Kontakt Fun

Final Results! The script called Ambientize (Carousel)

The script that ended up popping out of my exploration of the kontakt instrument scripting language is what I call an “ambientizing” script that takes instrument midi input and stretches out the sound by creating velocity fade ins and outs while simultaneously changing the panning randomly. Multiple instruments can be added for extra savory blends. It’s great for ambient music!

Check out the interface for an instrument containing the script below:

If you’re curious about the script, take a looksy right here. First the interface is declared, then the instrument groups are loaded, then on midi note information it takes each instrument group and fades the note in and out in a sweeping pan while the notes are sustained on the keyboard.

But who cares! What does it sound like?! 

Here is a song that is chalk full of the script:

First you hear a synth and a piano running through the script. Then you hear a violin through the script, the sparse percussion, yup that’s also going through the script! The song also includes some field recordings from out by “the Dish”, a piece of land owned by Stanford University. The percussion includes random samples of hits on all kinds of stuff! If you listen hard you might hear me singing! Also special thanks to my friend David Lopez for letting me record him playing viola!

If you’re a friend of mine or fellow internet traveler, feel free to use the script file in your instruments. Best of luck fellow Kontakt scripters!

So far

Didn’t realize it’d be so long since I last posted…

Update on my kontakt script: it’s a weird sounding nature pattern script that takes instrument groups and randomizing their midi information within nature patterns. 

All my kontakt scripting knowledge has been gleaned from the book KSP scripting by Mike Novy.

I ditched the performance script idea, although it’s a great direction to head, with my limited knowledge of KSP the script would take me too long to finish.

But I’m very excited about my nature pattern script which I’ll probably finish next Tuesday. I’m also working on the sampled instruments including: piano, guitar, steel drums, beach sounds and whatever else i can think of.

FIGURED IT OUT! At least…I mean, the goal is clear.

So the past couple weeks I’ve reading up on Kontakt scripts and what exists out there. 

The great news is that there are some amazing scripts that people are making and there are scripts that are getting improved every day.

But as my mission was to add to that growing script library, I’ve been scratching my head about what I could possibly do as a newbie that would be beneficial for the Kontakt community.

After reading about some of Kontakt scripting expert, Nils Liberg’s scripts here, I realized that there aren’t a lot of scripts that focus on live performance.

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My First Kontakt Script!

So to make a trial instrument I recorded myself singing “Go” at C2. I then used what I learned from this tutorial:

How to Make Kontakt Instrument

to map the samples to the Kontakt keyboard. Easy. The tutorial is helpful but at an hours length it’s barely worth it. 

I started my reading on KSP, Kontakt’s scripting language, here:

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Mission Statement

This is a project blog for my MUSIC 220C class at Stanford.

I am a sample library lover - totally obsessed with the powers that lie in stretching one or infinitely many recordings into weird and sexy instruments.

I’ve just started using Kontakt 5 by Native Instruments and it has become my FAVORITE sampler.

Oh Kontakt, thou hast becometh my MUSE. Kontakt libraries in music production are ALL the rage - some third party libraries not made by Native Instruments go for THOUSANDS of dollars. But just what are these recording engineers/coding crazies doing exactly?

I gots no idea.

THUS for my 220C project I will set out to learn every facet of creating my own kontakt instrument/sample library.

From recording positions, to velocity layering, to scripting in Kontakt’s language KSP. I will make an instrument from the ground up - along with whatever plugins/effects/features/mapping I can script to accompany it in KSP.

Heeeeeere we go.