Check out our favorite videos from the Native community in June

In this new monthly series, we’re highlighting the very best of our Creator Community’s videos. With so much going on around the web, thousands of incredible sounds, and countless inspiring ideas to sift through, we only have room for the best of the best here – the cream of the content crop. So watch this space for quick-fire creative inspiration alongside...

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5 free Kontakt libraries for neo-classical and avant-garde composition

Amalgamating acoustic and electronic instrumentation within a delicate, cerebral conceptual framework, the neo-classical stylings of Ólafur Arnalds, Brandt Bauer Frick, Nils Frahm, Max Richter et al are taking avant-garde music to new heights in terms of cross-genre appeal, popularity and technical achievement. From progressive, harmonically adventurous...

1w

Listen to a densely layered, martial Sketches submission from Zola Jesus

A classically trained opera singer with an ear for industrial electronics and sweeping gothic-pop, Nika Roza Danilova has released five studio albums as Zola Jesus along with numerous EPs and collaborations since 2009. From lo-fi grandeur to crystalline pop, her songs have taken her from basement venues to festivals and concert halls around the world,...

1w

We shut down an Italian city to sample a 300-year-old violin

How do you ensure perfect silence in the middle of a modern Italian city? As it turns out, you just need a little help from the mayor and a lot of understanding from the local residents. Watch the video above to find out how we worked with sampling masters e-instruments and the team behind Cremona’s Museo del Violino to capture and preserve the sound...

2w

Here’s how to make your virtual guitars sound like a real session player

At first glance, it might seem the SESSION GUITARIST series is intended for non-guitarists, but even the most seasoned of players can find room for a virtual session player in their production workflow; as someone who’s spent several years as a studio musician, I see a great deal of value in working with another guitar player – even if it’s a virtual...

2w

Peter Wade: Talent doesn’t matter

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Improving diversity and inclusion at Native Instruments

Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to thrive in the music technology industry. But right now this isn’t happening. And as a company we know we haven’t done enough to address the issues of systemic racism, bias, and inequality in the sector or within our own walls. Recently, current and former colleagues have shared their experiences of working...

3w

5 free cinematic texture libraries for KONTAKT

With the wealth of “cinematic” sample libraries on the market, you’d be forgiven for not knowing where to start on your ambient adventure. Thankfully there are some generous developers who offer production-ready drones and soundscapes for free. These kinds of sounds have a wide variety of uses, from underscoring movie cues, to providing the ear-candy...

3w

No MASCHINE hardware? Here’s how to use its sounds, kits, and Expansions in any DAW

If you ask us, MASCHINE hardware is the fastest, easiest, and most fun way to get a groove going. But one-size doesn’t fit all, of course, and everyone has their own preferred way of doing things. So for those who love the sound of MASCHINE but don’t want to go back to basics with their beat-making workflow, YouTuber Sanjay C has the perfect solution....

3w

Nathan Lanier on the sounds and strategies behind his Home Before Dark score

Nathan Lanier is a composer to look up to. Over his twenty-year career, the LA-based artist has scored some massive projects in the world of film and games, ranging from the pop rush of Justin Bieber’s concert film Believe to the hit sci-fi web series Halo 4. Last month, Lanier’s latest soundtrack premiered as part of Apple TV+’s new thriller Home Before...

May 2020