USER MANUAL

Produced by Vir2 Instruments

Vir2 Instruments is an international

team of s ound designers,
musicians, and programmers who
specialize in creating the world’s
most advanced virtual instrument
libraries. Vir2 is producing the
instruments that shape the
sound of modern music.

29033 Avenue Sherman, Suite 201

Valencia, CA 91355

Phone:661.295.0761
Web:www.vir2.com
00
MALLETS/
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION TO THE LIBRARY

01 INTRODUCTION TO THE LIBRARY

CHAPTER 02: REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION

02 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
INSTALLING IN KONTAKT
INSTALLING IN KOMPLETE KONTROL & MASCHINE
AUTHORIZING
UPDATING

CHAPTER 03: USING KONTAKT

05 HOW TO ACCESS THE MALLETS LIBRARY FROM KONTAKT

USING KONTAKT IN STANDALONE MODE
USING KONTAKT WITH YOUR D.A.W.
USING KONTAKT WITH ANOTHER HOST

CHAPTER 04: GETTING STARTED WITH MALLETS

09 MALLETS OVERVIEW
INSTRUMENT CONTROLS
INSTRUMENTS TURNED ON VS INSTRUMENTS TURNED OFF
GLOBAL FILTER
TUNE
ROLLS
LFO CONTROLS
EFFECTS

TECHNICAL SUPPORT, ETC.

13 TECH SUPPORT
FULL VERSION OF KONTAKT 5
LICENSE AGREEMENT

CREDITS
14 CREDITS
 CHAPTER 01
01
MALLETS/
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 01 / INTRODUCTION TO THE LIBRARY

TO THE
LIBRARY

Thank you for purchasing Mallets.

Vir2 Instruments is proud to present the first instrument in our Vital Series,
Mallets. Mallets brings users a collection of highly detailed, mallet-based
instruments, and places them all in an intuitive instrument for the Kontakt
Player. Offering multiple mallet types for the Marimba, Xylophone,
Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells, Glass Marimba, Song Bells, Vibraphone, and
Crotales, Mallets is extremely versatile. Furthermore, each of the
aforementioned instruments are available within one single instance of the
instrument, allowing for the layering of each instrument for the exploration
of endless tonal color. Offering up to 4 velocity layers and 5 round robins,
Mallets is of superior value and a vital asset to any music creator.
 CHAPTER 02
02
MALLETS/
REQUIREMENTS
CHAPTER 02 / REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION

AND
INSTALLATION

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

For Mac users, Mallets requires OS 10.10 or greater, an Intel Core Duo
2.0GHz or higher, and minimum 4GB of RAM.

For Windows users, Mallets requires Windows 7, 8, or 10 (latest s.p.), 32bit

or 64bit compatible, an Intel Core Duo 2.0GHz or higher, and minimum 4GB
of RAM.

Vir2 Instruments strongly recommends more than 8 GB of RAM and an 88-

key controller in order to use Mallets to its fullest potential.

The library requires approximately 2.5 GB of available disk space once

installed.

INSTALLING MALLETS IN KONTAKT

The installation of Mallets in KONTAKT consists of two separate steps: the

installation of the KONTAKT engine, and the installation of the Mallets
library.

In the “Mallets Installation Instructions” folder, you will see the installer for
the KONTAKT 5 player. Once the Mallets library has been downloaded and
extracted, you can move the Mallets library folder to any location on your
hard drive, then run the KONTAKT 5 player installer.

The KONTAKT installer will install the KONTAKT Player engine, its
standalone application, all of its plug-in versions, and the Service Center
authorization program. We recommend the Easy Install, and that the install
locations for each component are left at their default settings.

The Mallets library is approximately 2.5 GB in size, and can be installed on

any available hard drive. For speed reasons, we recommend Mallets be
installed on an external hard drive. We recommend installing on a 7200rpm
drive or SSD drive for optimal performance.
Once the KONTAKT 5 player is installed, launch the standalone
application. Select the Libraries tab from the KONTAKT 5 Player’s 03
browser on the left side of the KONTAKT interface. Just below
“Libraries,” select “Add Library.” A “Locate Folder” window will appear.
Navigate to the Mallets Library folder, select it, then select “Choose”.
Mallets should now appear in KONTAKT’s library browser.

INSTALLING MALLETS IN KOMPLETE KONTROL & MASCHINE

Note: This section is only for those who own KOMPLETE KONTROL
and/or MASCHINE. If you do not own KOMPLETE KONTROL or
MASCHINE please move on to the next section.

