshaveatotallydifferentDroneoneachDroneKey.Theother,individualpresetshavethesameDroneoneveryDroneKey,encouragingyoutocreateyourownvariationsonthe12keys.
PLAYABLERANGE(bluekeysG1toB4):
Thisrangeisusedtodetectthenotesyouplay.Thinkofitalmostlikea‘noteandchorddetectionrange’morethanaplayablesynth.DRONARwantstoknowwhatnotesandchordsyouwant,itdoesn’twantyoutoplayitlikeapiano.
OVERFLOWRANGE(palecyankeysC5toB5):
Incaseyoustartplayingoutsidethedetectionrange,itrepeatsthetopoctaveforyoujusttomakesureyourchordsarecaptured.
5 – MAIN PAGE
Behold,shimmeringcloudsofmagicdustanddazzlinglightwheels!These6simpledialshaveahugeinfluenceoverthesound.RecordchangesasDAWautomation,orassigndialstoanexternalMIDIcontrollerandhittheDAWrecordbutton.
MAINPAGEFEATURES:
Thereare6maindials(INTENSITY,MOVEMENT,FX,HIMIDandLO),pluseffectsendlevels(ReverbandDelay),andtabsforthe5pages.SOLOORMUTEALAYER:Clickalayername(e.g.‘MID’)totogglemuteon/off.SolousingALT+click.
6 – EXPERT PAGE
TheEXPERTPAGEshowsyouallthesettingsforthecurrent,lastplayedDronefromthe12DroneKeys(thedrone-selectinglowF0toE1octave).ThesesettingsareremembereduntilyouclosetheKontaktInstrument,soifyouswitchtoadifferentDroneonadifferentDronekeyandthenswitchback,youwillfindallthevaluesasyouleftthem.
ThischapterexplainseachEXPERTPAGEfeature,startingatthetopandworkingdown.Firstthough,somenotesaboutthelayersandsounds:
EACHDRONEHAS4LAYERS:FX,HI,MID&LO:
Torecap,DRONARisdetectingthenotesyouplaywithonehandandautomaticallyaddingnewnotes–extendingthemiddlerange,addingahighnote,addingabassnoteandmixinginsoundeffectstocreatearich,evolvingatmosphere.
OntheEXPERTPAGEeachofthese4layers(FX,HI,MIDandLO)hasaseparatesetofcontrols,likearackof4synths,or4mixingdeskchannels.
EACHLAYERHAS2SOUNDS:
Eachofthe4layersconsistsof2differentsounds(actuallylong,complexloopsat3dynamiclevels).
RANDOMIZESAMPLESBUTTON
Hittingthisbuttonwillkeepallyoursettingsbutinstantlyswapallthesamplesinthe8namedsoundslots(2perlayer).Thisiswonderfulfor
quicklyfindingnewsoundvariationsandit’seasytokeephittingthebuttonifyou’renothappywithwhatitthrowsatyou.
CAUTION:Kontakthasno“UNDO”function,soonceyouhitRANDOMIZEtochangethesamplesyoucan’tchangethemback.Savethe.nkior“STORE”yourDroneifyouwanttokeepitpermanently.
STOREANDLOADDRONES
DRONARhasanentirehiddeninternalDronepresetsystemwhichyoucanworkwith.Thisisalargesetof.nkafilessittinginthe
/Data/FactoryPresetsfolderwhichcanbeindividuallyloadedontoDroneKeys,andyoucanalsocreateandsaveyourownnew.nkaDronepresetfiles.STOREDRONEallowsyoutosavethesettingsonthecurrentDroneKeyasan.nkafiletobeloadedintoadifferentDroneKey,orloadedlaterintoadifferentornewfile.
LOADDRONEopensanExplorerorFinderwindowwhereyoucanloadan.nkafileontothecurrentDroneKey,overwritingthecurrentDrone.CAUTION–NOUNDO:KontakthasnoUndofunction,sounlessyou’vesavedyourpatchor.nkaDronepreset,overwritingthe
currentDronewillloseitforever.Becarefultosavegreatsoundsincaseyouoverwritethem!MASTERFXAREN’TSAVED:Your.nkapresetwillstoreyourREVandDELsendsettings,butthereverbanddelaysettings(aswellasothermastereffects)intheMASTERFXpagearenotstoredinthepresetandcouldhaveabiginfluenceonthesound.
