< Lifeline for drums

Time to check out what Lifeline Expanse can do on a drum track. We reach for the Basement Drums preset, which makes use of the Format, Dirt, Re-Amp and Width modules. The Tube amp on the Dirt module is fully cranked, and the Re-Amp module is putting the signal through some fairly oldtimey monitors. We take the Stereo width down a little to make things even more lo-fi, before moving on to see what else we can do using this as the starting point.

>Ashlight is the final instalment in the trilogy of granular instruments that Native Instruments began with Straylight. Whilst the first two in the series dealt with cinematic soundscapes and human-led textures, Ashlight goes dark both in terms of GUI design and sonics.

As before, the instrument employs two layers (granular synthesis and sample playback) in parallel and a decent complement of modulation and effects to deliver complex, engaging sounds that largely need little further processing.

Given Ashlight’s reliance on more metallic or harsh underlying sound samples, many presets do deliver colder and bleaker soundscapes than the earlier instruments in this series. It’s for this reason that it’s perhaps not as flexible as the others when it comes to immediate application across a wide range of genres. That said, granular synthesis allows you to transform audio considerably, so creating new and varied textures is certainly possible, and there are some areas of sweetness among the excellent preset snapshots. It should also be noted that there are some strong bass-oriented and pulsed sounds here that respond well to modulation – and again, it’s possible to drag your own audio into the engine for the full range of mangling and playback options. If moody darkness is your thing, Ashlight may certainly fit the bill Bruce Aisher native-instruments.com

Native Instruments – Ashlight £179

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