Because Mallets is a KONTAKT instrument with NKS support, you

must manually add Mallets to your KOMPLETE KONTROL/MASCHINE
Library. During installation, please launch KOMPLETE KONTROL/
MASCHINE as a standalone application.

To add Mallets to your KOMPLETE KONTROL/MASCHINE Library,

simply drag the library folder onto the KOMPLETE KONTROL or
MASCHINE Browser. After dragging it to the Browser, Mallets will be
available in the Library pane of the Browser under the User Library
section. See following image.
 CHAPTER 02 CONT’D
04
AUTHORIZING

After you’ve completed installation, Mallets will be running in demo mode; it

CHAPTER 02 / REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION

will only work for fifteen minutes at a time. To authorize it for KONTAKT,
simply select the “Activate” button located in the top right corner of the
Mallets library and follow KONTAKT’s prompts.

For KOMPLETE KONTROL & MASCHINE users (and KONTAKT users),

launch Service Center (found in the Applications folder on a Mac, or the
Program Files folder on Windows) and follow its instructions. You will be
prompted to enter your email address and password for your Native
Instruments account, or will be given an option to create an account if you
don’t already have one. Once the Service Center is open, it will give you a
list of all the Native Instruments and NI-powered products on your hard
drive and give you the option to activate them. You are allowed to install
and authorize Mallets on up to two computers simultaneously.

Service Center will guide you through the process for either online (instant)
activation, or offline activation if the computer on which you installed
Mallets does not have direct access to the internet.

Once the Service Center shows that Mallets has been activated, you can
restart KONTAKT, KOMPLETE KONTROL and/or MASCHINE to begin using
the activated product.

UPDATING

After installation, please make sure that you are fully updated to the most
recent versions of the three components that make up the Mallets
package: the library (which contains all the patch information and
programming), the engine (which is powered by KONTAKT, KOMPLETE
KONTROL and/or MASCHINE), and the authorizer (Service Center). It is
possible that any of these components may have a more recent version
than what shipped in your physical or digital package, so you should
check for updates to each of these three. You can do this by visiting the
vir2.com website and checking the Support area as well as going to
native-instruments.com and checking their Support area.
 CHAPTER 03
05
MALLETS/
USING KONTAKT
CHAPTER 03 / USING KONTAKT

HOW TO ACCESS THE MALLETS LIBRARY FROM KONTAKT

Mallets ships as a KONTAKT-powered library, and Mallets is opened from

within KONTAKT, which can be run either as a standalone application, or as
a plug-in hosted by any major sequencer on either Macintosh or Windows
platforms. All these versions are installed by the Easy Install option of the
installer.

Users who don’t own a sequencer, or would like to simply boot up and be
able to play Mallets, can go to their Applications folder (Mac) or Program
Files folder (Windows) to launch Native Instruments > KONTAKT 5.

Users who wish to use Mallets for sequencing or recording should use it in
plug-in mode within a host sequencer. KONTAKT supports the VST,
AudioUnit, and RTAS plug-in formats. Any host sequencer that supports
these plug-in formats properly will be able to run KONTAKT. Instructions
vary slightly from sequencer to sequencer, but the general procedure is to
initiate KONTAKT as a virtual instrument plug-in, then load an Mallets
instrument in KONTAKT, then route a MIDI track to KONTAKT so it can be
triggered and recorded.

The following instructions will help standalone and plug-in users get
working quickly with a basic track of Mallets.

USING KONTAKT IN STANDALONE MODE

The standalone KONTAKT application can be found in the Applications >

Native Instruments > KONTAKT 5 folder for Mac users, or Program Files >
Native Instruments > KONTAKT 5 for Windows users.

After launching the KONTAKT application for the first time, you will be
presented with a dialog box to set up your audio and MIDI settings.
Settings will vary for each user according to the specific setup, but the
important thing is to route the audio to a valid audio device, and to set the
buffer reasonably low for good latency performance. We recommend 256
samples or less. The lower the latency slider, the less latency (the split
second between the physical playing of the note and the sound
06
coming out of KONTAKT) there will be, but the harder the computer
will have to work. Typical useful values range between 128 and 256,
however very fast computers may be able to handle lower values,
while very slow computers may need higher values. [01]

The MIDI page of the Options dialog box must be configured in order
to let KONTAKT know which MIDI device(s) to respond to. KONTAKT
will respond to up to four MIDI input ports (A, B, C, and D), so we
recommend you switch one MIDI source on to Port A, as shown in
the following image. [02]

Once you have completed KONTAKT setup, jump ahead to the

GETTING STARTED section on page 9.

