- Publisher: Westwood Instruments
- Product: Novella Blackwater
- Release: ViP Team
- Requirements: Kontakt v6.6.0 and higher
Journey into a vast sonic landscape inspired by the heart of Americana and the soul of contemporary Western cinema with Novella Blackwater by Westwood Instruments. This comprehensive virtual instrument toolkit isn’t just a collection of sounds; it’s an evocative palette designed for scoring, songwriting, and bringing authentic character to your music. From intimate folk melodies to sweeping cinematic vistas, Blackwater offers a mountainous range of instruments, captured with modern sensibility and deep respect for their roots.
Prepare to explore new horizons. Led by an outstanding, emotive string ensemble and supported by a remarkable cast of spirited solo instruments and unconventional percussion, Novella Blackwater provides a resilient force of ideas, ready to infuse your tracks with honesty, grit, and beauty.
The Sound of Blackwater: An Ensemble Forged in the Wild
At the heart of Novella Blackwater lies a carefully curated ensemble designed for maximum versatility and authentic character:
- Fairview Ensemble Strings: A spirited chamber string section providing the backbone, capable of intimate detail and soaring cinematic weight. Features natural legato and unique, inspiring articulations.
- Characterful Soloists: From a haunting 1800s gut violin and a versatile harmonium to expressive guitars, mandola, trumpet, and the iconic harmonica, each solo instrument tells a story.
- Unique Foundations: A resonant Hickory tack piano and a vast, characterful percussion section centered around a rusty oil drum provide rhythmic drive and textural depth.
Fairview Ensemble: Strings with Spirit and Courage
This chamber string ensemble forms the emotional core of Blackwater, offering an essential collection of articulations designed for immediate inspiration and realistic performance.
- Detailed Sections: Divided into High Strings (Violins, Violas) and Low Strings (Cellos, Basses) for nuanced control.
- Inspiring Articulations: Explore a wide range including “Fire & Flint” (dynamic timbre/intensity sliders for instant drama), tempo-synced tremolos, expressive hairpins, crisp shorts, and more.
- “Motion” Control: Create realistic swells and dynamic movements effortlessly with tempo-synced automated dynamics – keep your hands on the keys while the strings breathe.
- Scalable Sound: Intimate and detailed up close, yet easily capable of filling the largest cinematic space with adjustments to the included microphone positions and reverb.
- Human Legato: Beautifully captured, natural legato transitions recorded independently for Violins and Violas, with Cellos and Basses performing together. Includes key switching for standard or marcato attacks for expressive phrasing.
Deadwood Gut Violin: Honesty and Lament
Step back in time with an 1800s violin by John Betts, strung with gut strings for an unrefined, honest, and vulnerable sound.
- Expressive Legato: Features three distinct attack options via key switch: standard, marcato, and a characteristic bluegrass-style bend.
- Evocative Textures: Includes two drone articulations played on open strings, perfect for adding atmospheric layers. Ideal for both poignant melodies and heartfelt laments.
Morgan Harmonium: Small Keys, Big Atmosphere
A versatile harmonium, recorded in its natural range but creatively stretched for a full-sized, expansive playing experience.
- Traditional & Experimental: Offers classic harmonium tones alongside unconventional treatments and textures for unique sound design possibilities.
The Guitars: Twang, Mood, and Vibe
A trio of guitars provides the essential plucked sounds of the genre, each with its own distinct personality.
- Outlaw Electric Guitar (Danelectro): Delivers classic twang through a Fender Reverb tube amp. Features versatile standard articulations alongside unique sounds perfect for modern scoring.
- Rails Electric Guitar (Telecaster): Recorded in a drier, more intimate studio setting (Nave Studio 2). Offers moody tones with Western-inspired slides, mutes, chords, harmonics, and wandering playing techniques for incredible atmosphere.
- Flat Top Steel Acoustic (Vintage Gibson): A beautifully warm, resonant vintage steel string. Includes sustains, mutes, tremolos, drones, and a selection of loose, human-performed rhythms and chords for instant realism.
