Top 9 Sequencer & Arpeggiator KONTAKT Libraries 2024

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This article will explore the best sequencer and arpeggiator Kontakt libraries of 2024.

Sequencers and arpeggiators are staples of electronic and contemporary music production. They help create interesting melodic or rhythmic patterns and can be an excellent source of inspiration when you are feeling drained creatively.

Top 9 Sequencer & Arpeggiator KONTAKT Libraries 2024

1. Native Instruments Schema: Dark

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Schema Dark is a Native Instruments library that offers dark cinematic loop content for music creation.

Its four-layered Kontakt interface allows for layer mixing and pan, loop playback speed, direction, and sample reverse modes. The plugin has a dark tonality ranging from field-recorded sounds to orchestral recordings. Each layer can be edited using intuitive macro knobs, mix controls, and studio-grade effects.

Key Features:

  • Multi-layer loop player

One of the plugin’s key features is its multi-layer loop player, which enables you to chop loops into 16 slices and play them back in any order according to the chosen pattern. You can fine-tune each step in the pattern, giving them precise control over the timing and rhythm of their music.

  • Easy GUI

Plugin’s main page provides access to specialized editing pages and controls, allowing you to tweak their sound and create unique and intricate patterns. Macros and performance controls are always visible at the bottom of the instrument, providing a user-friendly interface for playing and tweaking key parameters.

  • Presets

NI SCHEMA: DARK has 343 professionally designed presets that can be easily tweaked and swapped to suit individual preferences. The plugin also includes a built-in way to generate sounds with a knob and the option to roll a virtual dice in each of the four loops, giving you even more creative possibilities.

  • Random knob

DARK has a built-in way to generate sounds using the “Random” knob. This allows you to roll a virtual die in the four loops, creating unpredictable and unique sequences. This feature can be used as a starting point for further tweaking and customization, adding experimentation and randomness to the creative process.

Additionally, the ability to slice and rearrange loops in any order according to the chosen pattern allows for endless possibilities and variations in the sound, making it a versatile and adaptable instrument for various musical styles.

Schema Dark | Native Instruments NEW Cinematic pulse engine FIRST LOOK!

Compatibility:

The NI SCHEMA: DARK plugin has specific system requirements for macOS and Windows, including the latest updates, Intel Macs (i5 or higher), or Apple Silicon Macs via Rosetta 2. It also requires graphics hardware support for Direct 3D 11.1 (Feature Level 11_0) or higher and at least 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended for large KONTAKT Instruments).

Further, the Kontakt plugin is available as a standalone or in VST3, AU, and AAX formats for macOS and standalone, VST3, and AAX formats for Windows, with support for 64-bit only.

Summary:

The instrument offers editable patterns for each layer, filters, decay, volume, and pitch controls. It is created in collaboration with pro sound and instrument designer Tobias Menguser. All these features make it a great library for trailers SFX and arpeggiators.

2. Native Instruments Vocal Colors  Libraries

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NI Vocal Colors is a Kontakt library that offers a wide range of expressive vocal samples and powerful modulation controls, making it a versatile tool for crafting hybrid textures that bring emotion to your music.

It explores the synergy between speech and synthesis, delivering inventive sounds that push the boundaries of the human voice. Whether working on cinematic compositions or forward-thinking pop productions, Vocal Colors provides hypnotic hues that ignite your creativity or add the finishing touches to your tracks.

It has five tabs: Arpeggiator, two Layer tabs, Particles, and Global. The arpeggiator tab can help you create interesting vocal chops and movements. The Layer tabs consist of parameters for editing the sonic characteristics of the sound, like Formant, Dynamic, ADSR, Breath, etc.

The Particles tab lets you add interesting textures to your sounds, and finally, the global tab gives you a single slider access to all the other tabs.

Key Features:

  • Expressive Vocal Samples

Vocal Colors includes over 19 GB of eclectic, double-tracked vocal samples that blend electronic and organic elements. These samples offer diverse vocal expressions, from gentle whispers to passionate shouts, allowing you to create unique and expressive sounds for your music.

  • Arpeggiator tab

You can program up to 32 steps on the arpeggiator and do advanced sequencing on them, like adding repetitions, chords programming, setting min/max limits, looping, adding a sustain pedal, adjusting the time, octave, length, velocity, etc., retriggering, and more. You can use that to add interesting movements to your music.

