TOM FACTORY BY FRACTURE SOUNDS
KK-ACCESS REVIEW
Fracture Sounds released their innovative Box Factory library back in 2021, which unusually used a vast collection of cardboard boxes struck with various combinations of sticks & mallets to deliver a unique perspective on cinematic drums.
Now their latest release Tom Factory, revisits the original concept, using a more traditional collection of Concert Toms, Roto Toms, Octobans, and Bass Drum ensembles, again in a variety of combinations all struck with different beaters.
TECH SPECS
Tom Factory runs in Kontakt 6.7 & above both full and Kontakt Player versions, and is Komplete Kontrol compatible.
The library requires 15GB of disk space for installation.
There are 6 folders each containing 11 Kontakt NKI preset files which provide the basis for the various drum types, with a further 6 Essential Mix NKI files bringing the total presets to 72.
no NKSN snapshots or NKM multis are used within the library.
DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION
Download and installation comes courtesy of Native Access, which handles the entire process for you following authorisation of your provided serial number post purchase.
Komplete Kontrol will then quickly and easily add the product to your database upon launch using the auto scan feature, and you are then ready to go.
Komplete Kontrol Plugin Edit – NKS Parameter Mappings
Page One – Sculpt & Microphone Positions
Knob 1 – Punch
Knob 2 – Decay Trim
Knob 3 – Saturate
Knob 4 – Squash
Knob 5 – Perspective
Knob 6- Close
Knob 7 – Mid
Knob 8 – Far
Page Two – Ensemble Stack, FX & Feel
Knob 1 – Ensemble Stack Size
Knob 2 – Looseness
Knob 3 – Spread
Knob 4 – Unallocated
Knob 5 – Reverb
Knob 6 – Stereo Width
Knob 7 – Dynamic Range
Knob 8 – Sample Start
ACCESSIBILITY
For those who already own Fracture Sounds Box Factory, there will be no real surprises as the NKS mapping is identical, aside for swapping around the position of a couple of the controls.
This is a little disappointing, as it was hoped that some sort of access to the rhythmic sequencer found within both Tom Factory & the earlier Box Factory may have been included.
Admittedly this can be a somewhat convoluted process where NKS is concerned, and at the end of the day it ultimately might be just as easy to use your host DAW to do the job of rhythm programming.
It would have been useful however to perhaps have had the provided factory rhythm based presets which are in NKA format, also saved out as NKI files, as we are unable to gain access to the GUI where they reside.
We are also unable to switch and swap out our own choices of drum combinations and midi note position assignments, however to be fair I think Fracture Sounds have done their best to address this by providing a fairly expansive range of possible instrument combinations.
I would also like to have seen some control for tuning added to the NKS mapping, as this despite being present in the graphical user interface, along with filters, are not currently supported by NKS.
INSIDE THE FACTORY
The presets have been divided into six distinctive mix groups consisting of:
Hyped
Aggressive
Snappy
Punchy
XXL
Raw
These pre configured mixes provide a good starting place for further sound sculpting, whether that be via the blending of the three available microphone positions, punch, decay trim, or saturation.
Further tweaks can also be made using the Ensemble section, which offers controls for stack, looseness, and spread.
I did observe that cranking up the size of the stack introduced some notable crackle on my system, although my test rig is not as powerful as my main music computer, it is still perhaps something to be aware of.
FACTORY FX
In terms of other general FX, there is a global reverb alongside a stereo width control.
On the topic of reverb, or rather removal of, it is possible using a combination of the decay trim and close mic/perspective knobs to make the drums very dry, which is something we are sometimes unable to do in other libraries, and this gives the option to add your own choice of a better more closely matched ambience to your project.
The dynamic range parameter lets you dial in the level of velocity responsiveness, which is useful for more subtle sounds, this is a far cry from the big cinematic action vibe we get from the XXL mix presets, where audio horsepower is the order of the day!
Lastly, we have the sample start control which is set to a default value of 25ms, this allows you to authentically preserve the natural transient of each drum hit.
This can be temporarily set to 0ms during recording if latency is a distraction, and then put back again for playback, whilst remembering to take into account and adjust accordingly your track offset to negate any perceived lag.
THE BIG HITS
As you would expect with a Fracture Sound library, the recording quality is superb, with each instrument sounding crisp and clear, with enough punch to cut through even the busiest of heavily scored trailer tracks.
Do be sure to take a look at the walkthrough link at the review footer in order to hear the full potential of Tom Factory.
CONCLUSION
Tom Factory could prove to be a worthy addition to the toolbox of any composer creating cinematic cues and action trailers.
The drums have a rich and dynamic presence that can punctuate and enrich your tracks, bringing to life and underpinning the music with a vibrancy which has so evidently been painstakingly captured within the Fracture Sounds recording process.
Sure, I can grumble a little about the lack of access to the rhythm sequencer, but as I mentioned earlier, how many of us would truly make use of this feature. Aside from this and the absence of tuning, pretty much all of the most useful Tom Factory features are here and available on demand using NKS.
Tom Factory from Fracture Sounds is available from their website at the Intro Price of $119, £99, €119
RRP: $149, £129, €149 (inc. VAT)
(Offer Ends 29th August)
Tom Factory Product Page:
https://fracturesounds.com/product/tom-factory/
Tom Factory Walkthrough:
https://youtu.be/v7vUOYwD1AI
(c) Chris Ankin
KK-Access.com
3rd August 2023
Disclaimer
The author can not accept any responsibility for subsequent purchase decisions made as a result of this review,or Any inaccuracies found therein. All opinions and product functions stated are based solely on information perceived as a blind user whilst using the product and/or gathered from official factual sources such as the developer, web or supplied product manual.
About the Author
Based in Buckinghamshire, England, Chris Ankin has worked as a freelance review writer and contributor with articles published in Sound On Sound, Home & Studio Recording and ST Format Magazines.
He has also successfully worked extensively in and around the music, recording, film Soundtrack scoring, Game & media composition, the creative arts, Charitable trusts,publishing, music streaming and property investments since 1982 whilst continuously and deliberately managing to evade any mainstream recognition under his own name by the use of various pseudonyms.
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