Der eine krank und abwesend, die anderen “nur” vom Wetter frittiert und kurz vorm einschlafen… heute wills eher nicht so und die Themenliste kann man auch gleich rauchen. Aber zumindest versuchen sie’s: Tobi hat ein Wochenende vor Ladebalken verbracht und versucht die Kollegen erfolglos in ein Spiel zu verwickeln, stattdessen reden sie plötzlich über Promis und regionale Unterschiede für erfolgreiche Musik. Ausserdem: gregorianische Gesänge, die legendären Tobi-Dropouts, wunderlich-überraschende Mausklicks in Kontakt-Libraries und alte, wirklich sehr alte Gedichte.

🎧 Themenübersicht – ProbePodcast #026

Ein Talk über Technik, Klangkunst und Kuriositäten
🟢 Einstieg & Warm-up
- Begrüßung & Abwesenheit von Henrik
- Spontane Ideen für ein neues Podcast-Intro
- Eskapismus im Proberaum: Weltgeschehen & mentale Distanz
🧠 KI & Sounddesign
- Suno-Experimente: Der „AI-Jungle“ entsteht
- Neue Stem-Funktionen in Suno (bis zu 12 Tracks!)
- KI als Sample-Lieferant für kreative Produktion
🎚️ Technik & Nerd-Talk
- Verwechslung von NKS vs. MPE – Aufklärung & Rant
- Podcast-Hörerfeedback & kleine Ironie-Schleifen
- Running Gag: Waschmaschine, Wäsche & Unterhosen
- Aufräumen, Ausmisten & das 50-Dinge-Ziel
🎮 Gaming & Unterhaltung
- Switch 2: Preise, Technik, Tech-Demos & Abzocke?
- Rückblick auf Spielkonsolen – ein kleiner Konsolenvergleich
- Podcast-Empfehlung: „Samp zockt“ – ehrlich & spoilerfrei
🧰 Gear, Plugins & DAW-Wahnsinn
- Native Instruments: Summer of Sound Download-Marathon
- Speicherplatz am Limit & native Access-Sorgen
- Arturia Mixed Drums, Sonicware Evolt & andere News
- Die Reddit-Consumerism-Schleife & Kaufverlockungen
🎸 Live-Rigs & Studio-Gear
- Moderne Live-Rigs: Vom Amp-Turm zur Laptop-Band
- Line 6 Helix Stadium: Das neue All-in-One Tool
- Touchscreens mit Zehen und Zunge bedienen? Ja, auch das.
- Zwischen Kurzweil, Nord & Roland: Keyboard-Vergangenheit
📚 Poesie trifft Technik
- Ringelnatz, Morgenstern & Wilhelm Busch live im Podcast
- Keyboard Waterboarding & spontane Gedichtpausen
- Gedicht „Der Frieden wächst“ – poetischer Tiefgang
🧪 Plugins & Production Tools
- Arturia DrumMix: Demo, Einsatz & Potenzial
- Wunschliste: Multiband-Kompressor, moderne FX
- Vergleich alter vs. neuer Kontakt Libraries
- Lieblings-Plugins & Preset-Flut: Wie viel braucht man wirklich?
🎲 Plugin-Ratespiel & Nerd-Fun
- Tobis 10-Euro-Ratespiel: Welche Plugins bleiben?
- Tipps & Fails zu Current, Omnisphere, Cableguys, Kult & mehr
- Überraschung: Mönchsgesänge aus Omnisphere
🕯️ Popkultur & Trivia
- Enigma & Robert Miles: Samplequellen & 90er-Soundästhetik
- Wikipedia-Rant & ironische Fußnoten
- Vorschau auf Themen wie „Shop Tales“ & „More Noise“
Links zu Sendung:
- The Summer of Sound sale is on! | Native Instruments (native-instruments.com)
- Just a moment… (support.arturia.com)
- Sonicware LIVEN Evoke: Acoustronic-Synthesizer für Ambient-Klangwelten (gearnews.de)
- Arturia - Mix DRUMS (arturia.com)
- SambZockt (YouTube)
- Protoverb: Experimental research reverb (u-he.com)
- PeterLicht - Sonnendeck (YouTube)
- Alexander Marcus - Hawaii Toast Song (Official Video) (YouTube)
- Alexander Marcus - Papaya (Official Video) (YouTube)

