Download & Install

Pyramid

Articles

FAQ

What is Pyramid?

Pyramid is the interface and workflow which powers a lot of our orchestral instruments. You can see Pyramid in a lot of our popular libraries such as Nucleus, Chorus and Jaeger. Pyramid ensures that once you learn how to use one Audio Imperia library you learn with them all.

Enjoy this cutting-edge technology and move from one Audio Imperia product to the next with an incredibly smooth transition experience.

Which products use Pyramid?

  • Areia
  • Areia Lite Edition
  • Cerberus
  • Chorus
  • Chorus Lite Edition
  • Chorus FX
  • Constrictor
  • Dolce
  • Dolce Lite Edition
  • Fluid Brass
  • Fluid Woods
  • Jaeger
  • Klavier
  • Legacy
  • Nucleus
  • Nucleus Lite Edition
  • Solo
  • Talos
  • Trailer Guitars 2
  • Otamatone

Do I need to download Pyramid?

No. Pyramid is installed automatically when you download your Audio Imperia product through Native Access. You don’t need to configure anything else except load your product in Kontakt like normal.

Overview

Multisamples

Tonal Instruments

On tonal instruments, like violins or trumpets, you can play different pitches, so samples must be mapped to the corresponding keys (Instrument range). Keyswitches are used to switch between articulations.

In Pyramid, the playing range is shown in the aqua blue and keyswitches are shown in red.

Atonal Instruments

On atonal instruments, like snare drums or cymbals, you can’t play different pitches, so samples can be mapped to any key. This means a single patch can contain multiple instruments, with each of their articulations mapped to different keys.

Patch Layout

Both Tonal and Atonal multisamples patches share a two-page layout: Basic and Advanced. The basic page contains all the essential elements for quick and easy use of the libraries, while the advanced page augments these with additional controls and customization options.

Tonal - Basic

1. Mixer (Basic), 2. Reverb (Basic), 3. Articulations, 4. Controllers (Basic).

Tonal - Advanced

1. Mixer (Advanced), 2. Reverb (Advanced), 3. Articulations, 4. Keyswitches Options,
5. Controllers (Advanced), 6. Options.

Atonal - Basic

1. Mixer (Basic), 2. Reverb (Basic), 3. Instruments / Articulations (Basic), 4. Select by MIDI, 5. Controllers (Basic).

Atonal - Advanced

1. Mixer (Advanced), 2. Reverb (Advanced), 3. Instruments / Articulations (Advanced), 4. Select by MIDI, 5. Controllers (Advanced), 6. Options.

Orchestral

Mixer

Basic Page Layout

  • The big horizontal slider can be used to crossfade between the different mic positions from closest to farthest.
  • Classic mix: Features the raw and unprocessed sound of the original recordings.
  • Modern mix: Adds subtle processing for a ready-to-go cinematic sound.

Advanced Page Layout

  • The small vertical sliders control the volume for a specific mic position/mix.
  • The knobs control the pan for a specific mic position/mix.
  • Individual mic positions/mixes can be loaded or purged using the name buttons. Use the control/command key for exclusive purging.
  • Different outputs can be assigned for each mic position/mix using the down arrow menus.

Reverb

Basic Page Layout

  • The knob controls the send amount for the reverb.
  • The on/off button toggles the reverb send bypass.

Advanced Page Layout

  • On/off button: Toggles the reverb send bypass.
  • Pre-Delay: Controls the amount of reverb pre-delay.
  • Time: Controls the reverb time.
  • Reverb Type: Selects from the two available reverb algorithms: Room and Hall.
  • Amount: Controls the send amount for the reverb.

Articulations

Articulations (Tonal)

Articulations can be selected by clicking the articulation’s name in the list (1), or by using keyswitches.


The keyswitch display shows the currently mapped keyswitch for each articulation (2).

 

Individual articulations can be loaded or purged using the power buttons (3). Use the control/command key for exclusive purging.

Keyswitch Options (Tonal)

Keyswitches can be moved up or down the keyboard by clicking and dragging the keyboard icon or by clicking the small arrows to either side (1).

Keyswitches can be locked using the padlock button (2). When locked, keyswitch commands via MIDI are ignored, though switching is still possible by clicking the articulation’s name in the list.

Instruments & Articulations (Atonal)

Basic Page Layout

Clicking an instrument name (1) reveals the available articulations for that instrument.

Entire instruments can be purged or loaded by using the power button next to the instrument name (2). Articulations can also be individually purged or loaded by using the power button next to the articulation name (3).

The instrument color can be previewed on the basic page, this color is reflected on all keys that trigger the instrument. (7).

Advanced Page Layout

Each articulation can be mapped to a maximum of two keys. Click the (+) button (4) to enable two-key mapping. To go back to one-key mapping, click the (-) button.

You can map an articulation to a key by dragging up or down on the key name (5), by typing in the value (double click the key name) or by using MIDI learn. To trigger MIDI learn, click the small MIDI icon (6) and press any key to map the articulation to that key.

The instrument color can be modified on the advanced page by dragging up or down on the color icon. This color is reflected on all keys that trigger the instrument. (7).

 

Select By MIDI - Atonal

The Select by MIDI function (1) when turned on allows you to visualize the instrument that is currently being triggered via MIDI.

Controllers

Basic Page Layout

  • Dynamics: When a long articulation is selected, the dynamics knob crossfades between the different recorded dynamic layers. Note that on short articulations, dynamic layers are triggered via velocity.
  • Expression: An additional layer of volume control that affects the instrument pre-reverb. It can be especially useful when used together with Dynamics for adding even more, as the controller’s name implies, expression in your music.
  • Vibrato: On specific long articulations, the vibrato knob crossfades between the recorded non-vibrato and vibrato samples.
  • Tight: The Tight button is just a simplified Sample Start controller, when setting it to on, Sample Start is set to 0ms, when setting it to off, Sample Start is set to the previously set value. This feature is especially useful when you go back and forth between recording and playback when composing.