01

02
 CHAPTER 03 CONTD
07
USING KONTAKT WITH YOUR D.A.W.
CHAPTER 03 / USING KONTAKT

LOGIC PRO X

Users of Apple’s Logic can use KONTAKT 5 as an AudioUnit plug-in.

Create a Software Instrument track

From the instrument list (E-Piano selected as default), select AU

Instruments / Native Instruments / KONTAKT 5

The KONTAKT window will appear, and a MIDI track will be created,
transmitting to KONTAKT’s MIDI channel A-1. When it is record-enabled, it
will send any incoming MIDI played on your controller into KONTAKT.

GARAGEBAND

Users of Apple’s GarageBand can use KONTAKT 5 as an AudioUnit plug-in.

Create a Software Instrument track

Select Smart Controls

Select Plug-Ins

From the instrument list, select AU Instruments / Native Instruments /

KONTAKT 5

The KONTAKT window will appear, and a MIDI track will be created,
transmitting to KONTAKT’s MIDI channel A-1. When it is record-enabled, it
will send any incoming MIDI played on your controller into KONTAKT.

PRO TOOLS

Create an instrument track

From the Inserts list, select multichannel plug-in / instrument / KONTAKT

5 AAX (stereo)

The KONTAKT window will appear

CUBASE

Add an Instrument Track

From the Instrument list, select KONTAKT 08
The KONTAKT window will appear, and a MIDI track will be created,
transmitting to KONTAKT’s MIDI channel A-1. When it is record-
enabled, it will send any incoming MIDI played on your controller into
KONTAKT.

ABLETON LIVE

Insert a MIDI track

From the Categories / Plug-ins list, drag and drop KONTAKT 5 onto
your MIDI track

The KONTAKT window will appear, and a MIDI track will be created,
transmitting to KONTAKT’s MIDI channel A-1. When it is record-
enabled, it will send any incoming MIDI played on your controller into
KONTAKT.

FL STUDIO 12

Select Plugin database / Installed / Generators / VST / KONTAKT 5

Select ‘Open in new channel’

The KONTAKT window will appear

FL SONAR

In the synth tab, select the +

Select Insert Synth / VST2 / KONTAKT / KONTAKT 5

The channel will be created; to view the KONTAKT window, select it

from the synth list at the left.

USING KONTAKT WITH ANOTHER HOST

There are too many host programs to cover here in detail, but any
modern sequencer that properly supports the VST, AudioUnit, or
RTAS standards should be able to use KONTAKT properly, and load
Mallets within it. Consult the manual for your specific host to find out
how to instantiate the KONTAKT virtual instrument.
 CHAPTER 04
09
MALLETS/
GETTING STARTED
CHAPTER 04 / GETTING STARTED

MALLETS OVERVIEW

INSTRUMENT CONTROLS

ON/OFF - To engage an instrument, simply click the “ON” button so that the
instrument turns from gray to white.

MUTE/SOLO - In addition to their usual functions to mute and solo each

instrument, the solo button remaps the samples of the selected instrument
to the front on the Kontakt keyboard if multiple groups are turned on and
layered on top of one another.

MALLET TYPE - Choose between various mallet types for each instrument
such as hard, meduim, soft, etc.

ENVELOPE - At the bottom of each instrument, adjust the Attack, Decay,

Sustain, and Release.

EXTENDED RANGE - By engaging exteded range, the Instrument

automatically remaps to extend from C0-C7, with the the lowest note
stretching to C0 and the highest note stretching to C7. Additionally, by using
the Octave button, you can access notes as low as C-2 and G8.
OCTAVE - Adjust the position of the samples up and down the 10
keyboard two octaves. This allows you to reposition an instrument
either higher or lower on the keyboard.

STEREO WIDTH - At -100% the signal is mono, at 100% the stereo

signal is increased to full left and right pan, and at 0% instruments have
a stereo image of +-35%.

INSTRUMENT TURNED ON VS INSTRUMENT TURNED OFF

GLOBAL FILTER
The Global Filter is a constant LowPass filter which affects all instruments
at once.

CUTOFF - Controll the high frequency cutoff of global instrument.