  • Presets

You can choose from various arpeggiator presets, like Single, Chord, Straight, Syncopated, Mixed, Free, Continius, Odd, Slow, Fast, Random, etc. Similarly, multiple Layer(s) presets consist of loops, one-shots, rhythm, reverse, and other samples categorized as Pure, Designed, Vowel, Consonant, Percussive, Bright, Smooth, etc.

Similarly, there are multiple presets for Modulation Sources, including many steps and LFO patterns. In addition, effects preset include categories like Analog, Crunch, Lo-Fi bits, Tape, Transistor, etc.

  • Enhanced COLORS Engine

The library features an enhanced COLORS engine, which enables you to blend and transform two layers of expressive vocal samples. This engine provides in-depth control over the sound, allowing you to shape and customize the vocals according to your artistic vision.

  • Specialized Vocal Shaping Controls

Vocal Colors offers specialized vocal shaping controls that allow you to customize over 250 presets or create sounds from scratch. These controls provide flexibility in modifying various aspects of the vocal samples, such as timbre, formant, vibrato, and more, enabling you to achieve the desired vocal character and expression.

  • Powerful Effects and Modulation

You can build your effects chains within Vocal Colors or utilize carefully designed effects presets to enhance and modulate your sounds. Effects in the plugin include EQ, Filter, Dynamic Processor, Drive, etc. This capability allows you to add depth, texture, and movement to your vocal textures, creating dynamic and evolving sonic landscapes.

Compatibility:

Vocal Colors is compatible with the free Kontakt Player and the full Kontakt 7.3.1 or higher version. To install and set up the library, you can use Native Access, Native Instruments’ software management platform. It is available for purchase on the Native Instruments website, and existing owners of Piano Colors can enjoy an additional discount.

Summary:

In summary, NI Vocal Colors is a powerful Kontakt library that brings the voice to the forefront of dynamic instruments. Its expressive vocal samples, enhanced COLORS engine, specialized vocal shaping controls, comprehensive arpeggiator, and powerful effects and modulation capabilities offer a versatile toolkit for creating unique and dynamic vocal textures.

Whether you’re looking to add depth and emotion to your compositions or explore innovative vocal synthesis techniques, Vocal Colors provides a rich palette of sounds to inspire your music-making journey.

3. Native Instruments Modular Icons

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Modular Icons is a Native Instruments sound library. It’s part of the company’s popular Play series.

Native Instruments collaborated with the Bob Moog Foundation to create Modular Icons, a software instrument that brings you classic vintage modular sounds. It includes over 100 presets designed after popular modular instruments, like the Roland System 700, Buchla, and Tonto.

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Key Features:

  • Two layers

The main page of Modular Icons displays the two main instrument layers and the eight macros to control them. The macros control fundamental synthesis parameters, like the filter cutoff, resonance, wavetable position, and effects like reverb or delay. Once you enter the editor page, you can start tweaking the instruments in-depth.

You get access to tuning, panning, two LFOs for modulation, and ADSR envelopes for modulation and volume.

  • Effects page

The effects page lets you create custom effect chains to sculpt and transform your sounds. In addition, you can customize the type of effects you sequence and their order, which plays a significant part in your sound design process. Some cool effects include the famous Native Instruments Replika delay, the bus compressor, EQ, reverb, and delay.

  • Sequencer

A lot of the fun in Modular Icons happens on the sequencer page. The sequencer is flexible and has 16 steps. It can modulate the usual velocity, filter cutoff, and pitch controls and be assigned to six macros.

The macros can be set up according to your needs, so the sequencer can essentially modulate anything you want it to, from distortion amount and reverb size to delay feedback and time. Finally, the sequencer has swing controls for more intricate rhythms, direction controls, and scale control.

  • Custom macros

The beauty of Modular Icons’ interface lies in the macro controls. They can be customized however you like through their dedicated page. You can study the parameters mapped on macros inside the various presets to get an understanding of how they work and easily swap them and make your own mappings.

The interface in the macro page is gorgeous and provides helpful visual feedback so you know exactly how much each macro affects each parameter it’s mapped on.

Compatibility:

Modular Icons is available on the latest version of the free Kontakt Player.

Summary:

Modular Icons is an inspiring instrument that pays homage to the sound of vintage modular synths. The presets showcase the rich history of modular synthesis, the effects are excellently built by Native Instruments, and the sequencer provides endless inspiration after a few tweaks.

