zircon

I extended it just a little longer!

I extended it just a little longer!

I extended it just a little longer!

Part 2 has been published. Read and learn!
I've been developing Kontakt instruments for Impact Soundworks since 2008, and using the software since version 1 came out way back in 2002. Now that the plugin has become so widespread, it has more users than ever, but many people are unaware of some simple (yet powerful) features & functions to help improve their workflow.
So, I've decided to write a series of articles on the topic!
Part 1 starts with how to properly organize & load instruments. This sounds fairly basic, but you would be surprised how many emails we get from people who aren't sure of how to best do this.
http://impactsoundworks.com/optimizing-your-kontakt-workflow-part-1/
Part 2 discusses how CPU, RAM, HD & audio interface affect Kontakt performance, and covers tips for tweaking/hacking DFD settings, CPU optimization for multicore, and different bridging options.
http://impactsoundworks.com/optimizing-your-kontakt-workflow-part-2/
If there's something you want to see in this series, please let me know!

Thanks!  And happy birthday to my bros as well!

Thanks!  And happy birthday to my bros as well!

Yes sir, works in the free Kontakt Player. Just check that v5.5.2 (latest) works on your computer. I believe they dropped compatibility for XP and some old OSX versions.
 

Thanks for the kind words on Super Audio Cart!
Yes, the key to creating good SNES style samples is primarily focused around very tightly editing + looping one-note instrument samples. You must keep the size very small. But before you even render that sample, you need to make sure it is set to MONO with a max sample rate of 32khz. (Or if you want to keep the samplerate at 44khz for practical reasons, use a very sharp lowpass to cut off everything above 16khz.) If you are using a bass sample or similar you may want to go down even lower to 22 or 11khz.

Once you have your downsampled audio, you will want to do authentic bit rate reduction (BRR). You can search on Google for various BRR encoding tools out there. Most require you to do some stuff in the Windows command line to actually encode the samples. Essentially you want to encode the samples to SNES loadable format and immediately decode back to WAV, which gives you properly compressed/filtered audio.
Lastly, using a looping app like EndlessWAV (free) you can very tightly edit, trim, and loop the sample until the final result is - at most - 20 kilobytes or less.

Happy to announce just a handful of features to be included in the upcoming FREE update to Super Audio Cart, slated to arrive before the end of the month! Remember, this isn't the entire list, so if this gets you hype... well, you're in for a treat.
1. New sound sources from the VRC6 and ultra-rare VRC7 Japan-only expansion chips for the NES/Famicom. VRC6 adds more pulse widths and saw waveforms, while VRC7 includes a palette of FM (!!!) sounds. 
2. The ability to use generated ADSR envelopes as modulation sources. Imagine ADSR modulating FX, for example.
3. Filter ADSR and pitch ADSR, plus depths, as new destinations in the mod matrix.
4. 100 new snapshots.

Here's a little bit about how this instrument came to be. Way back in ~2007-2008, Dave had the idea to do a sample library based on arcade sounds. "Samplecade" was the original title. I expressed some interest in helping, since at the time I had just worked on my first sample library project w/ Impact Soundworks. He recorded some source material but we didn't get much further at that point. We talked about it from time to time.
A few years ago, after spending some time composing for a game that called for an SNES-style score, I had the idea of creating some ORIGINAL sounds and then making these into a virtual instrument for ISW. We started doing some early tests in 2014. Dave & I began talking again and he shared with me his grander vision; what this instrument COULD be... a definitive collection of not just SNES sounds, but other essential 8 & 16-bit systems as well. I thought it was a great idea and set to work slowly but surely assembling elements of the library. 
PROTODOME recorded the C64, NES & Gameboy sounds and designed some early artwork. Seeing some gaps, Shaggy (theshaggygreak) contributed more C64 material. Neblix has been the lead engineer on the project doing a monumental amount of engine programming. 
By my count that is 10 people from this community that have contributed to Super Audio Cart in some form... Not counting people who have, and will, write demo songs too. 

