It’s time again for a new deal for composers and sound designers. Audio Plugin Deals has released a new special deal and offers until July 12th the Everything Bundle from Epic Soundlab with a generous 79% OFF discount. It includes 4 sample libraries for the Native Instruments Kontakt 5 sampler and 2 Reaktor 5/6 ensembles. For each instrument, the full version is required. To get an overview what you receive in this special deal without buying the cat in the sack, the guys from Audio Plugin Deals sent me a copy over for reviewing it.
Available here: Epic Soundlab Everything Bundle
The Everything Bundle includes these products:
- The Forge sample library for Kontakt 5
- The Forge Player sample library for Kontakt 5
- Octacontrol for Reaktor 5/6
- Octamorph for Kontakt 5
- Quadrimorph for Reaktor 5/6
- Maliki for Kontakt 5
Epic Soundlab The Forge Overview
The biggest products from this bundle by Epic Soundlab is the Forge sample library for Kontakt 5 (full version). It features over 3 GB of wav files and includes over 200 Kontakt NKI patches. The entire sample content is packed inside a advanced scripted user interface with a several creative features like an arpeggiator, polyphonic sequencer, rhythmic gater and a unsion/voices stack feature. To get most sound design option out of this library, the interface also contain several high quality effects like a resonant delay, dual engine reverb and more. Unlike other sample libraries, the developer invested a bit more of work in this product and designed the Forge also as sound design too. With this extra aspect, musicians can load third party samples (free samples, field recordings…) easily in one of the provided The Forge Kontakt templates and use the engine as sound creation tool.
Epic Soundlab The Forge Review
In total, The Forge has left a good impression during the test. The library includes in my opinion a big amount of versatile sounds from drones, drums, synthetics, piano… in high-quality. The entire interface is easy to use and you can still ruffle a lot from the finished presets. Also positive to mention is the low CPU consumption during the test. Although my system is a relative old, there was never any CPU problems with this product. In my opinion, the Forge is a perfect sample library for beginners and hobby composers. Even if I place this product in the beginner’s area, it fits just as well in the professional price. Since professional composers already have large amounts of sound libraries, the only risk is that you already have similar sounds.
The only criticism would be the actual selling price because with 189 $ I see this somewhat too high. Nonetheless, this sample library for Kontakt 5 includes a lot of great sounds, is easy-to-use and is more than just a sample-library. If you need it simpler, the bundle also includes the Forge Player edition with the best loops from the library.
Octamorph FE overview
Octamorph FE is an 8 layers cross-morphing instrument and sound design tool for creating complex soundscapes, morphing drones, shapeshifting risers and much more for Kontakt 5 full version. The sample content for this library is build around the Drones section from the previous reviewed The Forge Library. Octamorph comes with a new deep scripted Kontakt engine that includes 8 layers of samples, XY radar monitor, manual axis controls, 2 complex scripted LFO’s with 9 different waveforms, a new scripted riser engine and a loop/one-shoot mode.
To get more out of this library, Epic Soundlab also includes high quality effects like an doppler, resonator, equaliser and a convolution reverb. The library includes 100 professional crafted sound patches but the developer opens the engine also for other sample content. This additional features enables users to use this scripted engine with their own samples and use it as sound design tool. Several Kontakt 5 templates for custom samples is here included.
Epic Soundlab Octamorph FE Review
In my opinion is Octamorph FE a great tool for creating drones, textures and soundscapes. With the custom sample support, Octamorph FE more than just a sample library with a futuristic interface but a sound creation tool per excellence. Even if the interface is at the first look a bit complicated and deep, after some minutes of intensive dive ins, it will be easier to understand how to create big sounds. An amazing extra in this library is the custom sample support because this enables users to create any kind of soundscapes with any other samples out there.
In total is Octamorph FE an amazing tool and sample library for creating unheard sounds. Only that you need the complete version of Kontakt 5 for using it, I have nothing to say against this tool.
Octacontrol for Reaktor 5/6 Overview
The next product in this bundle is Octacontrol for Reaktor 5/6 full version which is the MIDI version of the Octamorph FE engine. It’s an 8 points MIDI transmuter sound design tool made to control any MIDI device, both hardware and software, for creation of complex and shapeshifting sounds. Map your favourite MIDI instruments or effects to it and create unheard sounds never heard before.
Compared to Octamorph FE, Octracontrol includes 8 layers of MIDI CC layers and no sample or effect support. It features also the same XY radar monitor, manual axis controls, 2 scripted LFO’s with 9 waveforms.
