Looking for non subtractive Reaktor ensembles and esoteric sequencers

[karol]

I think that I might include Skrewell as an example of synth that is not played traditional way (using keyboard or sequencing it). And about Boscomac - I recommend floodverb to anyone looking for ambient wall of sound reverb
@naxuu this Processed ensemble looks great, thanks.

[baleen]

very very old school reaktor that i got deep into, ripped the (worth including in a seminar) audio guts out of and used for everything i could:

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/entry/show/2261/

also available for pd!

[kesserich]

I’m pretty new to the whole reaktor thing having bought 6 a couple of months ago. One thing that kinda stinks is that people constantly recommend blocks/ensembles that are tested for reaktor 5 and lower. Does anyone have a trick for getting these to run in 6 or are most people just still running 5 waiting for the updates?

[midilifestyle]

I don’t know if this link will work, being a search result, but Dieter Zobel is an absolute gem of a weirdo Reaktor mad scientist. With over 170 ensembles, you’ll find things. Oh you will. https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/all/all/all/8850/

Also Trevor Gavilan out of Mexico City focuses on ports of existing instruments, but his Buchla ensembles are absolutely top notch.
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/all/all/all/all/trevor%20gavilan/latest/1/all/

[Szuumm]

They should just work ‘as-is’… are there any specific examples where you’re having issues?

[midilifestyle]

Oh yeah, Martin Brinkman is another amazing Reaktor builder. There are so many Reaktor legends. Rachmiel is another one: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/all/all/all/7974/

To the OP: sorry if this thread has digressed into “awesome Reaktor things”.
The world of Reaktor really is so huge, though, that you can go very deep in terms of finding “good” ensembles.
Perhaps that is exactly what is so fun to teach about Reaktor in a workshop: the amount of things on tap actually encourages people to start blurring the lines between east/west coast, subtractive/additive(/granular/phase/vector/etc…), and the rest of the false dichotomies that structure the world of synth categorization. What you’re left with are a bunch of cool ideas that are better sorted in terms of the creators themselves than by preexisting synthesis categories.

[mlogger]

I’ve not use Reaktor for many years but can remember being inspired by orange grains and white grains https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/all/all/all/103136/

Igor Shilov also Colorstrip and especially Flakes https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/all/all/all/309332/

[barnaby]

Vectory (to tech people about slicing and morphing effects settings)

I got a copy of Reaktor 6 a while ago and haven’t really played around with it much as I want to concentrate on Pd. I was curious about Vectory from this post, but can’t seem to find it anywhere, nor any information on the web about what it is or where to find it. What is this mysterious thing?!

[karol]

Vectory is a Reaktor Groovebox based on slicing. It can be found in factory library under grooveboxes category.
Thanks all for your suggestions I have more than I need to to show to people, but we might transform this thread into general Reaktor recommendation thread
There is so much good stuff in Reaktor library that I will probably have more than enough to make good music for my whole life.
When I will have my final list I will share it here (presentation unfortunately will be in polish but if it will turn out well I will also try to translate it). My main goal is to give people some pointers and show how different things sound (and why they sound such way) so they will be able search for their own sound in other spaces than subtractive synthesis which is the most popular right now.

[Ithacus]

Sounds cool!

I’d love to continue a general chat on Reaktor (and the gems hidden in the library).

I find it really fun to use. My ensembles are here if of interest (one of them, ‘Tape Mate’ seems pretty popular).

I’m working on a sequencer at the moment, as I couldn’t find anything simple ‘in the box’ that did what I am after (a main melody sequencer transposed by another for chord progressions etc.).

[karol]

One of my favourite ensembles used your ensemble (https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/entry/show/11003/) so thanks for making it happen <3
Some other ensembles that I use frequently and could recommend:

• granular delay https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/entry/show/2983/
• granular effect with nice sequencer https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/entry/show/5063/
• really nice effects collection playable from keyboard (I was looking for something similar to dbBlue Glitch) https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/entry/show/11093/
• awesome drum step sequencer with probability https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/entry/show/6523/

This melody sequencer that you want to do sounds very interesting, it would be great tool to creating backbone of composition by creating chord progressions.
I also would like to port some sequencers that I did in processing.org to Reaktor, especially my genetic algorithm sequencer. There is contest right now at NI https://blog.native-instruments.com/build-with-reaktor-and-win/ so maybe that should be my motivation to finally create some ensembles

[crazeebo]

Zobel with his Hasi/Beselbiger styles is not only mindblowing synthesis but also great fun-i love it when you open an ensemble, monitoring your cpu…the thing goes to 95% maxed and sounds like this as well😃

[baleen]

my computer is from 2010 so i’m still on 5.

do these old ensembles not run in 6?

[misuba]

They often do run in 6, or at least I’ve never had a problem… it’s possible that blending them with technologies from 6 such as Blocks ends up causing problems?

[Starthief]

I mostly use Reaktor FX. I’m a fan of Floodverb, and have occasionally found a use for Boscomac’s The Cornet.

Other favorites: VHS Degradation Suite, Tape Mate, Grungelator, Earsafe for various lofi treatment.

A few promising ensembles crash on me, such as The Howler.

[sellanraa]

Seconding/thirding Zobel, Meyer, Brinkmann designs. Most of my work when I used Reaktor involved butchering and modifying their hard and brilliant work.

I feel like Phil Durrant and Kev Hopper also had some cool ones?

[GlennSogge]

NOD-E for sequencing. I often use it for sequencing non-Reaktor instruments
DRON-E is especially good for dark ambient work

[petesasqwax]

This thread has rapidly become my “things to try in 2019” list. VHS Degradation Suite is a firm favourite and sits along the following as my most used user created ensembles:

• Jesse Voccia’s amazing Cloudlab (as has been already mentioned but deserves all the praise I can possibly throw at it and more)
• Ooger Fooger (the thing that started my Moog obsession was my MF101 so I’m very aware of what the real thing sounds like and this is right up there - comes in handy when I need more than the one physical version that I already have!)
• RE-201 Space Echo - I love my El Capistan, but for in the box tape echo I genuinely can’t recommend this one highly enough. Map the controls to a midi rotary controller and you’ve got fun for days!)

[hermbot]

There are two really great Buchla-inspired ensembles: WEST\ and CloudLab.

Both are terrific tools that can yield some wonderful results if you are interested in getting friendly with the drop-down menu patching system.

[naxuu]

Subtractive, but Pasquale Lo Zito has some interesting emulations of Moog semi-modular synths - Mother-32, DFAM, and (in beta) GrandMother. The patchbays work!