SOLO&MUTELAYERS:
Clickonthelayername(e.g.‘FX’)totogglemuteon/off.Alt+Clicktosolothelayer.Thisisveryusefulwhenauditioningdifferentsamplesormakingchangestoonelayer.
‘THICK’BUTTONS:
Eachofthe4layershasaTHICKbutton.Thisaddsinextranotesforathickersound:
• IntheFXlayerTHICKaddsthesamesoundataloweroctave.• IntheHIlayerTHICKaddsanextraoctavehigherupforamorepiercing,high
sound.• IntheMIDlayerTHICKspreadsthechordintelligentlyacross2octavesforathick
chordoralargerarpeggiorange.• IntheLOlayerTHICKaddsanoteanoctaveabovethemainbassnoteforaslightly
morepowerfullowermidrange.
THETWOSAMPLESANDTHEA/BSLIDERS:
Eachofthe4layerscontains2samples(2x20secondloopsat3dynamicvelocitylayers).Thenamesofthosesamplesareshownintheboxes.
TheA/BSLIDERStotherightallowyoutohavejustthetopsoundat100%,justthebottomsoundat0%orablendofbothifthesliderisbetweenthetwo.
A/BSLIDERTIP:Blending2soundsfillsoutthefrequencyspectrumandthereforecreatesanoverallmorenoise-likesound,especiallyFXsounds,andevenmoresoifalllayershaveblendedsounds.Formorepurityandcharacter,trysomeorallat0%or100%.
SAMPLESELECTIONMENUS:
IfyouclickaWHITEDOWN-ARROWtotherightofasamplenameitwillopenupaSAMPLESELECTIONMENU.
Theserawsampleloopsareorganisedintocategoriesandsamples.Categoriesaresustainsounds,reversedsounds,“DRONAR”sounds(includingstringsandsynthsandcommontoallmodules)and“RHYTHMS”–rhythmicalloopswhichcanbere-arrangedintheRHYTHMEDITOR.
ATTACKANDRELEASETIME:
ThewhiterampupanddowniconsarefortheATTACKTIMEandRELEASETIME.Togethertheycontrolwhetherthesoundfadesinandoutslowlyorquickly.
FILTERSETTINGS:
E➜FisforENVELOPETOFILTER.Sethigh,thefilteropensupandclosesasthesoundgetslouderandquieter(assetbytheATTACKandRELEASETIMES).
FistheFILTERcutoff–lowforalessbrightsound.
QcontrolstheRESONANCEofthefilter.
Mw➜FisforMODWHEELTOFILTER.Sethigh,theModWheelcontrolstheFILTERCUTOFFfrequency(aswellastheINTENSITYsetting).FILTERNOTE:thesefiltersettingsandthoseintheArpeggiatorallinteract,sometimesunexpectedly,meaningthatyouwon’talwaysgetthesameresultsfromanyonedialsetting.
WIDTH,TONEANDVOLUME:
WIDTHcontrolsthestereoseparationofthetwosampleloopsinthelayer.Ahighsettingpansthemoutleftandrightwhilelowpansthembothcentre.Thiscanbegoodtogetspaceywidesounds,orfocusedcentralsounds.
TONEisacomplexEQcontrol.Atlowsettingsittakesoffthehighfrequenciesandbooststhelowforabiglowsound.Athighsettingsitbooststhehighfrequenciesandcutsoutthelows,resultinginathinbrightsound.
VOLUME(speakericon)controlsthelayervolumeandmirrorsthebigdialsettingsontheMAINPAGE.
SMARTBASSON/OFFBUTTON:
Whenenabled,SMARTBASSworksoutthecorrectrootnoteforyourcurrentchord.Ifthisisoff,thebassnotewillinsteadjustbethelowestnoteinthechordyouareholdingdown.