Overall, it’s a fantastic instrument to own if you are into modular synthesis.

Related Reading:

Top 10 Modular Synth Plugins (+ 3 FREE VST Plugins)

4. NI & Orchestral Tools Sequis

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Sequis is a loop-based instrument by Native Instruments in collaboration with Orchestral Tools.

Sequis includes four instrument layers which allow you to combine different sounds to create a unique and complex layer. The built-in sequencer is its main selling point. It can create complicated rhythmic patterns that can captivate the listener.

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Key Features:

  • Sequencer

The sequencer in Sequis is easy to use and comes in a beautiful interface. Here, you can program sequences for the four instrument layers. Each layer lets you adjust the velocity per step, the volume of the instrument, and its panning. In addition, the sequencer can sync to the host DAW and play in either half time or double time.

This is particularly useful for building suspense or creating different phrases for more or less intensity. Finally, you can sequence in 16th notes or triplets and set rules for each sequence section so that it either goes straight to the next section or repeats twice before continuing. This helps in creating long evolving sequences that are constantly changing.

  • Unusual sounds

The instruments inside Sequis were sampled in ways that showcase their full sonic range and experimental possibilities. You can get guitar trills, flute ricochets, string falls, and various percussion hits made by the most unusual instruments. The result is a sound collection that encourages experimentation and contributes to a unique sound.

  • Accents and effects

Each step inside Sequis can be accented. When you accent a step, it will be played with more emphasis, therefore adding liveness and excitement to your sequences. You also get a universal swing button that works on the entire sequence and efficient use of the mod wheel.

Your mod wheel works as the mixer fader between the four instrument layers. When the mod wheel is all the way down, only the first instrument plays. The other instruments are slowly introduced as you raise it, making for an excellent performance feature.

Each instrument sequence has three effects that can be enabled and tweaked: reverb, filter, and delay. They are brilliant in adding sonic interest to the instruments and can be tweaked in depth by the user.

  • Expertly sampled instruments

Sequis is an instrument designed for composers and media scoring. The sound collection includes classic orchestral instruments sampled expertly in conventional and experimental ways.

For example, you can sequence percussive hits from a viola or abstract textures from a guitar. The instruments were recorded in professional concert halls, and their velocity and expression response is sublime.

Compatibility:

Sequis is available on the free Kontakt Player 6.6.0 and higher or Kontakt 6.6.0 and higher.

Summary:

Sequis is a powerful instrument for composition with an exciting sequencer. The sequencer is simple but versatile, with the accent and swing features standing out. The true strength of Sequis, though, lies in its sublime instrument collection. The sounds are fantastic, and there are enough presets to fuel your creativity for quite some time.

Related Reading:

Top 20 Native Instruments Plugins & Kontakt Libraries 

5. Sonuscore ELYSION 2 By BestService

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ELYSION 2 is a scoring tool by Sonuscore. It’s the follow-up to ELYSION, a mainly ambient and inspirational synth.

ELYSION 2 is much darker than its predecessor, with many new instruments and themes that push it to more aggressive territories. There are five instrument layers inside ELYSION 2, and each one of them has an envelope and an arpeggiator.

These are mapped to the mod wheel to help you create evocative patterns and rich underscores while performing.

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Key Features:

  • Five instrument layers

ELYSION 2 has five instrument layers that can be performed together to create rich ensembles. The instruments can be selected from a fantastic menu that’s organized beautifully.

In addition, the instruments can be organized by their character, which will help you pick the perfect sound for your composition. The character choices vary from aggressive and dramatic to soft and intimate.

  • Envelopes and arps

The most fun aspect of ELYSION is the arp and envelope functions. Once you load a sound in an instrument layer, you can click on a drop-down menu to set an arp or envelope. The envelope can be edited by clicking on its interface.

This is where you can edit its steps, modulation amount, number of steps, and time signature. You can create stutters with the envelopes with half-time and full-time options available and draw shapes over a long sequence with your cursor. You can similarly edit the arp, the difference being that it affects the instrument’s pitch.

  • Precise control

You can create sequences that last up to 32 steps in ELYSION 2. You can also select the rhythm of the steps from quarter notes, 16th, 32nd notes, or triplets. Even more exciting is the ability to set up two arps or envelopes per instrument layer.

You can then scroll between them with your mod wheel and create performative sequences. Another thing you can do is create complex panning by attaching the pan of an instrument to the envelope, therefore constantly modulating the pan for stereo effects.

