Friday, October 11, 2019

REVIEW: 8DIO EQUINOX: HYBRID ACTION TOOLS for KONTAKT





8Dio Equinox: Hybrid Action Tools
 is the latest in hybrid rhythmic pattern generation.

OVERVIEW


This is the Main Equinox Interface
(Access to the Browser page, Sound Sculpting Controls, Sequencer, and Chaos Effects.)




Sequencer/ARP


Sound Sculpting Controls
(ATTACK, RELEASE, SPEED, ETC..)


CHAOS EFFECTS


This is the 2nd NKI Action Groove Generator
that shows the channel Mixer and Probability Engine. [?]





REVIEW


The ingenuity of 8DIO has consistently released products that are imaginative as they are innovative. Equinox is a prime example of how they reinvented a new hybrid rhythm scoring instrument that pushes technological advances in sound design. 

Seven central NKI instruments include Equinox (Main.nki), Action Groove Generator, Pulsing Rhythm Generator, 808 Rhythm Generator, Cinematic Clocks, Giga Horns, and Bend Basses. In addition to those nki's, there are three other folders within the Instruments section containing 50 specially designed Presets, DFD (versions of the patches with no time stretching capabilities), and Auxilliary Mappings (alternate and split mappings of the core patches). The amount of content in this library is vast. Not only are there thousands of rhythmic loops and phrase combinations, but the customization features are especially useful. One of my favorite additions to the 8DIO interface is the Probability Engine, which is a more advanced random element. 8DIO claims you can obtain over 360,000 results per instrument. So, when they say it's practically limitless, I have to agree with them. 

The cool thing about this library is that it can be useful in many genres of electronic music. Composers and electronic musicians will love the modern rhythms produced in this instrument. It's perfect for Cinematic, Dance, Hip-Hop, Edm, Trap, and much more.


The quality of the samples are exceptional and masterfully produced. 

If you're familiar with 8DIO libraries, you should be able to find your way around the GUI easily. Within the interface, you'll see the browser and sequencer pages. However, not all of the nki's have the same options. For instance, the Probability Engine is located within the Rhythm Generator instruments only that are the second, third, and fourth nki's. The Probability Engine appears as a question mark symbol enclosed in a square box next to the Mixer. If you select an instrument and want to randomize the layers, just hit the question mark each time you want to change the rhythmic possibilities. The rest of the NKI instruments will have the Stack function except for Cinematic Clocks, which only has the Gate function. 

8DIO included a considerable amount of tonal tools. They include fully chromatic Bend-Basses and Cinematic Clocks based phrases. 8DIO even revamped their signature Mega Horns (like Braams on steroids) to a playable and chromatic Giga Horns. If you load up the Giga Horns with the Action Groove Generator, you'll hear a great example of how epic this instrument will sound like in a modern production.

If you're wondering how the 808 kicks translate, let me tell you, they sound authentic, clear, and punchy. All the instruments are tempo-synced to your DAW, and 8DIO even provided the wav samples so you can drag and drop into your workstation. I think pulse rhythms are an important factor in  modern underscoring, and I was thrilled 8DIO included The Pulsing Rhythm Generator within Equinox.

The library is 11.6GB installed and does require the full version of Kontakt.

There's no doubt in my mind that 8DIO took the time to get this perfected. I found no cons with this library. I believe this is a complete package with endless potential. Equinox is a notable addition for anyone who wants to add that rhythmic spark to their musical productions.


5 OUT OF 5 STARS















Written by Steve Montgomery 
(Infinite Mindscape & Darkmood)


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