Which expansions would fit me?

Sindri

Hi everybody,

I’m looking for expansions with sounds as music boxes (in an icy style). I’m searching something that sounds like the Vespertine album by Björk, a bit like ice sounds.

Would you have expansions to advise me in this style?

Thank you so much 🙏🤗

LostInFoundation

Jokes apart, the answer is quite correct. Is not so much about the sounds, but more on the fxs.

Ice of course is a quite suited one, but in Vespertine Björk uses also a lot of compressors and distortions (regulated in a subtle way, nothing pushed completely on the wet side). Just an hint of this here, a hint of that there and many instruments/sounds you already own could be useful to you

bzyboy

Polar Flare is advertised as "the arctic side of electronica". Maybe check that out.

LostInFoundation

Put Ice (internal Maschine reverb fx) on any sound and they will ALL sound in an icy style 😂

LostInFoundation

Jokes apart, the answer is quite correct. Is not so much about the sounds, but more on the fxs.

Ice of course is a quite suited one, but in Vespertine Björk uses also a lot of compressors and distortions (regulated in a subtle way, nothing pushed completely on the wet side). Just an hint of this here, a hint of that there and many instruments/sounds you already own could be useful to you

bzyboy

Polar Flare is advertised as "the arctic side of electronica". Maybe check that out.

LostInFoundation

And to continue suggesting you things to not spend more money, I’m sure you will appreciate some free instruments that gently Spitfire Audio with their Labs series (they offer A LOT of them) and Soniccouture provide us (they also have one that is exactly what you ask for, Music Boxes).

Specially the Labs series, very high quality for a very low price (free 😏)

https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/?sortBy=prod_products_labs_latest&page=3

https://www.soniccouture.com/en/free-stuff/

LostInFoundation

In facts, checking now, I see Spitfire Audio is very often quoted with the name of Björk by their side, and some of their instruments have been done in collaboration with Alex Epton (producer and composer for Björk).

Here is why their instruments remind me so much of her music ☺️

LostInFoundation

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/65631#Comment_65631

Polar Flare is really a good suggestion from the expansions 👍🏼

A little more modern than the sound coming from the “no time, no space” of Björk, but quite adaptable if used in the right way

Sindri

Thank you both of you for those very helpful information.

@LostInFoundation I noticed the ice fx (found in the search tool) but I have to say that the fox are still very mysterious to me. As I told once I’m a very very beginner. I took a look at the 2 websites and will download the music boxes. If I understood the NKS, I can add them to my library after downloading. Is that right?

Sindri

@bzyboy Thank you for the Polar flare that really sounds good. I’ll offer it to myself as it really sounds like something that I can use.

Sindri

Thank you so much for all this help you both brought to me 🙏

LostInFoundation

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/65735#Comment_65735

It is indeed. The fact Music Boxes is NKS means all it’s parameter are already pre mapped to NI softwares/hardwares and that you will see the instrument in the browser with all the ones from NI

LostInFoundation

This doesn’t mean you can’t add also ALL the other VSTs from other companies that are not NKS.

You can, with just a slight difference on how you load them. As the ones from Spitfire Audio (take a listen at them. Believe me, you’ll like them even more than Music Boxes if you are after that kind of sound. This for example is how their music box sounds (2 demos: the audio one and then the video where you can also see how the plug-in easily work) https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/music-box . Also the Bell Swarm instrument could be up your sleeves with the search of “icy” sounds https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/bell-swarm. But really…all of them☺️ ).

Non NKS Instruments will be loaded through the drop down menu in Sound, but they will be available anyway inside Maschine (just be sure to be at the sound level, not group or master). And this is where you will also add fxs to an instrument)

In the case of Labs series, they have a wrapper (a single VST containing all their instruments). Once you load it, inside of it you can load the instrument you want to use. And then you can play it with Maschine exactly how you would play anything else (with the pads in keyboard mode, scales, chords,…)

LostInFoundation

And…beginner? No problem…Jeff Gibbons got you covered 😉:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeWefXO56jI&list=PLVqwsSRt4jtb6o0kJIL48xWk_NvStdiWu

This and others of its video (or one of the many other tutorials you’ll find in YT) will be very helpful to you

Sindri

@LostInFoundation Thank you once again for your help, it is clear now to me. I have to admit that at the beginning I can feel a bit lost in all these things.

That’s why I’m gonna watch carefully these videos that will help me a lot for sure.

I love the sounds that you sent me the links of. Especially the bells, they sound also a bit mystical and I love that.

Thank you once again for taking time to help, I really appreciate 🙏🤗

LostInFoundation

You’re welcome