  • Effects

You get a compressor, a delay, and a reverb as master effects. They affect the sound as a whole and sound incredible. Furthermore, each instrument has its own effects that can be turned on or off.

You get saturation for adding harmonic context to each instrument, a filter, a modulation effect, and an EQ. The best thing about these effects is that they can be mapped on the mod wheel in combination with the sequencer patterns.

This allows for a complex configuration system that ensures that your patterns and sequences will constantly evolve and increase intensity.

Compatibility:

Sequis is available on the free Kontakt Player 6.6.0 and higher, or Kontakt 6.6.0 and higher, on Windows 7 or higher, and macOS 10.13 or higher.

Summary:

ELYSION 2 is a very complex and versatile composition tool. The sounds and instruments included are fantastic and cover a wide range of sounds and styles. Including multiple envelopes and arps per instrument is genius and rewards experimentation and performance.

I’d recommend this to anyone looking for an instrument with a tremendous built-in arpeggiator.

Related Reading:

20 Best Kontakt Libraries For All Categories (Synths, Drums, Vocals)

6. Artistry Audio Scorpio

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Scorpio is a synth plugin by Artistry Audio. In addition, it comes with an advanced built-in arpeggiator.

Scorpio is a two-layer virtual instrument capable of complex sound design and sequencing. Its built-in arpeggiator is one of the most advanced ones included in a synth plugin, and the ability to sequence effects makes Scorpio a formidable synthesis tool.

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Key Features:

  • Sound engines

There are two instrument layers in Scorpio. Once you load a sound on a layer, you can choose between two synth engines. One is called play and will trigger the sound like a sampler, and the other is a granular engine. I really like having the play engine set on reverse, which will trigger the sounds in reverse.

Then, of course, you get all the usual ADSR controls, volume, pan, stereo controls, and pitch control. There’s also a filter with its own envelope included on each instrument layer and four effects for adding sonic movement. The effects are flanger, reverb, saturation, and EQ.

  • Sequencer

Once you choose a sound, you can enter the step sequencer, which will help you sequence any of the four effects on each layer and select controls from the synth engine. These controls are volume, panning, pitch, and filter. In addition, the step sequencer has a few useful controls, like speed, steps, and nudge, that help make setting it up easy.

However, the sound can start sounding a bit gate-like, so keep that in mind. Alternatively, you can choose the LFO to modulate these parameters instead of the envelope if you need a different modulation style.

  • Arpeggiator

The arpeggiator in Scorpio is one of the deepest and most advanced arpeggiators in a Kontakt instrument. You get controls over the velocity, octave, gate, probability, stutter, and transpose. Furthermore, you can randomize the steps of each of these controls or randomize the entire arp entirely.

For example, when you modulate the transpose parameter, you can choose between different scales from a drop-down menu. Similar menus exist for all parameters on the arpeggiator, and its easy-to-learn interface ensures that you’ll get to know it with minimal effort. Finally, you can choose the division of each step (quarter notes, eighth notes, etc.) and the overall speed of the arpeggiator.

  • X/Y pad

The main page of Scorpio has an X/Y pad for controlling effects. The effects are cleanly laid down below the pad, and you can select which one corresponds to the X axis of the pad and which one is on the Y axis.

The pad makes performing with Scorpio fun and exciting, and you can even record gestures on it. By clicking record and performing on the X/Y pad, Scorpio will save your gestures and play them back so you can focus on other aspects of your performance.

Compatibility:

Scorpio is available on Kontakt 6.6.1 and higher.

Summary:

Scorpio is a very flexible instrument for scoring and composition. The step sequencer and LFO are excellent at modulating different parameters and adding movement to your musical phrases, but the show’s star is the arpeggiator.

It’s one of the most well fleshed out arpeggiators included in a synth and can help you stretch your ideas so much further. The overall sound is excellent, and I’d highly recommend this library to anyone who needs inspiration.

Related Reading:

Best Kontakt Libraries For TRANCE Music Available

7. NI Mallet Flux

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Mallet Flux is a Native Instruments virtual instrument that focuses on mallet sounds.

The instrument includes sampled mallet sounds that can be used conventionally or experimentally to create abstract textures or soaring scores. Mallet Flux also includes a versatile sequencer at the heart of its interface to help you craft memorable patterns and scores.