Advanced Page Layout

  • Dyn. Range: The Dynamic Range knob applies volume scaling to all articulations. With the Dynamic Range slider set at 0, samples will play back as they were recorded. As you increase the Dynamic Range, all but the loudest dynamic layer scale down, allowing the library to play quieter on the lowest dynamics than originally recorded. With the Dynamic Range slider at maximum, a Dynamics (for long articulations) or Velocity (for short articulations) value of zero will result in silence.
  • Sample Start: The Sample Start controller can be thought of as a “realism/responsiveness” knob. When setting near 0ms, the instrument will respond with lower latency, but attacks, releases, and legato transitions will sound abrupt. When setting near -250ms, it will have the opposite effect, introducing more latency, but with the benefit of more realistic attacks, releases, and legato transitions. For an in-depth explanation of Sample Start, see the “Sample Start” walkthrough video in our YouTube channel.
  • Leg. Smooth: The Legato Smoothness controller affects the length of the crossfades used on legato articulations. Higher values tend to sound smoother but muddier, lower values tend to sound crisper but bumpier. There are no right or wrong answers, just adjust to your taste.

Sample Start

Products in our Pyramid interface benefit from sample start. This feature ensures that your MIDI plays realistically and consistently in time, allowing you to quantise notes and copy MIDI from track to track with predictable results.

Hear more about sample start and how to benefit from it in our video here: 

Options

Options can be selected from the main drop-down menu (1). Enable or disable options using the power button (2). An asterisk will appear next to the name of any enabled options (3).

  • Velocity Curve: This option allows you to change how a patch reacts to velocity. There are three curves that can be selected using the drop-down menu (2): linear, shelf and fixed. These can be further customized by clicking and dragging up or down on the velocity curve display (1).
  • Transpose: (1) Shifts the playable range up or down the keyboard. Note that this option does not affect keyswitches.
  • Range: (2) Increases or decreases the playable range of an articulation above or below the recorded range of the instrument. Unlike the previous options, which are global, Range is set per-articulation. The extended range will show up as yellow on the keyboard.

Envelope: On articulations other than Legato, the envelope controls set Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release for the currently selected articulation. This can be useful for creating pads from sustains, or to adjust the feel of a short articulation.

Polyphonic Legato: On legato articulations, this option allows you to control two independent legato lines by playing notes in a specific velocity range. The Velocity Splits control determines how many lines can be played simultaneously. For instance, with 2 velocity splits, any notes above Velocity 64 trigger one legato line, while notes with a velocity less than 64 trigger a second independent legato line. 

Sound Design

Interface

Sound design patches have a two-page layout as well: Main and FX. The Main page contains a set of essential sound modifying tools, and the FX page contains a set of insert and send effects that you can apply to the sounds.

Main Page

  1. Sound Selector: Click on the sound name to open the sound selection menu. You can also browse through sounds by using the left and right arrows.
  2. Sound Modifiers: Pyramid offers 8 automatable controllers for Volume, Pan, Attack, Release, Pitch, Stereo Spread, Low Pass Filter Cutoff and High Pass Filter Cutoff.
  3. Semitone Lock (Pitch): When enabled, truncates the pitch difference value to semitones.
  4. Sample Start: Determines where playback of the selected sample will start from. Click and drag the cursor to set a new position.
  5. Forward/reverse playback: The direction of the arrow reflects the direction of playback, either forward or reverse.
  6. Global: Determines whether the main page controllers affect the patch globally or per-sound.

FX Page

  1. Effect selector: Click on an effect name to select it.
  2. Effect on/off: Click the power button to turn the effect on/off.
  3. Effect parameters: All the parameters for the selected effect are displayed here. All parameters are automatable.
  4. Save/open buttons: Can be used to save or load presets. Presets are stored in .nka files.

Installation

Articles

Getting Started

Native Access is Native Instruments’ app for downloading, installing and activating Kontakt based instruments. You can use Native Access to install any of your Audio Imperia libraries or Kontakt.

Download Native Access

Throughout the installation, you will need to follow the instructions on screen.

Once installed, you will be prompted to create a Native Access account which you will need to register your library to your account. This will allow you to re-download and update your library.

You will see a login dialogue similar to the image below.

Registering your library

Once you have logged in to Native Access, you will see an option to register your serial number in the bottom left hand corner.

Once this ‘Add Serial’ dialogue has opened, you can enter your serial sent to you in your ‘Your download from Audio Imperia is now ready!’ email you would have received after purchasing.

Your serial will be found towards the bottom of the email under the order subtotal.

Once you have clicked ‘Add Serial’ you will see the product under your ‘Library’. You can navigate quickly to your Audio Imperia libraries using the ‘Brands’ subfilter.

You can then navigate to your product in your ‘Library’ and click the install button underneath the product name to download and install your purchased product. 

How do I install Kontakt / Kontakt Player?

Within the filter at the top of Native Access, choose ‘Applications’ and scroll until you find Kontakt or Kontakt Player. Once installed, you’ll be able to load Kontakt inside your DAW of choice as an instrument plugin. 

How to load my library in Logic Pro X
How to load my library in Cubase

Loading my product in Logic Pro X

Loading your Audio Imperia library in Logic Pro X is a quick and simple process. For this demonstration, we’ll start in an empty Logic project.

Once in your empty project, click the ‘Details’ dropdown whilst selecting to create a new MIDI Software Instrument track.

Once the Details area is open, click the dropdown to select the Kontakt plugin for your track.

Depending on what version of Kontakt you have installed you may see a different name. 

All Audio Imperia libraries can be used on Kontakt 6 (name: Kontakt), Kontakt 7 or Kontakt 8.

Click the stereo version of the plugin and you will see the plugin be selected. You can now press ‘Create’ to make your new track with Kontakt loaded.

Opening your product in Kontakt

If you don’t see the Kontakt plugin window open straight away, navigate to the track ‘Inspector’ area on the left hand side and click the plugin name, highlighted in blue.

You can know which version of Kontakt you have loaded by the name of the plugin loaded. 

  • Kontakt 6 will show as ‘Kontakt’ within Logic.
  • Kontakt 7 will show as ‘Kontakt 7’ within Logic.
  • Kontakt 8 will show as ‘Kontakt 8’ within Logic.

Toggle on the browser on the right using the dropdown here. You will need to enable “Browser”.

Now, on the left hand side click ‘Libraries’. You will see your Audio Imperia products here. Clicking ‘Instruments’ will show the various folders you can use to load your sounds.

Virtual instruments show as .nki files. Double clicking one will load it into your rack on the right hand side.

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the Library browser:

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the side-pane browser:

In the side pane on the left, make sure that the Instruments category is selected (this should be the case by default), otherwise click Instruments to select that category.

