Sound from a Virtual Planet

Summer for me means that my schedule slows to the point where I can indulge in some of my guilty pleasures…. Fishing perhaps? Not quite. I’ve always been interested in building things, or at very least taking things apart and trying to put them back together. When it comes to electronic music, there are two really great toolkits available for building software instruments: MAX/MSP/Jitter and Reaktor. My April 26 blog post talked a bit about the new version of MAX, so I’d like to give you a quick look at Reaktor.

Reaktor is perhaps one of the most misunderstood products in the musical instrument industry. Everyone has heard of it, but everyone seems to have a different idea of what it is. I like to think of it as a combination of three different things that users will all make use of differently. Reaktor is a collection of software instruments, an object oriented programming environment, and membership to big fellowship of users. It’s really the first two here that throw people. While Wikipedia provides a good history and overview of Reaktor, there are a few basics to understand before you get started.

First off, Reaktor is a commercial product from Native Instruments. The package contains the software and documentation that will get you started. Reaktor is not a single synthesizer per se, but a player that comes with a collection of factory Ensembles, each it’s own self-contained software synthesizer. Each Ensemble is made up of one or more Instruments, these are typically some sort of synthesizer, effects processor, or a step-sequencer. While this may seem somewhat confusing, these are exactly the types of components that make up a commercial hardware synthesizer. So, your new Virus TI might be thought of as an "ensemble" of instruments in Reaktor-speak.

Opening the program, you need go no further than opening Ensembles either as a standalone software instrument or as a plug-in, to experience Reaktor. More adventurous users will want to dig a bit deeper, and that’s where things get a bit more involved. Ensembles are viewed in panel mode, where only the user interface –knobs, sliders, buttons, and displays– are visible.

A Reaktor Ensemble in Panel View

Structure view shows how the ensemble is made. On the top level, you’ll see the various instruments used, but clicking on any of them will reveal the components and connections that make up that instrument. This is where the programming work in Reaktor is done.

A Reaktor Ensemble in Structure View

The individual modules you see can represent anything from a simple math calculation to something more akin to a synthesizer module, like an oscillator or envelope generator. Fortunately, Reaktor comes with a wealth of objects, but more importantly, you can build and save your own, as well as share them with other users. Which brings us to the Reaktor community.

Native Instruments maintains an online database of user submitted Ensembles. Currently, there are about 2700. The community of Reaktor users that contribute to this resource is nothing short of amazing and there are submissions here from novice users all the way to legendary mad scientists. Bob Moog said in the film Modulations that building electronic instruments was "hot-rodding for the 90s," and Reaktor and the community that supports it is a software version of exactly what Bob was talking about.
For those of you getting ready to take the plunge, here are a few thoughts to get you started:

Tips for Learning More About Reaktor

1. Learn all you can about using the factory instruments. You will be amazed at the clever synthesis architectures that you’ll find. However, the documentation for many of the factory Ensembles is rudimentary at best, and you should plan to spend a good deal of time mastering any of the instruments.
2. Start simple. Start by building simple subtractive instruments and work your way up by adding features to your creations. There’s a quick tutorial in the user guide that will get you started.
3. Analyze and create your own variations of the factory instruments. This is where you can start hot-rodding your own ensembles. Here again start simple with swapping instruments and then component modules between ensembles
4. Look through the collection of Reaktor patches on the Native Instruments website. Here, you’ll find countless variations on basic synthesis tools that in many cases will offer different approaches to the same basic design.
5. Make friends and ask questions. Many Reaktor users are online in various discussion boards and are often quite willing to help newcomers. Find other musicians in your area, where possible who have been using the program and share your knowledge.
6. Lastly, have fun. Use the ensembles you hack in your music whether it be in the studio or live.

Links to Online Support Resources

Reaktor Tips
NI Reaktor User Forum
NI Reaktor Tutorials
Reaktor-Phile
Sound on Sound Reaktor Tips part 1
Sound on Sound Reaktor Tips part 2
Reaktor Wiki Tutorials

Fall 2006 brought a cornucopia of software updates for music production. If you’re a Mac user, that includes the long awaited new operating system, Leopard. A late November release of Live 7 capped a season where we saw the arrival of Logic Studio, Reason 4, NI Komplete 5 and Pro Tools 7.4. This onslaught raises the inevitable question for users of when to upgrade –what works or when will it? Although most of us involved with technology welcome change, but we are periodically reminded of the commitment we make to troubleshooting and learning new features. This past fall, that was a big one.