Of course, the entire community of OCR did not contribute - but we don't have hundreds of ReMixers on any ONE album project either. They're still OCR albums, made by the community. And it really bears repeating that, as djp said, a portion of the sales will be going directly to support OCR. Just like the proceeds from Patreon, site funds support things like printing physical copies of albums, putting on awesome panels at conventions, hosting/bandwidth, working with freelance developers for various projects related to the site, etc. 

In the literal and direct sense, the entire community benefits from this!

Cost: Yep, as mentioned in a YouTube comment reply it's going to be in the $100-150 range. I think it's going to be a pretty fantastic value for the money purely for the MODERN sounds alone. That's the big difference between this and other retro/chiptune type plugins; this has hundreds upon hundreds of presets made by layering the systems, adding effects, modulators, envelopes, and filters. A pad made from SNES strings mixed with Genesis sweeps and NES arpeggios? Sure! The factory library features contributions from OCR's own community: bLiNd, Timaeus222, Flexstyle, Sir_NutS, and Big Giant Circles, along with myself and djpretzel to name a few!
Kontakt: ... Is not the most elegantly designed plugin in the world, but that's OK because we created our own interface and engine from scratch. So you're not really using Kontakt's UI, but our own thing that just uses Kontakt as the backend. All the graphics, wallpapers, knobs and other stuff are totally original. I'll be making a multi-part tutorial series on how to use Super Audio Cart, too. Starting with the basics of navigating the factory library, then moving on to basic sound layering and mixing, envelopes/filters and portamento, arpeggiator & sequencer, FX, and the mod matrix.
SNES: For the SNES, for copyright reasons we couldn't sample the actual games themselves. Instead, we created our own custom bank of 400+ sounds to the same specification used by actual SNES games, right down to the same bit rate reduction (BRR) encoding. These samples could be dropped into a ROM file and loaded on a real SNES - and in fact we did that just to make sure they sounded correct! You'll find a huge range of sounds including strings, pianos, guitars, basses, ethnic instruments, FX, ensembles, and drums, with lots of variations for each. There's also an FX module with the classic "SNESVERB" sound that you can tweak and toggle at will.
MegaDrive: Another tricky one, since FM synthesis has infinite possible patch combinations. However, most of them suck! So we ripped the TFI (FM synth patch) data from actual soundtracks and, using a Model 1 Genesis and GenMDM hardware, multisampled about 120 of the best patches from my favorite games. Classic instruments from titles like Streets of Rage, Phantasy Star, Shinobi, Toejam & Earl, etc. Oh yeah, and several hundred FX taken from sound tests too (non-PCM fx, so again, no copyright issue!) On the PCM end, we did use the Genesis' lo-fi DAC to record some custom drums + percussion for lovely Genesis-style 707, 808, 909, rock, metal, and hybrid kits, plus about a dozen others.

Happy to announce just a handful of features to be included in the upcoming FREE update to Super Audio Cart, slated to arrive before the end of the month! Remember, this isn't the entire list, so if this gets you hype... well, you're in for a treat.
1. New sound sources from the VRC6 and ultra-rare VRC7 Japan-only expansion chips for the NES/Famicom. VRC6 adds more pulse widths and saw waveforms, while VRC7 includes a palette of FM (!!!) sounds. 
2. The ability to use generated ADSR envelopes as modulation sources. Imagine ADSR modulating FX, for example.
3. Filter ADSR and pitch ADSR, plus depths, as new destinations in the mod matrix.
4. 100 new snapshots.

Happy to announce just a handful of features to be included in the upcoming FREE update to Super Audio Cart, slated to arrive before the end of the month! Remember, this isn't the entire list, so if this gets you hype... well, you're in for a treat.
1. New sound sources from the VRC6 and ultra-rare VRC7 Japan-only expansion chips for the NES/Famicom. VRC6 adds more pulse widths and saw waveforms, while VRC7 includes a palette of FM (!!!) sounds. 
2. The ability to use generated ADSR envelopes as modulation sources. Imagine ADSR modulating FX, for example.
3. Filter ADSR and pitch ADSR, plus depths, as new destinations in the mod matrix.
4. 100 new snapshots.

