Reviewed: Reaktor 2.0 by Native Instruments
Software synthesis/sampling for MacOS and Windows
by Jeffrye Glenn Tveraas
August 25, 1999
Ever since the digital revolution caused the virtual extinction of analog synthesizers replete with a knob or slider for every function, I have missed simply being easily able to tweak this and turn that just to hear what would happen. The happy accidents were always a joy and the entire process of sound synthesis was easier to grasp, literally. Oh sure, you can still edit sounds with every synth but the immediate experience has been replaced by delving through reams of virtual pages and the experience is far removed from what it once was. But at the end of this millennium, most things are far removed from what they once were.
I've heard from many service people that some 95% of all the keyboards they take in still have the original factory presets installed. What a pity. Presets are nice and easy and these days they cover a lot of ground and usually sound quite decent, but they are just the beginning; just a small sample of what the unit is capable of. But I do understand. Diving into one of these digital puppies armed with nothing but your wits and their poor excuse for an operators manual that seems to be written in Greek would stop most musicos in their tracks and reconsider that computer networking job down the street cause it's easier.
Now there are two newer options you musical adventurers can take; either one of the new wave of analog/digital hybrid synths loaded with knobbage (good but expensive and better for live use) or a software synth for your home computer. You already own the hardware - you're using it right now. All you have to buy is the software. A very reasonable alternative and in some ways better than the first option. The critical point is this: everything you need to see or access to create the killer horn section sample, string & digeridoo pad or gloop-bleep sound is right before your eyes and editing is only a mouse click away. This is a major benefit if you are interested in developing tones and sounds that are as unique as your music is. If not, there may be a Casio somewhere with your name on it (especially if you name is Casio).
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| Basic synthesizer patch (Click for a larger image) |
Reaktor 2.0 from Native Instruments (NI) is a complete synthesizer and sampler with very high quality sound and processing features. And with their structure window you can see the entire signal flow in an EZ-to-follow linear display. This is a very good thing. Not only for ease of creation and editing but also for understanding exactly what is going on and just how all these mighty boss tones come into existence. Unless you're careful you will undoubtedly learn so much about sound design just by using a program like this that it will become simpler and easier to use and excel with as time goes by.
Reaktor 2.0 may initially sound similar to the last software synth I reviewed here for HC, the Unity DS-1, but there are some significant differences, primarily the flexible modular structure of the instruments, granular synthesis, and user interface. Installation was easy, there are no extensions or control panels necessary to operate this software. I like this. Software that monkeys around with your system folder always requires extra care. The full install (recommended) takes up approx. 200MB of your hard drive, half of which is an authentication file so you can run Reaktor without the CD in your drive. This speeds up some operations so it's the preferred mode of operation.
Copy protection rears its ugly head once again in the form of an occasional request to insert the original CD-ROM into your drive for verification. Not an unreasonable request but an inconvenience I could do well without. Copy protection has gone the way of the dodo bird and the 15 cent cheeseburger everywhere but in music software. How do you feel about the message being sent here? Well, at least it's not a dongle. Onto the main course.
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Reaktor 2.0 boots up fairly quickly to a default screen that's basically an output module waiting for you to give it something to put out. Fortunately there are many presets included to load in and start with as well as a decent tutorial that I recommend highly. In less than an hour you will see and hear much of the basic operations and their adjustable parameters and you'll understand some of what this application is all about. The tutorial is outlined in the well laid-out printed manual NI thoughtfully included (thanks). Another reason to RTFM every time. Just do it - you can thank me later.
You can control (play) Reaktor with your MIDI keyboard, your computer keyboard (for quick easy access), and any software sequencer that supports OMS and its IAC (Inter Application Communication) driver. (The OMS requirement applies only tothe Mac version of Reaktor.) You need OMS to access this software from your MIDI keyboard which you can get free from www.opcode.com. This is one of the differences between Unity and Reaktor; Unity came with its own connection software which exhibited less latency than its OMS connection although I couldn't really say that the latency in Reaktor was of consequence - it was the same as Unity using OMS as far as my ears could tell. I can't imagine using this live on stage where excessive latency would be a problem and using a sequencer puts everything on the same page so any latency problem becomes moot.
Sound creation begins with the module. This is the most basic building block from which all sounds begin. There are modules for everything necessary including, but not limited to, oscillators, filters, samplers, LFO's, mixers, recorders, modifiers, delays, shapers, envelopes, and on and on. For example there are 18 different filter modules included - high pass, low pass, band pass, peak, shelf, 1, 2, and 4-pole versions, FM, and others. And every module type has a similar selection of options. With all these options comes a real learning curve but also the realization that this is a very powerful application capable of tens of thousands of sounds and variations thereof. If this doesn't get your creative juices flowing I don't know what will. What an incredible tool for sound design and instrument creation. What a great way to turn your computer into a real musical instrument.