You can now navigate and select your product’s artwork tile.

Click on the arrow icon (>) in the top right corner of the instrument’s artwork to load the instrument and its first preset.

Alternatively, you can click the instrument’s artwork to display the list of its presets.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

Loading my product in Cubase

Loading your Audio Imperia library in Cubase is a quick and simple process. For this demonstration, we’ll start in an empty Cubase project.

Click the “+” button towards the top of your tracks view and select ‘Instrument’.

In the dialogue underneath this click the plugin name and search for Kontakt.

You can now click ‘Add Track’.

Opening your product in Kontakt

If you don’t see the Kontakt plugin window open straight away, navigate to the track ‘Inspector’ area on the left hand side and click the button below to open the plugin window. In the screenshot below this is highlighted in yellow.

Toggle on the browser on the right using the dropdown here. You will need to enable “Browser”.

Now, on the left hand side click ‘Libraries’. You will see your Audio Imperia products here. Clicking ‘Instruments’ will show the various folders you can use to load your sounds.

Virtual instruments show as .nki files. Double clicking one will load it into your rack on the right hand side.

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the Library browser:

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the side-pane browser:

In the side pane on the left, make sure that the Instruments category is selected (this should be the case by default), otherwise click Instruments to select that category.

You can now navigate and select your product’s artwork tile.

Click on the arrow icon (>) in the top right corner of the instrument’s artwork to load the instrument and its first preset.

Alternatively, you can click the instrument’s artwork to display the list of its presets.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

Getting Started

Native Access is Native Instruments’ app for downloading, installing and activating Kontakt based instruments. You can use Native Access to install any of your Audio Imperia libraries or Kontakt.

Download Native Access

Throughout the installation, you will need to follow the instructions on screen.

Once installed, you will be prompted to create a Native Access account which you will need to register your library to your account. This will allow you to re-download and update your library.

You will see a login dialogue similar to the image below.

Registering your library

Once you have logged in to Native Access, you will see an option to register your serial number in the bottom left hand corner.

Once this ‘Add Serial’ dialogue has opened, you can enter your serial sent to you in your ‘Your download from Audio Imperia is now ready!’ email you would have received after purchasing.

Your serial will be found towards the bottom of the email under the order subtotal.

Once you have clicked ‘Add Serial’ you will see the product under your ‘Library’. You can navigate quickly to your Audio Imperia libraries using the ‘Brands’ subfilter.

You can then navigate to your product in your ‘Library’ and click the install button underneath the product name to download and install your purchased product. 

How do I install Kontakt / Kontakt Player?

Within the filter at the top of Native Access, choose ‘Applications’ and scroll until you find Kontakt or Kontakt Player. Once installed, you’ll be able to load Kontakt inside your DAW of choice as an instrument plugin. 

How to load my library in Logic Pro X
How to load my library in Cubase

FAQ

Articles

What is Pyramid?

Pyramid is the interface and workflow which powers a lot of our orchestral instruments. You can see Pyramid in a lot of our popular libraries such as Nucleus, Chorus and Jaeger. Pyramid ensures that once you learn how to use one Audio Imperia library you learn with them all.

Enjoy this cutting-edge technology and move from one Audio Imperia product to the next with an incredibly smooth transition experience.

Which products use Pyramid?

  • Areia
  • Areia Lite Edition
  • Cerberus
  • Chorus
  • Chorus Lite Edition
  • Chorus FX
  • Constrictor
  • Dolce
  • Dolce Lite Edition
  • Fluid Brass
  • Fluid Woods
  • Jaeger
  • Klavier
  • Legacy
  • Nucleus
  • Nucleus Lite Edition
  • Solo
  • Talos
  • Trailer Guitars 2
  • Otamatone

Do I need to download Pyramid?

No. Pyramid is installed automatically when you download your Audio Imperia product through Native Access. You don’t need to configure anything else except load your product in Kontakt like normal.

What is Pyramid?

Pyramid is the interface and workflow which powers a lot of our orchestral instruments. You can see Pyramid in a lot of our popular libraries such as Nucleus, Chorus and Jaeger. Pyramid ensures that once you learn how to use one Audio Imperia library you learn with them all.

Enjoy this cutting-edge technology and move from one Audio Imperia product to the next with an incredibly smooth transition experience.

Which products use Pyramid?

  • Areia
  • Areia Lite Edition
  • Cerberus
  • Chorus
  • Chorus Lite Edition
  • Chorus FX
  • Constrictor
  • Dolce
  • Dolce Lite Edition
  • Fluid Brass
  • Fluid Woods
  • Jaeger
  • Klavier
  • Legacy
  • Nucleus
  • Nucleus Lite Edition
  • Solo
  • Talos
  • Trailer Guitars 2
  • Otamatone

FAQs

Articles

Native Access System Requirements

Audio Imperia products require Native Access 2 to install with the following system requirements. 

System Requirements

macOS 12, 13, 14, 15 (latest update) (with Rosetta 2)

Windows 10, 11 (latest Service Pack, 32/64-bit), Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU, 2 GB RAM.

Graphics hardware support for OpenGL 2.1 or higher – in case of graphics issues, please install the latest drivers for your GPU. This can be necessary even if Windows reports them as up to date.

Requires an internet connection in order to install and update your products.

FAQs

What if my computer cannot run Native Access 2?

Whilst Native Access 2 is required to install your product you may be able to download it through other means and activate it through Native Access 1, which supports a range of older operating systems.

Please contact us through our support system and we can guide you through this to ensure you can download your product.

Do I need to have internet access to be able to access my product after install?

No. Once installed, your computer does not need ongoing internet access to be able to access and use your product. This is the same for Kontakt and Kontakt Player.

How do I update my product?

Updates can be found in Native Access on the left hand side ‘Updates’ area. Clicking this will show you which products can be updated.

Clicking the dropdown “…” and “Release Notes” can tell you what has been added in the latest version. Clicking Update will download the update straight away.

When you update, any existing DAW projects will load as before, but you will see the new content in the relevant browsers in Kontakt. 

What are crossgrades?

Crossgrades allow you to get a discount off future purchases when you buy selected products.

How does it work?

When you purchase a product with an eligible crossgrade path, the price you bought it for will be automatically added as a discount when you decide to buy the full version. As long as you are logged in, you will see your unique price within our store on future visits.