PMed!

Re: Demo, it's difficult to do a demo with a Kontakt Player instrument. We're looking into it to see if it's possible but no ETA yet. As Jose said though that is why I recorded over an hour of video walkthroughs showing ALL the features in big detail.

Anyone on this forum should have gotten an email about it! If you didn't, PM me and I will give you it

PMed!

Re: Demo, it's difficult to do a demo with a Kontakt Player instrument. We're looking into it to see if it's possible but no ETA yet. As Jose said though that is why I recorded over an hour of video walkthroughs showing ALL the features in big detail.

Super Audio Cart is now available! Audio demos and videos are in the original post, and you can read even more here:

http://impactsoundworks.com/product/super-audio-cart/

Super Audio Cart is now available! Audio demos and videos are in the original post, and you can read even more here:

http://impactsoundworks.com/product/super-audio-cart/

Super Audio Cart is now available! Audio demos and videos are in the original post, and you can read even more here:

http://impactsoundworks.com/product/super-audio-cart/

Super Audio Cart is now available! Audio demos and videos are in the original post, and you can read even more here:

http://impactsoundworks.com/product/super-audio-cart/

Convolution reverb generally uses a lot of CPU. Kontakt's convolution is the same way. Just use an external reverb that isn't convolution based!

Here's a little bit about how this instrument came to be. Way back in ~2007-2008, Dave had the idea to do a sample library based on arcade sounds. "Samplecade" was the original title. I expressed some interest in helping, since at the time I had just worked on my first sample library project w/ Impact Soundworks. He recorded some source material but we didn't get much further at that point. We talked about it from time to time.
A few years ago, after spending some time composing for a game that called for an SNES-style score, I had the idea of creating some ORIGINAL sounds and then making these into a virtual instrument for ISW. We started doing some early tests in 2014. Dave & I began talking again and he shared with me his grander vision; what this instrument COULD be... a definitive collection of not just SNES sounds, but other essential 8 & 16-bit systems as well. I thought it was a great idea and set to work slowly but surely assembling elements of the library. 
PROTODOME recorded the C64, NES & Gameboy sounds and designed some early artwork. Seeing some gaps, Shaggy (theshaggygreak) contributed more C64 material. Neblix has been the lead engineer on the project doing a monumental amount of engine programming. 
By my count that is 10 people from this community that have contributed to Super Audio Cart in some form... Not counting people who have, and will, write demo songs too. 

Of course, the entire community of OCR did not contribute - but we don't have hundreds of ReMixers on any ONE album project either. They're still OCR albums, made by the community. And it really bears repeating that, as djp said, a portion of the sales will be going directly to support OCR. Just like the proceeds from Patreon, site funds support things like printing physical copies of albums, putting on awesome panels at conventions, hosting/bandwidth, working with freelance developers for various projects related to the site, etc. 

In the literal and direct sense, the entire community benefits from this!

Pricewise, there really aren't any products that have this much sample content AND a really powerful synth engine to boot.
As far as pure synths go: Sylenth1 is about $155. Zebra 2 is $199, and Diva is $179. Serum is $189. Massive is $199, FM8 is $199. Strobe 2 is $179. Just to name a few... and believe me this is a lot closer to a synth like those, than to a bunch of WAVs in a folder or a basic soundfont. The 5x FX racks, the independently programmable arps, mod matrix (can't say enough about that) definitely make it competitive with those in terms of features.
Chipsounds is an obvious comparison at $95, granted. And to their credit, it's a great product. But it's also not sample-based, so it doesn't match the true output of any of the included systems. It doesn't have any SNES content at all, nor does it emulate the Genesis (as far as I'm aware). Nor does its engine have a flexible modulation matrix, or 8 FX (it has only 3 FX total).

