OVERVIEW:

AUDIO IMPERIA

EPIC SOUNDS FOR EPIC COMPOSERS

AUDIO IMPERIA is a boutique sample library developer, crafting instruments

designed to instantly inspire. Continuously renewing its creativity and inventiveness,
Audio Imperia is supported by a team of producers with years of experience in the
world of cinematic music and who understand how to breathe life into the heart
of a sample.

Thank you for purchasing Nucleus Lite Edition.

Nucleus Lite Edition is a powerful orchestral virtual instrument for Native Instruments
Kontakt Player with full NKS integration. Both Nucleus Lite Edition and the full version
of Nucleus share the same rich cinematic sound and ease-of-use interface and
provide you with different options depending on your feature and your budget
requirements. Nucleus Lite Edition provides you with all the tools you need to get
started without breaking the bank and an easy upgrade path to the full version
when you are ready for it. If you are looking to dip your toes into the vast world of
orchestral sample libraries, this is it.
 1. DOWNLOAD & ACTIVATION:
1.1 PREPARATION:

Download/Serial code:

• Check the Download/Serial code you received in the e-mail account you
provided with your purchase.

• The Download/Serial code has the following format: xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-

xxxxx-xxxxx.

• This code will be used for both downloading and activating the library.

Kontakt/Kontakt Player:

• This library is made for Kontakt and Kontakt Player (free version) 6.1.1+

• If you have Kontakt or Kontakt Player already installed, please update to

the latest available version before proceeding with the activation process.

• If you don't have Kontakt or Kontakt Player installed yet, download and
install the latest version using the following link: https://www.native-
instruments.com/en/products/komplete/samplers/kontakt-6-player/free-
download/

Disk Requirements

• 4.86 GB.

1.2 DOWNLOAD:

• This library uses Continuata Connect for a fast and reliable delivery.

• First, install the latest version of the Continuata Connect download utility,
using the link below:
http://continuata.net/download_app.php

• Once Connect is downloaded and installed, copy your Download/Serial

code, run Connect, and paste the code using the Paste button.

• Press the Download button and select the folder you want to download the
library to. Please allow Continuata to download all files before moving any
files.
 You can pause and resume downloading at any time. If you need to exit
the program or restart it again later, you can resume by running the program
again starting a fresh download. It will automatically continue where it left
off.

1.3 ACTIVATION:

• This library must be activated with Native Access.

• Download and install the latest version of Native Access using the following
link: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/native-access/

• Open Native Access and log in with your Native ID account details. Once
logged in, click on “Add a serial” in the top left corner of the application
window.

• Copy/paste the Download/Serial code into the “Add a serial” window. Then
click the “Add Serial” button at the bottom right corner to register it. You'll
need to be connected to the internet to complete your activation.

• Click the Browse button to select the location on your computer where you
downloaded the library. Click the Install button to complete the installation
process.

• Close Native Access and launch Kontakt or Kontakt Player. You should now
be able to see the library in the Libraries tab on the left side of Kontakt.

• Enjoy your product!

 2. INSTRUMENTS & ARTICULATIONS
FULL ENSEMBLES:

Strings

• Sustained (NV-V) (3 DYN, 1 RR)

• Spiccato (3 DYN, 5 RR)

Woodwinds

• Sustained (NV-V) (3 DYN, 1 RR)

• Staccatissimo (3 DYN, 5 RR)

Brass

• Sustained (NV) (3 DYN, 1 RR)

• Staccatissimo (3 DYN, 5 RR)

Choir

• Sustained Aah (NV–V) (3 DYN, 1 RR)

• Staccatissimo Phrases (2 DYN, 9RR)

SECTIONS:

Percussion:

Tonal:

Timpani

• Hits (6 DYN, 5 RR)

Glockenspiel

• Hits (6 DYN, 5 RR)

Atonal:

2 Gran Cassas

• Hit (6 DYN, 5 RR)

4 Snares (Low + High)

• Hit (6 DYN, 5 RR)

Piatti

• Hit (6 DYN, 5 RR)

Tam Tam

• Hit (6 DYN, 5 RR)

 3. PATCHES: MULTISAMPLES
In Nucleus LE, there are two kinds of multisamples patches: tonal and atonal.

• Tonal patches: On tonal instruments, like a Violin, you can play different
pitches, so samples must be mapped to the corresponding keys. To switch
between articulations, you must use keyswitches.

Keyswitches Instrument Range

• Atonal patches. On atonal instruments, like a Gran Cassa, you can’t play
different pitches, so samples can be mapped to any key you want. This also
allows you to map different articulations to different keys in the same patch,
so you don’t need to use keyswitches to switch between them. Even more,
you can have multiple instruments with their corresponding articulations
mapped in the same patch.

Inst. 1 Inst. 2 Inst. 3

Nucleus LE multisamples patches have two different pages: Basic and Advanced,
the basic page contains all the essential elements for using the library, while the
advanced page displays additional customization features.

