Day: 20 October 2024

Press Release

Hamburg, GERMANY, September 2024

e-instruments announce the release of SLOWER, an innovative instrument library for NI Kontakt Player that offers music producers and composers a unique sonic experience brimming with new sounds and analogue textures. SLOWER captures high-end sample content recorded on four distinct tape machines, each played back at half speed resulting in all sounds being one octave lower to create rich and evocative tones.

SLOWER: A New Dimension in Analogue Sound

Designed for those seeking emotional, analogue-inspired textures, SLOWER delves into the world of half-speed tape to deliver an extraordinary range of sounds. The library features an eclectic mix of keys, guitars, strings, woodwinds, brass, and rarities such as the dulcimer and harmonium. These sounds are transformed by the half-speed tape process, resulting in everything being one octave lower to produce deep, warm, and nostalgically rich tones, available across four distinct types of tape machines: Studio, Portable, Cassette, and Dictaphone.

SLOWER – Key Features

• Analogue Authenticity: Experience genuine, pitched-down tape sounds that bring rich, organic layers to your music.
• Four Tape Machines: Explore a variety of tones with Studer, Uher, Tascam, and Sony tape machines, each offering distinctive audio qualities.
• Diverse Instruments: Access 65 sound sources, including keys, synths, guitars, strings, woodwinds, brass, and rare instruments, all recorded on four tape machines.
• Preset Library: 230 presets from top sound designers, offering a wide range of sounds to inspire creativity.
• 27 Effects: Unlock extensive sound processing with curated delays, distortions, reverbs, and filters, all customisable in a five-slot FX chain.
• Modulation Matrix: Dive deep into sound design with assignable LFOs, modulation envelopes, a step modulator, aftertouch, and more.
• Macro Controls: Transform sounds in real-time with three single-slider macros, enabling dynamic and expressive performances.
• Additional Tape FX: Add extra wobble, noise, and flutter to enhance the tape characteristics as needed.
• Reverse Samples: Create ethereal, slow-attack sounds with the reverse parameter.
• NKS and Kontakt Compatibility: Compatible with Native Instruments Kontakt 7.10.2 or the free Kontakt player, with full NKS integration.

The Art of Half-Speed Tape 

Half-speed tape recording transforms familiar sounds into something entirely new and captivating. By slowing down analogue tape playback, SLOWER introduces a wealth of texture that digital methods simply cannot replicate. The natural wobble, flutter, and noise inherent to tape add depth and warmth, enhancing acoustic timbres and bringing out lower frequencies to create thick, mellow sounds. This technique imbues music with a unique emotional quality, adding a magical, nostalgic layer to any composition.

Exploring The Tape Machines 

SLOWER’s sounds are captured using four distinct tape machines, each imparting its own sonic character:

• Studio: The Studer A812 and Revox PR99 open reel-to-reel machines offer warmth and fidelity, ideal for polished, high-end sounds.
• Portable: The Uher 4400 Report IC and Monitor models deliver a compact, yet richly detailed tonal palette.
• Cassette: The Tascam Portastudio 424 mk III embodies the unmistakable warmth and grit of cassette tape.
• Dictaphone: The Sony M650v microcassette provides a raw, lo-fi texture, perfect for adding a nostalgic crunch.

Each machine brings its own flavour to the table, allowing users to explore and experiment with a wide range of sonic possibilities, from the refined to the lo-fi.

A Rich Collection Of Instruments And Sounds

SLOWER boasts 65 different sound sources, each recorded on four separate tape machines, as well as an extensive selection of synthesised sounds. This library transforms classic instruments – including grand and upright pianos, electric and acoustic guitars, and orchestral strings – into a broad spectrum of textures. Additionally, recordings from renowned synthesiser models provide evolving pads and intricate textures, making SLOWER a versatile tool for any genre, from Hip-Hop to Ambient and Electronica.

Advanced Sound Design Capabilities 

SLOWER is equipped with a powerful sound design engine, featuring 27 built-in effects, envelopes, LFOs, step modulator, aftertouch, and more. Users can customise a five-slot FX chain, utilising delay, distortion, reverb, filters, and other effects curated by sound designers to complement the library’s content. Reverse samples enable the creation of ethereal sounds with a slow attack, while separate controls for noise and wobble enhance the tape’s inherent imperfections. Most parameters can be modulated, offering extensive sound processing possibilities that range from subtle enhancements to dramatic transformations.

Preset Library 

SLOWER comes with 230 presets crafted by top sound designers, providing instant inspiration and a solid foundation for any project. Whether users are seeking warm, moody pianos, unique string textures, or deep wind instruments, the diverse range of presets ensures that there is always a sound to fit the creative vision.

Price & Availability

Intro Price: €99 / $99 (Ends 10th October 2024) Regular Price: €149 / $149 Product Page: https://e-instruments.com/instruments/tape/slower/  Official Promo Video: https://youtu.be/hYgaOZTkUHQ Walkthrough Video: https://youtu.be/tHR0xWgefoA