Another thing is that Chipsounds' preset library is very small. It's a synthesizer for people who really want to get into the nitty-gritty of each chip. A huge advantage of Super Audio Cart is that there are 1,000 snapshots ready to go. These range from pure, authentic mono waveforms and fully constructed drumkits, to crazy tricked-out layers that are fully performable. Chipsounds just does not have all that.
In fact as far as I'm aware, nobody has ever released a true, original (not ripped) SNES sample set... and definitely not one this comprehensive.
You COULD put together an array of different plugins and sample sets that might approximate the amount of content in this library. Maybe it would be cheaper; I doubt it,  I'm not sure. BUT it wouldn't have a single, cohesive interface built for both easy tweaking & deep sound design, and it wouldn't have a universal collection of this many high-quality presets. That I DO know for sure.

OC ReMix & Impact Soundworks are pleased to officially announce the release of SUPER AUDIO CART, the definitive retro game instrument and a project eight years in the making!
Instrument Page: Read More & Purchase

Super Audio Cart features eight legendary video game systems recorded in exhaustive detail using a slew of specialized cartridges and hardware:
Atari 2600 Commodore 64 Sega Master System Game Boy Sega Genesis (Mega Drive - Model 1, naturally) NES Famicom (w/ VRC6, VRC7, FDS) SNES (Super Famicom) These samples combine to form more than 630 multisampled sound sources: everything from pulse oscillators and noise generators, to essential FM patch layouts, true lo-fi PCM drums and hacked/circuit-bent setups. When you play a Commodore 64 PWM patch or an NES drum kit, you aren't hearing an emulation: these are the real sounds coming straight from each console.
But Super Audio Cart goes far beyond authentic game sounds. We created an incredible KONTAKT PLAYER engine (with full NKS compatibility) pushing Kontakt to its limits to provide a huge range of sound design features and 1200 factory presets in total. This engine lets you transform simple pulses, saws, and 10kb samples into monumental pads, dirty EDM basses, hip hop leads and anything else you can think of.
SAMPLE CONTENT
Over 5,800 meticulously edited samples in total All-new bank of custom SNES samples (400+ instruments) 120+ classic FM instruments from the best Genesis soundtracks Hundreds of sound effects, both sound sources + presets Synthesized and DPCM sampled drumkits Tons of waveforms and circuit bent oscillators ENGINE FEATURES
Up to 4 simultaneous and independent sound source layers Five total FX racks (one per layer and global) with a custom "SNESVERB" module Independent arpeggiator/sequencer & gate, including wave sequencer Full control over envelopes, mapping range, keytracking and tuning Customizable portamento (including poly portamento) Over a dozen filter models (LP, HP, BP, notch) MIDI learn / CC links to any parameter or control XY controller for layer blending or modulation (also MIDI learnable) And the crown jewel, a 64-slot custom mod matrix built from scratch. We'll be making a video just for this since it can do so much - create and assign custom LFOs to virtually any parameter, use MIDI CC, random numbers, velocity, key position, and aftertouch (to name a few), modulate FX and controls globally or per-layer... etc. And you can bet the factory library makes great use of it!
AUDIO DEMOS
https://soundcloud.com/isworks/sets/super-audio-cart-demos
Super Audio Cart was produced as a collaboration between Impact Soundworks and the OverClocked ReMix video game music community, and is available now for the MSRP of $149 with FULL Kontakt Player and NKS compatibility!
Get the library here!
Let us know what you think!
VIDEO TUTORIALS (Playlist)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_kB2z4rCmo
QUOTES
"Super Audio Cart is so much fun, and absolutely spot-on for simulating retro game sounds. This is absolutely a fantastic sample library for all game music fans."
-Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Xenogears)
"It's extremely convenient to be able to create arrangements with such diverse sounds so quickly, just using MIDI. Of course, Super Audio Cart isn't just for 'retro' sounds - it's also very useful for modern music as well."
    
-Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage, ActRaiser, Revenge of Shinobi, Etrian Odyssey)
"Super Audio Cart is without doubt the best plugin for all your chiptune needs, it's got the lot and they're all glorious!! Having all these authentic sounds in one place is the best idea since someone said, 'Let's put a rap in Donkey Kong' ... oh wait."
    
