How to make a soulful score with Fables

Based on meticulous recordings of traditional classical instruments with real-time FX processing and layering, Fables is a Kontakt instrument designed for creating evocative atmospheres and lush soundscapes.

Featuring a gigantic library of performances with a variety of articulations and blendable microphone recordings, Fables is perfect for composers looking for sounds that are expressive and mix-ready, and also offers a great deal of depth when it comes to playability and processing.

In this guide we’ll use Fables in Kontakt 8 or the free Kontakt 8 Player to make an emotional composition that takes advantage of its broad sonic palette, and will give you the inspiration to embark on your own musical journey. Here’s the sweeping, ethereal piece we’ll be creating in this guide:

Jump to these sections:

1. Begin with a string melody
2. Compose complimentary chords
3. Create a bass part
4. Develop the mids
5. Make a drum beat
6. Add an expressive guitar
7. The arrangement
8. Master the arrangement

To follow along with this tutorial you’ll need Fables (also included with Komplete 15 Collector’s Edition), Abbey Road Modern Drummer, and Raum. We’ll also use Ozone 11 to create a quick master.

Discover Fables

1. Begin with a string melody

Start by setting your project tempo to 180 BPM.

Load up Kontakt 8 on a MIDI track. In the Library, click the Fables instrument, and double-click the Bouncy Banter preset.

Bouncy Banter is a staccato preset based around tapped violin, cello and double bass sounds. Let’s begin by using it to compose a simple melody line. Copy the part we’ve used here. This part uses a velocity value of 100, and we’ll use that value for all velocities in this walkthrough unless otherwise stated.

Loop this MIDI clip out so that it plays for eight bars.

How to create soulful melodies

There’s no formula to creating a melody that one might consider “soulful,” but here are some things to bear in mind when composing melodies:

Working in an appropriate key helps, in this example we’re working in a minor key which is a good start. Keeping things relatively simple is a good idea too, and for this melody we used a two-bar pattern that repeats with a small variation the second time around. Passing tones (notes that aren’t in the chord but link one chord tone to another) and leading tones (notes a half-step below or above a chord tone) can be useful for achieving a soulful sound, though here our melody plays ostinato over the chords. Likewise, chromatic (notes outside the scale) and blue notes (flattened 3rds, 5ths or 7ths) can add a soulful touch when used judiciously.

2. Compose complimentary chords

Let’s derive some chords from our melody. Our melody includes A, C, and E notes (with the occasional B), so A minor is the natural starting point. Add another MIDI track, and this time select Velvet Strings from the list of Fables presets.

Sequence this to play an A minor for four bars, followed by a G sus 4 for four bars using velocity values of 127.

Turn the Velvet Strings track down to -7.7 dB to balance it with the tapped strings.

We now have a two chord cycle that we can develop into something longer by adding a bass line. Duplicate out the existing parts so that they play for sixteen bars.

3. Create a bass part

On a new track, load up Fables’ Arid Star preset.

This is a strong bass sound, but it has a rhythmic element that is a little busy for this piece. We can disable it by clicking the power button by the French Horn Ens Instrument.

Copy the pattern we’ve used here which plays A1, G1, F1, and G1 again, using velocity values of 87.

Although the same string chords are repeating every eight bars, having a different note in the bass when they play the second time gives us a different feel.

We now have a fuller-sounding mix, though there’s still plenty of room in the mids to add more textural and harmonic interest.

4. Develop the mids

Next load up the Coded Whispers preset.

This sound is quite involved, so this time we’ll deactivate both the Female Choir and SFX instruments, leaving us with just the Pads Instrument.

Sequence this sound to play A3, C4, D4 and G4, with each note lasting four bars. This gives us a harmonic contrast to the predominantly descending bass part.

Let’s add another sustained timbre to develop the sound harmonically and texturally. Load up the Bleak Falls preset.

Sequence this to play C4, A3, F4, and G4 with velocities of 127.

Set this track to -1.9 dB to balance it with the other elements.

5. Make a drum beat

Adding a drum beat will allow us to create a big moment when we come to arrange the track. On a new MIDI track, load up Kontakt, select Abbey Road Modern Drummer, and double-click the White Alternative Rock preset to load it up.

Set this track to -8 dB to balance it with the other elements.

Copy the single-bar drum pattern we’ve used here. This has a C1 kick on beat one, a D1 snare on beat three, D#2 rides on every beat plus F#1 hats on 8th notes, switching up to a G#1 hat on the final 8th note.

Loop this out for sixteen bars.

Let’s make this drum beat sound bigger with some reverb. Add Raum to the drum track, and load up the Factory Presets > Large > Dark Impact preset.

6. Add an expressive guitar

The drums we’ve just added are going to help us have a big moment in our arrangement, and we’ll also want to kick things up another gear after that. So, let’s use one final patch from Fables to help us. Load up Fables’ Big Sky preset.

Copy the pattern we’ve used here, which complements the rest of the elements.

Now we have all our elements, let’s make an arrangement.

7. The arrangement

Here’s an example of a straightforward arrangement. This involves an eight bar intro of just the tapped strings, then new elements are added every sixteen bars.

The introduction of the drums is preceded by a simple tom fill. This is just high, mid and low toms playing on the last bar before the drums kick in.

Additionally, the end of the track is punctuated with a cymbal crash.

8. Master the arrangement

Add Ozone 11 to your master bus, and click the Assistant View button.

Ozone will ask you to play the loudest section of your mix, so play the project back from bar 57, where all the elements are playing at once. Ozone will analyse the project, and create a custom mastering chain. You can alter the type of stylistic “Target” the master aims for, so let’s select the Cinematic Target.

Start composing soulful soundtracks with Fables today

Here we’ve seen how you can make a soulful score with Fables, which is available individually as well as part of Komplete 15 Collector’s Edition.

Komplete 15 is a comprehensive collection of virtual instruments, effects and sounds that gives you everything you need to bring your musical ideas to life. Want to learn more about Komplete 15?

Discover Komplete 15