Native Instruments has announced Battery 3, a significant revision of its drum and percussion sampler featuring the addition of time-stretching and advanced loop capabilities, innovative "play parameters", a powerful master effects section and an integrated wave editor plus a large library of more than 100 drum kits for all styles and genres.
Battery 3 is based on a new sampling engine that offers high-quality time stretching and a new "Beat Mode" for improved loop-handling capabilities, enabling musicians to get the most out of any sample library. Battery 3 can also turn programmed beats into truly dynamic performances through new "articulations" that allow for authentic real-time flams, drags and rolls, while the "humanize" function can now add a subtle natural feel.
The customizable cell matrix in Battery 3 has been extended to hold up to 128 sounds per kit, while color coding of cells now provides a better overview. A new wave editor offers direct surgical access to any individual sample in Battery on-the-fly, opening up an additional powerful level of in-depth customization and creative sound shaping.
While the existing cell-specific effect section has been further improved in Battery 3, the new version also adds a comprehensive master multi-effect section that is especially useful both for sound design and for live use. Equipped with high-quality filter, dynamic and delay algorithms, the master effect section also incorporates a high-end convolution reverb that can even accept individual drum kit cells as impulse sources via easy drag-and-drop assignment, opening up a new resource of creative sound shaping and experimentation.
Battery 3 ships with a sound library that includes more than 100 ready-to-use drum kits, spanning a huge musical spectrum from jazz and rock to hip-hop and techno, and including a wide range of exotic ethno-percussion and special effects assortments. The library is based on over 23,000 individual samples, with both kits and samples becoming more accessible through a significantly enhanced sound browser in Battery 3. Creating and customizing drum kits has also become much more convenient due to a new "cell library" that holds more than 2,500 individual drum cells, all pre-categorized according to their musical role and application.
Battery 3 will ship as a Universal Binary making it compatible with both PPC- and Intel-Macs (OSX 10.4 or higher required). It will be available in October 2006 for a suggested retail price of $219 / €199 from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Shop. An update for owners of Battery 2 will be available for $119 / €99.
Battery 3 is also a part of the Komplete 4 product bundle, which will in turn be available as a free update for all owners of Komplete Care 2006.
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