Purchased for $99

RRP $449

You can purchase for $449 – $99

= $350

You can view eligible crossgrade paths here. 

How do I crossgrade and what products are eligible?

Logging in to your www.audioimperia.com account that you used to purchase your license will ensure you see the best prices for you across our webstore.

Login here
Reset password

Watch the video below for help managing your account: 

Eligible Crossgrades

Nucleus Lite Edition to Nucleus

Areia Lite Edition to Areia

Chorus Lite Edition to Chorus

Chorus FX to Chorus

Dolce Lite Edition to Dolce

Due to content overlap, owners of Jaeger, Nucleus or Areia are entitled to $100 off either of the products in this list.

MIDI Files

Download all the MIDI files you will need throughout our free education course, Journey to Becoming A Composer

Watch the series here

Download Files

Loading my product in Logic Pro X

Loading your Audio Imperia library in Logic Pro X is a quick and simple process. For this demonstration, we’ll start in an empty Logic project.

Once in your empty project, click the ‘Details’ dropdown whilst selecting to create a new MIDI Software Instrument track.

Once the Details area is open, click the dropdown to select the Kontakt plugin for your track.

Depending on what version of Kontakt you have installed you may see a different name. 

All Audio Imperia libraries can be used on Kontakt 6 (name: Kontakt), Kontakt 7 or Kontakt 8.

Click the stereo version of the plugin and you will see the plugin be selected. You can now press ‘Create’ to make your new track with Kontakt loaded.

Opening your product in Kontakt

If you don’t see the Kontakt plugin window open straight away, navigate to the track ‘Inspector’ area on the left hand side and click the plugin name, highlighted in blue.

You can know which version of Kontakt you have loaded by the name of the plugin loaded. 

  • Kontakt 6 will show as ‘Kontakt’ within Logic.
  • Kontakt 7 will show as ‘Kontakt 7’ within Logic.
  • Kontakt 8 will show as ‘Kontakt 8’ within Logic.

Toggle on the browser on the right using the dropdown here. You will need to enable “Browser”.

Now, on the left hand side click ‘Libraries’. You will see your Audio Imperia products here. Clicking ‘Instruments’ will show the various folders you can use to load your sounds.

Virtual instruments show as .nki files. Double clicking one will load it into your rack on the right hand side.

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the Library browser:

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the side-pane browser:

In the side pane on the left, make sure that the Instruments category is selected (this should be the case by default), otherwise click Instruments to select that category.

You can now navigate and select your product’s artwork tile.

Click on the arrow icon (>) in the top right corner of the instrument’s artwork to load the instrument and its first preset.

Alternatively, you can click the instrument’s artwork to display the list of its presets.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

Journey To Becoming a Composer

Articles

MIDI Files

Download all the MIDI files you will need throughout our free education course, Journey to Becoming A Composer

Watch the series here

Download Files

Desktop App & Manual

In order to get the most out of your new FVDE, please make sure to download the FVDE desktop app.

Mac Version Available here

Windows Version Available here

You can also download the FVDE manual here

Overview

Articles

Multisamples

Tonal Instruments

On tonal instruments, like violins or trumpets, you can play different pitches, so samples must be mapped to the corresponding keys (Instrument range). Keyswitches are used to switch between articulations.

In Pyramid, the playing range is shown in the aqua blue and keyswitches are shown in red.

Atonal Instruments

On atonal instruments, like snare drums or cymbals, you can’t play different pitches, so samples can be mapped to any key. This means a single patch can contain multiple instruments, with each of their articulations mapped to different keys.

Patch Layout

Both Tonal and Atonal multisamples patches share a two-page layout: Basic and Advanced. The basic page contains all the essential elements for quick and easy use of the libraries, while the advanced page augments these with additional controls and customization options.

Tonal - Basic

1. Mixer (Basic), 2. Reverb (Basic), 3. Articulations, 4. Controllers (Basic).

Tonal - Advanced

1. Mixer (Advanced), 2. Reverb (Advanced), 3. Articulations, 4. Keyswitches Options,
5. Controllers (Advanced), 6. Options.

Atonal - Basic

1. Mixer (Basic), 2. Reverb (Basic), 3. Instruments / Articulations (Basic), 4. Select by MIDI, 5. Controllers (Basic).

Atonal - Advanced

1. Mixer (Advanced), 2. Reverb (Advanced), 3. Instruments / Articulations (Advanced), 4. Select by MIDI, 5. Controllers (Advanced), 6. Options.

Downloads and Installation

Articles

Desktop App & Manual

In order to get the most out of your new FVDE, please make sure to download the FVDE desktop app.

Mac Version Available here

Windows Version Available here

You can also download the FVDE manual here

Do I need to download Pyramid?

No. Pyramid is installed automatically when you download your Audio Imperia product through Native Access. You don’t need to configure anything else except load your product in Kontakt like normal.

Download & Installation

Articles

Installation

Getting Started

Native Access is Native Instruments’ app for downloading, installing and activating Kontakt based instruments. You can use Native Access to install any of your Audio Imperia libraries or Kontakt.

Download Native Access

Throughout the installation, you will need to follow the instructions on screen.

Once installed, you will be prompted to create a Native Access account which you will need to register your library to your account. This will allow you to re-download and update your library.

You will see a login dialogue similar to the image below.

Registering your library

Once you have logged in to Native Access, you will see an option to register your serial number in the bottom left hand corner.

Once this ‘Add Serial’ dialogue has opened, you can enter your serial sent to you in your ‘Your download from Audio Imperia is now ready!’ email you would have received after purchasing.

Your serial will be found towards the bottom of the email under the order subtotal.

Once you have clicked ‘Add Serial’ you will see the product under your ‘Library’. You can navigate quickly to your Audio Imperia libraries using the ‘Brands’ subfilter.

You can then navigate to your product in your ‘Library’ and click the install button underneath the product name to download and install your purchased product. 

How do I install Kontakt / Kontakt Player?

Within the filter at the top of Native Access, choose ‘Applications’ and scroll until you find Kontakt or Kontakt Player. Once installed, you’ll be able to load Kontakt inside your DAW of choice as an instrument plugin. 

How to load my library in Logic Pro X
How to load my library in Cubase

Loading my product in Logic Pro X

Loading your Audio Imperia library in Logic Pro X is a quick and simple process. For this demonstration, we’ll start in an empty Logic project.

