Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars
I was impressed with Void & Vista’s Strands — their first Kontakt instrument release — when reviewing it in the June 2023 issue of SOS. The follow‑up is Folds. It shares the same underlying sound‑design engine, essentially allowing the user to blend/morph between two sound layers but, in this case, much of the core sample content (some 4.5GB of it) is based upon the human voice. Like Strands, Folds is very much aimed at film/media composers but might also appeal to more experimental and/or ambient song producers.
Folds is compatible with both free and paid versions of Kontakt 7.7 and above. The core sample base provides a set of 32 sound sources, divided into three categories; Real, Effects and Waves. The Real category features vocal‑based performances from three singers, providing a combination of sustained vowel‑based vocalisations plus some more rhythmic vocal noises. The Effects category provides a second batch of multisampled vocal sounds but, as the name suggests, subjected to some creative effects processing. As with Strands, the Waves group provides some purer synth and noise options that serve as useful components to layer as a sonic bed with the more distinctive vocal elements.
Folds’ extensive preset collection not only demonstrates the very characterful nature of the underlying sample content, but also the sound‑design potential provided by the UI. Thankfully, the sound‑design process is both slick and fairly easy to navigate. At the base of the screen, you can select the core sounds to be used within each of the two layers and control their blend (by default, using the mod wheel). You can also pop open further panels to tweak the blend behaviour and configure ADSR envelopes. Along the top of the screen, you can access seven further sound‑design options — Dynamic, Filter, Motion, Ensemble, Lofi, Character and Space — and each of these can also be popped open to reveal their detailed controls. There are almost endless possibilities here, but each is easy to grasp. Setting up hardware control is also easy, either via the MIDI settings panel (accessed top right) or by a simple MIDI Learn option (just right‑click on a particular control).
The sounds themselves are of a very good quality and, like Strands, Folds would be more than capable of doing its job even in the most high‑profile of contexts.
Sonically, the presets would most obviously suit composers needing to invoke moods such as mystery, magical, unsettling, uncertainty, tension, fear, spaciousness or wonderment. This can be otherworldly stuff and even a few notes — with a gentle push of the mod wheel — could go a long way towards creating a complete short cue. The sounds themselves are of a very good quality and, like Strands, Folds would be more than capable of doing its job even in the most high‑profile of contexts. Two from two is a pretty good strike rate for Void & Vista. If you work in the appropriate musical styles, Folds is well worth auditioning for a place in your composer toolkit.
£129
£129