THE PULSE BY SONUSCORE
KK-ACCESS REVIEW
Sonuscore have now released a number of composer tool based sample libraries, most notably of which are impressive all encompassing packages such as ‘The Orchestra Complete’, which has received several significant updates, and more recently ‘The Score’ which is a contemporary composition library aimed toward media and film music creation.
All are expertly designed and scripted compositional aids that can help take some of the hard graft out of what we sometimes experience when faced with that daunting blank canvas in front of us.
Depending on your perspective, these assistive compositional tools can at the very least be useful idea generators, or perhaps even serve as total solutions, if for example a penny pinching project budget or looming tight deadline happen to threaten your usual preferred creative workflow.
Technology for the most part should be embraced, and libraries such as this can be a perfectly legitimate solution to deliver results without any feelings of guilt, afterall, it’s not exactly a total submission to artificial intelligence at the end of the day, as the choice of notes and chords that you play will still be yours.
FEEL THE PULSE
The Pulse takes these already established Sonuscore concepts, and presents the user with a wealth of pre-constructed multilayered patterns based around the scoring requirements for a number of musical genres.
The sounds that have been used to make up these patterns have also been broken out into single playable instrument presets that you can further use to embellish the existing phrases, or of course come up with your own.
These include basses, leads, pads, drum kits, keys & FX, covering a wide spectrum of electronic styles.
TECH SPECS
The Pulse runs in Kontakt 7.10.7 or higher, either full version or the Free Kontakt Player edition.
It is also compatible with all versions of Komplete Kontrol hosting the appropriate Kontakt version.
The library requires 2.65GB for installation, and uses the NCW lossless sample file format.
The Pulse utilises a combination of Kontakt NKI as well as Kontakt NKSN snapshots for it’s factory presets.
The NKI files include master presets for The Pulse itself, along with The Pulse Drum Kits, however there is also a folder called ‘Singles’ which houses the individual instrument presets, and this has further sub folders that break the content down further into specific categories.
Regarding the snapshots, there are 3 folders total ling 80 presets which represent the three main categories, Cinematic, Ensembles, & Modern Genre.
The last folder contains another 39 snapshots that represent the individually saved Pulse Drum Kits, covering a good range of genres.
DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION
The Pulse can be downloaded and installed using Native Access, which is an entirely accessible and painless process, just paste in your post purchase serial number, hit ‘install’ and let it do its thing!
Loading up Komplete Kontrol either in standalone, or directly as a plug-in within your DAW will add The Pulse to your factory browser using the auto scan feature.
FULL KOMPLETE KONTROL PLUG-IN EDIT NKS PARAMETER MAPPINGS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF THE REVIEW FOLLOWING THE MEDIA SECTION
ACCESSIBILITY
The NKS controls presented to users from The Pulse interface are perhaps a little sparse, with the multi instrument presets, we have Solo, Mute, Volume, Pan, Reverb, Attack & Release, High & Low Filters, Compressor, and 3 LFO sections.
The single instruments offer Reverb, Filter, Attack & Release, Compressor, and 3 LFO’s.
The shortfall at least for blind users who are relying solely on NKS for access, means that it is not possible to load our own choices of instruments into multi slots, or for example change the default loaded kit in The Pulse Drum Kits patch, and the ‘Empty Session’ preset will remain just that, empty!
Ideally, to avoid this, access to the GUI browser needs to be made automatable within Kontakt, which would then permit it to be passed through to the Komplete Kontrol NKS template.
Much depends upon how this GUI based browser has been implemented, but as we are now seeing elsewhere with other libraries, it is something that can sometimes be achieved with the Kontakt KSP scripting.
Other sections of The Pulse user interface would I think quite legitimately be difficult to implement via NKS alone, arranging melodic content, and sequencing simply do not lend themselves easily to the restricted capabilities of NKS.
I did also further take the time to cross reference the Komplete Kontrol NKS parameters with those that had been made automatable directly within Kontakt through a DAW parameter list, and these were identical.
So any further bonus parameters that NKS2 may sometimes potentially have exposed were in this case not present.
Thankfully, it’s not all bad news, as all 39 of the Drum Kits have been saved out as NKSN snapshots, so whilst we do not have the convenience of a single NKI patch, or the ability to mix, match, & construct our own user kits, the drums are still obtainable as default genre based pre-configured kits with plenty to choose from.
FINGERS ON THE PULSE
The operational concepts behind The Pulse will already be immediately familiar for owners of The Score.
Each of the song based presets have up to 10 possible instrument slots, which in turn may be pre-loaded with Bass lines, melodic, arpeggiated , & rhythmical pattern content, all available and ready for you to play using your own choices of single note or chorded combinations.
These pre-sequenced parts will simultaneously follow what you are playing, and are synced to the tempo of your host DAW project.
Your performance is enhanced with further musical pattern variants which are invoked courtesy of the inclusion of 4 keyswitches, which are broken out into Intro, Main A, Main B, & Main C, compositional arrangements, and these allow you the option to seamlessly switch between them as your track evolves.
MODWHEEL MAGIC
The cleverly programmed patterns also have another useful little trick up their sleeves, as even more variations are possible through use of the modwheel.
Each of the keyswitched song parts are assigned to the modwheel controller, and when moved to the downward position, certain elements within the multipart ensembles are reduced or eliminated from the audible master mix.
Such elements as the minimum and maximum settings of the volume, velocity, pitch and chance sequences or even FX are modulated.
As you gradually move the modwheel back upwards, various constituent parts will get added to the mix again, it’s a little like being both a keyboard player and DJ all at the same time, as it lets you drop the beat back in and out whenever you creatively feel fit to do so!