Once in your empty project, click the ‘Details’ dropdown whilst selecting to create a new MIDI Software Instrument track.

Once the Details area is open, click the dropdown to select the Kontakt plugin for your track.

Depending on what version of Kontakt you have installed you may see a different name. 

All Audio Imperia libraries can be used on Kontakt 6 (name: Kontakt), Kontakt 7 or Kontakt 8.

Click the stereo version of the plugin and you will see the plugin be selected. You can now press ‘Create’ to make your new track with Kontakt loaded.

Opening your product in Kontakt

If you don’t see the Kontakt plugin window open straight away, navigate to the track ‘Inspector’ area on the left hand side and click the plugin name, highlighted in blue.

You can know which version of Kontakt you have loaded by the name of the plugin loaded. 

  • Kontakt 6 will show as ‘Kontakt’ within Logic.
  • Kontakt 7 will show as ‘Kontakt 7’ within Logic.
  • Kontakt 8 will show as ‘Kontakt 8’ within Logic.

Toggle on the browser on the right using the dropdown here. You will need to enable “Browser”.

Now, on the left hand side click ‘Libraries’. You will see your Audio Imperia products here. Clicking ‘Instruments’ will show the various folders you can use to load your sounds.

Virtual instruments show as .nki files. Double clicking one will load it into your rack on the right hand side.

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the Library browser:

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the side-pane browser:

In the side pane on the left, make sure that the Instruments category is selected (this should be the case by default), otherwise click Instruments to select that category.

You can now navigate and select your product’s artwork tile.

Click on the arrow icon (>) in the top right corner of the instrument’s artwork to load the instrument and its first preset.

Alternatively, you can click the instrument’s artwork to display the list of its presets.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

Loading my product in Cubase

Loading your Audio Imperia library in Cubase is a quick and simple process. For this demonstration, we’ll start in an empty Cubase project.

Click the “+” button towards the top of your tracks view and select ‘Instrument’.

In the dialogue underneath this click the plugin name and search for Kontakt.

You can now click ‘Add Track’.

Opening your product in Kontakt

If you don’t see the Kontakt plugin window open straight away, navigate to the track ‘Inspector’ area on the left hand side and click the button below to open the plugin window. In the screenshot below this is highlighted in yellow.

Toggle on the browser on the right using the dropdown here. You will need to enable “Browser”.

Now, on the left hand side click ‘Libraries’. You will see your Audio Imperia products here. Clicking ‘Instruments’ will show the various folders you can use to load your sounds.

Virtual instruments show as .nki files. Double clicking one will load it into your rack on the right hand side.

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the Library browser:

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the side-pane browser:

In the side pane on the left, make sure that the Instruments category is selected (this should be the case by default), otherwise click Instruments to select that category.

You can now navigate and select your product’s artwork tile.

Click on the arrow icon (>) in the top right corner of the instrument’s artwork to load the instrument and its first preset.

Alternatively, you can click the instrument’s artwork to display the list of its presets.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

FAQs

Native Access System Requirements

Audio Imperia products require Native Access 2 to install with the following system requirements. 

System Requirements

macOS 12, 13, 14, 15 (latest update) (with Rosetta 2)

Windows 10, 11 (latest Service Pack, 32/64-bit), Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU, 2 GB RAM.

Graphics hardware support for OpenGL 2.1 or higher – in case of graphics issues, please install the latest drivers for your GPU. This can be necessary even if Windows reports them as up to date.

Requires an internet connection in order to install and update your products.

FAQs

What if my computer cannot run Native Access 2?

Whilst Native Access 2 is required to install your product you may be able to download it through other means and activate it through Native Access 1, which supports a range of older operating systems.

Please contact us through our support system and we can guide you through this to ensure you can download your product.

Do I need to have internet access to be able to access my product after install?

No. Once installed, your computer does not need ongoing internet access to be able to access and use your product. This is the same for Kontakt and Kontakt Player.

How do I update my product?

Updates can be found in Native Access on the left hand side ‘Updates’ area. Clicking this will show you which products can be updated.

Clicking the dropdown “…” and “Release Notes” can tell you what has been added in the latest version. Clicking Update will download the update straight away.

When you update, any existing DAW projects will load as before, but you will see the new content in the relevant browsers in Kontakt. 

What are crossgrades?

Crossgrades allow you to get a discount off future purchases when you buy selected products.

How does it work?

When you purchase a product with an eligible crossgrade path, the price you bought it for will be automatically added as a discount when you decide to buy the full version. As long as you are logged in, you will see your unique price within our store on future visits.

Purchased for $99

RRP $449

You can purchase for $449 – $99

= $350

You can view eligible crossgrade paths here. 

How do I crossgrade and what products are eligible?

Logging in to your www.audioimperia.com account that you used to purchase your license will ensure you see the best prices for you across our webstore.

Login here
Reset password

Watch the video below for help managing your account: 

Eligible Crossgrades

Nucleus Lite Edition to Nucleus

Areia Lite Edition to Areia

Chorus Lite Edition to Chorus

Chorus FX to Chorus

Dolce Lite Edition to Dolce

Due to content overlap, owners of Jaeger, Nucleus or Areia are entitled to $100 off either of the products in this list.

Orchestral

Articles

Mixer

Basic Page Layout

  • The big horizontal slider can be used to crossfade between the different mic positions from closest to farthest.
  • Classic mix: Features the raw and unprocessed sound of the original recordings.
  • Modern mix: Adds subtle processing for a ready-to-go cinematic sound.

Advanced Page Layout

  • The small vertical sliders control the volume for a specific mic position/mix.
  • The knobs control the pan for a specific mic position/mix.
  • Individual mic positions/mixes can be loaded or purged using the name buttons. Use the control/command key for exclusive purging.
  • Different outputs can be assigned for each mic position/mix using the down arrow menus.

Reverb

Basic Page Layout

  • The knob controls the send amount for the reverb.
  • The on/off button toggles the reverb send bypass.

Advanced Page Layout

  • On/off button: Toggles the reverb send bypass.
  • Pre-Delay: Controls the amount of reverb pre-delay.
  • Time: Controls the reverb time.
  • Reverb Type: Selects from the two available reverb algorithms: Room and Hall.
  • Amount: Controls the send amount for the reverb.

