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Kinetic Percussion Motion Engine Review 2024

Introducing Kinetic Percussion Motion Engine, the newest product from Kirk Hunter Studios. You have access to a huge collection of percussion themes and keymaps with Kinetic Percussion. Up to 4 timeframes, each with a distinct percussion keymap from a list of 28 options. Each timeline may be split into up to 4 “regions,” each of which has 64 note or rest occurrences. Holding down a single note or a chord will cause each timeline to play a distinct rhythm. It includes two master NKI files: one with a full string section and lower RAM requirements, and another with a supplementary NKI file for each instrument in the section (Violins, Violas, Cellos, and Double Basses).

Select from 40 engaging rhythm presets and 16 helpful velocity settings, as well as 9 distinct non-pitched themes (or “pitched” percussion on Marimba, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, and Tympani). And they were all designed to function really well together. Naturally, all of these patterns may be changed.

A four-layer engine with four distinct Timelines is seen in the GUI. A new type of instrument is featured on each Timeline. This is crucial, in my opinion, since you can design a unique pattern for each instrument, which opens up a world of artistic possibilities. 16 violins, 10 violas, 8 cellos, and 4 double basses were recorded by the developer for the First Presbyterian Church library in Santa Monica.

You may create almost endless options because each individual instrumental segment is autonomous and can have a different parameter assigned to it. And those alternatives are expanded by the random function. The MIDI Drag and Drop feature is a huge plus, but from what I could tell, if you record a pattern that includes the entire section, the notes played in unison on more than one timeline (for instance, a pitch shared by violins and violas) that follow two different patterns will be completely recorded, so you’ll get more than one pattern at the same pitch, which will make it difficult to tell the difference between the instruments.

This library is pretty nice, to sum it up. The excellent engine, this Kinetic Percussion Motion Engine library is really helpful for trying out different types of patterns and for getting inspiration when you’re stuck.