ThePhonoLoop – Themki 1.1.0 (KONTAKT)
A creative space that reveals the charm of the imperfections of the old mechanism. A vintage electromechanical keyboard from the 1970s with 16 dynamic layers, as well as 60 additional sounds obtained by distorting the source material through Eurorack modules and tape loops, supplemented by resonant effects and synthesis based on physical modeling.
All this is implemented on an MPE-compatible engine equipped with two independent modules – a looper and a granular synthesizer designed for both slow, gradually changing textures and sharp, rapid impulses. Loading of custom samples is supported.
Let your adventure begin where all familiar paths end.
Exploring a 70s Classic
We’ve long wanted to capture the essence of this electromechanical classic, and by essence we mean all the mechanical clicks, noises and beautiful imperfections of a device that’s now over 50 years old.
At first, we saw it as a natural progression from our Cassette series, taken a little further: 16 dynamic layers, a release and mechanical samples, all ultimately fed through tape. Then, out of curiosity, we loaded the raw samples into the Tapes engine and started experimenting – and it quickly became clear how we should shape it into its final form.
The result? A deeply sampled, expressive instrument – a playground for developing textures, placed in a sound engine built for discovery and experimentation.
Just the way we like it.
Two Independent Granular Engines
Although themkI is based on the engine introduced in Tapes.01, it was not intended as a version 2. Instead, it takes the ideas in a different direction, better suited to sampled material. Animated mode (known in Tapes as Swarm) now supports polyphonic modulation, with each layer running on its own independent engine (which also makes it MPE compatible). This configuration allows you to combine standard polyphonic playback (Single mode) with sequencer/granular, two Single modes, or two sequencer/granular modes.
We have also introduced a system of instrument modes, 16 at the moment, designed to be simple and fun to work with, while still encouraging deep sonic exploration.
Two Independent Sequencers
Each layer has its own 16-step sequencer, available in both Animated and Single modes, where it can act as a voice-specific modifier. For example, you could set it to play one sound source on notes 1-3, another on notes 4-6, shift every third note up an octave, reverse every fifth note, detune the last few notes, or set a unique sample start position for each note. The list goes on. Another example: the first layer could play single notes with a classic 70s soul sound, while the second layer fades in with the mod wheel or MPE controller, scanning the waveform in a granular fashion, or playing micro-loops with a duration and position set by the voice sequencer/modifier.
10.50GB Size (after NCW compression)
500 Presets
12507 Samples
Main sources:
clean (DI through tube preamp) plus two recorded on different cassette decks (deck A, deck B)
16 dynamic layers
16 dynamic layers release samples
Mechanical samples:
6 dynamic layers
6 dynamic layers release samples
4x round robins
additional pedal noise samples with 4x round robins
Sound design sources:
60 sound sources in 7 categories: stacked, tape loop, pulses, mechanical, slices and one shot
up to 5 dynamic layers
Noise samples
126 noise samples in 5 categories: hardware, tape loops, vinyl, industrial and natural
Version 1.1 brings sharper contrast for better visibility, along with new GUI color options. Customize the look using the new menu in the top-right corner of the Options section.
It took a lot of work, plenty of trips back to the drawing board, and a good dose of nerdy joy to bring this instrument to life – and we sincerely hope it’ll inspire you as much as it inspires u
