A unique new concept: BIONIC is a “transient splicing engine”, i.e. it is designed to give detailed control over a range of parameters needed to mix and match a number of different initial transients to another set of tails/longer sounds.
Loaded with 80 sound sources (20 short, 40 medium length and 20 long) and 50 ready-made presets, this is our biggest and most ambitious project to date. With the ability to create a wide range of different novel sounds with just a few clicks, this is a must have instrument for serious producers and composers.
BIONIC PLUCKS AND MALLETS is musical sound design tool, built on Riot Audio’s proprietary BIONIC TRANSIENT SPLICING ENGINE which effortlessly combines transients and tails from different samples to create novel hybrid sounds as well as faithful recreation of classics. It is designed to give detailed control over a range of parameters needed to mix and match a number of different initial transients to another set of tails/longer sounds. The emphasis is on a synthetic/organic overlap, with almost unlimited potential for invention – a total of 12 million possible new sonic combinations.
SOUND APPLICATIONS
BIONIC PLUCKS AND MALLETS is designed with a wide range of contemporary music production applications in mind, including electronica, hip hop and R&B, as well as cinematic styles. The included presets cover smooth and dirty basses, gritty, reimagined Electric and Rhodes Pianos, celesta or glockenspiel-like bells and analog-style synth plucks, as well as a number of experimental, customised sounds.
SOUND SOURCES
The sounds for BIONIC PLUCKS AND MALLETS come in three categories – short, medium and long. The short sounds (20) are non-tonal and cover transients only, including a range of wool, wooden, rubber and finger taps and knocks.
The medium sound sources (40) are tonal and are drawn from plucked, fingered and mallet-hit acoustic, electric and bass guitars, alto and soprano glockenspiel, some sampled original analog synth plucks and a variety of unusual percussive sounds including a Japanese wind chime, metal kalimba, dampened piano, pitchfork and wine glass.
The long sound sources (20) are long sustained pads that can be used to add sustain to match the shorter sources. There is a selection of Ebow-ed strings (piano, guitars, violin), and several individually crafted classic synth-style sounds (bells, tines, organ, saw, sine, pulse).
BIONIC PLUCKS AND MALLETS is a detailed three-page instrument. There are four layers (A, B, C, D) , accessible on the main page: two transient layers, and two tail layers. Levels can be adjusted as balance between each of the tail/transient layers respectively, and globally between transients and tails.
Each layer contains sample offset and tuning controls as well as a “humanize” function which introduces subtle to not-so-subtle random pitch variations (especially helpful for making non-tonal transients more realistic).
SOUND SOURCE BROWSER
Clicking on the sound source label for each layer brings up the source selection pop browser with 60 sound sources (20 short, 40 medium long sounds for the transient layers, 40 medium length sounds + 20 long sounds for the tail layers.
LAYER CONTROLS
Each layer also contains the following controls:
Humanize: Introduces subtle pitch variations that help give the instrument an organic, non-repetitive feel
Offset: Controls sample offset, which allows for detailed sculpting of the exact amount of the initial attack needed
A/B Balance: Controls the balance between the transient layers A and B
C/D Balance: Controls the balance between the tail layers C and D
Master Balance: Controls the balance between transients (A+B) and tails (C+D)
Clean/Full: Select full view with all controls (Full) or clean, simplified view (Clean)
Random (Transient)/Random (Tail): Selects random sound sources for each active layer. Great for experimenting and quickly finding new sound combinations (possible permutations: 12 million)
Preset Menu: Preset saving menu – 50 master presets, 9 user slots and 1 INIT patch included.
Settings page
The settings page is where the details of the transient splicing engine are determined. A range of controls allow shaping of the crossfade curve, point of crossover and initial transient, as well as filters for both transients and tail, plus envelope shaping for the overall sound.
There’s also a sophisticated velocity mapping section which allows for realistic mapping of velocity to HP/LP filters and volume. GLOBAL CONTROLS
Crossover Point: Controls point at which we transition from the transient layer sounds to the tail layer sounds. Can be turned right up to the initial transient peak or left looser for more of the curve following the initial transient peak
XFade Length: Controls the amount of crossfade between transient and tail layers. The minimum setting results in a hard cut between the two sounds (recommended for cases where only a the first slice of the transient layer is required). The maximum setting leaves a greater length of the transient layer in play – this is great where a subtle, gradual blend of the transients and tails is required
VELOCITY MAPPING
Applies to all layers equally.
