1.15 GB | 5 NKIs | Free Kontakt Player & NKS Compatible | Built-in sequencer with loops | Multiple Crafted Snapshots | Finger-Played | Analogue Tape
For composers and sound designers seeking raw, intimate textures with a distinct edge, or producers looking for folk and emotive tones, EPS Dark Mandolin provides a fresh and deeply characterful take on the traditional mandolin.
The new Dark Mandolin is the result of a new collaboration between Edu Prado and Jan Pfitzer, combining bold sonic experimentation with high-end analogue recording.
Captured with a contact microphone through a Chandler Limited TG2 preamp, every nuance of this finger-played mandolin resonates with a gritty, close-up immediacy, rich in texture, resonance, and sentiment.
The attention to detail when editing the finger-played samples, combined with the 3 Round Robbins and 4 velocity layers, gives the Dark Mandolin an incredible feel and nuanced playability.
Listen to some Dark Mandolin tracks:
The library includes five deeply sampled patches and a wide range of crafted snapshots, exploring the mandolin's darker tonal colours and extended articulations, combined with the instrument's creative effects and tools.
The EPS Dark Mandolin sample library comes with 5 instruments:
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Dark Mandolin – Natural: Natural finger-played Mandolin with 4 velocity layers and 3 round-robins.
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Dark Mandolin – Tape: Same finger-played samples from the Natural patch recorded through analogue cassette tape for extra warmth and harmonic content.
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Dark Mandolin – Room: Brings depth to the natural finger-played samples in a cosy room with a subtle stereo-image.
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Dark Mandolin – Duo: A stereo doubling of mandolins, like a duo, with one mandolin on the left and one on the right, creating stereo movement.
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Dark Mandolin – Swarm: A beautiful arpeggiated mandolin swarm creating a dreamy soundscape.
You can use the carefully designed snapshots to provide instant inspiration and help you get started quickly. And the built-in effects allow you to explore your creativity and expand on the Dark Mandolin, shaping the sound your own way.
Designed with media composers in mind, the EPS Dark Mandolin is perfect for scoring brooding atmospheres, modern folk melodies, and emotionally raw textures.
USER INTERFACE
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Full envelope controls: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release.
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Low-pass and high-pass filter controls.
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Space: A Convolution Reverb with a carefully curated selection of impulse responses with size and mix controls. A drop-down menu to access the impulse response selection.
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Crystals effect: A dreamy space-like effect with ethereal crystal-like sounds. Craft mesmerising soundscapes by tweaking the Tempo, Feedback and Depth controls. You can choose the tempo value with the drop-down menu, synchronised to your DAW. Also offers a Freeze function, freezing the soundscape.
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Heat effect: Add warmth and a subtle distortion to the sound, with amount control.
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Burn effect: Add an intense harmonic distortion to the sound, with amount control.
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Lo-Fi effect: Make your sound Lo-Fi and shape it with Wow and Crush controls.
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Carve effect: Control the bite and the body of your sound, giving extra control to shape the sound as you want.
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Step sequencer with arpeggiator: 16-step sequencer tempo-synced with 10 pre-set loops you can start from and edit yourself, plus 2 user loop banks for your own creations. Steps visualisation screen, showing the velocity level of each step – simply click and drag to edit each step independently. Step-counter control where you can select the number of steps you want from 1 to 16, giving extreme flexibility and control over your loops and grooves for every tempo and time signature. Step-duration selection, synchronised to the host’s tempo, including 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 notes and triplets. Arpeggiator mode with Chords, As Played, Up, Down, Up & Down, Down & Up and Random modes to choose from the drop-down menu.
Dark Mandolin quick Walkthrough video:
Exploring the sounds:
Demo track DAW View by Joshua Sohn:
Dark Mandolin Installation:
The EPS Dark Mandolin is NKS compatible and is available for Kontakt and Kontakt Player. It comes with a serial number and must be activated in Native Access.
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Start Native Access.
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Open the Preferences and set the Download and Content location for your library.
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In the bottom left of Native Access, click Add Serial and enter your serial number.
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Open the Kontakt tab and find your library. If the entry shows an Install button you can directly install it.
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If the entry shows a Locate button instead, you have to download the library from the manufacturer first. After the download, you can click the Locate button in Native Access and navigate to the library folder to select it.
- After you have installed/located your library, you can find it in KONTAKT's Libraries In KONTAKT 8 you can also find the Libraries in the new Library Browser. You can toggle the view with the Library Browser button.
Any questions or issues regarding Native Access, Kontakt or Kontakt Player, you can refer to Native Instruments’ website and support team.