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Relive the magic of Jacob Collier’s Djesse world tour by conducting your own audience choir with this groundbreaking vocal instrument. Crafted by Samplicity, the Jacob Collier Audience Choir plugin allows you to blend vowels captured from different cities and add unique percussion with stomps, claps, and snaps, all while recording your own custom XY pad motions for added depth and expression.

Experience the Voice of Thousands

Jacob Collier is renowned for his genre-defying productions and electrifying live performances. With the Jacob Collier Audience Choir plugin, you can harness the power of thousands of voices from his Djesse world tour, right in your DAW. Explore vocal samples captured in 22 different cities across the globe, and customize your sound with built-in effects and controls, including delay, reverb, timbre, and stereo width.

Smart Harmony Features

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a newcomer to music theory, the Jacob Collier Audience Choir plugin offers smart harmony features to help you dive deep into harmony with ease. Use the chord generator function for instant harmony, effortlessly blend between tonalities of pre-built triads using the Triad Blend feature, and explore choir samples captured at some of the world’s most iconic venues.

Seamless Integration and Compatibility

The Jacob Collier Audience Choir plugin seamlessly integrates with major digital audio workstations (DAWs) and is compatible with both Windows and macOS platforms. Simply download and install the plugin via Native Access, and start conducting your own virtual choir in minutes.

Get Your Free Copy Today

Ready to conduct your own virtual choir? Simply create a Native ID account (if you don’t have one already), add Jacob Collier Audience Choir to your account, and download and install the plugin via Native Access. Already have an account? Log in and request your free software today.

Don’t miss this opportunity to bring the magic of Jacob Collier’s Djesse world tour into your own productions. Download Jacob Collier Audience Choir now and start conducting your own virtual choir today!

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Playbox, announced by Native Instrument, is a Kontak-based virtual instrument that is a sampler, but is an experimental instrument created with a focus on the ‘random’ function.

Chords

Samples

FX

Easy to quickly create experimental attempts or code harmony

Playbox is an instrument with such a clear identity that you can immediately understand the concept of the instrument by turning it on and hitting a single note on the keyboard. Although various operations are possible within the plug-in, from what I have used so far, I feel that it is not a versatile instrument that can significantly change the first impression.

The sound of the Playbox is created through the manipulation of three sections: Chords, Samples, and FX. There is a dice icon at the top of the plugin and in each section. By rolling this dice, you can randomly combine all settings. In fact, the core of Playbox is that you can make sounds just by rolling these dice, even if you don’t know anything about the details that will be explained later.

Chords

When you set the tonality and octave, 8 chords consisting of up to 6 notes are randomly created. The eight chords are assigned to each of the eight keys on the keyboard: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, and do. When using the Playbox, there are only eight white keys, so it feels like you are using a touchpad of sorts.

The tonality and octave of the eight chords can be set in the plug-in window, so you can easily get the right chord combination even without knowing anything about harmony. However, not all codes created were different codes. For example, there were cases where multiple Cmaj7s were created with different tensions and sequences.

Of course, there is also a function that allows you to create your own code. When you press the circle button at the bottom and it turns red, if you press the keyboard, the notes played in order are saved and made into a code.

There is a button at the top called Piano Mode. When you press this button, all sample sounds will be changed to EP sounds. The sounds of the samples included in the Playbox are somewhat experimental, and in fact, I thought it would be a good idea to just create random codes using the EP sounds without samples.

Samples

The notes specified within the code can be designated as different sample sounds for each note in the ‘Sample’ section. The samples provided by Playbox are divided into Synth, Instrument, Bass, Voice, and Noise, and there is also a User item that allows users to load and use samples directly.

