Particle Sound has announced DW8 I, the 3rd release in their Carbon Series of Kontakt 5 formatted vintage synthesizer instruments. DW8 I features 1.7GB of 24-bit samples from the often overlooked Korg DW8000 hybrid synthesizer organized into 32 NKI based presets.
Released in 1985, the DW8000 uses digital sound generation followed by a true analog filter which produces a glassy and sometimes Lo-Fi sound that is not quite like any other. Included here are long filter sweeps, rich pads, strings, leads and bell sounds, all of which the DW8000 excels at. Also present is a very nice marimba patch that has a separately controllable spring reverb layer which was recorded key-by-key from a vintage AKG unit the size of a small refrigerator.
The only down side to the DW8000 was it's single data entry slider which made programming cumbersome. In contrast, DW8 I utilizes Particle Sound's Carbon interface which allows direct control of sound parameters by way of 100+ sliders, knobs and switches. The Carbon interface is based on a dual layer design with individually linkable sections and a dedicated Global/FX page. Each layer offers a choice between 6 different multi-samples with sample start point modulation, a mixable noise source and a multimode filter. A complement of 2 full envelopes, 1 attack/release envelope and 2 LFOs are also available and can be assigned to a variety of internal parameters. Each layer also includes it's own controller section where 2 assignable parameters can be controlled in varying amounts by a single knob for easy mod-wheel or aftertouch assignments. A global FX section rounds out the interface with access to up to 6 simultaneous effects for the final polish.
Features:
- 1.7GB (uncompressed) of 24-bit samples from the DW8000.
- 32 tagged NKI based presets featuring glassy pads, rich strings, leads and percussive sounds.
- Intuitive Dual layer interface with individually linkable sections.
- Each layer offers mixable noise and start point modulation with 6 different multi-samples to choose from.
- 1 AHDSR, 1 ADSR, 1 AR and 2 LFOs.
- Selectable LP, HP, or Notch filters and an assignable controller section.
- Global sample shift and scaling accuracy sliders.
- Global FX section with up to 6 simultaneous effects.
Requirements:
- Full retail version of Kontakt 5.4.1.211 or later.
- 1.7GB of free hard drive space.
Price: $10 with and introductory price of $5.99 until April 16th.