Native Instruments: Reaktor 3 software synthesizer, and: Native Instruments Reaktor 3--Wizoo Guide (review)

Figure 5.

Instrument Interface Screen in Reaktor.

Reaktor 3

Reaktor, Version 3, is Native Instruments's premiere software synthesizer. As such it is a very large collection of tools that allows the user to build their own synthesizers, sample manipulators, sequencers, and effects processors, utilizing a vast array of pre-made modules and objects as building blocks.

The manual that comes with the application contains some how-to information, but its strength is that it holds a large reference compendium of the available objects, their functions and uses. Len Sasso's Reaktor 3 Guide, written for Wizoo, is the appropriate how-to manual to fill in the gaps and get the user started on the road to creating their own instruments.

In Reaktor 3, a patch or instrument is always represented on two levels: the front level is a GUI panel that mimics a machine interface, where the controller knobs, buttons, and sliders live, as well as any scopes (see Figure 5). A double-click on the face of an instrument brings up its structure: here is where you manufacture the instrument. In this environment, you place the available objects or modules, and draw patching lines between their inputs and outputs (see Figure 6). When opening an individual object, you also specify this object's behaviors and its appearance in the front panel. I believe that this structure lends itself very well to helping a new user understand basic synthesis, or to help a student bridge the gap between using hardware synthesizers and understanding computer-based synthesis.

Reaktor 3 is used worldwide by many recording and performing musicians, and although much of its use is geared toward popular or dance music production, I believe it could be a feasible learning environment for teaching software synthesis. A brief conversation with Native Instruments's sales representatives informed me that their educational pricing is half of the list price, unfortunately making it fairly expensive for use at multiple stations. The software is protected by a USB dongle, and one additional dongle can be purchased for US$149.

Figure 6.

Ensemble Structure Screen in Reaktor.

The application comes with a large set of pre-made instruments in the form of a library divided into three folders: Essentials, Premium, and User. The Essentials folder contains many pre-made basic ensembles of various types of synthesizers, drum machines, sample player/manipulators, and sequencers, as well as tutorials and a folder of the macros used to make these instruments. The Premium library contains a smaller number of more complex instruments of these same sorts, which have been manufactured with many preset sounds to show off their capabilities. The User library contains hundreds of ensembles and instruments that have been made by Reaktor users over the past few years. Many more are available from the on-line library (www.native-instruments.net). The manual gives a brief overview of how to use a few of the provided instruments, and a brief description of the processes involved in making a synthesizer in this application. The remainder of the manual concerns itself with describing the operations of the modules that one can use to make a synthesizer.

Len Sasso's Guide Book

Mr. Sasso's book could easily be used in place of the manual to learn the process of making instruments within Reaktor, although the manual is definitely useful as a reference guide. Mr...