Articulations

Articulations (Tonal)

Articulations can be selected by clicking the articulation’s name in the list (1), or by using keyswitches.


The keyswitch display shows the currently mapped keyswitch for each articulation (2).

 

Individual articulations can be loaded or purged using the power buttons (3). Use the control/command key for exclusive purging.

Keyswitch Options (Tonal)

Keyswitches can be moved up or down the keyboard by clicking and dragging the keyboard icon or by clicking the small arrows to either side (1).

Keyswitches can be locked using the padlock button (2). When locked, keyswitch commands via MIDI are ignored, though switching is still possible by clicking the articulation’s name in the list.

Instruments & Articulations (Atonal)

Basic Page Layout

Clicking an instrument name (1) reveals the available articulations for that instrument.

Entire instruments can be purged or loaded by using the power button next to the instrument name (2). Articulations can also be individually purged or loaded by using the power button next to the articulation name (3).

The instrument color can be previewed on the basic page, this color is reflected on all keys that trigger the instrument. (7).

Advanced Page Layout

Each articulation can be mapped to a maximum of two keys. Click the (+) button (4) to enable two-key mapping. To go back to one-key mapping, click the (-) button.

You can map an articulation to a key by dragging up or down on the key name (5), by typing in the value (double click the key name) or by using MIDI learn. To trigger MIDI learn, click the small MIDI icon (6) and press any key to map the articulation to that key.

The instrument color can be modified on the advanced page by dragging up or down on the color icon. This color is reflected on all keys that trigger the instrument. (7).

 

Select By MIDI - Atonal

The Select by MIDI function (1) when turned on allows you to visualize the instrument that is currently being triggered via MIDI.

Controllers

Basic Page Layout

  • Dynamics: When a long articulation is selected, the dynamics knob crossfades between the different recorded dynamic layers. Note that on short articulations, dynamic layers are triggered via velocity.
  • Expression: An additional layer of volume control that affects the instrument pre-reverb. It can be especially useful when used together with Dynamics for adding even more, as the controller’s name implies, expression in your music.
  • Vibrato: On specific long articulations, the vibrato knob crossfades between the recorded non-vibrato and vibrato samples.
  • Tight: The Tight button is just a simplified Sample Start controller, when setting it to on, Sample Start is set to 0ms, when setting it to off, Sample Start is set to the previously set value. This feature is especially useful when you go back and forth between recording and playback when composing.

Advanced Page Layout

  • Dyn. Range: The Dynamic Range knob applies volume scaling to all articulations. With the Dynamic Range slider set at 0, samples will play back as they were recorded. As you increase the Dynamic Range, all but the loudest dynamic layer scale down, allowing the library to play quieter on the lowest dynamics than originally recorded. With the Dynamic Range slider at maximum, a Dynamics (for long articulations) or Velocity (for short articulations) value of zero will result in silence.
  • Sample Start: The Sample Start controller can be thought of as a “realism/responsiveness” knob. When setting near 0ms, the instrument will respond with lower latency, but attacks, releases, and legato transitions will sound abrupt. When setting near -250ms, it will have the opposite effect, introducing more latency, but with the benefit of more realistic attacks, releases, and legato transitions. For an in-depth explanation of Sample Start, see the “Sample Start” walkthrough video in our YouTube channel.
  • Leg. Smooth: The Legato Smoothness controller affects the length of the crossfades used on legato articulations. Higher values tend to sound smoother but muddier, lower values tend to sound crisper but bumpier. There are no right or wrong answers, just adjust to your taste.

Sample Start

Products in our Pyramid interface benefit from sample start. This feature ensures that your MIDI plays realistically and consistently in time, allowing you to quantise notes and copy MIDI from track to track with predictable results.

Hear more about sample start and how to benefit from it in our video here: 

Options

Options can be selected from the main drop-down menu (1). Enable or disable options using the power button (2). An asterisk will appear next to the name of any enabled options (3).

  • Velocity Curve: This option allows you to change how a patch reacts to velocity. There are three curves that can be selected using the drop-down menu (2): linear, shelf and fixed. These can be further customized by clicking and dragging up or down on the velocity curve display (1).
  • Transpose: (1) Shifts the playable range up or down the keyboard. Note that this option does not affect keyswitches.
  • Range: (2) Increases or decreases the playable range of an articulation above or below the recorded range of the instrument. Unlike the previous options, which are global, Range is set per-articulation. The extended range will show up as yellow on the keyboard.

Envelope: On articulations other than Legato, the envelope controls set Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release for the currently selected articulation. This can be useful for creating pads from sustains, or to adjust the feel of a short articulation.

Polyphonic Legato: On legato articulations, this option allows you to control two independent legato lines by playing notes in a specific velocity range. The Velocity Splits control determines how many lines can be played simultaneously. For instance, with 2 velocity splits, any notes above Velocity 64 trigger one legato line, while notes with a velocity less than 64 trigger a second independent legato line. 

Loading my product in Cubase

Loading your Audio Imperia library in Cubase is a quick and simple process. For this demonstration, we’ll start in an empty Cubase project.

Click the “+” button towards the top of your tracks view and select ‘Instrument’.

In the dialogue underneath this click the plugin name and search for Kontakt.

You can now click ‘Add Track’.

Opening your product in Kontakt

If you don’t see the Kontakt plugin window open straight away, navigate to the track ‘Inspector’ area on the left hand side and click the button below to open the plugin window. In the screenshot below this is highlighted in yellow.

Toggle on the browser on the right using the dropdown here. You will need to enable “Browser”.

Now, on the left hand side click ‘Libraries’. You will see your Audio Imperia products here. Clicking ‘Instruments’ will show the various folders you can use to load your sounds.

Virtual instruments show as .nki files. Double clicking one will load it into your rack on the right hand side.

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the Library browser:

Highlight the LIBRARY button in Kontakt’s header and click the Instruments tab:

The Library Browser displays all Kontakt libraries that are installed. Scroll through the browser and click the picture icon for your library. This will display a list of instrument presets on the right.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

To load an instrument using the side-pane browser:

In the side pane on the left, make sure that the Instruments category is selected (this should be the case by default), otherwise click Instruments to select that category.

You can now navigate and select your product’s artwork tile.

Click on the arrow icon (>) in the top right corner of the instrument’s artwork to load the instrument and its first preset.