7 – LFO & FX PAGE
Whereaseffectsonthe“MasterFX”Pageareglobalacrossall12Dronesinthecurrentpatch,anysettingsonthisLFO&FXpageareonlyactiveonthecurrentDronenowplaying,onthemostrecentlyplayedDroneKeyofthe12keyswitches.
LFOSETTINGS:
Forthoseunfamiliar,‘LFO’(forLowFrequencyOscillator)isacontinuouswaveofchangingvaluesspreadovertime,whichcanberoutedheretoPan,FilterandPitch.ThoseaudioparametersthenchangeovertimeunderthecontroloftheLFO.Thishelpsaddmovementtothesound,includingpanning,vibratoorsireneffects.
• RATEisthespeedoftheLFO• MWHeelallowsyoutocontroltheamountofLFOusingtheModWheel• Shapechangestheshapeofthewavefromtriangletosinetosquare• PandefineshowmuchtheLFOmakesthesoundpanfromlefttoright
andback• PitchdefinestheamountofpitchchangecausedbytheLFO• Desyncathighsettingsthrowsallofthedifferentsoundsinthecurrent
Droneoutofsyncwitheachother,sotheydon’tallmovetogetheranymore,foramorecomplexandvariedsound.
DRONEEFFECTS:
TheseinserteffectsalterthesoundofthecurrentlyplayingDrone,asselectedbythelastplayedDroneKeyofthe12keyswitches.
DIST(VALVEDISTORTION):
• DRIVEaddssteadilymoredistortiontothesound• DAMPdampensthesound,makingitmoresoftanddull• MWheelmapstheModWheeltotheDRIVElevel.Ahighsettingmeans
itwillgetverydistortednearthetopoftheModWheel.
CHORUS:
Chorusisaneffectcreatedbyplayingthesamesoundtwicebutslightlydetunedandcanaddthickness,interestandcolourtothesound.
• AMOUNTisthedepthofthechoruseffect• RATEisthespeedofthechorusmodulation
REVERBANDDELAYSENDS:
Thisisamirrorofthe“REV”and“DEL”dialsettingsontheMainPageGUIandcontrolstheamountofsoundbeingsentouttotheReverbandDelayeffects.
8 – ARPEGGIATOR PAGE
Thisistheplacetogetsoundsreallymovingorpulsingovertime,syncedtotheDAWhosttempo.Inthefactorypresetsthe“Arp-O-Rama”presetsareheavilyusingpitcharpeggiosintheMIDrangeandthe“Pulsing”presetsareheavilyusingINTENSITYandFILTERpatternstogetthosepulsingqualities.
ARPEGGIATORONANDOFF:
ThisswitchesthearpeggiatoronandoffforthecurrentlyselectedDrone(thelastplayedofthe12DroneKeykeyswitches).Ifyoudon’tneedthearpeggiator,turningthisoffwillsavesomeCPU.
RATEANDSTEPS:
RATEallowsawiderangeofratesfromslow1/4(whereeachstepinthearpeggiatorisaquarternote)rightuptoaveryfast1/64(eachstepisa64thofabar).Thisgivesyoutheabilityto
usetheArpeggiatorasmuchforslowundulatingmovementsasmuchasforfaststrobe-likepatterns.
STEPSdefinesthenumberofstepsinthepattern.16isthedefault.Using12willbeusefulfora3/4,6/8ortripletpattern.
LAYERSELECTOR:
Selectthelayer(FX,HI,MIDorLO)thatyouwishtoviewandeditintheArpeggiator.TherestoftheARPEGGIATORpagethenshowsthesettingsforthatcurrentlyselectedlayer.
BecausetheMIDlayercoversawiderangeofdifferentnotesandtheotherlayersdon’t(theFXlayerhasnopitch,andtheHIandLOlayershavesinglenotesoroctaves),theMIDlayerhasextraPITCHarpeggiatoroptions.
Eachlayerhasallotheroptionsincommon,withtheirownindependentarpeggiators.Thisallowsalotofcomplexityandflexibility,forexamplehavingfast
rhythmsintheFXlayer,noarpeggiatorintheHIlayer,pitcharpeggiosintheMIDlaterandslowpulsesinthelowlayers.