- Nomad Nylon Acoustic: A gloriously aged nylon guitar, rough around the edges but brimming with character. Features unique rhythms, chords, sustains, and six evocative “Wends” – lost, meandering finger-style patterns perfect for adding mood and depth.
Juniper Mandola: Cutting Through the Mix
A classic folk sound sourced from a beautiful Sobel octave mandolin tuned up to a Mandola.
- Bright Attack: Recorded with a pick for clarity and presence.
- Versatile Articulations: Includes shorts, tremolos, and a set of ready-to-go rhythms ideal for both scoring and songwriting, capable of cutting through a dense mix or standing beautifully on its own.
Herald Trumpet: Moody Leads and Western Motifs
A solo trumpet recorded non-traditionally to offer fresh creative possibilities beyond standard brass writing.
- Atmospheric Sustains: Moody, wandering long notes perfect for setting a scene.
- Iconic Motifs: Includes classic Western-inspired melodic fragments to instantly conjure nostalgia or mark significant moments.
Bronson Harmonica: The Sound of the West
The quintessential sound of Western films, captured with authenticity and expanded possibilities.
- Full Range Performance: Recorded across multiple harmonica scales.
- Unique Character: Features a specially crafted selection of unusual sustains and bends, adding a distinct, evocative flavour to your compositions.
Hickory Piano: A Westwood Take on Tack
Our homage to the classic tack piano sound, created using a hickory drum stick on an upright.
- Distinctive Tone: Offers a unique, percussive piano timbre, perfect for adding character or standing out from traditional piano sounds.
- Inspirational Extras: Includes octave patches and non-rhythmical “tapping” patches for added texture and creative starting points.
Oil Fields: Drums & Percussion from the Earth
Our largest untuned ensemble to date, offering a huge selection of rhythmic foundations and textural elements.
- Bespoke Metallic Hits: Features an old, rusty oil drum recorded in multiple ways for unique percussive character.
- Comprehensive Kit: Includes two distinct snares (highly tuned military with articulations; brass snare with tambourine ring), vintage toms, an old hand drum.
- Essential Extras: A wide selection including cymbal stacks, jaw harp, claves, cowbell, plus thunder and seed shakers for powerful sound design elements.
- Deeply Sampled: Recorded with plenty of dynamic layers and round robins to ensure lively, non-repetitive performances.
Complete Articulation List
PLAINVIEW ENSEMBLE (All Strings)
- Frontiers, Fires, Flint, Dust Devils, Short Hairpins, Shorts
LEGATO STRINGS (Key-switchable Regular/Marcato Attack)
- Violins Legato, Violas Legato, Low Strings Legato
- Violins Longs, Violas Longs, Low Strings Longs
HIGH STRINGS (Violins & Violas)
- Fire & Flint, Stutters, Dust Devils, Drifting Tremolo 85bpm, Tremolo 110bpm, Tremolo 150 bpm, Longs, Short Hairpins, Long Hairpins, Long Hairpins Sync, Shorts, Back Bow
LOW STRINGS (Cellos & Basses)
- Fire & Flint, Stutters, Dust Devils, Drifting Tremolo 85bpm, Tremolo 110bpm, Tremolo 150 bpm, Longs, Short Hairpins, Long Hairpins, Long Hairpins Sync, Shorts, Back Bow
DEADWOOD (Gut Violin – Legato/Longs incl. Regular/Marcato/Bend Attack)
- Legato, Longs, Drones, Sul Pont Drones
MORGAN (Harmonium)
- Longs, Yonder, Yonder Reverse, Windpipes, Exhale, Exile
OUTLAW (Electric Guitar)
- Longs, Longs Pitch Shifted, Palm Mutes, Palm Mutes Pitch Shifted, Chords, Tremolo, Coil Tremolo, Coin Tremolo Thirds, Coin Tremolo 4ths/5ths, Railheads Knuckle, Railheads Ring, Smokebox
RAILS (Electric Guitar)
- Fingerstyle Longs, Pitched Fingerstyle Longs, Woolen Mutes, Pitched Woolen Mutes, Splangs, Slide, Fret Hover, Harmonics, Promontory, Promontory Reverse, Hangfire, Hangfire Reverse