Alternatively, you can click the instrument’s artwork to display the list of its presets.

A lot of Audio Imperia libraries are setup so you can browse using ‘Banks’. Think of them like virtual folders. Clicking these will allow you to filter to different types of instruments and patch types.

Clicking once on a preset will activate a preview. Double-clicking the preset will load the instrument.

Multisamples

Tonal Instruments

On tonal instruments, like violins or trumpets, you can play different pitches, so samples must be mapped to the corresponding keys (Instrument range). Keyswitches are used to switch between articulations.

In Pyramid, the playing range is shown in the aqua blue and keyswitches are shown in red.

Atonal Instruments

On atonal instruments, like snare drums or cymbals, you can’t play different pitches, so samples can be mapped to any key. This means a single patch can contain multiple instruments, with each of their articulations mapped to different keys.

Native Access System Requirements

Audio Imperia products require Native Access 2 to install with the following system requirements. 

System Requirements

macOS 12, 13, 14, 15 (latest update) (with Rosetta 2)

Windows 10, 11 (latest Service Pack, 32/64-bit), Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU, 2 GB RAM.

Graphics hardware support for OpenGL 2.1 or higher – in case of graphics issues, please install the latest drivers for your GPU. This can be necessary even if Windows reports them as up to date.

Requires an internet connection in order to install and update your products.

FAQs

What if my computer cannot run Native Access 2?

Whilst Native Access 2 is required to install your product you may be able to download it through other means and activate it through Native Access 1, which supports a range of older operating systems.

Please contact us through our support system and we can guide you through this to ensure you can download your product.

Do I need to have internet access to be able to access my product after install?

No. Once installed, your computer does not need ongoing internet access to be able to access and use your product. This is the same for Kontakt and Kontakt Player.

Sound Design

Articles

Interface

Sound design patches have a two-page layout as well: Main and FX. The Main page contains a set of essential sound modifying tools, and the FX page contains a set of insert and send effects that you can apply to the sounds.

Main Page

  1. Sound Selector: Click on the sound name to open the sound selection menu. You can also browse through sounds by using the left and right arrows.
  2. Sound Modifiers: Pyramid offers 8 automatable controllers for Volume, Pan, Attack, Release, Pitch, Stereo Spread, Low Pass Filter Cutoff and High Pass Filter Cutoff.
  3. Semitone Lock (Pitch): When enabled, truncates the pitch difference value to semitones.
  4. Sample Start: Determines where playback of the selected sample will start from. Click and drag the cursor to set a new position.
  5. Forward/reverse playback: The direction of the arrow reflects the direction of playback, either forward or reverse.
  6. Global: Determines whether the main page controllers affect the patch globally or per-sound.

FX Page

  1. Effect selector: Click on an effect name to select it.
  2. Effect on/off: Click the power button to turn the effect on/off.
  3. Effect parameters: All the parameters for the selected effect are displayed here. All parameters are automatable.
  4. Save/open buttons: Can be used to save or load presets. Presets are stored in .nka files.

Patch Layout

Both Tonal and Atonal multisamples patches share a two-page layout: Basic and Advanced. The basic page contains all the essential elements for quick and easy use of the libraries, while the advanced page augments these with additional controls and customization options.

Tonal - Basic

1. Mixer (Basic), 2. Reverb (Basic), 3. Articulations, 4. Controllers (Basic).

Tonal - Advanced

1. Mixer (Advanced), 2. Reverb (Advanced), 3. Articulations, 4. Keyswitches Options,
5. Controllers (Advanced), 6. Options.

Atonal - Basic

1. Mixer (Basic), 2. Reverb (Basic), 3. Instruments / Articulations (Basic), 4. Select by MIDI, 5. Controllers (Basic).

Atonal - Advanced

1. Mixer (Advanced), 2. Reverb (Advanced), 3. Instruments / Articulations (Advanced), 4. Select by MIDI, 5. Controllers (Advanced), 6. Options.

FVDE

Articles

Downloads and Installation

Desktop App & Manual

In order to get the most out of your new FVDE, please make sure to download the FVDE desktop app.

Mac Version Available here

Windows Version Available here

You can also download the FVDE manual here

Mixer

Basic Page Layout

  • The big horizontal slider can be used to crossfade between the different mic positions from closest to farthest.
  • Classic mix: Features the raw and unprocessed sound of the original recordings.
  • Modern mix: Adds subtle processing for a ready-to-go cinematic sound.

Advanced Page Layout

  • The small vertical sliders control the volume for a specific mic position/mix.
  • The knobs control the pan for a specific mic position/mix.
  • Individual mic positions/mixes can be loaded or purged using the name buttons. Use the control/command key for exclusive purging.
  • Different outputs can be assigned for each mic position/mix using the down arrow menus.

How do I update my product?

Updates can be found in Native Access on the left hand side ‘Updates’ area. Clicking this will show you which products can be updated.

Clicking the dropdown “…” and “Release Notes” can tell you what has been added in the latest version. Clicking Update will download the update straight away.

When you update, any existing DAW projects will load as before, but you will see the new content in the relevant browsers in Kontakt. 

What are crossgrades?

Crossgrades allow you to get a discount off future purchases when you buy selected products.

How does it work?

When you purchase a product with an eligible crossgrade path, the price you bought it for will be automatically added as a discount when you decide to buy the full version. As long as you are logged in, you will see your unique price within our store on future visits.

Purchased for $99

RRP $449

You can purchase for $449 – $99

= $350

You can view eligible crossgrade paths here. 

Reverb

Basic Page Layout

  • The knob controls the send amount for the reverb.
  • The on/off button toggles the reverb send bypass.

Advanced Page Layout

  • On/off button: Toggles the reverb send bypass.
  • Pre-Delay: Controls the amount of reverb pre-delay.
  • Time: Controls the reverb time.
  • Reverb Type: Selects from the two available reverb algorithms: Room and Hall.
  • Amount: Controls the send amount for the reverb.

How do I crossgrade and what products are eligible?

Logging in to your www.audioimperia.com account that you used to purchase your license will ensure you see the best prices for you across our webstore.

