Slate + Ash – LANDFORMS (KONTAKT)

A NEW ORCHESTRAL APPROACH
Landforms is more than just an orchestral sample library. It’s a complex orchestral sound design environment. While conventional orchestral libraries statically reproduce the traditional sounds of the orchestra, Landforms embraces the unique possibilities and idiosyncrasies of working orchestral samples. The focus is not only on the performance of beautiful acoustic textures. It’s about pushing these textures through layers of unique processing to create constantly shifting, abstract collages of sound. It’s rooted in the orchestral domain, but feels simultaneously alien and unique. EMERGING FROM NATURE
Influenced by the forms and textures of the natural world, articulations were curated and produced with specific compositional intentions. Phrases that fuse together rhythmically and movements that overlap unpredictably to create progressive textural evolutions, mirroring the slowly building intensity of rising tides, the harmonic refractions of rippling water. The core library comes packed with a deeply versatile collection of factory content, with more than 200 base multisampled articulations split across the families of the orchestra. Strings are broken down into individual trios of bass, cello and violin. The woodwinds section consists of a low ensemble of baritone saxophone, contrabassoon and bass clarinet; a high ensemble of oboe, clarinet and bassoon; and a trio of flutes. Brass consists of a low trombone section and a high ensemble of trumpet and flugelhorn. As well as this, articulations taken from sessions with a solo violinist and flautist are included. REAL EXPRESSION, REAL EMOTION
Recorded in the rich, warm acoustics of the Wood Room at Real World Studios and utilising ensembles of three players per instrument, the recordings of Landforms are all about emphasising focus and detail while still maintaining the magic of the ensemble. The intimacies of players’ individual performances were captured using hyper-focussed spot mics, whilst a range of mics placed throughout the Wood Room captured its sophisticated resonances. These can be combined to create a full-spectrum dynamic mix with a deep tonal range. It’s not for the purists. It’s not about noiseless, robotic performances. It’s about real recordings and real expression. The rawness and detail of performances were intentionally captured in order to retain the authentic character and emotion of the instruments. ETERNAL FORMATIONS
Landforms includes over 400 sound designed preset patches, each of which can be entirely picked apart and adjusted within the engine. Anything from distorted percussive pulses to obscure electroacoustic textures. EXPANDING ORCHESTRAL TERRAIN
On top of the orchestral articulations are 50 processed sound sources, each made up from six separately processed layers. These were all created by passing the orchestral recordings through eurorack modules, granular synthesis engines, cassette machines, pedal chains and amplifiers. MORE THAN JUST SAMPLE PLAYBACK
Take a multi-sampled articulation from the core orchestral library and blur its real world origin beyond recognition. Pull from a diverse combination of creative modules, macro effects, mixing tools, LFOs, physics based modulation and interactive expression controls to create a sound that is uniquely yours. SPATIAL
Redesign the formation of a sound environment with the spatial mixer. It takes an intuitive and creative approach to the mixing of microphone positions, unlocking new artistic possibilities. Place sound sources within a virtual two dimensional soundstage, immerse them in reverberant space, manipulate them with parameter adjustments, hone in on them to isolate individual players, drift back into the resonances of the recording space, or even send them physically sweeping throughout the space with LFOs or user-defined gestures. MODULES
Auto-generate complex, scale quantised harmonies to add a new melodic dimension to a performance. Pitch-shift and time-stretch as if a sound is running through a tape machine; carve out intricate step patterns with the arpeggiator; or add complex variation with parameter randomisation. The four flexible input modules create limitless possibilities to transform the interactivity of patches. EFFECTS
Pick from fifteen uniquely programmed macro effects to push your sound into new sonic territories. Grab an XY pad to quickly refine a sound, or go deeper to fine-tune effects and introduce modulation. Effect randomisation rejigs the entire setup and uncovers happy accidents. LAYERS
Fuse two uniquely programmable layers into one performable soundscape. Each layer can have its own sound source, its own tuning, its own envelope settings, and its own spatial perspective. Expression controls can be used to interactively modulate between layers. EXPRESSION
Assignable expression controls open up new ways to design and perform patches. Create controllable dynamic swells that ebb and flow at your fingertips, natural-sounding crossfades between layers, gently evolving filter sweeps, or LFO modulated rhythmic patterns. OUTPUT
The output effects are the final stage in the signal chain. They include a four band EQ, a characterful tube compressor, an adjustable delay, a reverb switchable between algorithmic and convolution modes, as well as a low fidelity tape warbler. IMPORT YOUR OWN SAMPLES
Simply drop a sample onto the interface to load it into the Landforms engine. You can load in up to twelve separate samples simultaneously — six for each layer — or you can swap out single elements of the native orchestral patches with your own samples. Then pitch-shift them, mix them, douse them in effects, and transform them using the sound design engine into something totally new. TECHNICAL DETAILS
+ Kontakt or Kontakt Player 6.5.3 or higher
+ 68GB samples (104GB uncompressed)
+ 12,898 samples
+ 222 core multisampled articulations
+ 177 curated articulation combos
+ 421 engine preset patches