Man Behind The Machines Uranos is a new Reaktor-based Synthesizer that runs in Reaktor 6 and unofficially in the Maschine+ standalone groovebox.
Last May at SynthFest France 2024, I reported on the Mariner Synthesizer by musician and developer Man Behind The Maschine. This was a new Reaktor-based synth for the Maschine+. Yes, the standalone Maschine doesn’t officially support this, but it works without hacks or other grey area tricks.
At the time of the video, the developer wasn’t sure if he would give this experiment to the community. Now there is news. This week, Man Behind The Machines released not the Mariner but the Uranos, another Reaktor Synthesizer with Maschine+.
Man Behind The Machines Uranos
The Uranos download includes a folder that contains an ensemble for Reaktor 6 and Maschine+. There are different, though. The Reaktor version is polyphonic, while the Maschine+ version is monophonic.
It’s a beta version, and this is because there are issues with the polyphonic version, including some Maschine+ freezes and project restarts when you erase multiple instances at the same time.
According to the developer, this problem doesn’t happen on the monophonic version, but a polyphonic version, hopefully without these issues, is in development. What is Uranos?
Uranos is a monophonic Synthesizer with a subtractive synthesis engine. It has two oscillators with harmonic generation and saturation, a sub-oscillator, a noise generator, and a multimode morphable filter with cutoff and resonance controls. Plus, there is a post-filter overdrive.
The modulation part consists of two ADSR envelopes, one for the filter and one for the amp, and two LFOs with 13 modulation destinations each. You can also root the modulation mod wheel to several destinations.
In my interview (linked below), the developer explained that the high CPU usage of the built-in synths was one reason he started developing his Reaktor synths for the Maschine+.
Super Five & Moog Prodigy
If you delve a little deeper into the Reaktor User Library, you will find an earlier project by the developer that was already released nine months ago. It’s called Super Five and is also a low-CPU Synthesizer ensemble in beta for Maschine+.
In this case, it’s a 5-voice polyphonic Synthesizer with four oscillators, 14 shape-able waveforms, a classic lowpass and saturated resonant filter, four LFOs, and two envelopes (filter/amp).
Also, beta is the “Moog Prodigy ensemble,” another subtractive Synthesizer with two oscillators inspired by the vintage Moog Prodigy hardware synth.
How Do I Install Them Without Official Support?
Installation is pretty straightforward. There are no hacks or alternative firmware to install. First, ensure you have made a backup copy of your Maschine+ SD card before testing Uranos. Next, download the file for free from the Native Instruments User Library.
Then, extract the “Uranos Monophonic” folder and place it on your Maschine+ SD card: Native Instruments – User Content – Reaktor. In a next step, restart your Maschine+ before first use and enjoy the new synth.
The folder also includes the ensemble for Reaktor 6. Here is a hands-on demo of the ManBehindTheMachines Uranos.
First Impression
I installed them on my Maschine+. It didn’t work at first. Then I updated to the latest M+ update, and all three instruments have worked since then. You can find them in the user content section of the plugins.
It would be cool if NI officially supported this at some point. Until then, please help and report the bugs to Frank, aka Man Behind The Machines. These are excellent three projects.
ManBehindTheMachines Uranos is available now as a free download in a beta version from the Reaktor User Library.
More information here: Native Instruments
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