THE PULSE – SOUNDS & STYLES
With The Pulse Sonuscore have been careful not to pigeonhole either the sounds or styles into a specific genre, and as things stand, the included content can happily straddle across a number of electronic music types.
There are nice punchy basses, soaring leads, lush cinematic pads, keys & pianos, strings, drums, fx, and hybrid sounds to work with, something of a musical Swiss Army Knife, I guess you could say.
Sonuscore have also included a handful of effect type presets among the drum kit presets, here you can find low booms, massive impacts,Epic Trailer, Industrial Hits, & Industrial Percussion, which all add to the overall flexibility, helping to reinforce the cinematic trailer scoring possibilities.
Regarding the included genres, then hybrid cinematic, electronic, ambient, techno, trance, synthwave, dark techno, IDM, cyberpunk, & trap, will all be catered for in varying degrees, and suggested song bpm tempos are included in the relevant preset names.
Although it is possible via the GUI, there was not a way via either NKS or keyswitches, to switch the time signatures, or playback speeds of the sequences, so things will mostly be in 4/4.
With some practice and diligence toward the workflow, it is perfectly possible to be able to construct an entire track using just this library, or for The Pulse to serve as a foundational bedrock for the overlaying of additional tracks.
SOUND QUALITY
As with previous releases, and despite a relatively small data footprint, Sonuscore have achieved good overall sound quality, with fast load speeds.
The sequences are lively and animated, and well balanced, sounding polished and professional.
We are able to make some reasonable tweaks, such as per instrument mix levels, pan, attack & decay, and reverb levels per instrument part, although filter, compressor, and LFO controls are implemented globally.
Do take a moment to check out the walkthrough video linked in the media section to hear The Pulse in action, and there is plenty more excellent tutorial content available on the main product page.
CONCLUSION
The Pulse would make an excellent companion library for The Orchestra Complete or The Score, yet quite happily stands on it’s own two feet as a single library, thanks to a reasonably diverse range of musical styles.
The Pulse is instantly gratifying to work with and can quickly help composers to flesh out, and produce professional sounding results, ideal for games, apps, media, and other commercial projects.
The accessibility for blind users is basic in terms of the available parameters, and excludes use of several extended library features, having said this though, The Pulse still has the potential to serve well as a creative toolbox without requiring access to those more desirable advanced features such as the sample browser, sequence editing, or midi pattern to DAW exports.
The Pulse can be purchased directly from Sonuscore, and for a limited time, THE PULSE is available at an introductory price of €229,00 (normally €299). This offer ends on April 3rd, 2025
The Pulse Product page:
https://www.sonuscore.com/shop/the-pulse/
The Pulse Main Engine Walkthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VObAOfQBUYE
The Pulse – User Manual:
https://manuals.sonuscore.com/the-pulse.html
KOMPLETE KONTROL PLUG-IN EDIT NKS PARAMETER MAPPINGS
The Pulse – Multi slot Song & Ensemble Presets
Page One – Slot One
Knob 1 – Solo On/Off
Knob 2 – Mute On/off
Knob 3 – Volume: Minimum
Knob 4 – Volume: Maximum
Knob 5 – Pan
Knob 6 – Reverb Send
Knob 7 – Attack
Knob 8 – release
Pages Two to Ten – Slots 2 to 10
As per page 1 mapping
Page Eleven – Reverb & Filter
Knob 1 – Reverb On/Off
Knob 2 – Type: Plate, Raum: , Hall
Knob 3 – Time
Knob 4 – Pre-Delay
Knob 5 – Mix
Knob 6 – Filter On/Off
Knob 7 – Low Cut
Knob 8 – High Cut
Page Twelve – Compressor & LFO 1
Knob 1 – Compressor On/Off
Knob 2 – Compressor Ratio
Knob 3 – Character
Knob 4 – Saturation
Knob 5 – LFO 1 On/Off
Knob 6 – LFO 1 Shape: Sine, Rectangle, Triangle, Saw tooth, Random
Knob 7 – Frequency (Hertz or beats depending upon sync On/off)
Knob 8 – Sync On/Off
Page Thirteen – LFO 2 & LFO 3
As above parameters for LFO 1
Page Fourteen –
The Pulse – single Sound Presets NKS Mapping
Page One – Reverb & Filter
Knob 1 – Reverb On/Off
Knob 2 – Type
Knob 3 – Time
Knob 4 – Pre-Delay
Knob 5 – Mix
Knob 6 – Filter On/off
Knob 7 – Low Cut
Knob 8 – High Cut
Page Two – Envelope & Compressor
Knob 1 – Envelope Attack
Knob 2 – Envelope Release
Knob 3 & 4 – Unallocated
Knob 5 – Compressor On/Off
Knob 6 – Compressor Ratio
Knob 7 – Character
Knob 8 – Saturation
Page Three – LFO 1 & LFO 2
Knob 1 – LFO 1 On/Off
Knob 2 – Shape
Knob 3 – Frequency: Hertz or Beats dependent upon sync on/off
Knob 4 – Sync On/Off
Knob 5 – LFO 2 On/Off
Knob 6 – Shape
Knob 7 – Frequency: Hertz of Beats dependent upon sync on/off
Page Four – LFO 3
As above for LFO 1 & 2
Page Five –
(c) Chris Ankin
KK-Access.com
21ST March 2025
KK-ACCESS Our Transparency Statement
KK-Access believe in integrity, and through respect for our readers,that our product reviews should strive to be be honest and unbiased, and that any of our opinions should not be influenced by financial reward or other incentives from a plug-in or sample library developer for which a review of their wares may be a subject matter.
Therefore, we do not accept,, and will continue to decline any offers of affiliation links, for all products under review for publication on this website.
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.
E&OE
KK-ACCESS 