Aevium by Soundiron is a Kontakt instrument crafting fierce leads and atmospheric pads from the BOOM Library Birds Of Prey recordings. It features a four-layer engine, deep modulation, and extensive effects for sound design.
Sound Source and Design
Aevium originates from the BOOM Library Birds Of Prey sound effects collection, capturing owls, eagles, crows, hawks, and other raptors. Soundiron sound designers extensively manipulated these avian recordings, employing stretching, modulation, glitching, overdrive, and re-synthesis techniques. This process transforms raw bird calls into a diverse sample library of synthesized textures, leads, and pads.
The result is 11.2 GB of content with over 1,800 samples, offering an unconventional acoustic foundation for musical creation. This library challenges traditional synth design by using natural wildlife sounds as a creative springboard, producing otherworldly textures and atmospheric tones that are unique and imaginative.
Four-Layer Engine and Modulation
The interface is built around four independent sound layers, each with its own sound-shaping controls. You can adjust Attack, Release, Offset, Pitch, and Pan per layer. A central XY Pad serves as a mixer, defaulting to volume control between layers, and can be customized to affect various parameters. Each quadrant features a filter with 39 types.
Modulation is comprehensive, with each layer offering LFO, ADSR, and Velocity sources. These can target Volume, Pitch, Pan, Filter Frequency, and Filter Resonance. The XY Pad can be tempo-synced for rhythmic motion, and its range can be limited to create new patterns. A Randomize button generates infinite combinations of sounds and parameters.
Arpeggiator, Glide, and Effects
The integrated ARP arpeggiator provides dynamic pattern creation with controls for rhythm, direction, swing, and randomization. A Glide feature enables monophonic legato or portamento playing, with adjustable pitch bend speed. Macro knobs offer quick control over Volume LFO depth and speed when enabled.
The FX rack panel includes 18 DSP effect modules assignable across 10 slots in any order. Effects range from phaser, flanger, delay, and distortion to amp simulators, compressors, EQ, and rotator. Convolution reverb is featured, with over 100 custom impulse responses including rooms, halls, and outdoor spaces, plus 40 special FX impulses.
Workflow and Practical Use
Aevium is delivered as an open-format Kontakt library for the full version of Kontakt 5.8 or later. The free Kontakt Player only supports limited demo mode, and the Libraries tab is not supported; you must load it via the File Browser or Quickload. Sample directories are unlocked for use in other WAV-compatible software.
Practical applications include creating atmospheric soundscapes for film and video games, designing creature voices, and producing electronic music with unique leads and pads. The preset browser is organized into searchable categories, and you can save or share custom patches. The FX rack factory presets provide starting points for quick sound shaping.
Key features
- Four-layer morphing engine with XY Pad mixer and randomize
- Over 400 factory presets in 20 categories
- 1,810 stereo 24-bit 48kHz WAV samples
- 39 filter types per layer with LFO, ADSR, and Velocity modulation
- ARPegegiator with rhythm, direction, swing, and randomization
- 18 DSP effect modules in 10 slots, including convolution reverb
- Custom preset import/export and intelligent random preset generator
Best for
Aevium is ideal for sound designers and electronic musicians seeking unconventional textures, atmospheric pads, and fierce leads. It excels in film, game, and TV sound design, offering organic yet synthetic sounds that are perfect for wildlife or creature themes, while its deep modulation suits complex soundscape creation.