ARPEGGIATOR-KEY-TRIGGEREDPATTERNSTIP:Ifyougetagoodcomplexpatterngoingacrossthedifferentlayers,youcanSTOREtheDrone,thencreatedifferentvariationsonthepatternandSTOREeachofthose.ThenLOADthosedifferentDronesontothe12differentDroneKeykey-switches.Now,youhaveyourown12-patternkey-triggeredsequence!
AMOUNT&SMOOTHDIALS:
Eachofthe3typesofarpeggiator(PITCH,INTENSITYandFILTER)havethesetwocontrols.AMOUNTcontrolshowstrongthearpeggiationis,whereasSMOOTHfadesinthearpeggiationeffect-slowlyathighsettingsandsharplyatlowsettings.Thisexplanationwillbemademoreclearbelow.
DRONAR’SUNIQUEPITCHARPEGGIATOR:
ThePITCHarpeggiatorasfarasweknowisanoriginaltypeofarpeggiogeneratornotfoundelsewhere.Whereasotherarpeggiatorsre-triggerthenoteateverystep,DRONAR’spitcharpeggiatorplaysallthenotesthatyouareholdingdownbutcross-fadesbetweenthem.Thisislikehavingthedifferentnotesofachordallgoingthroughdifferentchannelsonamixingdesk,thenturningthefadersinsuccessiontocreatetheimpressionofanarpeggio.
Thebeautyofthisapproachisthatyoucanchoosehowstrongthearpeggiatoris.Ifthe
AMOUNTdialislowyouhearjustthechordyouareplaying,setfullyouhearalltheseparatenotesaseachsoundisfadedoutbetweensteps.Betweenzeroandfullyougetawonderfulblendofhalf-arpeggios–shimmeringchordswithahintofmovement.
TheSMOOTHdialislikefadingupthemixerfadersquicklyforafast,gated,non-fade,orslowlyforaslow,smoothcrossfadebetweenthe
notesinthechord.
HOWTHEMAINPAGEMOVEMENTDIALAFFECTSAMOUNT&SMOOTHVALUES:
BackontheMAINpage,oneofthe6bigdialsistheMOVEMENTdial.ThisdialisactuallygloballyincreasingorreducingalltheAMOUNTsettingsontheARPEGGIATORpage.At12o’clock,youhearjustwhateverAMOUNTShavebeensetontheARPEGGIATORpage.Atzero,thearpeggiator’sAMOUNTvaluesarebroughttozero,cancellingoutanyarpeggiation.Setfull,theAMOUNTvaluesareallpumpedupfullforexaggeratedarpeggiatoraction.
PITCHARPEGGIATOR–FXOPTIONS:
BecausetheFXlayerdoesn’tactuallyhavepitches,wecouldn’tactuallygivepitcharpeggiatoroptionsHere.So,ratherthanleavingitblankwe’vethrowninaGATEoptionwhichpulsestheFXlayeronandoff.
PITCHARPEGGIATOR–HIOPTIONS:
IfyouhavetheHIlayer’sTHICKbuttonenabledontheEXPERTpagethenDRONARisproducingtwoHInotesanoctaveapart.Theseoptions–UPorDOWN–createasimpleoctaveupordownarpeggiatorpatternintheHIlayer.
PITCHARPEGGIATOR–MIDOPTIONS:
ItisintheMIDlayerthattherealarpeggiomagichappens.Fourdifferentpatterns(UP,DOWN,CYCLEandRANDOM)cyclethroughallthenotesyouareholdingdownwithasubtleshimmeryarpeggio(atlowAMOUNTsettings)oracleararpeggiopattern(athighAMOUNTsettings).
MIDPITCHARP–“THICK”TIP:AniceeffectiscreatedwhentheMIDlayer’sTHICKbuttonisenabledontheEXPERTpage-thereisanextraoctaveofnotestocyclethroughandthepatternisthereforebigger,takestwiceaslongtocompleteandproducesmoresoaringpatterns.
MIDPITCHARP–CLUSTERSANDRUNSTIP:Insteadofachord,ifyouholddownaclusterofnotes,someclosetogether,the‘arpeggio’becomesarun,likealittlemelody.TryholdingdownthenotesA,B,C,EandF#nowforamagicallittlepatternbasedaroundanAm6+9chord.
