IMPRESSIONS BY RIOT AUDIO
KK-ACCESS REVIEW
This latest release from Riot Audio takes a fresh approach to a dual source granular engine for Kontakt, and gives it a good shake up, the result is a new take on the concept with some clever technical innovations, some unique features, and a tiny data footprint that truly belies it’s versatile cinematic sound.
TECH SPECS
Impressions runs in Kontakt version 8.7.0 or higher, either the full or free Kontakt Player edition.
It is compatible with all versions of Komplete Kontrol hosting the above Kontakt specifications.
The library requires 300MB of disk space for installation.
There is a single Kontakt NKI master preset, with a further 222 Kontakt NKSN snapshot presets divided among 8 categories.
DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION
Impressions is downloaded and installed directly through Native Access after pasting in the post purchase serial number, and given the small library size this literally takes a few minutes.
Loading up Komplete Kontrol will auto scan Impressions into your factory browser, and you are then all set to go.
KOMPLETE KONTROL NKS PARAMETER MAPPINGS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF THE REVIEW FOLLOWING THE MEDIA LINKS SECTION
ACCESSIBILITY
The overall access for Impressions seems good with the usual filters, effects, and the notable multiple LFO support which is an important feature of the library.
Impressions includes a user sample import option, which of course requires use of the notoriously inaccessible drag & drop procedure, a persistently difficult nut that we all long to have cracked, and as such this still remains out of reach.
I can forgive the inability to select and load our own choice of sounds from Impressions own sample pool, but only because there is a saviour in the guise of a randomise control which helps us to partially generate our own presets, although there is a caveat in that only the currently loaded category is included in the randomisation process.
Having the option of being able to definitively choose our category and choice from the 65 sources would of course have been much more preferable in terms of greater sound design potential.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’, has always been one of my favourite mantras, whether I have managed to live by it is for others to judge, my immediate thoughts when applying it to Impressions as a library though, were definitely positive.
The presets are divided into the following categories:
Atmospheres, Basses, Chaos, Keys, Pads, Pulses, Starting Points, & Vocal.
The Pads section also has sub folders for Smooth & Textured, as does the Pulse section with Heavy & Light.
THE IMPRESSIONS ENGINE
Where traditional granular instruments will take two separate sound sources and then blend or crossfade them together, Impressions instead physically merges these two granular source streams to the extent where the resulting correlated single output is seamlessly intertwined to produce a wholly unique and genuinely original audio union where the original sources are difficult to identify, and thus creates a final bespoke sound.
Whilst grasping for some kind of an analogy, I can only say that it is like smashing up a Ming Vase and a Wedge wood dinner plate, and then reassembling them into something entirely different, with the old technique you could probably still spot the Ming Vase & the Wedgwood if you looked closely, but with Impressions the joins are harder to identify, put simply, the adhesive is cohesive!
IMPRESSIVE PRESETS
The included presets have a broad appeal, and cover a cross section of genres, very rich and textural in nature, there is plenty of organic hybrid as well as more overtly electronic sounding material to load up and experiment with.
Experimentation is indeed the fun part of Impressions, although the out of the box patches already tick many boxes and are well designed, it is nevertheless also enjoyable to tweak the grain settings and see quite just where things might take you.
I liked how the sounds could evolve and morph over time, thanks in no small part to the extensive LFO features.
The eclectic nature of the granular engine produced some really interesting sounds, organic and textural, yet ambiguous in nature, Impressions delivered the fascinating beauty of granular with seemingly no strain at all on the processor.
Riot Audio have put together a helpful walkthrough which will explain in greater detail how the engine works, and it is also a perfect opportunity to hear how the sounds could fit into your own projects.
CONCLUSION
Impressions is a useful library for those looking to add movement and textural atmosphere to a track.
Ideally suited to film, game, documentary, ambient, experimental, soundscapes, and general media production, there is sure to be plenty of potential to find material to suit such projects here.
With twenty pages of NKS controls, there is a reasonable level of tweakability, and despite the lack of dedicated sample selection, the randomise control does at least allow the ability for some unique user preset creation.