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Key Features:

  • Five types of mallets

Mallet Flux samples popular mallet instruments commonly used in cinematic and contemporary music production. Five types of instruments sampled inside Mallet Flux act as sound sources: Glockenspiel, Celesta, Xylophone, Vibraphone, and Marimba.

Each of these instruments was sampled in-depth, capturing multiple articulations and playing styles giving you countless options to compose with. You can choose between long and short tones, hard and soft mallets, and even bowed bars and reverse samples.

  • Sequencer

The sequencer inside Mallets Flux is very versatile and advanced. You have one sequencer per sound that can control two parameters. Furthermore, the sequencer is built in a way that helps the composer implement rhythmic complexities and nuances in his compositions.

Therefore you get time signature controls, swing, humanize, and speed controls per sequencer. This means you can easily create polyrhythms inside Mallet Flux that add interest to your scores and keep the audience on their feet.

You can, of course, modify the pitch of the sounds with the sequencer, which will make it act as an arpeggiator or control the dynamics of the sound for a more humanized feel.

  • Flux Engine

The Flux Engine is an innovative module inside Mallet Flux. Its purpose is to create complex automation over long periods of time to create tension and suspense in your scores. Inside the Flux Engine, you can create pattern automation on each of the five sound sources.

These automations will take your compositions to the next level.

  • Mixing and performance

Mallet Flux is perfect for performing live or capturing your performance in the studio. The interface is designed to utilize the mod wheel as a performance tool by assigning it to morph sequences. This means that with a simple turn of your mod wheel, you can switch between multiple rhythmic articulations and patterns.

When it comes to mixing, Mallet Flux includes a page where you can adjust each sound source’s volume, panning, reverb, delay, and mic. There are also insert and return effects to help you sculpt your sound, like equalizers, compressors, and reverb modules.

Compatibility:

Mallet Flux is available on the free Kontakt Player 6.0.2 and the Kontakt player 6.0.2.

Summary:

Mallet Flux is an expertly designed instrument that celebrates mallet instruments. The built-in sequencer makes creating complex rhythmic patterns a piece of cake, and the sounds themselves sound fantastic. Finally, the multiple articulations available per sound source make composing and playing with Mallet Flux a huge joy.

Related Reading:

Top 10 Marimba VST Plugins For Musicians (Paid & FREE)

8. Wide Blue Sound ELYSIUM Deep Dive

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ELYSIUM is an organic motion synthesizer designed by Wide Blue Sound. It’s designed to provide composers with endless inspiration through a synth engine that adds movement and unpredictability to any sound.

ELYSIUM includes sounds sampled at the highest standards, with sounds ranging from pianos, guitars, and vintage synths to a string section recorded at a Church in New York.

The sounds are then sent in ELYSIUM’s proprietary synth engine that adds movement and makes them evolve in exciting musical ways.

Bigfishaudio Sequence Review - Top 9 Sequencer & Arpeggiator KONTAKT Libraries | Integraudio.com

Key Features:

  • Well organized sounds

Once you load ELYSIUM, you will see seven sound categories on its main page: arps, atmospheres, bass, combo splits, hybrid instruments, rhythm elements, and synths. The presets sound fantastic and have a wide range of sounds, from rhythmic pulses and ambient textures to hauntingly beautiful pads and lead sounds.

The main page includes two sound layers, one named perc and one named synth. The percussion layer has one sound browser with bass and morph knobs that help shape the sound’s tone. The synth layer has four sound browsers that can be blended together to create a single complex sound.

Each of the four synth layers has its own filter, pitch controls, and volume knobs to ensure maximum control and a perfect mix.

  • Sequencers

Below the two sound layers, you can find two identical sequencers. One of them controls the perc layer and one the synth layer.

You can choose the rhythm of the steps (1/4 notes, 1/8 notes, etc.) and the swing of the sequence. In addition, the sequencer can control the velocity of the layers, add accents, the pitch, and an action parameter for adding flavor to specific steps. The sequencers can be easily turned on or off with a handy switch.

  • Motion page

The motion page is where you can create gestural effects to add tension and release to your compositions. Finally, the global tide module allows you to modulate the volume of the layers over long periods of time to create effective swells. Below this module, there are six sequencers that help you automate over 130 different parameters across ELYSIUM.

The sequencers can turn the most basic patch into a complex, evolving, and evocative patch.