-Grant Kirkhope (Donkey Kong 64, GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie, Civilization: Beyond Earth)
"Super Audio Cart fills a niche in my chiptune arsenal that has been sorely lacking. The SNES-style patches sound so authentic, and the multi-chip patches bring usability and versatility I haven't seen in a chiptune instrument before."
    
-Danny Baranowsky (Crypt of the NecroDancer, Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy)

OC ReMix & Impact Soundworks are pleased to officially announce the release of SUPER AUDIO CART, the definitive retro game instrument and a project eight years in the making!
Instrument Page: Read More & Purchase

Super Audio Cart features eight legendary video game systems recorded in exhaustive detail using a slew of specialized cartridges and hardware:
Atari 2600 Commodore 64 Sega Master System Game Boy Sega Genesis (Mega Drive - Model 1, naturally) NES Famicom (w/ VRC6, VRC7, FDS) SNES (Super Famicom) These samples combine to form more than 630 multisampled sound sources: everything from pulse oscillators and noise generators, to essential FM patch layouts, true lo-fi PCM drums and hacked/circuit-bent setups. When you play a Commodore 64 PWM patch or an NES drum kit, you aren't hearing an emulation: these are the real sounds coming straight from each console.
But Super Audio Cart goes far beyond authentic game sounds. We created an incredible KONTAKT PLAYER engine (with full NKS compatibility) pushing Kontakt to its limits to provide a huge range of sound design features and 1200 factory presets in total. This engine lets you transform simple pulses, saws, and 10kb samples into monumental pads, dirty EDM basses, hip hop leads and anything else you can think of.
SAMPLE CONTENT
Over 5,800 meticulously edited samples in total All-new bank of custom SNES samples (400+ instruments) 120+ classic FM instruments from the best Genesis soundtracks Hundreds of sound effects, both sound sources + presets Synthesized and DPCM sampled drumkits Tons of waveforms and circuit bent oscillators ENGINE FEATURES
Up to 4 simultaneous and independent sound source layers Five total FX racks (one per layer and global) with a custom "SNESVERB" module Independent arpeggiator/sequencer & gate, including wave sequencer Full control over envelopes, mapping range, keytracking and tuning Customizable portamento (including poly portamento) Over a dozen filter models (LP, HP, BP, notch) MIDI learn / CC links to any parameter or control XY controller for layer blending or modulation (also MIDI learnable) And the crown jewel, a 64-slot custom mod matrix built from scratch. We'll be making a video just for this since it can do so much - create and assign custom LFOs to virtually any parameter, use MIDI CC, random numbers, velocity, key position, and aftertouch (to name a few), modulate FX and controls globally or per-layer... etc. And you can bet the factory library makes great use of it!
AUDIO DEMOS
https://soundcloud.com/isworks/sets/super-audio-cart-demos
Super Audio Cart was produced as a collaboration between Impact Soundworks and the OverClocked ReMix video game music community, and is available now for the MSRP of $149 with FULL Kontakt Player and NKS compatibility!
Get the library here!
Let us know what you think!
VIDEO TUTORIALS (Playlist)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_kB2z4rCmo
QUOTES
"Super Audio Cart is so much fun, and absolutely spot-on for simulating retro game sounds. This is absolutely a fantastic sample library for all game music fans."
-Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Xenogears)
"It's extremely convenient to be able to create arrangements with such diverse sounds so quickly, just using MIDI. Of course, Super Audio Cart isn't just for 'retro' sounds - it's also very useful for modern music as well."
    
-Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage, ActRaiser, Revenge of Shinobi, Etrian Odyssey)
"Super Audio Cart is without doubt the best plugin for all your chiptune needs, it's got the lot and they're all glorious!! Having all these authentic sounds in one place is the best idea since someone said, 'Let's put a rap in Donkey Kong' ... oh wait."
    
-Grant Kirkhope (Donkey Kong 64, GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie, Civilization: Beyond Earth)
"Super Audio Cart fills a niche in my chiptune arsenal that has been sorely lacking. The SNES-style patches sound so authentic, and the multi-chip patches bring usability and versatility I haven't seen in a chiptune instrument before."
    
-Danny Baranowsky (Crypt of the NecroDancer, Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy)