Press release – for immediate release Friday, 21-Jul-2006

MOTU Ethno Instrument now available.

Major Music and MOTU are pleased to announce the availability of the MOTU Ethnic Instrument, a cross-platform virtual instrument that gives users quick and easy access to an 8GB library of world/ethnic instruments, loops and phrases.

The Sounds

With 4GB of expressive ethnic instrument sounds combined with another 4GB of authentic world music loops and phrases, Ethno Instrument delivers all of the exotic textures needed to take recordings to the four corners of the globe. Ethno's multi-column preset browser clearly organizes both instruments and loops by regions of the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Celtic, Eastern Europe, India, Middle East, Mediterranean, West Indies, Occidental and others. Instrument sounds may also be browsed by instrument categories, including Woodwind, Stringed, Bell/Metal/Gong, Key, Voice, Percussion and others. When the user loads a sound, a map displays the area of the world that the instrument comes from. If the user then clicks the map, a picture of the instrument appears so that the user can see what it looks like.

Musicians who specialize in each instrument were recorded in world-class studios with pristine audio fidelity and careful attention to detail. For example, many of the included instruments do not conform to Western tonality, so two different Ethno presets are provided: one preset with original, unmodified tuning and a second preset with each note tuned to conform to a Western 12-tone chromatic scale. Users can then play the instrument in its truly authentic form or easily incorporate it into music with conventional Western tonality.

Loops and Phrases

Ethno Instrument's 4GB of stylistically authentic loops and phrases include percussive rhythms, vocal utterances, solo and ensemble voices, single-instrument chord progressions, multi-instrument rhythm sections, ornamental flourishes (such as harp glissandos), and much more. Rhythmic loops always play in tempo with each other, wherever possible, and a "Sync to Host" button allows loops to play in tempo with the time line of plug-in host applications such as Digital Performer, Pro Tools and Live. State-of-the-art time stretching technology ensures sound quality, even at extremely slow or fast tempos. Many additional looping controls are provided, such as Sample Start adjust, Double/Half Tempo and Latch mode for starting and stopping loops with a single keystroke.

Highly rhythmic and percussive loops are stored as sliced loops, similar to REX2 files. With a single click on the "Map" button, loop slices can be automatically mapped to MIDI notes as single hits or beats. Users can then trigger (and record) the individual beats from a MIDI keyboard, drum pad or other MIDI controller to completely rearrange (or otherwise manipulate) the beats any way they wish.

Ethno Instrument Specifications

• Instant access to 8GB of world instrument sounds, loops and phrases together in one window.
  
• Browse sounds by category or by region of the world.
  
• Create layered stacks in seconds.
  
• Tempo-sync features let you browse & play loops in tempo with your music.
  
• Sliced loops let you rearrange beats or play them via your MIDI controller.
  
• Drag & drop audio phrases and loops directly into your host software, tempo-locked to your project time line.
  
• Unique "Slice" button instantly divides loop into slices that you can play individually from your MIDI keyboard, drum pad or other MIDI controller.
  
• Drag & drop sliced loops as MIDI data into MIDI tracks in your host software for unlimited reprogramming using the
• MIDI sequencing features of your host software.
  
• Very high-quality loop and phrase time-stretching, even at extremely slow or fast tempos.
  
• Convolution reverb provides authentic acoustic spaces, from natural settings like caves and forests to spacious concert halls and soaring cathedrals.
  
• Advanced programming for live performance, including key switching, velocity crossfades and zone splits.
  
• Play up to 64 parts simultaneously via 64 MIDI channels.
  
• Unlimited polyphony and ultra-low software latency.
  
• Submix to 17 stereo output pairs.
• Disk streaming (per part) conserves RAM resources and quickens load times.
  
• Supports all major Mac/PC plug-in formats. Stand-alone version included.
• Superb sound quality with the 32-bit UVI Engine – acclaimed worldwide for its lush and powerful sound.
  
• Fast operation – instant access to all parameters in one window.
  
• Multitimbral – create stacks and layers in seconds.
  
• Expert mode – add, remove and layer instruments on the fly, as you play.
  
• Individual controls for each instrument, loop and phrase, including ADSR envelope, LFO (for vibrato, tremolo, etc.), tone controls, tuning and velocity response.
  
• Multis - create, save, load and share entire ensembles of any size and scope.

Plug-in formats

• MAS
  
• VST (Mac & PC)
  
• RTAS (Mac & PC)
  
• HTDM (Mac & PC)
  
• Audio Units
  
• DXi

Full Specs, Product information & images:
http://www.majormusic.com.au/products/motu_ethno_instrument.php

Image Downloads:

http://www.majormusic.com.au/images/motu_ethno_rgb.jpg

 

Major Music press contact information:
1300 306 670 - Contact Us