MINIM Strings from Tempest Instruments seeks to address the issue of writing repetitive legato in a simple Kontakt package. We also have a bunch of Tribute banks from Arturia and new sounds for Chromaphone.
Sounds and PresetsMINIM Strings for Kontakt by Tempest InstrumentsNew Tribute Banks for Arturia Analog Lab and AstroLab by ArturiaSub Pressure for Moog Messenger by Anton AnruOrganix by Christian Lafitte for AAS Chromaphone
MINIM Strings for Kontakt by Tempest Instruments
You may recall Tempest Instruments debut with their Sigal Collection where they sampled a selection of the historical musical instruments at the Sigal Museum in Greenville, South Carolina. Now, after quitting his day job, the man behind Tempest, Alex Hill, has delivered their next full library, MINIM Strings.
MINIM Strings seeks to address an issue that some string sample libraries encounter when you are trying to play repetitive legatos. By definition, legato playing requires notes to move seamlessly between each other in a smooth, connected and fluid manner.
MINIM Strings · Source: Tempest Instruments
Many string sample libraries suffer to varying degrees from delivering such playing styles, and it was this issue that Alex sought to resolve with MINIM Strings. Specifically designed for fluid repetition by using huge numbers of samples and 8x round robins, MINIM Strings certainly does what it says on the tin!
MINIM Strings comprises five instruments (Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello and Bass), each recorded from four mic positions, with piano, mezzoforte and forte dynamic layers, and the ability to apply a selection of reverbs as well as sordino and warmth settings. You can also choose between monophonic and polyphonic performance.
The mic settings in MINIM Strings can be mixed and selected, with individual on/off controls, levels, panning and their own mute and solo functions. For something that looks so clean and simple, there is immense depth in MINIM Strings and, therefore, it will find a home in almost every string composer’s sonic toolkit.
MINIM Strings is available for the full version of Kontakt, version 7.68 and above, and occupies around 30GB of disk space. An SSD is definitely recommended. Full price is $199, but the intro price of $149 is available until the end of June 2026.
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New Tribute Banks for Arturia Analog Lab and AstroLab by Arturia
Arturia’s Tribute banks make great use of their vast vintage plugin range to deliver collections of sounds based around artists that bear more than a close resemblance to the originals. Whether you play in a tribute band or just fancy knocking up some authentic cover versions, these packs are fun and useful.
Now we have three new tribute banks to play with, two of which are sequels and a new one covering one of the most innovative acts of the 21st century, so far, in my very humble opinion. But this new batch kicks off with a bank of sounds dedicated to a group of electronic music pioneers.
Arturia AstroLab Connect · Source: Arturia
Kraft Tribute 2 contains 64 new presets designed by Italian sound designer Davide Puxeddu, a gentleman who is no stranger when it comes to designing presets for Arturia’s instruments, both software and hardware. Robotic basses, pads, arps, choirs and melodic beats are the order of the day here.
Another electronic music touchstone is next up on the list, again designed by Davide. This time, Aphex Twin is the inspiration for Aphex Ambient Tribute 2, and the sounds are, as you’d expect, centred around detuned instruments, ethereal pads and leads and more, all inspired by Richard D James’ ‘Selected Ambient Works’.
Arturia Analog Lab Pro · Source: Arturia
Last but not least, we have MGMT Tribute, a collection of 32 presets inspired by the surreal and colourful world of MGMT. If you love tracks like ‘Kids’, ‘Time to Pretend’ and ‘Electric Feel’, then this deeply off-kilter set of sounds is right up your street. Designed by Joseph Gilling, it captures the essence of MGMT perfectly.
The Kraft Tribute 2 and Aphex Ambient Tribute 2 banks are both €9.99, with the MGMT Tribute bank selling for €4.99. The previous Kraft and Aphex banks are also available for €4.99 each.
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Arturia AstroLab 37
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Arturia AstroLab
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Sub Pressure for Moog Messenger by Anton Anru
A small, black Moog synth with a 37-note keyboard almost screams “bass synth!”, doesn’t it, and if we’re all completely honest, the Moog Messenger certainly excels in that department. But that’s not to say it is in any way limited to that. But it would be wrong to ignore that capability.
Moog Messenger · Source: Moog Music
And so Anton Anru has created a big, fat bank of 64 bass presets for this very fine monosynth that many people wrote off before it had even hit the shelves. Oh how wrong they were, as Messenger has become a top-selling synth and a firm favourite amongst the Moog cognoscenti!
Covering the gamut of bass tones, Sub Pressure delivers, soft, hard, punchy, deep, bright and rhythmical bass sounds. All make use of aftertouch, velocity and the mod wheel to deliver plenty of variety in what is a very singular set of sounds.
These sounds will be useful for a huge range of genres and styles. And you can have all 64 of them for just $24.95, or as part of their Moog Messenger Bundle that gives you a saving of 20% off buying them separately.
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Organix by Christian Lafitte for AAS Chromaphone
If acoustically inspired sounds from India and Asia are your cup of tea, then the new sound pack for Applied Acoustic Systems’ Chromaphone 3 will make you smile broadly. It delivers a collection of 100 sounds of the region, along with many African and Middle Eastern textures and tones.
Applied Acoustics Chromaphone 3 · Source: Applied Acoustics
As you would expect from Chromaphone 3, Organix delivers sounds that use wood, skin and strings for these textured and layered instruments and there are voices here that work well as both solo and ensembles.
But there are also plenty of modern tones in there, too, with electronic sounds and hybrids, all of which make use of Chromaphones real time control and macros. Just listen to Christian Laffite’s demo…
These are the sorts of sounds that really float my physical modelling boat and will certainly make it into my ever-expanding collection of Chromaphone 3 sound libraries! As with all AAS sound packs, you can use and edit it within Chromaphone 3, but you can also use them in their free AAS Player if editing is not your thing.
AAS Organix is available now at an introductory price of $19, after which it will go up to $39.
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