RESONANCE - Increase or decrease the resonance of selected Cutoff

frequencies.
To Ensure the global filter is disengaged, make sure the Cutoff knob is at
19.9k Hz (positioned fully to the right) and RES is at 0.0%,( fully to the 11
left).

*NOTE: When LowPass is selected on the LFO, the Cutoff and RES of the
Global Filter affect the filtering of the LowPass LFO selected.

TUNE

COARSE - The coarse tune knob moves the pitch up an down by half steps.

FINE - The fine tune knob moves the pitch up and down by cents.

ROLLS

The “ROLLS” creator allows you to generate and customize your very own
mallet rolls. Triggering one note will simulate two hands striking that single
note while triggering up to two notes will simulate the back and forth
striking of mallets with two hands on the respective notes.

SPEED - Control the rate of the rolls. Speed ranges from 1/4 beats to 1/32T
beats.

HUMANIZE - Simultaneously affects sync and velocity of each hit. Ranging

from perfect velocity and sync at 0% to random velocity and sync at 100%.

VELOCITY CONTROL - The velocity of the rolls is controled by the

modulation wheel. Lowest velocity layers are triggered when mod wheel is
positioned fully down. As user pushes mod wheel up the velocities triggered
increase to where highest velocity is triggered when mod wheel is
positioned fully up.
 CHAPTER 04 CONT’D
12

LFO CONTROLS
CHAPTER 04 / GETTING STARTED

ON/OFF - Turn ON and OFF each LFO Type by clicking the power button
to the left of the modulation type.

LFO TYPE - Choose between volume, pan, lowpass, and pitch.

SYNC - By engaging the “SYNC” button, the frequency knob changes from
free tempo to sync with the host tempo.

PULSE WIDTH - Pulse width can only be applied to the square wave form
and will remain greyed out until “Square” is slected.

WAVEFORMS - Choose between four different sound waves including sine,

triangle, saw, and square.

AMOUNT - Control the presence of the LFO within your mix.

EFFECTS

Further craft your sound with the effects page which features seven
different built-in effects including Tune, Equalizer, Distortion, Delay, Reverb,
Transient Master, and Compressor.

ON/OFF - To engage an effect, simply click on the power button imidiately

to the left of the effect so that it turns from To .

SELECTED EFFECT - Selecting a specific effect will reveal that particular

effect’s controls in the panel immediately below the row of effects.
 13
MALLETS/
TECH
TECH SUPPORT, ETC.

SUPPORT,
ETC.
TECH SUPPORT

Vir2 Instruments stands behind its products and is committed to helping

you get the most out of using them. Please check the Support area of the
www.vir2.com web site if you encounter any difficulties in using the product.
You may also e-mail [email protected].

Before getting in touch with Vir2 Instruments regarding problems with the
product, make sure you are running the latest versions of the library, engine,
and Service Center. We are continuously updating and improving the
product, so it is possible that there are more recent updates available that
were released after the physical manufacturing of your product copy.

THE FULL VERSION OF KONTAKT 5

Mallets ships with Kontakt 5 running in library mode, meaning it is fully able
to play back the Mallets library and access the parameters detailed in this
manual.

Registered owners of Mallets are eligible for a special cross-grade discount

to the full version of Kontakt 5, which enables users to create their own
libraries, import libraries in non-Kontakt formats, and access numerous deep
editing features.

Visit www.nativeinstruments.com for details on the Kontakt cross-grade.

LICENSE AGREEMENT

The samples contained herein are licensed, not sold to you, the individual
end user, by Vir2 Instruments. This non-exclusive, non-transferable license is
granted only to the individual end user who has purchased an unopened,
new, and lawfully made copy of this product from a dealer or distributor
authorized by Vir2 Instruments. All samples remain the property of Vir2
Instruments and are licensed only for use in the creation of a live or
 14
recorded performance that includes the licensed samples as part of a
derivative musical work created by the licensed end user. This license
expressly forbids resale, rental, loan, gift, or transfer of these samples in
any format or via any medium, except as part of a derivative musical
work. The samples may not be included, whether unmodified or as part
of a derivative work, in any sample library product. Any unlicensed
usage will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the
law.

CREDITS

Produced by: Vir2 Instruments

Project Director: Julian Cisneros

Audio Engineer: Darius Fong

Mixer: Steven Bolar

Editors: Julian Cisneros, Michael Boone

Scripting: Mario Kruselj

GUI Design: Albert Grose, Julian Cisneros

Additional Graphics: Albert Grose

Cover Design: Aleksandar Andric

Manual: Michael Boone