  • Effects page

The effects page lets you assign effects on the perc and synth layers individually or globally as master effects. Some of the effects you can assign individually are shaper, stompbox, amp, analog EQ, modulate, delay, and reverb. On the master effects page, you get a compressor and a tape limiter.

Overall, there are 31 effects to choose from, so the sound design possibilities are endless. You can also lock an fx chain you like so that it’s always there to recall while you keep experimenting with new chains.

Compatibility:

ELYSIUM is available on the free Kontakt Player 6.4.2 or higher and Kontakt player 6.4.2 or higher.

Summary:

ELYSIUM is a highly flexible synth instrument that rewards curiosity and experimentation. The sounds are beautiful and evocative from the get-go, and the way the main page is split makes ELYSIUM easy to understand.

Finally, the sequencers and global tide module steal the show by adding interest and evolution to your patches.

9. Bigfishaudio Sequence

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Sequence is a sequencer and drum machine designed by Big Fish Audio.

Sequence is a tool mostly catered toward Hip Hop, RnB, and Trap producers. The drum sounds it comes with will prove this claim, as they range from 808s and synthetic sounds to raw boom bap and layered sounds.

However, the sequencer is the main attraction of this instrument and has a lot of tricks up its sleeve that make it feel unique and powerful.

Bigfishaudio Sequence Review - Top 9 Sequencer & Arpeggiator KONTAKT Libraries | Integraudio.com

Key Features:

  • 12 tracks

Sequence comes with over 4000 samples which you can layer and sequence to create patterns and scenes. Each instance of Sequence comes with 12 tracks onto which you can load one sound.

You can easily swap and replace sounds thanks to a well-designed interface, and each sound can be trimmed and shaped with ease. The sounds are generally kicks, snares, claps, cymbals, percussion, or 808s. Finally, the ability to tune every sample is a huge plus.

  • Sequencer

As you may guess from its name, Sequence’s primary weapon is the sequencer. It’s capable of holding up to 64 steps per pattern and can hold 12 scenes. You can easily copy and paste scenes and patterns due to the fantastic interface, and setting up sequences requires very low effort.

In addition, you get speed, division, and swing controls to modify the feel of the pattern and create exciting grooves. A noteworthy feature that I found very powerful is the ability to modify pitch, velocity, pan, and length for each note on a pattern. This results in creating complex and dynamic patterns quickly and effortlessly.

  • Playing articulations

Sequence is excellent for live performances. The keyboard is automatically mapped to various commands that make playing with sequence fun and exciting. For example, some keys on your keyboard allow you to switch patterns or scenes so that you can perform a whole song with just one keyboard.

Additionally, other keys will trigger different rolls and drum effects to add interest and excitement to your beats.

  • Mixer

There is a mixer page inside Sequence to create the perfect balance between your sounds and adding effects. There are overall 14 effects, all available to each track separately. Some of the effect options are phaser, reverb, compressor, stereo, saturation, and flanger.

As you can imagine, these are more than enough to transform any sound into something new and exciting. There’s also a roll creator for achieving the popular Trap hi-hat roll patterns, and an 808 section lets you choose from 32 custom-made 808 sounds. In addition, you can adjust the bend, mono, poly, and glide modes for the 808s.

Compatibility:

Sequence is available on the free Kontakt Player 5 or higher and Kontakt player 5 or higher.

Summary:

Sequence is an excellent instrument and sequencer for Hip Hop and Trap music. I believe it can be used in most contemporary genres, since genre lines have recently been blurred. The sequencer is extremely powerful, and the ability to modify pitch, velocity, length, and pan per note is an important asset.

Finally, the sounds it comes with are versatile and can be used in a myriad of different ways thanks to Sequence’s sound sculpting capabilities.

Related Reading:

Top 13 Sequencer Plugins (Synth, MIDI & Step Sequencers)

2 Bonuses:

Impact Soundworks COSMOS

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COSMOS is a synthesizer designed by Impact Soundworks. It’s dedicated to creating sounds inspired by outer space.

COSMOS was inspired by Phrases and Ambiences, two Kontakt instruments that focused on ambient sounds inspired by sci-fi film music. COSMOS comes with a staggering library of over 8GB of synth recordings curated by film composer David St. Hill.

Bigfishaudio Sequence Review - Top 9 Sequencer & Arpeggiator KONTAKT Libraries | Integraudio.com

Key Features:

  • Beautiful sound library

The sounds inside COSMOS are the main focal point, and they steal the show. The range of sounds is incredible, and you can search through the countless recordings to find harshly bright arps, dreamy synths, one-note evolving patches, or rhythmic bass sequences.