3.1.1 TONAL - BASIC PAGE:

1. Mixes

2. Reverb (Basic)

3. Articulations

4. Controllers
(Basic)

3.1.2 TONAL - ADVANCED PAGE:

1. Mixes

2. Reverb

(Advanced)

3. Articulations

4. Articulation and
Syllable
Keyswitches
Options

5. Controllers
(Advanced)

6. Options
 3.1.3 ATONAL - BASIC PAGE:

1. Mixes

2. Reverb
(Basic)

3. Instruments /
Articulations
(Basic)

4. Select by MIDI

5. Controllers
(Basic)

3.1.4 ATONAL – ADVANCED PAGE:

1. Mixes

2. Reverb
(Advanced)

3. Instruments /
Articulations
(Advanced)

4. Select by MIDI

5. Controllers
(Advanced)

6. Options
3.2 PATCHES: MULTISAMPLES (UI ELEMENTS):
3.2.1 MIXES:

• Classic mix: Features the raw and unprocessed

sound of the original recordings.
• Modern mix: Adds subtle processing for a
ready-to-go cinematic sound.

3.2.2 REVERB:

Nucleus LE features the new algorithmic reverb that comes with Kontakt 6.

BASIC:

• On/Off: Toggles the reverb send bypass.

• Amount: Controls the send amount for the
reverb.

ADVANCED:

• Pre Delay: Controls the amount of reverb pre-

delay.
• Time: Controls the reverb time.
• Room/Hall Menu: Selects from the two available
reverb algorithms: Room and Hall.

3.2.3 ARTICULATIONS (TONAL):

Articulations can be selected by

clicking the articulation’s name in
the list (1), or by using keyswitches.
The keyswitch display shows the
currently mapped keyswitch for
each articulation (2).

Individual articulations can be

loaded or purged using the power
buttons (3).
3.2.4 ARTICULATION AND SYLLABLE KEYSWITCHES OPTIONS (TONAL):

Keyswitches can be moved up or down the keyboard by clicking and dragging

the keyboard icon or by clicking the small arrows to either side (1).

Keyswitches can be locked using the padlock button (2). When locked, keyswitch
commands via MIDI are ignored, though switching is still possible by clicking the
articulation’s name in the list.

NOTE: In choir patches, an additional set of keyswitches is available for the

Staccatissimo Phrases articulation. The Phrases articulation cycles through nine
different syllables, and the keyswitches reflect the next syllable that will sound. A
specific syllable can be selected using the keyswitches.

3.2.5 INSTRUMENTS/ARTICULATIONS (ATONAL):

BASIC:

Clicking an instrument name (1) reveals the available articulations for that
instrument.

Entire instruments can be purged or loaded by using the power button next to the
instrument name (2). Articulations can also be individually purged or loaded by
using the power button next to the articulation name (3).

The instrument color can be previewed on the basic page, this color is reflected on
all keys that trigger the instrument. (7).
ADVANCED:

Each articulation can be mapped to a maximum of two keys. Click the (+) button
(4) to enable two-key mapping. To go back to one-key mapping, click the (-) button.

You can map an articulation to a key by dragging up or down on the key name
(5), by typing in the value (double click the key name) or by using MIDI learn. To
trigger MIDI learn, click the small MIDI icon (6) and press any key to map the
articulation to that key.

The instrument color can be modified on the advanced page by dragging up or

down on the color icon, this color is reflected on all keys that trigger the instrument.
(7).

3.2.6 SELECT BY MIDI:

The Select by MIDI function (1) when turned on allows you to visualize the instrument
that is currently being triggered via MIDI.

3.2.7 CONTROLLERS:

BASIC:

• Dynamics: It allows you to crossfade

between different dynamic layers of a
specific articulation seamlessly. Notice that
this controller only applies to long
articulations, as dynamic layers are
crossfaded by velocity on short articulations.

• Expression: It’s an extra layer of volume

control, and it’s especially useful when used
together with Dynamics for even more, as the
controller name implies, expression in your
music.

• Vibrato: It allows you to crossfade between non vibrato samples and vibrato
samples seamlessly.
ADVANCED:

• Dyn. Range: It applies volume scaling to all

articulations. With the Dynamic Range slider
set at 0, samples will play back as they were
recorded. As you increase the Dynamic
Range, all but the loudest dynamic layer
scale down, allowing the library to play
quieter on the lowest dynamics than
originally recorded. With the Dynamic Range slider at maximum, a
modwheel (for long articulations) or velocity (for short articulations) value of
zero will result in silence.

• Sample Start:

In the editing process, all samples in our libraries, including legato transitions and
releases, are meticulously edited to ensure that the patches will play realistically
and consistently in time.

We could edit samples using essentially a gate, simply cutting each sample at the
start of its waveform, however, editing samples in this way results in a patch that
has timing inconsistencies:

Instead, we listen to every single sample in the library, and shift it either earlier or
later until it sounds perfectly in time with the click.

