Low End Strings

User manual v1.0

Welcome to Low End Strings
Welcome to the first release of 10 Phantom Rooms, Low End Strings. Thanks a lot
for your trust in buying this instrument! We really hope you enjoy using Low End
Strings as much as we enjoyed to design the instrument and the sounds!

This instrument is the first release in 10 Phantom Room’s Low End series. Many
real, hybrid and electronic instruments have a great foundation in their lowest
octaves, so we decided to focus on those octaves and their “fatness” in a whole
series of instruments.

The basic idea of Low End Strings was to design an instrument with focus on the
lowest possible octaves of real orchestra string sounds, but staged in a modern
hybrid and processed context. This means please don’t expect the most authentic
real string instrument, but a super organic sounding four layer instrument with a
pleasant learning curve. Basically we think you don’t need this manual, but it helps to
look at in case you want to capture the full potential of this instrument.

Key features are the sound variations in combination with the macros and the source
sample content of course. We used tons of processing equipment from five decades
to mutate original orchestral recordings, field recordings and synth sounds to the
sources you can use now in Low End Strings.

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Downloading and installing

Before you can start using Low End Strings, you need to install and set up the
necessary software. Please follow these instructions to get started.

Installation via Native Access

Low End Strings installation happens via Native Access. In case this is your first
Kontakt based instrument, please create your Native ID. To learn more about this
step and about Native Access in general, have a look here.

In general, please follow those steps:

● Download and install Native Access.
● Create a Native ID if you do not yet have one.
● Login to Native Access using your Native ID.
● Click the Not installed tab.
● Click Install for the following products:
● Low End Strings
● Kontakt or Kontakt Player if you haven’t installed yet

The software is installed automatically.

Loading Low End Strings in Kontakt

Once installed, you can start using Low End Strings in Kontakt. Low End Strings is
not an independent plug-in, so you first need to open an instance of Kontakt or
Kontakt Player:

1. Open Kontakt as a plug-in in your host software (DAW) or as a stand-alone

application.
2. Locate Low End Strings in the Browser, on the left side of the user interface.
3. Click Instruments to open the product's content.
4. Double-click the Low End Strings.nki file to load the instrument.

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Let’s have a look

We want to give you a Low End Strings overview first of all. Let’s have a look at the
key features on the main page. You will see this page after loading the Low End
Strings.nki file.

Four layers
Low End Strings offers four layers, playing at the same time. Imagine a mixer with
four channels, each channel hosting its own “low end instrument”.

When listening to single layers separately, you might think those sound simple or thin
in several cases. But this makes total sense to allow combining such layers without
overloading frequencies heavily.

In case you load a snapshot, like the sound, but there is too much noise or sub bass
included → just switch off or replace the relevant layer and customize the sound to
your own needs.

Three octaves
We decided to offer this instrument with a three octave range, but with clear focus on
the lowest octave. During the design process of the samples we found out that many
samples have a great usage in higher ranges, not just to play single low notes, but
also pads for example. So we decided to offer three octaves to give you more
flexibility while playing the sounds. And whenever you think you want a specific
sound even lower or higher, use the Pitch control on the Edit page.

Six macros
Every snapshot was designed with individual settings for all six macros. Each macro
can control parameters for all four layers individually. Feel free to try out those
macros while playing around with snapshots for the first time or later.

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Three sound variations
Imagine our sound variations as three sub-presets for each snapshot with blending
capacities! Try out the snapshots, play some notes and turn the mod wheel at the
same time slowly. Switching to another sound variation is possible by clicking on one
of the three A-B-C fields.

In one of the three sound variations, you can store the settings of all faders on the
Main page (channel volumes and macros) plus panorama on the Mixer page. Just
hover over the little blurred floppy icon next to one of the sound variations to store
the actual settings and blend all three variations with the mod wheel.

But there’s more that you can do with the mod wheel, just click on the icon below
sound variation A and you will see. Be aware of the fact that when using the mod
wheel to control the filter macro for example, you can’t control the A-B-C morph any
more. The mod wheel controls either blending or one or more macros.