Octacontrol for Reaktor 5/6 Review
Octacontrol is a very different and creative MIDI effect that works perfectly to discover new sounds in any MIDI instrument/effect. If you want to get more out of your favourite synth without buying another one, try to map Octacontrol to your synth and you will hear what crazy sound you can can get out of it.
All this comes with a little negative side. Unfortunately, the setup of Octacontrol inside a DAW is tricky and you need a bit more time to activate it correctly. Also to mention is that this ensemble doesn’t receive any update for Reaktor 6.
In summary, Octacontrol is a very creative and versatile midi effect for Reaktor 5 /6 with minor difficulties during the setup
MALIKI – Epic Adventure Drums Overview
Maliki is a collection of epic drum loops arranged in 20 themes, arranged by a selection of 4 acoustic and hybrid drum instruments. Arranged by Maliki Ramia, each theme is made up of 10 sections, where each section grows as a part of a music composition. Within each theme you can play the full mix or the single stems, while placing each stem in a virtual stage and recall you mixes with 10 preset keyswitches.
Furthermore, Maliki comes with a collection of over 600 MIDI files and the single drum instruments to let you write your own drum tracks. Maliki includes a custom scripted Kontakt interface with over 1600 wav files and with a virtual stage and a reverb effect.
Maliki left a positive impression because the sample content is high quality and sounds mostly very epic. The drum samples fit perfectly in soundtrack compositions and with the easy to-use interface, every musician from every experience level can use it without problems. For a versatile usage, the library also includes single instruments, this allows musicians to play each drum instrument separately without using the internal midi files.
Only negative point for me is that the developer doesn’t include a special designed sample library for this product but only use the same samples as in the Forge Library. I miss here the creative vain of the sample developer. In total, great epic drum sounds for your next soundtrack composition.
Quadrimorph for Reaktor 5/6 Overview
Last but not least, Quadrimorph is the last product in this bundle and is a 4 way spectral cross-morphing tool for Reaktor 5 & 6, aimed at the creation of unheard sounds by morphing in real-time between four different samples. This special Reaktor ensemble includes 4 sound sources that are based on a 2 GB big sample library. To get the best results, the development team includes 2 spectral algorithms for morphing perfectly through different samples. 2 additional LFO’s gives more creative possibilities in the creation process of your next unheard sound.
Quadrimorph for Reaktor 5/6 Review
Quadrimorph is a perfect tool with a easy-to-use interface for creating soundscapes, textures and drones. In my opinion, Quadrimorph is a unusual tone generator that brings new timbres and sonic possibilities to your music production.
Unfortunately is Quadrimorph heavy on CPU even on modern systems. Even if the sample support for this product is great, the developer has badly choose the wrong type of instrument to implement this technology. This unusual sampler instrument is based on a Reaktor 5 core which allow to use own samples but the way how to import them is very tricky. Also an update for Reaktor 6 with maybe new features doesn’t exist yet. An future update to Reaktor 6 would allow to work better with own samples and maybe implement further this quite different instrument.
In total is Quadrimorph a very special instrument that allows users to create complete new sounds in some minutes. I hope a lot that the developer will update this instrument because it has a lot of potential.
Audio Plugin Deals Epic Soundlab Everything Bundle Review
The Audio Plugin Deals Epic Soundlab Everything Bundle is in my opinion a great collection of high quality samples and instruments for Kontakt 5 and Reaktor 5/6. All the included instruments benefit from a straightforward interface design and some deep features like custom sample support. For the asked price, this bundle has a very good price vs quality factor.
I can recommend this bundle to soundtrack composers with a lower budget and also to experimental musicians. Especially the big amount of included atmosphere, drones, textures and soundscapes make this deal great for composers of experimental music. My highlights from this bundle are the Forge and Octamorph because both libraries offers a lot sound content for being very creating for many months.
The only drawbacks are that the Reaktor instruments were not updated to version 6 and the sample support is very difficult. Maliki belongs in my opinion to the weaknesses of this bundle because this has no new content to offer but only another interface. Nonetheless, the new Audio Plugin Deals is worth absolute the asking price.
Check out here the video review of the Epic Soundlab Everything bundle with a lot of sound demos
The Audio Plugin Deals Epic Soundlab Everything Bundle is now available with a 79% OFF discount until July 12th. If you are interested in a purchase, please use the link below so you support the news page and youtube work. Big thanks in advance.
Available here: Epic Soundlab Everything Bundle
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