Login here
Reset password

Watch the video below for help managing your account: 

Eligible Crossgrades

Nucleus Lite Edition to Nucleus

Areia Lite Edition to Areia

Chorus Lite Edition to Chorus

Chorus FX to Chorus

Dolce Lite Edition to Dolce

Due to content overlap, owners of Jaeger, Nucleus or Areia are entitled to $100 off either of the products in this list.

Articulations

Articulations (Tonal)

Articulations can be selected by clicking the articulation’s name in the list (1), or by using keyswitches.


The keyswitch display shows the currently mapped keyswitch for each articulation (2).

 

Individual articulations can be loaded or purged using the power buttons (3). Use the control/command key for exclusive purging.

Keyswitch Options (Tonal)

Keyswitches can be moved up or down the keyboard by clicking and dragging the keyboard icon or by clicking the small arrows to either side (1).

Keyswitches can be locked using the padlock button (2). When locked, keyswitch commands via MIDI are ignored, though switching is still possible by clicking the articulation’s name in the list.

Instruments & Articulations (Atonal)

Basic Page Layout

Clicking an instrument name (1) reveals the available articulations for that instrument.

Entire instruments can be purged or loaded by using the power button next to the instrument name (2). Articulations can also be individually purged or loaded by using the power button next to the articulation name (3).

The instrument color can be previewed on the basic page, this color is reflected on all keys that trigger the instrument. (7).

Advanced Page Layout

Each articulation can be mapped to a maximum of two keys. Click the (+) button (4) to enable two-key mapping. To go back to one-key mapping, click the (-) button.

You can map an articulation to a key by dragging up or down on the key name (5), by typing in the value (double click the key name) or by using MIDI learn. To trigger MIDI learn, click the small MIDI icon (6) and press any key to map the articulation to that key.

The instrument color can be modified on the advanced page by dragging up or down on the color icon. This color is reflected on all keys that trigger the instrument. (7).

 

Select By MIDI - Atonal

The Select by MIDI function (1) when turned on allows you to visualize the instrument that is currently being triggered via MIDI.

Controllers

Basic Page Layout

  • Dynamics: When a long articulation is selected, the dynamics knob crossfades between the different recorded dynamic layers. Note that on short articulations, dynamic layers are triggered via velocity.
  • Expression: An additional layer of volume control that affects the instrument pre-reverb. It can be especially useful when used together with Dynamics for adding even more, as the controller’s name implies, expression in your music.
  • Vibrato: On specific long articulations, the vibrato knob crossfades between the recorded non-vibrato and vibrato samples.
  • Tight: The Tight button is just a simplified Sample Start controller, when setting it to on, Sample Start is set to 0ms, when setting it to off, Sample Start is set to the previously set value. This feature is especially useful when you go back and forth between recording and playback when composing.

Advanced Page Layout

  • Dyn. Range: The Dynamic Range knob applies volume scaling to all articulations. With the Dynamic Range slider set at 0, samples will play back as they were recorded. As you increase the Dynamic Range, all but the loudest dynamic layer scale down, allowing the library to play quieter on the lowest dynamics than originally recorded. With the Dynamic Range slider at maximum, a Dynamics (for long articulations) or Velocity (for short articulations) value of zero will result in silence.
  • Sample Start: The Sample Start controller can be thought of as a “realism/responsiveness” knob. When setting near 0ms, the instrument will respond with lower latency, but attacks, releases, and legato transitions will sound abrupt. When setting near -250ms, it will have the opposite effect, introducing more latency, but with the benefit of more realistic attacks, releases, and legato transitions. For an in-depth explanation of Sample Start, see the “Sample Start” walkthrough video in our YouTube channel.
  • Leg. Smooth: The Legato Smoothness controller affects the length of the crossfades used on legato articulations. Higher values tend to sound smoother but muddier, lower values tend to sound crisper but bumpier. There are no right or wrong answers, just adjust to your taste.

Sample Start

Products in our Pyramid interface benefit from sample start. This feature ensures that your MIDI plays realistically and consistently in time, allowing you to quantise notes and copy MIDI from track to track with predictable results.

Hear more about sample start and how to benefit from it in our video here: 

Options

Options can be selected from the main drop-down menu (1). Enable or disable options using the power button (2). An asterisk will appear next to the name of any enabled options (3).

  • Velocity Curve: This option allows you to change how a patch reacts to velocity. There are three curves that can be selected using the drop-down menu (2): linear, shelf and fixed. These can be further customized by clicking and dragging up or down on the velocity curve display (1).
  • Transpose: (1) Shifts the playable range up or down the keyboard. Note that this option does not affect keyswitches.
  • Range: (2) Increases or decreases the playable range of an articulation above or below the recorded range of the instrument. Unlike the previous options, which are global, Range is set per-articulation. The extended range will show up as yellow on the keyboard.

Envelope: On articulations other than Legato, the envelope controls set Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release for the currently selected articulation. This can be useful for creating pads from sustains, or to adjust the feel of a short articulation.

Polyphonic Legato: On legato articulations, this option allows you to control two independent legato lines by playing notes in a specific velocity range. The Velocity Splits control determines how many lines can be played simultaneously. For instance, with 2 velocity splits, any notes above Velocity 64 trigger one legato line, while notes with a velocity less than 64 trigger a second independent legato line. 

Interface

Sound design patches have a two-page layout as well: Main and FX. The Main page contains a set of essential sound modifying tools, and the FX page contains a set of insert and send effects that you can apply to the sounds.

Main Page

  1. Sound Selector: Click on the sound name to open the sound selection menu. You can also browse through sounds by using the left and right arrows.
  2. Sound Modifiers: Pyramid offers 8 automatable controllers for Volume, Pan, Attack, Release, Pitch, Stereo Spread, Low Pass Filter Cutoff and High Pass Filter Cutoff.
  3. Semitone Lock (Pitch): When enabled, truncates the pitch difference value to semitones.
  4. Sample Start: Determines where playback of the selected sample will start from. Click and drag the cursor to set a new position.
  5. Forward/reverse playback: The direction of the arrow reflects the direction of playback, either forward or reverse.
  6. Global: Determines whether the main page controllers affect the patch globally or per-sound.

FX Page

  1. Effect selector: Click on an effect name to select it.
  2. Effect on/off: Click the power button to turn the effect on/off.
  3. Effect parameters: All the parameters for the selected effect are displayed here. All parameters are automatable.
  4. Save/open buttons: Can be used to save or load presets. Presets are stored in .nka files.