Smart EQing
This 2 band-EQ needs no long explanation. We selected typical frequencies to get
rid of mud in the low mids and to remove or add sub frequencies to your needs.

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Snapshot structure
We grouped the snapshots in those categories, fitting to typical use cases:

Basses
Here you will find several really deep and often punchy basses that work well in
many genres. We recommend playing the lowest octave of those snapshots to hit
the bass sweet spot, but feel free to play higher ranges for creative “misuse”.

Pads
When we initially designed the basic concept for Low End Strings, the idea was to
mainly offer super low solo (monophonic) hybrid sounds. But after recording and
designing all sound sources, we learned during prototyping, that also very deep pads
are possible. Those you will find in this category. We recommend playing those
snapshots polyphonically over all three octaves.

Solo Sustains
In this category you will find snapshots being designed to be played monophonically
in the lowest octave to really catch the “deepness”. And again, feel free to play
higher ranges and polyphonically for creative “misuse”.

SFX
This category covers snapshots that rather touch the SFX area than fitting into any of
the other categories. Don’t expect super playable sounds here, but inspiring sound
effects or other unexpected sounds. We recommend playing the lowest octave of
those snapshots, but feel free to play harmonies, mute channels, remove effects to
turn such sounds into your own versions, fitting to your production needs.

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The pages

Let’s now have a look at the four pages of this instrument. Several features like filters
and envelopes are self-explaining, so we mainly touch specialities here.

Main page
This page you will spend most of the time, assuming you are not designing sounds
with Low End Strings with priority. So this page is of highest importance for you and
most of all users.

Let’s begin our journey in the upper area. Here you find the four Channels with
volume faders and functions to load a sample source by clicking on the name (to
open the browser page), to load a sample source with the dice randomly (but within
the same category), to load the previous or next source within the same category
and to switch a channel on and off.

On the right you find the smart EQ functions, that need no further explanation. On
the left side you find the sound variations that we explained already in the chapter
above. Finally you find the macros in the lower area that control parameters for all
four layers individually. Let’s jump to the next pages to learn which destinations each
macro can control.

Mixer page
The Mixer page has two views, the Channels and the Effects view.

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On the Channels view you can tweak usual stuff like channels’ level and panorama
plus the Space and Echo send effects. Below those you find the Dirt On/Off switch,
to activate a separate insert effect, individually per channel.

You can see red rings around a few Space and Echo effects on the screenshot
above. Those control the modulation intensity of the appropriate macros in the lower
area. You can see those macros on all pages. More about the macro assignments
will be explained on the Edit page.

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On the Effects view you can edit all effects. Important to understand: there are four
Dirt effects on the right, one per channel. On the screenshot above, you see the Dirt
effect being selected for channel 1.

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Edit page
The Edit page offers editing of all basic sound and amplifier parameters for all four
channels individually. Don’t miss selecting the correct Channel 1-4 in the lower area.

On the Edit page you can also dial in the always red colored macro modulation
intensity with the red rings and lines per channel.

Just move the mouse to the little up/down-arrows next to the Cutoff label and dial in
the intensity with moving the mouse up or down. During this movement you can see
the appropriate macro in red light in the lower area. This helps to identify which
macro you are assigning at the moment. On the Edit page you can define the macro
settings for Filter and Time.

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Animation page
The Animation page has two views, the Step Sequencer and the LFO view.

On the Step Sequencer view you can tweak the step sequencer values on the left
and the Animate macro assignments on the right.

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On the LFO view you can tweak the Drift LFO parameters including Drift macro
intensity on the left. In the middle and right areas you can tweak all LFO parameters
and the Animate macro assignments on the right.

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Credits

Product Design: Tobias Menguser, Paul Haslinger

Sample Concept, Processing & Design: Tobias Menguser

Graphic Design: Ingo Hermes

Kontakt Scripting: Klaus Baetz

Orchestral Recordings: Stephan Lembke

Presets Design: Tobias Menguser, New Loops, emptyvessel, Marco Iodice, Joerg
Huettner, Richard Veenstra

Documentation: Tobias Menguser

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