WELCOME TO SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE 2 SETUP TIPS 2 SNAPSHOTS 3 INSTRUMENT FEATURES 4 OVERVIEW 4 MAIN PANEL 4 SYNCHRONIZATION 5 SYNC: ON/OFF 5 TRIGGER: HOST/KEYS 5 PLAY BUTTON 6 HALF SPEED 6 PLAYBACK CONTROLS 6 MUTE 6 SOLO 6 OUTPUT 6 VOLUME 7 PAN 7 METERS 7 SOUNDSOURCE BROWSER 8 LINK 9 KEY MAPPING 11 PATTERN PANEL 13 PLAYBACK CONTROLS 13 CREATING PATTERNS WITH THE RHYTHM GRID 14 INNER-PATTERN ROLLS 15 PATTERN 16 HUMANIZE 17 PERFORMANCE 17 RATE 17 GRID 17 SWING 18 PATTERN 18 PATTERN MENU 19 LOCK 19 STEPS 20 PAGE 20 FOLLOW 20 ROLLS 20 ATK (ATTACK) 20 RLS (RELEASE) 20 MIXER PANEL 21
PLAYBACK CONTROLS 21 TUNE 22 TONE 22 FREQUENCY 22 EMPHASIS 22 EQ 23 SEND 23 MASTER FX 23 EQ 23 COMP 24 TAPE 24 RETURN 24 MASTER VOLUME 25 DELAY 25 VERB 26 CREDITS 27 SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 1
WELCOME TO SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE Thank you for purchasing Shimmer Strike Shake! This library has been designed to be a one-stop-shop for all your top of mix percussion needs. This sample library of tambourines, shakers and small hand percussion allows you to create and control the sound of realistic, human performances with ease. We hope that you enjoy Shimmer Shake Strike and that you will use it for many years to come. SETUP TIPS For the remainder of this manual, please open Kontakt s Info pane and on-screen Keyboard by clicking the Workspace Management icon and then selecting Info and Keyboard. With the Info pane open (viewable at the very bottom of the Kontakt interface) you can get information on any of Shimmer Shake Strike s controls by hovering over them. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 2
SNAPSHOTS Shimmer Shake Strike contains a number of Snapshots depending on you edition. These Snapshots consist of a variety of patterns and soundsets for you to use or as starters for your own patterns. Each Snapshot is fully programmed, mixed, and ready to be played. Each category of Snapshots features similarly programmed rhythms, with the biggest differences being in which soundsources are being used. This allows you to quickly audition different soundsources with similar patterns. There is a special set of snapshots called High End Grooves. These are individually programmed and have pairs of grooves within their eight patterns. Notes F, G, A, and B, play the main groove. F#, G#, A#, and C, play patterns that are more like fills or alternatives to the main grooves. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 3
INSTRUMENT FEATURES OVERVIEW When you first load Shimmer Shake Strike you will be in the Main panel. The Main panel is an overview and contains the most useful playback functions along with the Link panel. MAIN PANEL In this panel you can set most playback parameters for the three different instruments in Shimmer Shake Strike. We will begin our overview here and move onto the other two panels, Mixer and Pattern, further down in the Overview. This Overview and its pictures will reference the Extended version of Shimmer Shake Strike. All controls and functions are the same between editions with the only differences being Soundsource and Snapshot content. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 4
SYNCHRONIZATION In addition to your MIDI keyboard, playback and playback timing options are controlled by three user interface controls: Sync, Trigger and Play. NOTE: These controls will remain unchanged as you go from Snapshot to Snapshot. This design allows you to maintain the playback setting of your choice, no matter the Snapshot preset you load. SYNC: ON/OFF This on/off switch allows the percussion pattern to synchronize to the host s playback position. EXAMPLE 1 (with Sync On ): If the host s playback is running and the percussion pattern is triggered on beat two, percussion playback will start on beat two of its pattern; not at the beginning of its pattern. In other words: this option allows the host s playback position to dictate where within the percussion pattern that playback will begin. EXAMPLE 2 (with Sync Off ): If the host s playback is running and the percussion pattern is triggered on beat two, percussion playback will begin playback at beat one of its pattern. In other words: this option allows for triggering the playback of a percussion pattern at its beginning, every time, no matter the host s playback position. TRIGGER: HOST/KEYS When set to Host the currently selected percussion pattern will begin playback when the host starts running (i.e. when play is engaged on your sequencer). The percussion pattern will stop when the host s playback is stopped. NOTE: The Host setting will automatically activate and deactivate the percussion pattern s Play button as host playback is started and stopped. Tip: When combined with the Sync On position, this setting is useful when you want one pattern to play consistently throughout an entire track, as it requires no MIDI input. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 5
