Heavyocity EVOLVE Mutations bundle from Native Instruments

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that Native Instruments has been and a role with their Kontakt and Kore Player instruments.

Now if you’re not into the weird, esoteric sounds of film, media, and soundtrack composition you may not know who Heavyocity is.

Let’s just say, a groups of accomplished sound designer, soundtrack composers, and media for media magicians got together and decided to create a virtual instrument library dedicated to their styles of music.

Thus EVOLVE was born…when EVOLVE was released, it was an instant hit, never had such depth, realism, and creativity been packaged  into one instrument.  It set the standard for instruments dedicated to the creative field of soundtrack, film, and media composition. EVOLVE’s concept was to put together creative, fresh, and non-traditional sounds into a format that was easily accessed and experimented with.  They weren’t out to create the next symphonic string library, or orchestral grand piano patch…they catered to the path less traveled…the weird, creepy, evolving, powerful, emotional….

Anyway…enough about EVOLVE…I’ll do a full review on that at a later date, today we are talking about their joint release with Native Instruments, EVOLVE Mutations…the bundle.

What is the EVOLVE Mutations Bundle?

EVOLVE Mutations 1 and 2 are both kontakt player instruments that bring the creative and experimental sounds that Heavyocity are known for, into the studios and bedrooms of musicians of all kinds.  Not only does it follow the same basic categorical layout of EVOLVE (Rhymthmic suites, percussive kits, stings and transitions, tonality and fx) it also picks up right where EVOLVE left off.  It’s not a replacement for, it’s definitely an addition to EVOLVE, yet stands on it’s own.

The bundle is made up of version 1 and version 2, with 2 being the most recent and is full of 317 kontakt instruments, mutations 1 has 275.  Each stand on their own, and definitely shine when used together.

This library is ready for any electronic music producer, video game sound designer, film composer, experimental hip hop producer, or anyone that loves the let the sound take control.

Quick Specs

• Content: 593 kontakt instruments (4gb)
• Format: Kontakt Player or Kontakt 4
• Price: $169 (bundle) or $119 each

How does it sound?

Well, depending on which sounds you use it can sound scary, vicious, epic, soulful, experimental, edgy, terrifying, esoteric, ambient, alien, monstrous, airy, metallic, demented, angelic, demonic, percussive, chilled, spine-tingling, blood curdling, soothing….well I think you get the point.

I honestly have NEVER played an instrument like this, anything you load just sounds wonderful, ready to go. Everything is produced with the up-most quality and creativity.

The Multis…oh my….you could literally complete a movie trailer with just the multis! I promise to you the first night I installed it I couldn’t even make it through demoing all the sounds without opening it up in Ableton and putting it to work for some hardcore movie style compositions.

Everything you can imagine, all the small little fx, the stuff you hear on commercials or in the theaters…that stuff is here. It may not be the exact sounds, but it’s the styles I’m speaking of.  Because to me, this is easily one of the most unique and irreplaceable instruments you’ll ever come across. Heck…I’d say Heavyocity as a company is irreplaceable because I know of no one that is doing it like this. Not that I’ve come across.

Everything has a sheen and shine that says “I’m ready for my closeup!”

What’s your favorite part?

Man…that’s such a tough call, I love this bundle so much it’s really hard to say, but one of the things that really sticks out to me are the trigger fx in Mutations 2. I installed Mutations 2 before I installed Mutations 1 or the original EVOLVE library, and I see why Trigger FX were such a big deal!  It let’s you get some morphing, mutating, randomly sick sounds just by “flipping switches”

The interface is made up of tiny switches that control things like dirt, cabinet, saturate, lofi, pan, eq sweep, pitch, delay 1, delay two, and glitch! And these all respond to keys on your keyboard as well…so you can hit the keyboard keys which control each one, play your sounds, and let the sound organically mutate right before your ears and eyes….yes…these sounds have so much personality I feel like I can see them.

Seriously, I found myself wishing the other libraries included trigger fx…BUT since they can all live with each other inside of Kontakt 4 or the Kontakt Player…I’m free to layer, trigger, mutate, and experiment as much as I wish!

If there was one thing outside of the sound design and organization that makes Heavyocity stand out…it’s their use and abuse of fx…and how creative they allow you to be with them.

So what’s the bottom line?

Look, if you like experimental electronic esoteric ear candy…this is what you need.

I see and test a lot of instruments, and most of it is pretty much a different take on the same concept, some will have better sounding strings, others have more unique sounding synths, and yet some have that great piano sound…you get the point.

In contrast to the norm, when testing and using these Heavyocity instruments, for the first time in a very long time…I felt like I was experiencing something new.  I felt like this was a new type of instrument. I really felt more creative, had tons more fun, and really felt like I “had the power” to do whatever I wanted.

I give this bundle a straight 5 out of 5 subs, if I could give it more I would.  It brings the great and professional sound design found in EVOLVE (review coming soon) and puts it in the hands of those that don’t have superstar budgets!

I will put it like this….there are A LOT of products I would love to have and play with…but very few I would HATE to be without.  I can’t see myself being without Heavyocity in my collection…period. Anything they release, I will have, it’s a must…and if you like to experiment, create, and evolve….then get some Heavyocity in your life, it doesn’t matter which product!

I’m not exaggerating when I say that this bundle will make you sound like a million bucks, seriously.

Checkout the demos over at the NI site: Heavyocity Mutations Bundle