Out of nowhere, Logic Studio was announced in early September. After months of rumors about what would become of Logic, 10 DVDs held the answer. By this time, there’s a number of really good reviews out of Logic 8, but suffice it to say, this is an evolution, not a revolution. However, with Logic 8 shipping as a software suite with Soundtrack, Compressor, and Mainstage –a new performance application that hosts software synths and processors– at half the price of Logic 7, the update for users is a no-brainer. The install took forever, even without adding the lifetime’s worth of GarageBand loops that are included. But when all was said and done, Logic 8 ran like a clock and played nice with just about all the plug-ins it scanned –again another wait while the AU police did its gig.

I had a beta of Reason 4 over the summer, so when I finally got the release version in October, there were no surprises. Our friends in Stockholm release no software until its time and Reason remains the most stable piece of software I have ever used….period.

By the time Leopard was announced, my attitude was two down, bring it on. The new OS went on sale at 6:00 PM, I had it in my hands by 7:00, and at 9:00 my G5 tower studio computer rebooted to reveal shades of purple. I soon found out it was the color of envy… of all those who had the good sense to leave well enough alone. Leopard brought every single piece of music software to its knees, with the exception of standalone softsynths, and of course Reason. Times like this bring out my dark side…the fearless geek. As with any other vice, indulgence turned into another lost weekend….sorting through plug-ins and general troubleshooting.

OK, I knew Pro Tools wouldn’t work, but when the new Logic 8 crashed on every launch, I got nervous. Some people read mysteries, others chase down software incompatibilities, and it was off to the races for me. As Logic started, things seemed to bog down when I got to the Waves plug-ins. With a quick trip the Waves Website, I found that their line of plug-ins was not yet compatible with Leopard. So, once my Waveshell hit the trash, things got a bit further on start-up, but still no luck.

It seems that I never met a plug-in I didn’t like, and I install just about anything I come across. The problem is, they stay there. After sorting though all the demos and betas, I finally narrowed the field to a few likely suspects. Again, off to the trash; but still, no luck. One of the most reliable ways to start sorting out problem children in the plug-ins folder is to take them all out and open the application. With an empty Components folder, Logic opened without a hitch. The next step is the tedious task of closing the application, adding a plug-in, then opening. As long as Logic opened, I was in the clear. Instead of adding individual plug-ins, I went through families at a time. I was pleasantly surprised that my favorites were not at fault. After a bit of this low-level detective work, I found that the Melodyne Rewire plug-in, one that I had never actually used, was the culprit. Once Logic opened, all the other applications that had previously crashed, ran without a problem. Any program that was an Audio Unit host stalled on that one plug-in. (As of this writing, all current Melodyne plug-ins run under Leopard.

I might add that when installing Leopard, I chose to migrate my applications, settings, and preferences, and thankfully all of installs and the associated labyrinth of copy protection schemes remained intact.

So, was it worth it? Heck yes… Leopard is a really slick OS visually, and despite the hit you might expect the processor would take from the added graphic elements, the system runs smoothly, is very stable, and there is a noticeable improvement in the performance of some applications. At first glance, there doesn’t look to be any changes to Core Audio, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some goodies somewhere under the hood.

So, should you upgrade? Well, that depends. Here are a few thoughts on when to upgrade:

Tips for upgrading:

1. Do you need to? If you use a machine for billable work, be very cautious with upgrades. (If you’re a working pro, I probably don’t need to tell you that.) If you are working on projects that have deadlines, don’t do it.

2. If you have two machines, start with one, using it as a test platform, then transition to the other. I started with my studio machine, and since I had no looming deadlines, this made some sense, hence my somewhat cavalier attitude this time out. I use my laptop to run my life and since it’s a newer Intel machine, it can work for just about any project that comes up as a back up. I’ll update it when the dust settles.

3. If you think you’re ready to make the leap to a new OS revision, check manufacturers’ Websites for compatibility. Don’t forget any drivers you may need. Although many are now class compliant and need no additional drivers, this is not always the case. MOTU hardware requires driver software, and they are thankfully pretty quick to update.

4. If you’re updating an OS or a host application such as any DAW, check with the companies that supply the plug-ins you rely on for compatibility.

5. Weed through your plug-ins before running a new OS or software version. A bit of housecleaning will usually ease a transition. I always try to set aside time when I make major upgrades or revisions to clear out software and plug-ins that I don’t use.

6. Back up before you make any changes. Getting a new OS is like getting a heart transplant (or at least a bypass). You’re making a major change to the critical part of your system and stuff can happen. You never know exactly how compatible documents will be with new versions of software that authored them.

Happy New Year and have fun with all the new stuff that’s out there.