The sounds feel different enough to inspire unique sequences but cohesive enough to ensure a common theme runs across the entire instrument.

  • Sequencers

Four sequencers are available inside COSMOS. Each can hold up to 32 steps and can modify pitch, volume, filter cutoff, and resonance. In addition, they have individual steps and rate controls, making creating wild and unpredictable patterns very easy.

  • Versatile playback system

COSMOS includes over 250 rhythmic phrases that are BPM-labeled and can be synced to the host DAW or run freely. What’s exciting is the ability to load multiple phrases at once and organize them across your keyboard.

This is useful while performing or playing live since you can trigger multiple phrases within one instance of COSMOS. You can also adjust each phrase’s volume and tone before loading it to your keyboard. In addition, each phrase is organized neatly in a tag browser, making searching and locating your ideal phrase easy.

Effects

COSMOS includes an effects rack for sculpting your sounds and shaping them to your ideal image. Some of the effects are a bitcrusher, scream distortion, compressor, analog-modeled parametric EQ, chorus, delay, and convolution reverb.

Compatibility:

COSMOS is available on the Kontakt Player 5.5 or higher.

Summary:

COSMOS is a fantastic instrument for sci-fi film composing and scoring. The sounds are carefully curated and recorded from the most evocative synths ever created. The sequencers complement the synth style perfectly and can easily create quirky and leftfield phrases.

In Session Audio Fluid Harmonics

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Fluid Harmonics is an instrument by In Session Audio designed to create rich melodic patterns.

You could say that we saved the best for last since, in my opinion, Fluid Harmonics has the broadest sound design possibilities of all the synths on this list. The library features sounds based on guitar harmonics, and the main compositional tools in the interface are the three arpeggiators.

Bigfishaudio Sequence Review - Top 9 Sequencer & Arpeggiator KONTAKT Libraries | Integraudio.com

Key Features:

  • Three sound sources

Fluid Harmonics has three different sound sources on its main page. The entire way the instrument is constructed complements the idea of layering and stacking simple sounds to create complex patterns.

Once you load a sound into one of the layers, you can apply pitch modulation and adjust the rate, phase, depth, and fade to create unique vibrato effects. Each layer also has a filter with an ADSR envelope and an amp envelope. They are almost fully fleshed oscillators.

  • Three arpeggiators

The main philosophy of Fluid Harmonics lies in the three arpeggiators. Each layer has its own arpeggiator that works independently. This means creating unique patterns for each layer and achieving complex ensembles with different rhythms.

The arpeggiators control the pitch of the layers but also pitch, filter cutoff, volume, and panning. In addition, they have swing, direction, gate, and scene knobs to add depth and complexity to your patterns.

  • Dreamy sound

The sound of Fluid Harmonics can be perfectly described in one word: dreamy. The sounds are all guitar-based, ranging from conventional guitar picking techniques to experimental playing styles that help capture interesting harmonics.

That said, the instrument is not only capable of sounding like a guitar. You can easily create pads and synth sounds by tweaking the guitar harmonics and affecting them in various ways.

  • Effects

Each sound layer inside Fluid Harmonics can be processed by the effects independently. The effects are versatile and include reverb, delay, distortion, compression, EQ, and rotator options. The effects can also be loaded on the master channel to affect the patch as a whole.

Finally, you have one send channel to which you can send all your sound layers to be processed by the same effect before reaching the master channel.

Compatibility:

Fluid Harmonics is available on the free Kontakt Player 5.6.8 or higher and the Kontakt Player 5.6.8 or higher.

Summary:

Fluid Harmonics is a very inspiring instrument. The sound complements cinematic music, lo-fi, chill step, ambient, and all genres of music that require dreamy sounds and evocative musical phrases.

The arpeggiators are the stars of the show and manage to create complex and evolving patterns with relative ease. If all of these sound appealing to you, then make sure to check out Fluid Harmonics.

Conclusion

Sequencers and arpeggiators are an excellent way to flesh out ideas and approach melody and rhythm from a different perspective. They can often help you achieve sounds and patterns you are not regularly accustomed to.

This list is meant to help you discover the best instruments by Native Instruments that include inspiring and versatile sequencers or arpeggiators. Use it as a source of inspiration for your musical journey, and choose the instruments that appeal to you the most.

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