Loot Audio Vektor Sale

[cclarry]

Essential Version is $10 and full is $21

https://www.pluginboutique.com/deals/show?sale_id=12013

[Fleer]

Interesting. And the cheaper Essentials looks better than the mothership. 

[PavlovsCat]

Does anyone who has it want to weigh in? The demo sounds pretty good and it says essential on the tin, so clearly we all must get it, right?

[Zolton]

I have the full version and like it, though I can't say I've used it too many times in projects yet. 

I think of it as sort of a poor man's (insert your favorite fancy layered modulatable gizmo here, like Spitfire eDNA, Luftrum Bioscape, maybe Output has one, etc. -- some of which I also like a lot!). For what it is, there are quite a few options for mangling the layered sound, and including your own samples is a simple drag-and-drop affair, which I appreciate. I haven't tinkered extensively, but I also haven't found anything that I wanted to automate or CC-assign that I couldn't. 

It probably depends on how many similar doodads you have already in your arsenal, and whether the layered/evolving sound is something you use/need often, but if so, it ticks several of those boxes, despite not being the sexiest solution in the shop.

[Steve K]

I can weigh in on Vektor... don't know about the Essential Version. I got Vektor in October of last year.  I can't find how much I paid for it... it was a totally impulse buy.  I was looking for sounds that were organic and unmistakably cello-based.  That sound is definitely in the box.  There are five sets of samples that can be mixed and matched into four buckets that can be controlled with an x-y pad.  The sample sets are grouped into the following categories:  organic, organic manipulated, synth, drone, and FX.  All 16 of the organic samples and maybe about 10 of the 36 organic manipulated sample sets sound like cellos.  The remainder sound like synthesizers or noises.

For most of the organic samples, there are different samples for different pitches (or range of pitches), which is nice. I haven't tried all the non-organic sample sets, but there appear to be a lot fewer with different samples for different pitches.

My favorite patches are ones that use four organic sample sets at once, or 3 with an FX sample to add noise. The sound can definitely meander about in a pleasing, unexpected way or even in a sinister, unexpected way. That being said, those patches are in the minority out of the box.  It is very easy to roll your own (I say this as preset junkie, so you know it's true).  The non-organic patches, which are the majority,  re-tred generic synth/ROMpler sounds.   My reaction watching the Essentials video is that it contains mostly that kind of synth stuff, rather than the cellos.

I really like the sounds Vektor produces with the cello samples -- they are full of motion and interest. I think it is meant to be cinematic, but I was incorporating into a (since abandoned) alternative song a la Nick Cave, so it is flexible enough to be used in other contexts.

[BTP]

This was the developer's explanation from Youtube: "Basically Vektor Essentials strips back a lot of the functionality to make an easier to use and faster loading instrument. It does contain some sounds from Vektor but also contains new sounds too. In essence it is designed to enable Nova to create a series of instruments. So Vol 2 is currently in development and will contain a brand new set of sounds, patches and sources."

That was last year, no idea if they're actually going to release more.

[TracingArcs]

I have the full version of Vektor. And can recommend it. The cello is very useful (not if you want a legato solo cello). With some interesting cello noises and artics. It's easy to produce new sounds. And to dig in and create new ones using any combination on the four slots.  Perfect for ambient, soundscape, weirdness. etc. I've spent more on other instruments and got less.