ABOUT STEPHAN SCHMITT
Stephan Schmitt has had a passion for music technology since he was a boy – from his fascination with the instruments of rock musicians in the 1970s, to building and modifying equipment, and working in music shops and as a sound engineer while studying electrical engineering.
In 1993, Stephan started to conceive and develop a software synthesizer. He founded Native Instruments in 1996 to realize the project that later became REAKTOR. Since 2012, he’s been heading his new company, Nonlinear Labs.
Throughout his life, Stephan has continued to make music. It is his love of live performance that eventually brought him – and us – to KONTOUR. We sat down with Stephan to talk about his latest synth, and his evolution as a leading software instrument designer.
In 1993, Stephan started to conceive and develop a software synthesizer. He founded Native Instruments in 1996 to realize the project that later became REAKTOR. Since 2012, he’s been heading his new company, Nonlinear Labs.
Throughout his life, Stephan has continued to make music. It is his love of live performance that eventually brought him – and us – to KONTOUR. We sat down with Stephan to talk about his latest synth, and his evolution as a leading software instrument designer.
KONTOUR DEVELOPER FEATURE
WHY KONTOUR?
"I needed a polyphonic synth with an organic and sometimes aggressive sound. It had to be very responsive to playing dynamics. The nice thing was that Reaktor had all the raw material I needed.Spark was the result of the first phase of this research. It was based on two oscillators with basic waveforms and some rather unusual feedback routing options. Then came CHA-OSC (available in the Reaktor User Library), a variation of Spark incorporating some new ideas.
My next attempt was called Phase 22 and it evolved over the course of a couple of years to become the basis of Kontour. Phase 22 was more of a private project. In the meantime I created the modal synth Prism and the sample-reading instrument Skanner with Native Instruments."
STRUCTURE OF THE SYNTH
"Digital technologies can create sounds which are so much more interesting than those from analog emulations. A good example is FM. The technology is still underestimated. FM8 has demonstrated its power, but I was looking for a much simpler engine.
The result is the two-operator core of Kontour. From only two sine oscillators, you get lots of sound colors and really responsive dynamics. The second definitive component is the Comb Filter. It is a delay structure that can work as a resonator and often behaves similarly to a real physical acoustic system.
Two additional key components of Kontour are distortion (wave-shaping) and feedback routing. In combination with the FM signal source, the comb resonator and a multi-mode filter, they give the instrument a very complex and organic character. Or it can drift into chaos."
The result is the two-operator core of Kontour. From only two sine oscillators, you get lots of sound colors and really responsive dynamics. The second definitive component is the Comb Filter. It is a delay structure that can work as a resonator and often behaves similarly to a real physical acoustic system.
Two additional key components of Kontour are distortion (wave-shaping) and feedback routing. In combination with the FM signal source, the comb resonator and a multi-mode filter, they give the instrument a very complex and organic character. Or it can drift into chaos."
CREATING KONTOUR
"If you compare Kontour with the original instrument Phase 22 (pictured below), you see that it was a challenge to give it an appealing and accessible user interface. This was realized in close collaboration with the experienced and talented people at Native Instruments.
When the Comb Filter is used as a tuned resonator, it needs to produce a very stable pitch independent from the settings of the filters in its feedback loop – this was another big challenge.
Kontour was developed by making hundreds of small improvements over the course of several years. This meant I often had to program new sounds, because the originals were broken by changes to the instrument."
When the Comb Filter is used as a tuned resonator, it needs to produce a very stable pitch independent from the settings of the filters in its feedback loop – this was another big challenge.
Kontour was developed by making hundreds of small improvements over the course of several years. This meant I often had to program new sounds, because the originals were broken by changes to the instrument."
FINISHING TOUCHES
"It was clear that Reaktor would be the best platform for intense research and the realization of an innovative synthesis engine.
With the user interface and modulation system of Kontour, we reached the limits of what you can create with Reaktor. Building the Motion Recorders was extremely tricky and time-consuming – these kinds of event processing structures can cause a large number of side effects.
It was exciting when the results from the sound designers came in. It vastly widened the horizon of what I had realized up to then on my own. And I was astonished – I hadn’t expected these sorts of sounds would be possible."
With the user interface and modulation system of Kontour, we reached the limits of what you can create with Reaktor. Building the Motion Recorders was extremely tricky and time-consuming – these kinds of event processing structures can cause a large number of side effects.
It was exciting when the results from the sound designers came in. It vastly widened the horizon of what I had realized up to then on my own. And I was astonished – I hadn’t expected these sorts of sounds would be possible."
USING KONTOUR
"When I use Kontour, I always have my feet on two control pedals next to two footswitches for sustain. The pedals are assigned to two macro controls, the modwheel to another. And of course there’s also pitch bend and aftertouch.
I like to play ‘bread and butter’ sounds like pianos or clavinets, but also explore the less predictable ‘life in the machine’. The resonator and feedback structures can behave like an untamed animal. The extensive routing options give you a feeling similar to a modular synth or circuit bending.
My heart beats for live-performing musicians. That’s why Kontour is very playable and expressive. But this synth is really for anyone looking for fresh, organic sounds that can be heavily bent – it’s a real-time synthesizer. It works great in typical production and sequencing environments and the motion recorders allow for a lot of experiments with mutating sounds."
I like to play ‘bread and butter’ sounds like pianos or clavinets, but also explore the less predictable ‘life in the machine’. The resonator and feedback structures can behave like an untamed animal. The extensive routing options give you a feeling similar to a modular synth or circuit bending.
My heart beats for live-performing musicians. That’s why Kontour is very playable and expressive. But this synth is really for anyone looking for fresh, organic sounds that can be heavily bent – it’s a real-time synthesizer. It works great in typical production and sequencing environments and the motion recorders allow for a lot of experiments with mutating sounds."
ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY
"The most important advancement in music technology now would be in how humans interface with the technology. That’s why many developers are looking for new user interfaces. Expression, a high level of intuitive control, and new sensors in combination with growing CPU power will translate physical input into musical parameters.
Workflow and interaction are key for the next generations of music tools. That’s why Native Instruments is so successful with products that integrate hardware and software."
Workflow and interaction are key for the next generations of music tools. That’s why Native Instruments is so successful with products that integrate hardware and software."
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