# Soniccouture Blanks - opinions?



## cellomangler (Jun 24, 2021)

I've got Soniccouture Moonkits and I'm pretty pleased. It ticks most of the right boxes and definitely sounds great. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the different sequencer types, but even as a sample playback engine, it's useful.
But I really like rolling my own samples. And Soniccouture Blanks is all about that. Basically it's like Moonkits, or UVI's Asteroid or many of the other sample playback engines built into a player (Kontakt/UVI) except that you MUST drop in your own samples. And there's quite a bit of control over the sound - no round robins or velocity layers - but you can a randomization factor on pitch, filter and a few other parameters which sounds like it could provide some of that RR effect. And there's the sequencers and euclidean stuff. Yeah... I need to just buy it and review it myself - I'll go ahead and say it. Strange there are ZERO video demos out there - and just your usual magazine style "reviews" - other than from Soniccouture, and the product has been out for over a year. Be great to hear about and see someone being creative with it. And it also sounds like a great product to share "libraries".


----------



## soniccouture (Jun 29, 2021)

Hi there,
I think you'd get more opinions if you posted the question in Sample Talk or somewhere like that!

But I can tell you that we designed Blanks to be exactly like you said - a version of Moonkits or Electro-Acoustic but with your own samples.

James


----------



## kgdrum (Jun 29, 2021)

I have a couple of questions for @soniccouture
Although I absolutely ❤️ the premise of Blanks I really don’t understand how this can be utilized in the real world by a typical user.
What I haven’t really understood about Blanks is the premise of a person using their own samples.
If a person primarily has Kontakt based sample libraries aren’t the samples locked and unavailable to be used in Blanks?
I understand a person can create their own samples but they will not have rr’s and velocity layers etc….. wouldn’t this be a compromise in quality?
So if I’m assuming correctly that most libraries we use have locked samples. Where and how are the majority of Blank users finding suitable content for Blanks?
I might be assuming wrong with all of this but I don’t understand where most users wil be able l find samples that are of the same quality as samples developers use in their proprietary libraries.

Thanks


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 29, 2021)

There are loads of sample libraries offering WAVs, particularly in the drums realm.


----------



## kgdrum (Jun 29, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> There are loads of sample libraries offering WAVs, particularly in the drums realm.


Will these samples be able to utilize rr technology and velocity layers? Or will they all be one shot samples?


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 29, 2021)

Most of course are one-shots, like the “UbercoolMega Trap ChillHop Hitmaker Pack Volume 18” 

But there are packs by Drumwerks and Loopsdelacreme (and IIRC Drumdrops) that offer more velocity layers.


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 29, 2021)

kgdrum said:


> Will these samples be able to utilize rr technology and velocity layers? Or will they all be one shot samples?


@soniccouture As a fan of all your drum libraries, I wonder: do you have any suggestions for sample sources that offer acoustic drum samples with RRs / multiple velocity layers and that really fit the concept of Blanks. Your drum sequencing is great, and to be honest I never was that aware of Blanks, but it looks nice.


----------



## companyofquail (Jun 29, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> @soniccouture As a fan of all your drum libraries, I wonder: do you have any suggestions for sample sources that offer acoustic drum samples with RRs / multiple velocity layers and that really fit the concept of Blanks. Your drum sequencing is great, and to be honest I never was that aware of Blanks, but it looks nice.


i am looking forward to this answer as well. i own nearly everything from @soniccouture except blanks due to some of the reasons you are listing here. i am a hobbyist, in the recording and music making realm, and unfortunately these days do not have the time to make all of my samples from the ground up like i used to be able to.