When set to Keys a percussion pattern will only begin playback when triggered by a MIDI note. PLAY BUTTON This control activates playback of the selected pattern, regardless of the Trigger selection. NOTE: Sync settings are still observed when the Play button is activated. HALF SPEED An additional control labelled 1/2 halves the speed of all patterns in the Snapshot preset. Tip: Engage this option when a track s tempo is high enough that the percussion patterns begin to sound too busy or unnaturally fast. PLAYBACK CONTROLS These controls allow you to set Volume and Pan, to route Output, to Solo and Mute, and to monitor the Levels of each instrument. MUTE Clicking on the M button will mute the instrument. More than one instrument can be muted at a time. SOLO Clicking on the S button will only play that instrument. More than one instrument can be soloed at a time. OUTPUT Clicking on the Output (DEF by default) will show a dropdown to allow you to route the output of each instrument to its own output routing in Kontakt. Re-routing in this manner will bypass the Master FX section. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 6
VOLUME The Volume knob allows you to set how loud the instrument s playback will be. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to its 0db volume position. PAN By turning the Pan knob you can set the instrument's output left, with counter clockwise turns, and right with clockwise turns. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to its center 12 o clock position. METERS Displays the volume and pan adjustments made with the Volume and Pan knobs. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 7
SOUNDSOURCE BROWSER Each of the three instruments allow you to change each of their instrument sounds by clicking on the Soundsource Browser button. Clicking on the name of the instrument (or the magnifying glass icon) will take you to the Soundsource Browser page with picture representations of the included sound sets. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 8
You can also page thru the soundsources with the left and right triangles for that group of soundsources, either Shimmer, Shake, or Strike. NOTE: A soundsource can only be used once between the three instruments. LINK The Link slider allows the instruments to playback rolls and hits together or individually. When Link is set to On, when playing notes F#2, G#2, and or A#2 from your MIDI keyboard, all instruments will play rolls simultatneously. NOTE: The Strike category does not provide rolls for its soundsources. When Link is set to Off, each of the instruments rolls can be played back individually. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 9
NOTE: The roll keys are defaulted so that F#2 plays rolls that begin and end immediately as the F# note is held and released. G# plays rolls with a fade in and stops immediately upon a key s release. A# plays rolls that fade in and out as the F# note is held and released. These settings can be modified on the Pattern page with the Atk and Rls controls. The hits keys work similarly. When Link is set to ON, all instruments hits will play simultaneously. When Link is set to OFF, each instrument s hits can be played individually. EXAMPLE: Roll with a Hit at the end, accents, etc. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 10
KEY MAPPING Shimmer Shake Strike has been designed to provide extra flexibility in the triggering of percussion patterns. Under the Link control on the Main panel (and Kontakt s Keyboard) you can see that there are several keys to help with this. C1, C#1, and D1, will solo each of the three instruments. These are colored yellow in the Keyboard display. E1 is a toggle for Link and is colored orange in the Keyboard. Each of the eight patterns can be played from keys F1 to C2 and are colored red in the Keyboard display. In Link On mode: Rolls can be played from keys F#2, G#2, and A#2. These keys are velocity sensitive and are colored blue. Hits can be played from keys E2, F2, G2, A2, and B2. These key s sounds will increase in intensity from E2 to B2 and are colored light blue. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 11
In Link Off mode: Rolls can be played from keys F#2, G#2, and A#2 for Instrument 1, F#3, G#3, and A#3 for Instrument 2, and F#4, G#4, and A#4 for Instrument 3. These keys are velocity sensitive. In the Keyboard display they are colored blue. Hits can be played from keys E2, F2, G2, A2, and B2 for Instrument 1, E3, F3, G3, A3, and B3 for Instrument 2, and E3, F3, G3, A3, and B3 for Instrument 3. These key s sounds will increase in intensity from E2-B2, E3-B3, and E4-B4. On the Keyboard, Instrument one is colored green, Instrument 2, blue, and Instrument 2, purple. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 12