PITCHARPEGGIATOR–LOOPTIONS:
LiketheHIlayer,theLOlayeronlyhastwooctavenotes(andonlytheniftheTHICKbuttonisenabledontheEXPERTpage)andthereforeyoujustgetthesimpleUPorDOWNoptions.
THEINTENSITYARPEGGIATOR:
Asfarasweknow,theINTENSITYarpeggiatorisanotheruniqueDRONARfeature.Whereotherarpeggiatorscontrolthevolumeofasound,theINTENSITYarpeggiatorismoreexpressivebycontrollingthedynamicvelocitylayerofthesound.ItisasifthevaluesyousetherearemovingtheModWheelupanddowninapattern,fadingupanddownbetweensoftandintensesamples.Toeditthepatternwindow,dragyourmouseto‘draw’
patterns.
INTENSITYARPEGGIATOR–DROP-DOWNEDITMENU:
Hereyougetsomehandyoptionstospeedupyourediting:
• CLEARclearsthebox,resultinginaflatline• RANDOMgivesyouarandompatternforchaoticeffects• COPYcopiesthispatterntoyourclipboardtopasteintootherpatternwindows
inotherlayersorintheFILTERpatternwindow.• PASTEpastesapatternfromyourclipboardintothecurrentwindow.
INTENSITYARPEGGIATORTIPS:
SomeideasaboutwhatcouldbedonewiththeINTENSITYarpeggiator:
• GATING:usethisasanoisegateproducingcomplexgatingeffects.ThisisgoingtobemoredramaticwithhighRATEsettings(32or64)forspeed,andwithsharpcontrastsbetweenhighandlowINTENSITYbars,andwiththeAMOUNTdialhighandSMOOTHdiallow.
• TREMOLO:getaneffectlikeaguitartremolopedalwithhigh-ishRATES(16or32),drawinawavepatternandsettheSMOOTHdialhightosmoothoffthejumpsfurther.
• UNDULATINGWAVES:havethesoundundulatingslowlybackandforthwithslowRATES,amildwavepattern(orlowAMOUNTdialsetting)andhighSMOOTHdialsetting.
• SLOWPULSES:settheRATEslowandhavehalfoftheINTENSITYpatternatthetopandhalfatthebottom,withtheAMOUNTdialhighandtheSMOOTHdiallow.
• RHYTHMS:WithhighRATEsettings,drawlargesaw-toothpatternstomimicnotesbeingplayedwithafastattackanddecay,andlaythemoutinapattern.Byhavingdifferentpatternsindifferentlayersyoucanbuildupagroove.
• MAKEALAYERSUPERLOUD:Atricktomakeonelayersuper-loud(sayyouwanttheLOlayertoblastoutevenatlowModWheelsettings),istosettheintensitypatternatfull–allwhitebarstothetop,withAMOUNTsetfull.ThiswillhavetheeffectofoverridingtheModWheelandgettingabigvolumeboostforthatlayer.
THEFILTERARPEGGIATOR:
ThisworksjustliketheINTENSITYarpeggiator.ThedifferenceisjustthatinsteadoftheINTENSITYlevel,theFILTERCUTOFFFREQUENCYisbeingmodulated,makingitmorebrightordull.
Usingthisyoucangeteffectslikefiltersweeps,orfollowtheINTENSITYpatterntogetfilterenvelopeeffects.
WATCHOUTFORFILTERINTERACTIONS:
OntheEXPERTpageyouhavevariousfiltersettings.OntheLFO/FXpageyoualsohaveafiltertoLFOmapping,andonthispageyouhaveevenmorefiltermovement.Allofthesearecontrollingthesamefilterandthereforetheywillinteractunpredictably;thesamesettingswillgivedifferentfilterresultsdependingonwhatelseisgoingon.