----------



## cellomangler (Jun 29, 2021)

I don't own blanks but I've watched all the vids available. There are no round robins or velocity layers. But I like the fact that you can load your own samples because there are tons out there as well as tons of software that can be used to create sounds - not to mention a microphone! To add variety in the samples, Soniccouture does include a unique feature in Blanks that uses velocity to randomize different parameters, which can be set on a per sound basis. For instance pitch, filter, sample start etc, can all be effected by velocity which could definitely add variety to each "strike".
This product is more akin to a "sampler" and as such, is tailored for folks who are familiar with and enjoy rolling their own sounds. If someone wants to use an existing library with RR's and VL's they would be much better off using other offerings by Soniccouture or other Kontakt libraries or other samplers that load various library formats. Rolling your own RR's & VL's is not for the faint hearted so the speed of creation within Blanks should be appreciated.
What would be cool is if there were enough folks using this product and we could share/sell our own libraries of sounds created for Blanks.
I just wish there was a demo that showed off the velocity effects and how well they reduce the "machinegunning" problem of zero RR's & VL's.


----------



## rrichard63 (Jun 29, 2021)

The work-arounds for velocity layers and RRs are nice. Is there also a work around for choke groups?


----------



## cellomangler (Jun 29, 2021)

There are choke groups for taking care of the open hi hat and such but it is glazed over really fast in the overview video. I have not seen the PDF... haven't been able to find one to download. I do own Moonkits and the chokes might be handled the same way. If this product was $49.95 I'd jump on it. I'm just a tad hesitant at $79 because I already have a lot of options for manipulating kits. Right now I'm doing some experimentation with three very inexpensive tools: Decomposer's Sitala, Songwish's ReMIDI 2 and Hatefish's Rhygenerator. Sitala is like a greatly simplified version of Blanks and it's... free.


----------



## soniccouture (Jun 29, 2021)

kgdrum said:


> I understand a person can create their own samples but they will not have rr’s and velocity layers etc….. wouldn’t this be a compromise in quality?
> So if I’m assuming correctly that most libraries we use have locked samples. Where and how are the majority of Blank users finding suitable content for Blanks?
> I might be assuming wrong with all of this but I don’t understand where most users wil be able l find samples that are of the same quality as samples developers use in their proprietary libraries.


Hi, thanks for the question.

Really this kind of drum sampling is a different concept to big acoustic drum libraries with RR and velocity layers. It's aimed at electronic / beats / pop type drums that are not trying to emulate an acoustic kit.

That said, Blanks' velocity modulation network is excellent at creating drum sounds that vary from note to note - randomising subtle pitch variations, attack variations, filters etc.. you'd be amazed what you can do very easily.

Personally I use this kind of tool all the time in my own music - sometimes I will record a percussive hit with a mic and load it into blanks, or it might be a sample from an old school sample pack, or anything really.

James


----------



## soniccouture (Jun 29, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> @soniccouture As a fan of all your drum libraries, I wonder: do you have any suggestions for sample sources that offer acoustic drum samples with RRs / multiple velocity layers and that really fit the concept of Blanks. Your drum sequencing is great, and to be honest I never was that aware of Blanks, but it looks nice.



Hi,
To be clear, you can't load velocity layers and RRs into Blanks. It's really for modulating single hits in interesting ways, in the grand tradition of samplers like MPC, SP1200 etc - but with way more options.


James


----------



## cellomangler (Jun 29, 2021)

soniccouture said:


> Hi there,
> I think you'd get more opinions if you posted the question in Sample Talk or somewhere like that!
> 
> But I can tell you that we designed Blanks to be exactly like you said - a version of Moonkits or Electro-Acoustic but with your own samples.
> ...


Just now noticed the vendor had chimed in.  James - I would have thought this category would be more applicable than Sample Talk as... Blanks has no samples.... no?


----------



## soniccouture (Jun 29, 2021)

cellomangler said:


> I just wish there was a demo that showed off the velocity effects and how well they reduce the "machinegunning" problem of zero RR's & VL's.


I'll look into making another video, although I do touch on lots of modulation techniques in the main product video here;



I don't find lack of VLs an issue at all when using single hits. For me the key is varying the attack and darkening the sound with filters at lower velocities.
I'll try to cover this in a video.