FLAT TOP (Steel Acoustic)
- Longs, Shifted Longs, Mutes, Pitched Mutes, Tremolo, Unison Drones, Unison Drones Reversed, Rhythm – Homestead, Rhythm – Stourbridge, Rhythm – Creekside, Rhythm – Byways
NOMAD (Nylon Acoustic)
- Longs, Chords (Maj/Min), Rhythms – Highplains, Rhythms – Chitlins, Rhythms – Outrider, Rhythms – Cavallard, Wends – Chords, Wends – Chuparosa, Wends – Brittlebrush, Wends – Desert Sage, Wends – Saguaro, Wends – Feverfew
JUNIPER (Mandola)
- Pick, Tremolo, Tremolo Storm, Chords, Rhythm – Cottonwood, Rhythm – Barnum, Rhythm – Gadabout, Rhythm – Sagebrush
HERALD (Trumpet)
- The Gambler, The Drinkers, The Rustler, Short Sustains, Short Swells, Long Swells, Motif – Maverick, Motif – Bittersweet, Motif – Forward, Motif – Forward Minor, Motif – Forward Major, Motif – Charge
BRONSON (Harmonica)
- Wild & Moody Longs, Moody Longs, Wild Longs, Slow Bends, Fast Bends, Swells, Chords, Longs
HICKORY (Upright Piano)
- Hickory Piano, Octave Hickory Piano, Reverse Piano, Tapping, Reverse Tapping, Stacked Tapping
OIL FIELDS (Drums & Percussion)
- Oil Drum (10 sounds), Military Snare (incl. Flams, Drags, Roll, Rimshot, Splash Stack), Brass Snare, Broken Crash, Cymbal Stack, Stick Ride, Cymbal Scrapes, Old Bass Drum, Dead Old Bass Drum, Hand Drum, Jawharp, High Cowbell, Low Cowbell, Claves, Thunder Shaker, Seed Shakers
Craft Your Mix: Multiple Microphone Positions
Novella Blackwater provides exceptional flexibility in shaping your sound with multiple, distinct microphone perspectives:
- Production-ready Mix: A perfectly balanced stereo mix, ready to use straight away. Features tasteful EQ, gentle compression, and light tape saturation for warmth and cohesion. (Available on all instruments).
- Close Mic: A stereo position capturing intimate detail, clarity, and performance nuances. (Available on all instruments).
- Room Mic: An XY stereo pair capturing the natural, balanced acoustic sound of the studio space. Collapses well to mono. (Available on all instruments).
- Gallery Mic: A high stereo pair capturing the diffuse, open bloom of the large studio gallery. (Available on Strings, Gut Violin, Trumpet, Harmonica, Drums).
- Overhead Mic: An additional stereo perspective focused on the drums and percussion. (Available on Drums).
- Copperphone Mic: A unique mono mic with a limited frequency response and natural compression, evoking early radio broadcasts. Blend it in for character or use it solo for a nostalgic effect. (Available on all instruments except Piano and Strings).
Who Is Novella Blackwater For?
This library is an indispensable tool for:
- Film, TV, and Game Composers: Create authentic Americana scores, modern Western soundtracks, intimate cues, or epic cinematic themes.
- Songwriters: Add unique, evocative instrumentation to folk, country, rock, and acoustic tracks.
- Producers: Inject organic texture, atmospheric layers, and distinctive character into any production needing a touch of the wild.
Technical Specifications
- Platform: Requires Native Instruments Kontakt Player version 6.6.1 or higher (Free Download).
- NKS Compatible: Seamless integration with Native Instruments hardware.
- Supported DAWs: All major DAWs capable of hosting Kontakt Player.
- System Requirements:
- Mac OS 10.13 (High Sierra) or higher.
- Windows 10 or higher.
- 8GB RAM minimum recommended.
- Download Size: Approximately 32.6GB.
Explore New Horizons Today
Novella Blackwater is more than a sample library; it’s an invitation to explore a rich sonic territory filled with character, emotion, and untamed spirit. Add this versatile and inspiring toolkit to your collection and start telling your own stories.
Free download Westwood Instruments Novella Blackwater today. Runs in the free Kontakt Player.
