What's so special about "Reaktor"

Nokatus · Post by **Nokatus** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:49 am

Ultrasonyk, just read everything over here, and you'll have a better overall impression of what's (among other things) possible: http://www.native-instruments.com/index ... or5details

ultrasonyk · Post by **ultrasonyk** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 2:33 pm

Thanks for all info guys. i might check this baby out.
after i have finished all my other 9999999 test projects...

do you guys use reaktor generally as audio module when playing
your songs or do you develop your sounds and record them as
audio clips for your production?

Ruso · Post by **Ruso** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 4:50 pm

I still don't think you have any idea what reactor really means.... think of it as a virtual, visual sound programming environment.... you have virtual "modules" which can be as low module as "numbers" to as high as full on reverb, they will have inputs and outputs which can be inter connected however you want.... it's like building a modular circuit board with endless possibilities. You can create grooveboxes, improvisation ensembles so on and so fourth.... the only reason people don't use it is cause it's just that much easier to drag some samples into ableton....

dj superflat · Post by **dj superflat** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 4:52 pm

yeah, you're not getting that reaktor's not "just" a synth -- it's effectively a programming language, but you don't have to deal with it on that level. easiest example: there are all sorts of ridiculous sample players/slicers/manglers that are completely unsynthlike, do ridiculous things. your modular synth just isn't in the same ball park (not to say the synth may not sound great, or even better than any reaktor synth, but it's really just one thing, not a multitude).

swamp creature · Post by **swamp creature** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:42 am

i got compleatly out of my depth when i first used it ! ill give it a go again now ! but it is so easy to get so engrossed in somthing that you lose track of your original goal ie producing tunes

ewistrand · Post by **ewistrand** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 5:18 am

bodo wrote:The disadvantage might be that a lot of ensembles (Reaktor's 'VST') take quite a bit of CPU resources.

While this certainly used to be the case in comparing Reaktor to other plugins, nowdays that isn't so true.

ultrasonyk wrote:what you are describing sounds pretty much
as what i can do with for example the arturia moog modular vst.

Not even close.

do you guys use reaktor generally as audio module when playing
your songs or do you develop your sounds and record them as
audio clips for your production?

I use it as a plugin in my various hosts for the most part. Others record various ensembles (Reaktor has a few different recorder options) and use the resulting audio as clips. It all depends how you work.

ew

soundwave · Post by **soundwave** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:59 pm

Another advantage is that REAKTOR uses WAV samples and everything can be recorded on the "recorder". You make your own loops or sequences (any length) and keep them for projects.
Reaktor is so fantastik, I suspect it was created by aliens and passed on down here. But don't quote me on that...

logic_user99 · Post by **logic_user99** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:01 pm

I use an excellent Reaktor beat-mangler on the master channel of Live.

Everyone should have reaktor in their lives!

jmolenaar · Post by **jmolenaar** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:30 pm

tried Reason ?

Very nice app, and ReWire-able with Ableton!

http://www.propellerheads.se/

audiovoid · Post by **audiovoid** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:40 am

To me, Reaktor DOES have it's own sound. Whether you're using it as a synth, a beat machine, or as an fx unit. It has a very distinct sound that I can only describe as Very High quality. Yet dirty and vintage at the same time. There's this crispiness to all the sounds that I hear from it that I just don't hear in that many other software instruments.
Many people use reaktor because of it's flexibility and sound quality.
But I think alot of people don't use it because it's not the most user friendly or stable of programs and it can also just seam too daunting.

As some one else said earlier in this post, If you had to choose only one Software instrument program to use then you'd be silly not to choose reaktor because you Can conceivably create any sound imaginable (or un-imaginable, which is where the fun lies).

biadjo · Post by **biadjo** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:38 am

jmolenaar wrote:tried Reason ?

Very nice app, and ReWire-able with Ableton!

http://www.propellerheads.se/

after using Reaktor, I realized the power of Reason. Use the rack devices as building blocks and with a bit of imagination.....

friend_kami · Post by **friend_kami** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 2:36 pm

ultrasonyk wrote:Why doesn't everybody use reaktor then?
why bother using other vst's?
why going out and spend thousands of bucks for hardware synth's?

what's the DISADVANTAGE of reaktor?

reaktor does nothing, unless you build something for it. if you dont know how to build it then you have to learn it, and to learn it you have to take time.
time which could be used to compose.
if you want to learn how to make your own beasts, reaktor is your bet. amongst others heh. if you dont have patience, then reaktor would propably just annoy you. unless you dig through the user archives, which contains about 6 billion synthesizers, 10 billion effects and some macros, where atleast 5 of each actually sounds ok.

@audiovoid: yeah, reaktor does sound like reaktor, no matter what you build. its impossible to get to sound other then very very digital, as with much of the NI products. no, i didnt say all, so dont try. :p

dj superflat · Post by **dj superflat** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 5:27 pm

kami, no offense, but your statement is seriously misleading. reaktor does just about everything, even if you never build something for it (most users never do). as you point out, there's an extraordinary variety and number of ensembles available, many of which are phenomenal. learning how to connect two such ensembles, so that you can create your own device chains is very easy.

as for why not everyone has it or uses it, (i) it's expensive (relatively) and (ii) if you've got a full-featured daw, you may feel you don't need more fx/synths/sample players.

ewistrand · Post by **ewistrand** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:10 pm

dj superflat wrote:reaktor does just about everything, even if you never build something for it (most users never do).

Indeed. One of the product specialists for NI and I were discussing this one day; our best guesstimate was that 90% of Reaktor users either don't build at all or do very simple mods like adding some effect to an ensemble.

friend_kami wrote:@audiovoid: yeah, reaktor does sound like reaktor, no matter what you build. its impossible to get to sound other then very very digital, as with much of the NI products. no, i didnt say all, so dont try. :p

I think you're mistaken there as well...

ew

laird · Post by **laird** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:28 pm

Disadvantages:

#1: CPU hog!
#2: yes, Reaktor has a sound. Every IDM musician uses a Reaktor Beat Mangler on the master channel and a preset bell synthesizer.
#3: did I mention CPU hog? Having an amphibious car would be cool, and useful at times.... but you probably can't afford to drive one to work every day.
#4. NI has an ugly interface.

If you find yourself wishing "gosh I wish someone had made an instrument that does X, or effects that do Y, or I think itd be more fun to make this tool than, say, write music" then definitely check out Reaktor. Or if you want to make IDM.