At first glance, the Bizarre Sitar might not seem strange. It has all the typical sitar elements like a traditional gourd body, playable strings, sympathetic resonating strings, adjustable curved frets, tuning pegs, a neck, and a main bridge, all with ornate hand - painted accents. Measuring just over 24 inches, it's barely half the size of a standard sitar. What's truly amazing is that this small instrument can produce a lush, full - bodied sound. Originally more of a decorative piece, it's been underestimated. With 5 main and 6 sympathetic strings, it just needed someone to listen closely. This sitar library includes chromatic plucks and strumming articulations. There are two main strumming tunings: fifth and octave/unison. An onboard 'Speed' slider (MIDI - assignable and defaulted to the mod wheel) lets you adjust the strum speed from tight and fast to slow and plucky. The unison articulation offers a full sound with strings tuned in unison and octaves, while the fifth articulation is tuned in unison and fifths, similar to the Pancham - Kharaj tuning. By recording different strumming speeds, you can create realistic strums in real - time. The strums are spread across the keyboard, giving deep drones in the low end and sharp, mandolin - like plucks in the high end. The Kontakt interface has automation - ready sound - shaping controls for total creative freedom. You can control swell, attack, release, and more. There are 20 unique custom FX presets. The adaptable LFO system has selectable shapes, modulation targets, and more. You can apply 12 types of filters with assignable modulation targets. The customizable arpeggiator offers various controls, and there's a key and scale lock system for easy composition. The modular FX rack panel has 18 DSP effect modules. The Reverb effect includes 99 different room impulses and 40 custom FX impulses. There are also great FX rack chain factory presets to start with. The library has bowed, plucked, strummed, and FX samples, along with ambiences from the source material. It's designed for Native Instruments Kontakt 5.5 or later. The free Kontakt Player can only run it in limited 'demo mode', but the sample directories are unlocked for use in other wav - compatible software. You can import it using the standard File browser tab into the Kontakt Quickload window. It features an open - format master NKI instrument bank, 603 stereo samples, 1.86 GB installed size, 24 bit / 48 kHz uncompressed PCM wav samples, 20 custom FX and ambient presets, and more.
Using the Soundiron Miniature Bizarre Sitar is a breeze. First, make sure you have Native Instruments Kontakt 5.5 or later installed on your computer. Since the free Kontakt Player has limited support, it's best to use the full - retail version. To load the library, open Kontakt and use the standard File browser tab to import it into the Kontakt Quickload window. Once loaded, you can start exploring the sound. Use the onboard 'Speed' slider (which is MIDI - assignable and set to the mod wheel by default) to change the strum speed. You can create different strumming effects by adjusting it from fast and tight to slow and plucky. For different musical styles, try the two main strumming tunings: fifth and octave/unison. The library also has chromatic plucks, so you can add some unique notes to your music. When it comes to sound shaping, the Kontakt interface gives you a lot of control. Play around with the swell, attack, release, and other controls to get the sound you want. The 20 custom FX presets are a great place to start for adding some special effects to your music. The adaptable LFO system and the 12 types of filters let you further customize the sound. Just select the right shape, target parameter, and other settings. The key and scale lock system is very useful if you're new to composition or want to keep your notes within a certain scale. As for maintenance, keep your software up - to - date to ensure the best performance. Since the sample directories are unlocked, be careful when using them in other wav - compatible software. Make sure to back up your important presets and samples regularly. And always handle your computer and software with care to avoid any data loss or system issues.