9 – RHYTHM EDITOR
Darksynthesisrhythmsamples(asfoundinthesampleselectionmenusontheEXPERTpage)wereperformedliveforanaturalsoundwherenotwoadjacentnotesareexactlythesameandtheythereforehaveacertainflowcomparedtotriggersofsinglesamples.Theywerealsorecordedat3dynamics(soft,medium,loud)allowingyoutoaccentyourrhythmsusingtheModWheeltofadebetweendynamics.TheRHYTHMEDITORpageallowsyoutochangethepatternsoftherhythmsamples.Underthehood,theDronarengineiscreatingyournewpatternsinreal-timebyjumpingaroundtheoriginalloopsandplayingdifferentsectionsoftheminadifferentorder.Note-ifnorhythmsamplesareactiveonthecurrentdrone,thispagewon’tdoanythingtothesound.
LO/MID/HILAYERSELECTOR:
Selectthedronelayerwhereyouwanttoedittherhythm.
PATTERNDISPLAY:
Thepatterndisplayshowstheactiverhythmpattern.Theareaisdividedintobars.Barsaredividedintobeats,andbeatshavebeatdivisionsof2(8ths),3(triplets)or4(16ths).
Clickonabeattoselectthatbeatandadottedrectangleboundaryappears.Onceselectedyoucaneitherusethe“BeatDiv”buttontoalterthebeatdivision,orclickagaintotoggleanaccent(loudernote)onandoff.
Alargedotindicatesanaccent(loudernote).Clickinsidethecurrentlyselectedbeatareatotoggleaccentonandoff.
TheBeatsselectorallowsyoutochoose3or4beatsinthebarfora3/4or4/4timesignature.
TheBarsselectorallowsyoutochoose1,2,3or4barsforthetotalpatternlooplength.
TheBeatDiv(beatdivision)selectorallowsyoutodividethecurrentlyselectedbeatinto2(8ths),3(triplets)or4(16ths).
TRIGGERMODEallowsyoutoselecteitherFREE(triggersassoonasyoupressaMIDInote)orBEAT(waitsuntilthenextquarternote,toallowasecurelocktothecurrentDAWtempogrid).NOTE:ThissettingisGLOBAL
forthewholepreset,forall12currentdrones.
TEMPOallowsyoutochoosebetweenhalfspeed,hosttempoordoublespeedforsloworfastrhythmicalmomentum.
SPREADslightlyseparatesthenotesinachordintime(arpeggiation)togetamorenatural‘strummed’effect.HUMANIZEaddsrandomnesstothatspread,sothatinstead
ofaveryregularargeggiationithasamorenaturalloosetiming.
TheSAVEandLOADbuttonsallowyoutopermanentlystoreandrecallrhythmpatternsas“.nka”datafiles.
10 – MASTER FX PAGE
Effectsonthispageareinsertedintothefinalmasterstereoaudiooutput,andthatmeanstheyareactiveonall12Dronesonthe12Drone-Keykeyswitches.
Theyareallstandardeffectswhichprobablyneedlittleexplanation,butsomequicknotesbelow:
• DELAY&REVERBAREEFFECTRETURNS:MeaningthatwhereasonalltheDronesyouhavedifferentREVandDELsendlevels,thisisthereturn.So,increasingthe“Level”dialsherewillmakereverbanddelaylouderonallofthe12Dronesandinasimilarway,allothersettingsonthispagewillhaveanimpactonalloftheDronesinthecurrentnkipreset.
• REVERBTYPES:DRONARincludesacoupleofdigital(algorithmic)reverbsandalsoasetofconvolutionimpulsesincludingsomecreativeandunusualimpulsesforsounddesign.Trythemout!
• NOTE:MASTERFXARENOTINTHE.NKADRONEPRESETS:TheseMasterEffectssettings,unlikethoseonthe“LFO&FX”page,arenotstoredwiththeindividual“.nka”DronePresets.So,ifyouwanttosavethesevaluesyouneedtosaveyourworkasan.nkipatch.
11 – USING EXTERNAL MIDI CONTROLLERS
YouwillgetthebestresultsfromDRONARbyassigningatleastthemain6dialsontheMAINpageGUItoknobsonanexternalMIDIcontroller.Thisisbecause:DRONARISDESIGNEDTOBEPLAYEDEXPRESSIVELY.