You can try a variety of things, such as changing only the samples of notes in one chord, changing the first note of all chords to Synth, or randomly changing all samples.

FX

In the FX section, you can set motion effects and 6 audio effects. Motion effects can determine how a chord is played in three ways: Arp, Strum, and Grain. If you set it to Arp and press one key on the keyboard, the notes specified in the chord set will be played as an extended chord according to the project BPM. If you turn off this motion effect part, it becomes a normal chord playing with all notes sounding at the same time.

Below that, there is also a modulator that allows you to manipulate the LFO, envelope, etc. FX settings can be manipulated in real time using the modulation wheel and XY pad in macro and performance controls. The names and settings of these macros change each time you change the preset. When you first turn on Playbox, the large XY pad that appears on the main screen controls this part.

Easy to quickly create experimental attempts or code harmony

Playbox is an instrument that allows you to easily create chord sets and samples that fit your key, even if you don’t know harmonics or sampling technology. As a native instrument, various and detailed operations are possible without worrying about lack of functionality. However, since the core functions can all be obtained through dice rolls, these detailed control functions are secondary. For beginners, it’s ‘no need to have it’, and for pros, it’s ‘no need to use it.’

The randomly generated sounds weren’t that strange. However, I felt that presets that could be used universally in all situations were not created. Rather than using artificial intelligence to suggest sounds that fit a specific atmosphere, sounds are randomly combined, which seems to create somewhat profound or abstract sounds.

I think the sounds made up of randomly created chords are pretty good. You can keep picking random chords that are good for creating short loops for repetitive beats.

According to Native Instrument, Playbox was a project started by a few creators. As a result, I didn’t get the feeling that the manufacturer had made it to target specific users. In other words, it is an instrument that is ‘amazing, but I’m not sure who needs it.’ In that respect, it is questionable whether it is an appropriate price ($199) to purchase as a standalone instrument. Rather, it would be a good idea to try it out through the KOMPLETE NOW subscription system ($9.99 per month).

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Native Instruments announced Low End Strings, a virtual instrument for Kontakt.

Where tradition meets innovation

Low End Strings harnesses the power of deep frequencies by pushing string instruments to the limits of their lowest pitches. Spanning a three-octave range, it allows you to layer traditional but processed lowest octave string articulations with field recordings, noise, sub, and synth sources, then morph them into sounds that reverberate with cinematic intensity. Unlock unparalleled depth, drama, and impact to breathe life into scores and productions of all kinds.

Low End Strings in action

From string sounds and basses to pads and special effects, Low End Strings packs carefully designed snapshots for fast inspiration. Watch as product specialist Reuben Cornell shares his favorites and dives deeper into the features of the instrument, showing how you can use the step sequencer, macro controls, and array of blendable sources to craft bold, hybrid orchestral textures.

Created by 10 Phantom Rooms

Low End Strings was created by innovative instrument developer, 10 Phantom Rooms. Specializing in next-generation Kontakt instruments for film and media composers, this company was founded by pro sound and instrument designer Tobias Menguser, alongside Paul Haslinger and other creative minds. With a career spanning three decades, Tobias has created sounds and instruments for many of the industry’s biggest names, including providing sounds for more than 500 movie trailers.

Product type: KONTAKT instrument
For use with: Free KONTAKT PLAYER or KONTAKT.
Sound category: Hybrid string plugin
Number of NKIs: 1
Number of snapshots: 134 with 3 variations each
Download size: 2.4 GB

System requirements

- Free KONTAKT PLAYER or KONTAKT (version 7.6 or higher).

- Please also see the KONTAKT PLAYER system requirements and the KONTAKT PLAYER FAQ.

- You can install this instrument with Native Access – just as you would with any Native Instruments product.

The price of Native Instruments’ Low End Strings is $99, and detailed information and purchase can be found on the Native Instruments website.

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