Familiar yet somehow different, the sound of the Nyckelharpa walks a delicate line. Dating from the middle ages, Nyckelharpa translates as ‘keyed fiddle’ in Swedish.
The pitch of the notes is altered by pressing a wooden key, which frets the string. There are also 12 sympathetic strings, added in the mid 1700s, possibly inspired by the viola d’amore. They serve to add resonance, volume and a general zing to the sound.
This product features two different harpas: the standard viola pitch instruments, and an 'octavharpa', a cello tuned model.
The Nyckelharpas instrument page features comprehensive control over the instrument sound. Mix Close or Room mics, tweak key-off, or key-down/up noises, add sympathetic string resonance, or play pizzicato mode.
A completely user configurable FX chain: choose from 16 different effects in 6 insert slots - in any order you like. The Space processor offers everything from straight rooms and halls to ambient convolution effects.
The latest evolution of our generative arpeggiator - Hold a chord, and let it evolve - or loop a section and jam between 12 sequences.
Recreating such a traditional, natural instrument requires a forensic approach.
Each element is recorded, every tiny detail captured - and then reconstructed in Kontakt.
Simple characteristics can become creative features once you have control - noises, resonances, plucks.
Take our video tour to learn more about the pieces that make up the whole.
VICKI SWAN
The UKs' 'nyckelmother' - Vicki has done a huge amount to bring Nyckeharpa music to the UK, and was invaluable in helping to create this product.
Hear her music here - www.swan-dyer.co.uk
KEY BOX
KEYBOX - VIOLA
MIC SETUP: COLES + U87 PAIRS
The Coles were selected for the viola, due to their more forgiving charachter. The U87s added real bite to the oktavharpa.
STATE OF THE ARK STUDIOS
The detailed, multi-element control available in Nyckelharpas makes it an extremely flexible sound design tool.
Completely natural, organic sound all the way through to abstract evolving drone-scapes.
With noise control, sympathetic resonance, ensemble mode, filters, modulation and effects to experiment with, new hybrid soundscapes are a few tweaks away.
This is a Kontakt Player instrument. This means that you do not need to own the full version of NI Kontakt to use it. It will run as a plug-in instrument in any VST/AU/RTAS/AAX/WASAPI,compatible host program or DAW eg: Cubase, Logic, Ableton Live, DP, Reaper, Pro-Tools. No extra purchase necessary.
System Requirements:
Windows 7 or higher (latest Service Pack, 32/64 Bit), Intel Core Duo or AMD AthlonTM 64 X2, 4 GB RAM (6 GB RAM recommended)
Mac: OS X 10.9 or higher, Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM
Requires KONTAKT 5 or KONTAKT 5 PLAYER version 5.6.8 or later
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