Thebestresultscomefromholdingdownanoteorchordwithonehand(orsustainingitusingasustainpedal),andthenexpressivelymovingthedialswiththeotherhand.Itismoreintuitivetodothiswithanexternalcontrollerthanthealternativeswhichare(a)tryingtomovethedialswithmousedrags,or(b)tryingtowriteinautomationcurvesinyourDAW.
EXTERNALMIDICONTROLLEROPTIONS:
• MIDIKEYBOARDKNOBS:ManyMIDIkeyboardshaveknobsthatoutputMIDIccdata.
• DEDICATEDCONTROLSURFACE:PopularandinexpensivecontrolsurfaceswithMIDIccknobsincludetheKORGnanoKONTROL2,BehringerX-TouchMiniDAWcontroller,NovationNocturnandmore.
• SMARTPHONE/TABLETAPPS:appscapableofcreatingMIDIccoutputincludeTouchOSCandJazzMutantLemur.
• LEAPMOTION+GecoMIDIsoftware:highlyrecommendedistheLeapMotion3Dinfraredgesture-basedcontrollerusing3rdpartyGecoMIDIsoftware(availableontheLeapAppStore).ApresetforGecoMIDIpre-mappedtoworkbeautifullywithDRONARhasbeencreatedandplacedinthe/Extrasfolders.
DEFAULTGUIDIAL-TO-MIDICONTROLLERMAPPINGS:
EachDRONARpresethasbeensetupwiththefollowingcccontrollersmappedbydefault:
• CC01➜INTENSITYdial(theModWheelismappedtocc1).• CC14➜MOVEMENTdial• CC21➜FXdial• CC23➜HIdial• CC24➜MIDdial• CC25➜LOdial
TORE-MAPMIDICCNUMBERS:
Right-clickonanyKontaktdialthatyouwishtomaptoaMIDIcontroller.AswellastheMAINpagedials,youcanalsodothisforanyotherdialonanypage.FromhereyoucanLEARN(selectthenturnaknobonyourcontrollertodetectandmapit),orREMOVE(removethedefaultmappingtoavoidanyconfusion).
12 – RECORDING DIAL CHANGES TO YOUR DAW
AutomatingDRONAR’Sdialscanbedone3ways:
• ViaanexternalMIDIcontroller(seepreviouschapter)
• ByprogrammingautomationcurvesinyourDAW
• Byenabling“WriteAutomation”inyourDAWandrecordingyourmouse-dragdialmovementsduringyourperformance.Thenenable“ReadAutomation”whenplayingback.
HOWTORECORDMIDICONTROLLERDIALMOVEMENTSTOYOURDAWPROJECT:
• ASSIGNDRONARDIALSTOYOURMIDICONTROLLER:seepreviouschapter.
• HITRECORD,ANDPERFORM!Thatshouldbeit.AslongasyourMIDIcontrolleriscorrectlyconfigured,andyourDAWispickingupMIDIfromallsources(controllerandkeyboard),yourDAWwillrecordtheMIDIccmovementsalongwiththeMIDInotesthatyouplay,leavingMIDIautomationlanesreadytobeeditedlater.
TIP:MAKEPRESETSFROMDIALRECORDINGS.Ifatsomepointinyourrecordingyougetanespeciallywonderfulsound,playitbackatthatpoint,hittheDAWSTOPbuttonandsavewhatyouhaveasan.nkaDronePresetor.nkiKontaktInstrumentpatch.
13 – FACTORY PRESETS
DRONAR’sDarksynthesisModulecomeswithhundredsofpresetslovinglydesignedtoshowitsamazingpotential..NKADRONEPRESETS:
Foundinthe/Datafolder,theseareindividualDronepresetsthatcanbeloadedontoindividualDroneKeysinanactive,loadedpatchusingthe“LOADDRONE”buttonontheEXPERTpage.Note:thefactory.nkipresetsinthe/Instrumentsmenuareallbuiltupfromtheseindividual.nkaDronepresets.
MENUANDANDSINGLESOUNDPRESETS:
Inthe/Instrumentsmenuthereare2typesofpresets.MENUpresetsloadup12differentdrones,oneoneachoftheDrone-KeykeyswitchesinthelowerF0toE1octave.TheSINGLESOUNDPRESETShaveoneDronepreset,copiedacrossall12Drone-Keys.Thisenablesyoutocreateyourownvariationsonthemainsoundasyouareworking,savethemas.nkaDronepresetsandquicklyswitchbackandforthbetweenthemusingthekeyswitches.TheMENUsoundsusemoreRAMbecausetheyhavemoresamplesloaded.
TOLOADKONTAKTINSTRUMENT(.NKI)PRESETS:Eithernavigatetothe/InstrumentsfolderintheKontaktfilebrowser,oralternativelyopenthesamefolderinExplorer(PC)orFinder(Mac)anddragthe.nkifileontoanopen,empty(nothingloaded)instanceofKonkakt.
14 – LICENSE AGREEMENT Youarefreetousesoundsandmusicmadewiththissoftwareinanymusicalcontextincludingsounddesign,commercialrecordings,soundtracksandProductionMusic.
Restrictions:
1. Youarenotauthorizedtousethissoftwareoranyofthesesoundsinanysamplelibraryproduct.
2. Youcannotuseanyexposedsinglesoundsasanentirecueonalibrarymusicalbumwithnothingelseaddedforthedurationofthetrack.PleasefadeorblendmorethanoneDronarlayer,and/oraddothersounds.
3. Useisrestrictedtothesinglepurchaserofthesoftware.4. ThissoftwarecannotbesharedordistributedwithoutthepermissionofGothic
Instruments.5. Thislicenseisrevokedifanyoftheabovetermsarenotcompliedwith.
General:
6. ThislicenseissubjecttothelawsoftheUnitedKingdom7. Thislicenseisnotatransferofcopyrighttothepurchaser–theownershipofthe
intellectualpropertywithinthesoftwareandtheaudioitcontainsremainswithGothicInstruments.
15 – TIPS
PURGE.EachinstanceofDronarwoulduseover1GBofmemoryifallowedtoloadallsamples.YoucanmassivelyreducetheRAMfootprintbyselecting“purgeallsamples”andKontaktwillthenonlyreloadsamplesthatyouactuallyuseandtrigger.AllfactorypresetshavebeensavedinapurgedstatetoavoidlongloadtimesandRAMhogging.
TWEAK.Thepresetshereonlyskimthesurfaceoftheincrediblerangeofpossibilitiesinthisinstrument.Adeepexplorationofallthepagesisrewardingandhighlyrecommended.
EXPRESSWITHTHEMODWHEEL.AllexpressioninDRONARisbuiltaroundtheModWheel(MIDIcc1),whichfadesupthroughthedifferentintensitylevelsoftheactualsoft,mediumandloudperformancesonthesamplerecordings.Velocity(howhardyouplayMIDIkeys)hasnoeffectonthevolume.
ACCENTYOURRHYTHMSWITHTHEMODWHEEL.ByrockingtheModWheelbackandforthwhilearhythmisplayingyoucangetgreatnaturalaccents,includingsyncopatedrhythms.
MAKEPRESETSFROMDIALRECORDINGS.LeaveyourDAWrecordingautomation(“writeautomation”enabled)whileyouplaywiththedials.Ifyougetanespeciallywonderfulsound,hittheDAWSTOPbutton(orkeepgoingandgobacktothatpointlater)andsavewhatyouhaveasan.nkaDronePresetor.nkiKontaktInstrumentpatch.
16 – FINAL WORDS
ThankssomuchforchoosingDRONAR–DARKSYNTHESISMODULE.Wehopeyouenjoyitsvastpotentialtocreateamazing,complexatmosphericsoundsandexpressivelyperformthem.
PleasevisitourFacebookpagewhereyoucankeepupwithdevelopments&updatesandmessageuswithanyquestionsorsuggestions:
https://www.facebook.com/gothicinstruments/
Onceyou’veenjoyedthepossibilitiesoftheDARKSYNTHESISMODULE,wehopeyou’llstayonboardforthefuturemodulesinthisseries!
Thanks,
Dan&Adam
GOTHICINSTRUMENTS