Heavyocity has released “Mosaic Pads”, the latest addition to its popular Mosaic Series. Built around what the company finds inspiring about a specific musical element, this product features a large collection of carefully created and curated pad sounds. We were kindly provided with a review copy of Heavyocity Mosaic Pads for this review.
OVERVIEW
Pads are a staple element of cinematic composing. Almost every synth has dozens, if not hundreds of them. So what makes Mosaic Pads different? Heavyocity’s mission with this VST is to create synthesized atmospheres, emergent soundscapes and evolving ambiences that take you far away from the earthly realms of your studio.
Over 100 unique snapshots created from over 5GB of new content designed by the Heavyocity team delivers a dynamic collection of otherworldly, ambient and atmospheric textures. The real power of Mosaic Pads lies in the exciting combinations created when various sounds are layered across Mosaic Engine’s three channels. Mosaic Pads provides immediate inspiration to set the mood, especially if you’re writing sci-fi or horror music.
WHAT’S INSIDE
- 1,699 Samples
- 80 Unique Sources:
- 21 Ethereal
- 27 Dirty
- 10 Decaying
- 10 Sweeps
- 12 Noise Layers
- 101 Custom Presets
- Intuitive Sample Browser
- ARP for building complex, rhythmic arpeggios
- MACRO knob for dynamic multi-parameter control
TECH SPECS / REQUIREMENTS
- 6.96 GB uncompressed (5.1 GB on Disk with NI lossless compression)
- Powered by the Kontakt 6 Engine
- Kontakt 6.7.1 (Player) or later
- Komplete Kontrol integrated (NKS-ready)
- Available as direct download only
- Stand-alone, VST, AU, AAX
- Minimum System Requirements:
- Mac: macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11 or 12 (latest update)
- PC: Windows 10 or 11 (latest Service Pack), Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU, 2 GB RAM
- Graphics hardware support for OpenGL 2.1 or higher
- 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended for large KONTAKT Instruments)
All of the Mosaic instruments use the same controls, so if you have other Mosaic products you’ll recognize the interface. While there are six main pages within the instrument, several feature the Macro control knob, which is used for real-time modulation effects.
MOSAIC PADS INTERFACE
The 100+ snapshots are organized into three groups: Tonal has 60 presets (separated into Mellow and Gritty). These are ready to use sounds with a clear pitched center. Mellow is better for meditative, slow builds while Gritty is better for epic cinematic pads.
Atonal has a more textural approach. These are great for horror, glitchy, “someone’s sneaking up behind you” moments.
Chordal features stacked harmonies with a per channel pitch adjustment that allows you to create polyphonic textures. While these sound really cool, they might be hard to fit into a mix because they stand out quite a bit.
All snapshots are fully customizable within the Mosaic engine.
HOW DOES MOSAIC PADS SOUND?
The ability of the Mosaic Engine to provide per channel sequencing modulation is what really sets it apart. Per channel effects include a full ADSR envelope control, 3- Band EQ, fully programmable filters, three types of saturation and distortion, gate, delay and reverb effects. All effects can be modulated via the macro knob to create evolving variations using the mod wheel or by creating a sequence in the macro sequence tab.
There are 5 different sound categories in Mosaic Pads: Ethereal, Dirty, Decaying, Sweeps and Noises. Ethereal and Dirty feature sustained pads, which makes up the majority of the collection. The Ethereal sources provide a smooth, silky tone, which are ideal to create open ambiences with lots of space. The Dirty sources offer more harmonic complexity. These richer, more complex sounds offer a darker and ominous tone. The Decaying sources are one-shot sounds with a clear attack and naturally pronounced decay. Decaying sources complement the sustained sources nicely by providing a natural and dynamic conclusion to the sound. Sweeps are tempo synced sounds with a pronounced decay and build. This creates dynamic fluctuations in the soundscape, which is especially useful for sci-fi or space sounds. Rounding out the content are Noises, which are unpitched sustained sounds. These are great for adding texture, drama and some unpredictability.
Moving on to the other pages, the Options tab lets you modify parameters for each of the three channels, including keyboard layout and pitch bend response. The Arp page features a per channel arpeggiator that lets you create additional layers within presets. This can really give your sound a truly “out of this world” feel.
Last but not least, the Master Effects page allows you to control the final sound output, including 40 convolution reverbs to glue all your sounds together in a delicious ambient soup.
CONCLUSION
Mosaic Pads is a great tool to help you instantly set the emotional tone of a track. If you need eerie and obscure sci-fi soundscapes, this broad collection of tones and unearthly textures delivers.
Pros
- Great selection of sound sources and presets
- Good for general inspiration and starting points
- Quickly create textures and soaring pads
Cons
- Chordal snapshots might be hard to fit in a mix
- Very niche product – best for sci-fi and horror
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
Mosaic Pads is available for $119 through the Heavyocity online shop.
MOSAIC PADS DEMO WALKTHROUGH
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