They've already given you The Finger (ahem) and The Mouth, and now Native Instruments and Tim Exile have birthed another body-based Reaktor instrument in the shape of Flesh.
As with those previous releases, this is no vanilla production tool: using a set of advanced algorithms, it's designed to transform rhythmic source material into basslines, melodies, chords, harmonies and more. It encourages improvisation, and can be used both live and in the studio.
Flesh works by analysing the transients and spectral profile of your sampled source material, and then sending this information to four audio engines as "curves and triggers" for resynthesis. You then get new sounds - riffs, grooves, chords etc - that retain the feel of the original sample.
Each of the four engines has a specific role to play in shaping the sound, and further tweaks can be made using effects and modulation sections. The interface has been kept simple to enable fast realtime control, and if you use the global macro controls - Spectrum, Character, Length and Mod - you can streamline things even more.
"The concept for Flesh came to me when touring with my custom looping, beatmaking, and improvising instrument that I built in Reaktor," says Tim Exile. "I was missing a way to make harmonic and melodic material in a live, improvised scenario. I wanted something that would empower me to create expressive and dynamic sounds which fit in perfectly with whatever was going on at the time."
NI is also keen to point out that Flesh is the first Reaktor instrument to be designed from the ground up to offer full support for NI's Komplete Kontrol S-Series keyboards. You get comprehensive visual feedback from the Light Guide and controls are automatically mapped to hardware knobs.
Flesh is available now from the Native Instruments website priced at £89/$99/€99, and runs in Reaktor 6 and the free Reaktor 6 Player.