James


----------



## soniccouture (Jun 29, 2021)

Here is a link to the Blanks User Guide:



http://www.soniccouture.com/files/pdf/Blanks-User-Guide.pdf


----------



## cellomangler (Jun 29, 2021)

soniccouture said:


> I'll look into making another video, although I do touch on lots of modulation techniques in the main product video here;
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes... you do cover the modulation techniqes in your video. I guess I was looking for a case use that was less an effect but more of an actual way to emulate round robins. But I can imagine that Blanks accomplishes that quite well if it can do the more extreme examples. Thanks for the user guide link! I could definitely see using Blanks in tandem with ReMIDI 2 as in being able to save off MIDI sequences from Blanks, play my custom Blanks samples using patterns tied to a single key/pad and then build upon them. Being able to play a pre-sequenced drum roll in sync with a single keypress is pretty cool and with the added modulation in Blanks - that sounds pretty sweet.


----------



## cellomangler (Jun 29, 2021)

soniccouture said:


> I don't find lack of VLs an issue at all when using single hits. For me the key is varying the attack and darkening the sound with filters at lower velocities.
> I'll try to cover this in a video.
> 
> James


Yes... I agree. I'd love to try Blanks with a drum pad controller.


----------



## AEF (Jun 29, 2021)

I love the UI of this. good price too.


----------



## soniccouture (Jun 30, 2021)

Inspired by this thread I have produced a quick video addressing some of the ideas in this thread:


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 30, 2021)

soniccouture said:


> Inspired by this thread I have produced a quick video addressing some of the ideas in this thread:



Brilliant! Much appreciated. Off to watch this right away.


----------



## cellomangler (Jun 30, 2021)

soniccouture said:


> Inspired by this thread I have produced a quick video addressing some of the ideas in this thread:



Awesome James - you rock!
Just a couple more inquiries... I went through the user guide and didn't see anything about copying and pasting settings from one instrument to another or copying a pad to another such that it would include the settings. Can you drag a new sample into a pad slot that has existing settings without "resetting" that pad's settings?
Also if you happen to move your collection of samples that's tied to a snapshot to a different folder will the interface give you a chance to relocate to that folder or do you get an indication of where that folder was so you can move your files back? I'm bringing this up principally in case I want to share a setup with a friend who also has Blanks.
As I said I own Moonkits which is super dope. I like the fact that Soniccouture focuses on the more esoteric as I've really got orchestral libraries covered by other vendors. I would encourage folks to take a look at Haunted Spaces and in particular, The Ancients.


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 30, 2021)

cellomangler said:


> I would encourage folks to take a look at Haunted Spaces and in particular, The Ancients.


+1. And Geosonics. And Imogen Heap Box of Tricks.


----------



## kgdrum (Jun 30, 2021)

+1 Electro-Acoustic,Moonkits,Konkrete etc…….


----------



## pinki (Jun 30, 2021)

Didn't know about Blanks. Polyrhythmic sequencing done properly.

I love the sequencers in Vibraphone and Grand Marimba which I use regularly, similar I think to Blanks polyrhythmic sequencer.


----------



## soniccouture (Jul 1, 2021)

cellomangler said:


> I went through the user guide and didn't see anything about copying and pasting settings from one instrument to another or copying a pad to another such that it would include the settings. Can you drag in a new sample over a pad with existing settings without "resetting" that pad's settings?


You can drag a sample onto a pad and it will retain all the settings.
There's not currently a way to copy and paste settings from one pad to another. You CAN hit the 'Link' button and all settings will apply to all pads when you make changes.


cellomangler said:


> Also if you happen to move your collection of samples that's tied to a snapshot to a different folder will the interface give you a chance to relocate to that folder or do you get an indication of where that folder was so you can move your files back? I'm bringing this up principally in case I want to share a setup with a friend who also has Blanks.


This is a weakness of the 'user sample' implementation from NI. It only really works on the original users system.
It's not currently possible to share kits very easily - (you can open a snapshot kit elsewhere with all the settings and sample names, but you would have to drag the samples back onto the pads.)

We are badgering NI to improve this.

EDIT: Kontakt 6.5 now includes the ability to define the User samples folder name: so if you and your collaborator keep your folder name the same, you can share kits.
I haven't had the chance to test it yet.


----------



## cellomangler (Jul 1, 2021)

Haunted Spaces and Blanks would sure make an excellent bundle! The "Sampleheads Pack".


----------

