Sonixinema releases the Contemporary Soloist Cello Freebie sound library for Native Instruments Kontakt (full version).
This freebie is a bit of a teaser for the Contemporary Soloist series.
Sonixinema’s Contemporary Soloist series includes Cello and Violin. Usually, each library costs £99, but right now, you can buy the Cello library for £69 or the Contemporary Soloist Bundle for £148 (Cello+Violin).
Cello Freebie provides seven presets to give you a taste of the full version. The downside is that it requires a full version of Kontakt, while the paid Cello library is compatible with the free Kontakt Player.
Sonixinema created the library in collaboration with Danny Keane, a very talented and creative multi-instrumentalist based in London. As a cellist, Danny often pushes the instrument beyond the expected, making him a good match for this library.
The seven presets I mentioned are variations of Warped Sustains ranging from clean to chaotic.
Even the Clean preset has an element of chaos and unpredictability, fitting the warped description.
It’s fair to say that Cello Freebie presets cover a range of emotions, albeit all fairly dark emotions.
In the preset names are words like death, screech, and madness. The one thing that they all have in common is tension. Fear, anxiety, inner torment, or anything else that creates an uneasy/unnerving feeling will sum up how Cello Freebie sounds.
As I’ve said many times, probably beyond the point of being annoying, I love a great movie score.
Some scores (although not all plain sailing) provide an underlying feeling of Hope. An example would be Phillip Glass’s beautifully understated but powerful score to The Hours (check out LABS Glass Piano).
I tend to prefer the darker, more unsettling sound. The obvious names are people like Bernard Herrmann and Hans Zimmer, who can seemingly do it all. But, a great example of an unsettling score is the movie There Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood -Radiohead).
Before I get lost in talking about soundtracks (that none of you asked to hear about, haha), the point is Cello Freebie could be perfect for anyone creating that kind of unsettling score.
The evolving and anxious nature of the presets makes them ideal when you don’t want to let the tension go too soon. Plus, in a typical arrangement with the bass as an anchor, the cello fills such an important space in defining the sound and emotion.
Don’t forget to check out free orchestral instruments from LABS; I’d love to see more freebie strings than we do!
Don’t forget, Cello Freebie requires the full version of Kontakt and isn’t compatible with the free Kontakt Player.
Download: Contemporary Soloist Cello Freebie (requires Native Instruments Kontakt)
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