PATTERN PANEL The Pattern panel consists of three rows for step entering patterns for each of the instruments. PLAYBACK CONTROLS These controls mirror those found on the Main and Mix pages: Volume, Pan, Solo, Mute, Meter and Soundsource Selection. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 13
CREATING PATTERNS WITH THE RHYTHM GRID The rhythm grid has been designed to create performances that reflect the true-to-life motion and sound of the instruments. When the grid is empty and a tambourine or shaker instrument is loaded the interface will display arrows in the bottom square of each slider tray. These arrows signify that the shaker is either moving away or towards the player. To create a general-use tambourine or shaker performance, click and drag the slider to fill the bottom row of arrows (if no slider is visible, click anywhere in the slider tray and drag up). Once you have a basic pattern, think about where you want to have accents and how strong they should be. Raising a slider from the first position adds an accent. An accent s strength will increase as it is moved higher. The below image shows a basic 16th note pattern with slight backbeat accents on the 2 and 4. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 14
Additionally, articulation types can also change as an accent is increased. EXAMPLE 1: A tambourine in spaces four and five (from the bottom) will feature hand hits. EXAMPLE 2: A shaker is spaces four and five (from the bottom) will feature performed twists. IMPORTANT: Some users might think, I want my pattern to sound stronger. To achieve, this I will raise every slider to the 2nd/3rd/4th/etc position. This is the wrong approach and will not typically produce a life-like result, as most percussionists do not wave their hands harder/further for every note to achieve stronger sounds with tambourines and shakers. Use this approach when creating patterns with Shimmer Shake Strike: create a baseline back-and-forth pattern (as described above) and then add more/harder accents for a stronger performance sound. INNER-PATTERN ROLLS The top two levels of each slider represent two 32nd and three 32nd triplet notes. These can be used to get an inner-pattern roll articulation. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 15
PATTERN By clicking on the Pattern button, a variety of functions and starter patterns can be accessed. These include functions to copy, paste, and clear patterns and pages; shift patterns by steps and beats; import and export patterns; and a variety of starter patterns designed for the currently loaded instrument. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 16
HUMANIZE Adds a bit of randomness to the timing of a pattern. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to its 0% position. NOTE: This knob is only available for Strike soundsources. PERFORMANCE This section features controls to control the overall feel and tempo of Shimmer Shake Strike. RATE Controls the speed at which the Rhythm Grid runs. Toggles between 16th and 1/8T note lengths for each step. NOTE: in 1/8T the Swing knob will become unavailable. GRID Toggles between 16 or 12 steps for each Page in the Rhythm Grid. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 17
SWING Adjusts the amount that even-numbered grid spaces are delayed before being triggered. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to its 0% position. PATTERN Accesses each of the eight sets of Rhythm Grid programming. These eight sets correspond to the eight patterns discussed in the Link section. The knob will also change as different patterns are triggered from the MIDI keyboard. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to Pattern 1. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 18
PATTERN MENU This drop down menu lets you access similar functions as in the pattern drop down menu for each of the three rows. These include functions to copy, paste, and clear patterns and pages; shift patterns by steps and beats; and import and export patterns. LOCK Locks the patterns so that Snapshot changes do not change any patterns in the Rhythm Grid. This is helpful when you want to audition other sets of sounds from different Snapshots. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 19
STEPS With a 16 grid, there are 1-64 Steps, and 1-48 steps with a 12 grid. This allows quick setup for patterns in 4/4 and ¾ time signatures. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to 16 steps for 16 Grid and 12 steps for 12 Grid. PAGE When a pattern includes more than 16 steps in a 16 grid or more than 12 steps in a 12 grid, the Page button allows you to program these additional steps by accessing the next set of 16 or 12 steps, for a total of 64 or 48 steps in 4 pages. FOLLOW With the Follow button engaged, the pattern sliders will show each of the pages as they are played. ROLLS There are three keys to play rolls per instrument soundsource except for Strike soundsources. See the Link section for more details. All three of these keys have the same sound on each key, the difference being the settings of the ATK and RLS knobs. ATK (ATTACK) Controls the fade-in for the roll when the key is pressed. Fade-in can be set from 0ms to 5 seconds. RLS (RELEASE) Controls the fade-out for the roll when the key is released. Fade-out can be set from 15ms to 5 seconds. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 20
MIXER PANEL The Mixer panel allows greater detail to shape the sound of the three instruments individually and globally, with Tune, Tone, EQ, Comp, Tape, Delay, and Reverb effects. PLAYBACK CONTROLS These controls mirror those found on the Main and Pattern pages: Volume, Pan, Solo, Mute, Meter and Soundsource Selection. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 21
TUNE Lowers the pitch of the instrument by turning counter clockwise, and raises the pitch by turning the knob clockwise. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to its center 12 o clock position. TONE FREQUENCY Activates a low pass filter when positioned left-of-center and a high pass filter when right-of-center. When the knob sits at the original center default position, both filters are disengaged. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to its center 12 o clock position. EMPHASIS Controls the amount of resonance within the Tone s Frequency control. Resonance (narrowing the bandwidth and emphasizing the filter frequency) is increased as the control is turned clockwise. NOTE: Emphasis can only be heard when the Frequency control is at a setting other than its center 12 o clock position. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 22
EQ The equalizer section is separated into four bands to help further shape the tonality of the instrument. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return any knob to its center 12 o clock position. SEND Each of the three instruments feature send controls for Delay and Reverb to add echo and ambience. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to its 0db volume position. MASTER FX The Master FX effects all three instruments simultaneously. EQ Similar to the instrument EQs, the equalizer is separated into four bands to help further shape the tonality of the instrument. EQ can turned off or on by clicking the toggle dot. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 23
COMP This control can be used to bring up lower level detail of the mix. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to its counterclockwise 0% position. Comp can turned off or on by clicking the toggle dot. TAPE This control emulates the sound of analog tape recorders and using this helps to achieve the sound of tape being driven with a hot input. Tape can turned off or on by clicking the toggle dot. EXAMPLE: With a combination of Comp and Tape, one can get the rich sound of older recordings. RETURN Controls the overall level of Delay and Reverb level of the mix. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knobs to their 0db volume position. NOTE: Some amount of Send level from an instrument must be present to hear the effects of the Return settings. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 24
MASTER VOLUME Controls the final output volume of Shimmer Shake Strike. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the knob to their 0db volume position. DELAY TIME Controls the interval between echoes. TEMPO-SYNC (METRONOME) When engaged Time values change from milliseconds to musical time (e.g. 1/64, 1/16, 1/4, etc.). FEEDBACK Controls the amount of the output signal that s being fed back into the input of the delay line, thereby creating a series of echoes that gradually fade into silence. DAMPING Attenuates high frequencies in the delayed signal. Turning this control clockwise will increase the damping effect. WIDTH Setting a value higher than 0 creates a panning effect, which alternates echos between the left and the right side of the stereo panorama. MIX Controls the Dry/Wet mix of the Delay effect. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 25
VERB Four reverb ambience types can be selected by clicking on their pictures. SIZE Determines the room size by setting the length of the reverb effect. Higher values simulate larger rooms while lower values simulate smaller rooms. Range is 50% to 150%. Clicking while holding Ctrl/Cmd will return the Size knob to its center 100% position. Verb can turned off or on by clicking the toggle dot. SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 26
CREDITS Concept, Design & Recordings: Kyle Z Kontakt Scripting: Mario Krušelj Sample Editing & Documentation: Anthony Mena Additional Engineering: David Browning Performed Shaker Rolls: Alexander Trewyn SHIMMER SHAKE STRIKE - Manual - 27