Review: NOIR Kontakt Instrument by Sonokinetic

What’s up producers? Today I want to take a look at something really cool with you. NOIR, the latest release from Sonokinetic, is quite a bit different from what they are known for so far. NOIR comes as a NI Kontakt virtual instrument with over 60.100+ SAMPLES!

Some of you might have noticed, that in recent film scores, the typical Film “Noir” sound has gained more and more popularity. Lots of movies incorporate Jazz, Blues, and Swing motives in their orchestral score, or sometimes lease the orchestra out completely, and instead do a “Big Band” or “Custom Ensemble” score.

This is exactly where “Noir” fits in too! To make that jazzy, moody, Chicago back ally sound accessible to you. Especially if you don’t have much time or aren’t super well versed in Jazz, but still want that sound.

So let’s look at what we get inside of “Noir”.

Overview

“Noir” comes with two main instruments. The Sections and The Solos. Sonokinetic always puts a lot of thought and effort into their products, but this one I feel they have set a new milestone for themselves as well as for phrase-based sample libraries.

For the Sections, they recorded three different orchestral sections. A 50 pieces String section, a 12 piece Woodwind section, and a 10 piece brass section. For the Solos, they got a Clarinet, a muted trumpet, a Flugelhorn, a tenor saxophone, and a piano.

Everything was recorded in the same hall, with 4 microphone positions, and in the brilliant quality, we are used to from Sonokintec.

The interface design is a little different from what we are used to, and the changes are another indicator showing how Sonokinetic pays lots of attention to all aspects of their products and adapting to the context in which they will be used.

While familiar functions like the “random” button are still there, all sections are grouped within one window here, allowing even faster changes, and the dynamic adaptation necessary for this characteristic sound.

As with the other Sonokinetic libraries, the phrases are tempo-synced with your host bpm, and the sound blends very well with the other Sonokinetic libraries, but also with other libraries, due to the available microphone positions.

Also well worth mentioning is, that “Noir” doesn’t just sit well in cinematic music, but across all kinds of styles, as is very well demonstrated in the audio demos on the Sonokinetic’s website.

I very much recommend checking them out, both for inspiration and for a demonstration of how relevant and valuable this kind of sound is for all kinds of music.

Both “Sections” and “Solos” are easy to fit into almost any kind of project and can function as inspiration generators through random functions.

Familiar functions, like being able to control the sample offset, or the phrase restart remain, and since “Noir” is fully NKS compatible, playing it through the Komplete Kontrol Software and hardware is especially fun while offering an optimized workflow.

Conclusion

“Noir” is a wonderful addition to the Sonokinetic catalog. It is very fun to play with, blends well, and instantly adds class and character to compositions. The interface is easy to get your head around, and while at first glance it looks really clean, every parameter you might want to tweak is just one click away, making it look pleasantly uncluttered while staying extremely accessible.

It also maintains the educational benefit of all other Sonokinetic libraries, providing both the score view and the ability to drag the notes to a different midi lane, offering us an insight into the arrangement and harmony of the “Noir” sound. “Noir” packs a lot of bang for your buck, especially considering the very generous price point for what you get.

This is a total gem. The Sound is fantastic and has lots of character, the documentation is a great help and if phrase-based libraries are your thing, this is a total must-have. It can fit into almost any style of music, and add some class and swag to it in no time.