This new Kontakt Instrument captures the sound of the world’s largest grand piano in production.
Native Instruments has unveiled Claire, a new virtual instrument for Kontakt 8 based on the sounds of a concert grand piano.
Developed in partnership with Galaxy Instruments, Claire’s sample library was recorded in the 330-square metre hall of Belgium’s Galaxy Studios, utilizing multiple mic placements that can be chosen and blended within the instrument’s UI.
This is not just any concert grand, but a “world-class” 10-foot Italian concert grand piano (the Fazioli F308) that NI describes as “the crown jewel” of pianos, delivering “immense power and harmonic richness”, with its extended string length contributing to its deep bass and exceptional clarity of tone. (Hence the name: Claire is French for “clear”.)
According to its manufacturer, the F308 is the world’s largest piano in production; unusually, it’s equipped with a fourth pedal, which allows the player to soften the sound without changing its timbre by reducing the distance between the hammers and the strings.
In addition to controls for colour, tone, depth and richness, Claire arrives equipped with a comprehensive selection of effects, including EQ, compression, and saturation, while a dedicated Space panel houses controls for reverb and delay. NI’s Particles Engine is also onboard, a granular effect that triggers and processes shimmering, ethereal clouds of samples based on your playing.
Native Instruments Claire is priced at $149/€149/£129. Find out more on Native Instruments website.
Today, Native Instruments has introduced the Traktor Z1 MK2, the next generation of their DJ mixer and sound card.
They say that the Traktor Z1 MK2 covers “the fundamentals you need to DJ with Traktor Pro 4 software, in a totally portable unit.”
The official intro video:
Lead Traktor Product Manager Michael Koczynski says, “While I appreciate all the new Z1 MK2’s improvements, like the displays, the new design, better access to mixer effects, I’m particularly a fan of the access to decks C and D whenever I need it. This can be very handy when paired with the new stem control feature, so I can add in some drums or vocals from other tracks on top of my regular mix.”
Key Features:
Individual stem control – Traktor Pro 4 transforms the way you mix and remix with stem separation powered by iZotope’s RX technology. This means you can precisely isolate and manipulate drums, bass, instruments, and vocals. With each waveform right in front of you, Z1 lets you mute or precisely adjust the volume of each stem.
Visual feedback – Z1’s light system keeps you notified with key information, like when a track is about to run out or if it’s running in a loop. OLED displays show essential mixing information, EQ and stem parameters, Mixer FX selection, and master output meter. Plus, you can make it yours with customizable ambient lighting.
Audio interface – Z1 lets you control Traktor Pro 4 without the need for any extra gear, thanks to the integrated 24-bit/96 kHz audio interface.
Official overview for the Traktor Z1 MK2 DJ mixer:
The Traktor Z1 mk2 DJ Mixer & Sound Card is available now for $259.
iZotope Neutron 5 adds 3 new plugins and makes its AI-powered Mix Assistant ‘faster and smarter’
iZotope, a part of Native Instruments, has released Neutron 5, a major update to its audio mixing suite. Neutron 5 bringing three new plugins and a host of upgrades and enhancements to this already-powerful collection of intelligent audio tools.
This ever-expanding suite of intelligent mixing tools gets a flexible clipper, an upward compressor, and targeted processing with new Mid/Side and Transient/Sustain modes.
The headline improvement in Neutron 5 is the addition of three new modules that give you a total of ten plugins overall: Clipper, Density and Phase. Neutron 5’s new Clipper plugin helps you tame peaks and maximize headroom with the help of an intuitive interface and visualizer that displays the clipping happening in real-time.
Equipped with three separate clippers that can be applied independently across individual, adjustable frequency bands, the flexible Clipper module also lets you target mid and side portions of the signal and focus its processing on transients or sustained elements independently. Every module in Neutron now has a mid/side mode, and many have been kitted out with transient/sustain modes, too.
Clipper is joined by Density, an upward compressor that’s designed to bring presence and detail to your audio by levelling out dynamics, and Phase, an intelligent assistant for identifying and addressing phase issues in your mix. Equipped with two specialized tools, Phase can tackle asymmetrical waveforms using phase rotation and align two out-of-phase signals with its phase delay adjustment.
One of the main selling points of Neutron is its AI-powered assistive features, which include an intelligent Mix Assistant that analyses your mix and applies corrective processing automatically. In developing Neutron 5, iZotope has made this assistant “faster and smarter”, re-jigging its Assistant View to give you a more convenient overview of the five plugins it works with, equipped with easy-to-use macro controls.
Neutron 5 also brings delta monitoring to the mixing suite, enabling you to solo the processed elements of any signal to hear exactly what’s being changed in your mix.
Here’s what’s new in Neutron 5:
Clipper Module—Add power to your tracks while reclaiming headroom with intuitive multiband clipping options, oversampling, and versatile channel modes.
Density Module—Keep your key elements pinned up-front in the mix with an upward compressor that effortlessly smooths out dynamics, giving your audio more presence, detail, and fullness.
Phase Module—Fix asymmetrical waveforms and out-of-sync signals instantly to maintain a clean and full-bodied sound. Phase is perfect for getting the most punch out of the kick and bass, and addressing phase issues from multi-mic scenarios.
Improved Mix Assistant—Quickly find a great starting point for your mix. Run the Assistant to create a custom signal chain with easy macros. Use improved processing and additional controls to match your sound to built-in reference profiles or your own profiles. Download the free Audiolens desktop app to save reference profiles from any streaming platform or audio source.
Module Channel Modes—Explore new creative dimensions with Mid/Side and Transient/Sustain channel modes, allowing precise targeting of previously out-of-reach audio content.
Delta Buttons—Hear exactly how Neutron 5 is affecting your mix with new Delta buttons in every module.
Component Plugins—Neutron 5 comes with ten plugins for the individual modules.
Available now in VST3/AU/AAX formats for macOS and Windows, Neutron 5 is priced at an introductory price of $174.30, but the MSRP is $249. Visit iZotope website to find out more.
