by Ronan Macdonald

DJ Krust’s favorite free REAKTOR Ensembles for drum and bass

The UK breakbeat originator shares 5 free picks from the REAKTOR User Library.

As a pivotal player in the Bristol electronic music scene of the late 90s/early noughties, DJ Krust (aka Kirk Thompson) is a bona fide drum and bass legend. Perhaps best known for the seminal ‘Warhead’ and his long-standing partnership with fellow Bristolian Roni Size – with whom he founded the Full Cycle and Dope Dragon record labels, and recorded and toured as part of Mercury Award-winning outfit Reprazent, amongst other endeavors – Krust’s hard-edged but soulful style has kept him at the forefront of the scene for over two decades. Always innovating, his forthcoming and long-awaited new album will assuredly be one to look out for.

Here, DJ Krust selects seven of his favorite Ensembles “for dark D&B baselines and intense atmospheric sounds.” Provided you own the full version of REAKTOR 6, the first five are yours to download free from the User Library. MONARK and TRK-01 aren’t free, but they will run inside the free REAKTOR Player, which you can grab here as part of KOMPLETE START.

JunatikAUDIO

It’s got a dirty, late 1999 sampler sound. The ‘Da Bass II Dark’ vibe!

Hear JunatikAUDIO’s ‘Pulz Space’ preset here:

Download it here.

Proteus V3 

This reminds me of when I first started making music. It’s got a dirty vibe and that unpredictable element that’s good for happy accidents.

Download the ensemble here.

Grumblephone

It’s got the funk; it’s dirty fat and grungy. Play with it long enough and it produces wonky gems.
Hear Grumblephone’s ‘06 Obligatory Moog bass’ preset here:

Get it here.

String

I use these types of sounds for my long, long intros. Drones and tones all day!
Hear String’s ‘Soft Tunes’ preset here:

Download the ensemble here.

Howler

Another sneaky beast.
Hear Howler’s ‘012 In da factory’ preset here:

Get it here.

Extra inspiration

Monark

A beast – it’s got to be my favorite of the NI synths. It’s got everything you need to create new monster sounds. Feedback and load!

Hear MONARK in action here:

Find out more here.

TRK-01

Really easy to use; you can fly around making madness. It’s one of those synths you just leave
on record, then chop up the sound and find those loops.

Hear TRK-01’s ‘Future B’ preset here:

Find out more here.

 

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