Impressions from Riot Audio is available directly from their website at the introductory price of £69.00 (regular price is £89.00).
Impressions Product Page:
Impressions Walkthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPFA2Rj-HL4
Demo Playthrough – High Stakes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKF2n8VylMw
KOMPLETE KONTROL NKS PARAMETER MAPPINGS
Page One – Master & Envelope
Knob 1 – Volume
Knob 2 – Grain Ratio
Knob 3 – Density
Knob 4 – Smoothness
Knob 5 – Attack
Knob 6 – Decay
Knob 7 – Sustain
Knob 8 – Release
Page Two – Modwheel 1 & Modwheel 2 Controls
Knob 1 – Modwheel 1 On/Off
Knob 2 – Direction
Knob 3 – Depth
Knob 4 – Offset
Knob 5 – Modwheel 2 On/Off
Knob 6 – Direction
Knob 7 – Depth
Knob 8 – Offset
Page Three – Layer A, Filters, Randomise, Sample Offset
Knob 1 – Layer A Width
Knob 2 – Shape
Knob 3 – Low Pass Filter
Knob 4 – High Pass Filter
Knob 5 – Pan Random
Knob 6 – Position
Knob 7 – Tuning
Knob 8 – Sample Offset
Page Four – A Grain Settings, & Randomise
Knob 1 – Pan Focus
Knob 2 – Tuning: Pitch, Fine Tune
Knob 3 – Pitch
Knob 4 – Fine Tune
Knob 5 – Octave: Up or Down plus or minus 3
Knob 6 – Gain Trim
Knob 7 – Randomise (Grain Sample Selection)
Knob 8 – Unassigned
Page Five & Six – Grain B Settings (As per pages 3 & 4 for A Grain)
Page Seven – LFO 1
Knob 1 – On/Off
Knob 2 – LFO Shape: Sine, Triangle, Square, Saw, Random
Knob 3 – Direction
Knob 4 – Speed )in beat values)
Knob 5 – Depth
Knob 6 – Offset
Knob 7 & 8 – Unassigned
Page Eight to Ten – LFO’s 2 to 4 (As per page seven for LFO 1)
Page Eleven – Saturation
Knob 1 – On/Off
Knob 2 – Type: Tape, Tube, Transistor
Knob 3 – Amount
Knob 4 – Damping
Knob 5 to 8 – Unassigned
Page Twelve – Degrading
Knob 1 – On/Off
Knob 2 – Type: Bitcrush, Worn Tape
Knob 3 – Speed (reported in Hz)
Knob 4 – Amount
Knob 5 – Damping
Knob 6 to 8 – Unassigned
Page Thirteen – Low, Band, & High Pass Filters
Knob 1 – Low Pass On/Off
Knob 2 – Frequency
Knob 3 – Band Pass On/Off
Knob 4 – Frequency
Knob 5 – High Pass On/Off
Knob 6 – Frequency
Knob 7 to 8 – Unassigned
Page Fourteen – EQ
Knob 1 – Low
Knob 2 – Low Q
Knob 3 – Mid
Knob 4 – Mid Q
Knob 5 – High
Knob 6 – High Q
Knob 7 & 8 – Unassigned
Page Fifteen – Delay
Knob 1 – On/Off
Knob 2 – Mix
Knob 3 – Feedback
Knob 4 – Diffusion On/Off
Knob 5 – Sync On/Off (for DAW tempo beat values or free running Hz)
Knob 6 – Time (as above)
Knob 7 & 8 – Unassigned
Page Sixteen – Reverb
Knob 1 – On/Off
Knob 2 – Mix
Knob 3 – Length
Knob 4 to 8 – Unassigned
Page Seventeen – Movement 2 – LFO 1
Knob 1 – On/Off
Knob 2 – Type: Sine, Triangle, Square, Saw, Random
Knob 3 – Direction
Knob 4 – Speed (in beat values)
Knob 5 – Depth
Knob 6 – Offset
Knob 7 & 8 – Unassigned
Page Eighteen to Twenty – Movement 2 LFO’s 2 to LFO 4 (as per page Seventeen for LFO 1)
(c) Chris Ankin
KK-Access.com
12TH December 2025
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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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