We refer to this point where the samples sound in time with the click as the “sync
point”:
If we were to cut each sample exactly at the sync point, we’d be losing some very
important audio content. As samples missing that audio that comes just before the
sync point can sound abrupt and unnatural:

Instead, we cut every sample a

fixed amount of time before the
sync point. This audio between the
start of the sample and the sync
point is referred to as “padding” or
“pre-padding”. In the case of
Nucleus LE, this pre-pad amount is
250 ms.

When used in a patch, samples

with generous pre-padding will
sound the most natural, but will
introduce noticeable latency. In the
case of Nucleus LE, that added latency is exactly 250 ms, since that’s the length of
the padding we added to the samples.

While this is normal and, in fact,

intentional, playing a patch with
250ms of latency can be rather
difficult. This is where the Sample
Start controller comes in.

It allows you to choose where

samples will start playing back
from, hence the name. In the case
of Nucleus LE, the controller goes
from 250 ms before the Sync Point
(-250 ms), right up to the Sync Point
itself (0 ms).
By setting Sample Start, essentially, you can adjust how “tight” or “loose” a patch will
be.

A Sample Start value closer to 0 results in a “tighter” patch, meaning it has lower
latency, but lacks realism; attacks, legato transitions and releases sound very abrupt
and unnatural.

A Sample Start value closer to -250 results in a “looser” patch, meaning it has higher
latency, but is much more realistic; attacks, legato transitions and releases all
remain intact.

So, how do we recommend using the sample start controller? Here’s a proposed
workflow:
• When recording MIDI, set Sample Start to 0 ms, this will cause the patch
to sound a little unnatural and abrupt, but will virtually eliminate latency.

• Once you’re done recording, for playback, set Sample Start to a larger
value, we recommend a setting of -125 ms. This will introduce a latency
of 125 ms, which should then be compensated for.

• For latency compensation, try either shifting your MIDI items earlier in time
by 125 ms, or if your DAW supports it, applying a -125 ms MIDI offset.

• This will keep your original recordings in time, but attacks, legato
transitions and releases will be much more realistic.

• -125 ms is just a recommendation, we encourage you to experiment and

adjust this setting to your liking, just make sure that whatever value is
displayed in the sample start controller is the value you are compensating
latency for.

We’ve set Sample Start to -125 ms as default for all patches, as we find this setting
to be the best compromise between playability and realism.

If you just want fast, immediate response from the library, we've provided Tight
patches where Sample Start is set to 0 ms by default. Still, we highly encourage
you to try the workflow proposed above, as it allows you to best use the library to
its full potential.
3.2.8 OPTIONS

The options panel has 4 different options which can be accessed from the main
drop-down menu (1). Enable or disable options using the power button on the left
side of the menu (2). An asterisk will appear next to the name of any enabled
options (3).

Velocity Curve: This option allows you to

change how a patch reacts to velocity. There
are three curves that can be selected using the
drop down menu (2): linear, shelf and fixed.
These can be further customized by clicking
and dragging up or down on the velocity curve
display (1).

Transpose: Shifts the playable note range up

or down the keyboard. Note that this option
does not affect keyswitches.

Range: This control can be used to increase the

playable range of an articulation above or
below the recorded range of the instrument.
Unlike the previous two options, which are
global, Range is set per-articulation. The
extended range will show up as yellow on the
keyboard.
 4. SOUND DESIGN PATCHES:
Nucleus LE sound design patches have two different pages: Main and FX, the Main
page contains a set of essential sound modifying tools. The FX page contains a set
of insert and send effects that you can apply to the sounds to expand your musical
possibilities.

4.1 MAIN PAGE

1. Sound Selector: Click on the sound name to open the sound selection menu. You
can also browse through sounds by using the left and right arrows.

2. Sound Modifiers: These are the essential controllers for modifying the sounds to
your liking. We offer 8 fully automatable controllers for Volume, Pan, Attack, Release,
Pitch, Stereo Spread, Low Pass Filter Cutoff and High Pass Filter Cutoff.

3. Semitone Lock (Pitch): When turned on, truncates the pitch difference value to
semitones.

4. Sample Start: Determines where playback of the selected sample will start from.
Click and drag the cursor to set a new position.

5. Forward / Reverse playback: The direction of the arrow reflects the direction of
playback, either forward or reverse.

4.2 FX PAGE

1. Effect selector: Click on an effect name to select it.

2. Effect on/off: Click the power button to turn the effect on/off.

3. Effect parameters: All the parameters for the selected effect are displayed here.
All parameters are automatable.

4. Save/open buttons: Can be used to save or load presets. Presets are stored in
.nka files.
 CREDITS

Jan Hoeglund, Tomás Lobos and Simon Dalzell, the Audio Imperia team.
Sound Design: Paul Ortiz.
Orchestra Recordings: Petr Pololanik.
GUI: Natali Gera, Yaroslava Shapoval.
Cover: Steven R. Gilmore.
Mix Consultant: Martin Hasseldam.
Promo Art: Haukur Hannes.
Native Instruments: Faheem Hasan, Rembert Gantke, Ray Chemo.
 Audio Imperia LLC
www.audioimperia.com