REV is an unique Kontakt library based on huge bank of reversed instrument sounds, loops, sound effects and ambiances aimed at sound designers, composers and musicians.
The library consists of 4 NKI engines summing over 14GB of content.
Overview & installation:
In depth, REV offers a superb collection of synths, real instruments, multi-layered organic pads, loops, rises, pulses, swells, stutters and more. There are over 1,000 unique presets!
The instalation process is simple. Once you purchased the library, you’ll receive an email with the download link and a serial code. The download goes thru Continuata Connect downloader which allows to resume the downloads (very useful, the download size is around 6.5GB).
To activate it, you’ll need to open Kontakt, click the “Libraries” tab, then “Add Library”; you will be prompted to browse the location where you installed REV. The library will load into Kontakt, and a small “Activate” button that will appear. Clicking this button will open Native Instruments Service Center where you’ll be asked to enter the serial code for REV.
The activation is handled by Native Instruments, also REV works without any restriction with the free Kontakt Player 5 too!
Content:
The library is split into four separate NKI engines: REV – Instruments, REV – Loops, REV – Rises and Rev – Timed Instruments.
REV – Instruments
REV – Instruments is a multy-layer engine with tons of backward instruments, from simple piano and guitar sounds, to complex atmospheres and pads.
The interface is very simple and convenient. The sounds can be accessed from top center menu; the drop-down list is split into 13 categories plus a slot where you have the option to save your presets. Same place, you’ll find two sections where you can control the volume, pan and tune of each layer.
From the central section, you can also turn on/ off and access each layer. The bottom module allows you to process more the sound, by adding lo-fi, rage, stack, filter, delay and reverb effects plus a handy equalizer where you can adjust bass, mid, freq and treble.
Once you access a layer, four main sections lets you do more: a stutter module with two channels (sync option available for the rate), the filter panel where you can use 6 filter types and adjust cutoff, resonance and envelope, an envelope section and a bottom panel with saturate, motion, drive, two delays, reverb and an equalizer.
Each layer is created from a source sound, there are 27 of them, but with the four main styles applied (dry, wet, pad, fwd) and the suite of effects, this instruments turns into a patch monster.
REV – Instruments comes with 500 presets to choose from, including keyboards, pads, guitars, atmospheres, synths, processed drums, basses and much more. A big plus is the preset list with its comprehensive layout, you will have quick access to the sound you need.
REV – Loops
The second part is REV – Loops, which consists of 15 main loop banks, each of which having 24 variations spread across the keyboard. You can add one of the 27 factory presets to each main loop. A fun part is the slider, where you can adjust the speed of the playback (regular, half speed & double speed).
The main interface has 6 sections: loop bank, FX preset bank, stutter, filter, envelope and a bottom panel for adding/ adjusting effects similar to REV – Instruments.
REV – Rises
This instrument is similar to REV – Loops, except that is featuring a collection of 42 main presets split by number of bars. You can set the length, add or remove tail and again, there are 24 variations for each preset plus an extensive list of effects to be applied.
REV – Rises, with its thousands of variations, will be your main source for rises, transitions, drops, gated effects etc etc.
REV – Timed Instruments
REV – Timed Instruments is similar to REV – Instruments, except the sound is controlled by note length. A slider in center of interface allows you to play full note, half note and quarter note, all patches being syncronized with the tempo of your DAW.
Final words:
There is nothing more to say about REV Kontakt library. It sounds different, I was amazed by the beauty of sounds, it’s like an invitation to create.
The superb collection of sounds, its easy-to-use interface, make it a must have. With its organic feel and versatility, REV is an esential tool for all all open-minded sound designers and electronic music producers.
