Native Instruments' latest cinematic software instrument boasts a four-layer design that brings together an interesting selection of sampled sources. Erosia has been designed in collaboration with Jeremiah Savage — the composer and sound designer behind the company’s popular Kinetic Toys and Kinetic Metal offerings — and creates morphing and modulating soundscapes from materials under strain, powered by recordings of ice crackling across cymbals, glass vases straining under tension and other weird and wonderful endeavours.
The collection of samples that power the instrument capture a wide range of sounds including bowed bicycle spokes, dry ice, abandoned buildings, rusted hinges, cracked pianos and more. They’ve been recorded with a combination of contact microphones and traditional close-miking techniques, an approach which NI says offers the best of both worlds: the hidden, tactile vibrations inside materials, and the natural resonance and space around them.
Erosia features three distinct sound engines: Grain, Wavetable and Sampler, and allows users to layer up to four sound sources which can then be manipulated using a selection of macro controls, LFOs, envelopes and sequencers. There’s also a healthy selection of built-in effects, including reverbs, delays, saturation and more.
Key Features
- Over 200 expressive snapshots designed for cinematic scoring.
- An eclectic palette of textures captured with contact microphones in microscopic detail.
- Three powerful sound engines: Grain, Wavetable and Sampler
- Layer up to four sound sources for complex, evolving timbres.
- Deep modulation control featuring LFOs, envelopes and sequencers.
- Creative built-in FX with reverbs, delays, saturation, distortion and modulation effects for each layer.
Compatibility
Erosia runs in the free Kontakt Player and requires version 8.5.0 or higher, which is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or above, and Macs running macOS 13 and higher. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Erosia is available now, priced at $149.
www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/cinematic/erosia