Volume: Controls the degree to which velocity determines volume.
Low Pass: Controls the degree to which velocity determines a low pass (i.e. high cut) filter. Great for creating natural sounding duller expression for lower playing velocities.
High Pass: Controls the degree to which velocity determines a high pass (i.e. low cut) filter. This function is helpful for reducing the body of lower velocity sounds somewhat – this is relevant for emulation of some mallet sounds where light touches are likely to result in less low-frequency resonance
VIBRATO
Applies to all layers equally.
Speed: Controls the speed of the vibrato.
Amount: Controls the strength of the vibrato.
Fade In: Controls the delay and fade-in length of the vibrato effect
TRANSIENT CONTROLS
SHAPE
Sharp/Soft: Controls the curve of the attack of the transient layers. Lower settings result in a very sharp, short attack, whereas higher settings yield a more rounded, soft attack.
FILTERS
HP: Switches on a high pass filter for the transient layers
Freq (HP): Controls the frequency at which the high pass filter starts having an effect
LP: Switches on a low pass filter for the transient layers
Freq (LP): Controls the frequency at which the low pass filter starts having an effect
TAIL CONTROLS
FILTERS
HP: Switches on a high pass filter for the transient layers
Freq (HP): Controls the frequency at which the high pass filter starts having an effect
LP: Switches on a low pass filter for the transient layers
Freq (LP): Controls the frequency at which the low pass filter starts having an effect
ENVELOPE
Hold: Controls the length of the hold part of the envelope of the tail layers
Decay: Controls the length of the decay part of the envelope of the tail layers
Sustain: Controls the length of the sustain part of the envelope of the tail layers
Release: Controls the length of the release part of the envelope of the tail layers
+Sustain: Controls an additional sustain effect
Effects page
The effects page includes state of the art filters, EQ, saturation and delay + reverb controls using the latest Kontakt 6 effects, including Replika delay, Choral chorus, Flair flanger and Supercharger GT compressor. MODULATION
Chorus – NI Choral/Flanger: NI Flair
Chorus/Flanger switches: Switches between chorus of flanger effect or turns them both off
Rate: Controls the speed for chorus/flanger
Amount: Controls the strength for chorus/flanger
Width: Controls the amplitude/width for chorus/flanger
Voices: Controls the number of voices for chorus/flanger
Feedback: Controls the amount of feedback for chorus/flanger
Mix: Controls the wet/dry mix for chorus/flanger
COMPRESSOR
NI Supercharger GT
On/Off: Switches chorus on/off
Input: Controls the input gain for the compressor. High levels feed higher levels of the input signal
Amount: Controls the ratio of the compressor (0:1 to 10:1)
Saturate: Controls the saturation applied at the level of the compressor
Attack: Controls the attack time for the compression – lower levels kick in earlier, while higher levels leave more of the transient intact
Release: Controls the release time of the compression
Mix: Controls the wet/dry mix for the compressor
SATURATION
Tape Saturation
On/Off: Switches chorus on/off
Amount: Controls the amount of saturation applied
Dampening: Controls the amount of dampening applied to the saturation (gentle LP filter)
FILTER
HP/LP/BP
On/Off: Switches between high pass/band pass/low pass filters or all off
Freq: Controls the frequency of all three filters
EQ
3 band parametric Equalizer
On/Off: Switches EQ on/off
Low/Mid/High: Controls the frequency center for each of the EQ bands
Q: Controls the width (Q) of each EQ band
DELAY
Replika Analog-style Delay
On/Off: Switches delay on/off
Diffuse: Toggles diffusion delay type and non-diffusion. Diffusion delay allows for reverb-type effects with short delay time values
Sync: Switches between time-based (ms) and tempo-based (note values) delay
Volume: Controls the volume of the delayed signal
High Cut: Controls the amount of high cut (low pass) applied to the delay
Low Cut: Controls the amount of low cut (high pass) applied to the delay
Time: Controls the delay time (ms/note value-based depending on Sync/un-sync toggle)
Feedback: Controls the amount of feedback for the delay
REVERB
On/Off: Switches reverb on/off
Volume: Controls the volume of the wet reverb signal
Size: Controls the size of the simulated hall
Predelay: Controls the amount of predelay applied to the reverb
Damping: Controls the damping applied to the wet reverb signal over time
