HEAVYOCITY releases AVANT: Modern Keys, their third instrument using the Ascend engine.
Please read below for our detailed review.
OVERVIEW
INTERFACE
(Access to Settings, Source, Modulate, Arp, Echoes, FX, & Convolve)
CONVOLVE
(Add modulation by a tempo-synced convolution effect)
REVIEW
Heavyocity launches its third instrument using the mighty Ascend engine called Avant. This time they took a Mark II electric piano and painstakingly recorded it in immaculate detail to deliver some stunning results. Being a fan of the Ascend engine, I figured they couldn't go wrong here, but I kept my thoughts and opinions neutral to give a fair review.
The library contains over 4,026 samples and comes with 109 preset snapshots to get you going. There is over 8GB of uncompressed material, and is only 4.73GB in size on your hard drive using Kontakt's lossless compression. Heavyocity stated that they sampled the performances on the Mark II using twine, hammers, ebows, and picks to usher in some experimental sounds during the recording process
The Main Interface contains a 2D triangular mixer that can blend between three different sound sources. At the bottom section, you will find seven sub-page controls: 1. Settings (where you can alter the velocity curve and stereo image) 2. Source (Browse and load different sounds into the three channels) 3. Modulate (add extra levels of modulation and control to the mixer) 4. ARP (create rhythmic broken chord sequences) 5. Echoes (MIDI delay and note generation effect) 6. FX (Global Master Effects) 7. Convolve (add additional modulation by a tempo-synced convolution effect).
When you load up the instrument, you'll have access to five categories accessed from the snapshot drop-down menu. These include All-Stars, Avant Modern Keys Init, Core Keys, Extended, Rhythmic, and Rhythmic Melodic. The 'All-Stars' category is a handful of hand-picked Heavyocity presets that I recommend playing first. There is a great variety of how the instrument works and sound design capabilities. The Modern Keys Init is just the electric piano instrument in its unprocessed form and where you can start designing your own preset from scratch. The 'Core Keys' are the more traditional presets that showcase the beauty of the Mark II. The 'Extended' section contains an array of great textural pads and ambiences. The 'Rhythmic' is all about adding motion to your composition. 'Rhythmic Melodic' features a beautiful amount of arpeggiated presets that lend immediate inspiration.
AVANT is a powerful instrument that takes a Mark II and transforms it into something bold and new. It can be used in many cinematic productions such as Documentaries, Drama, Action, Crime, Thrillers, Romance, ambient music, and much more. A true metamorphosis of the electric piano provides that creative spark straight out of the box. However, developing your own snapshots is always rewarding.
Heavyocity's AVANT is an ultramodern forward-thinking keys library that takes the electric piano and revolutionizes it. With near-limitless potential, AVANT becomes adventurous and compelling on all levels!
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