LONDON, UK: Spitfire Audio is proud to announce availability of FINK – SIGNATURES as an acoustic guitar toolkit with a signature sound that is full of character — created in close collaboration with London- and Berlin-based British DJ, singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist Fink performing on three distinctive acoustic guitars, beautifully captured in microscopic detail at Berlin’s high-end JRS (Jazzanova Recording Studio) with the best vintage cutting-edge equipment to offer a range of classic and signature playing styles spanning delicate to punchy (including pulled, plucked, muted, and thumbed one- shots, pristine harmonics, and more, complimented by a range of guitar-based percussive tempo-synced loops and hits, soothing vocals, and contemplative pads), carefully curated to inspire both composers and songwriters, guitarists and non- guitarists alike, as an instantly playable collection that lends itself to a range of compositions from intimate indie scores to acoustic pop tracks and beyond, helpfully housed in the British sound-specialising music technology company’s easy-to-use AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible, NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD®)-ready plug-in that loads with fluid playability into all major DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) without the need for any additional software — as of April 21…
As implied by name, FINK – SIGNATURES features a range of core and extended techniques from the heart and mind of renowned guitarist, producer, songwriter, and artist Fink — Fin Greenall, who initially made a name for himself as a DJ and producer signed to the seminal house, hardcore, and techno label Kickin’ Records in London’s Ladbroke Grove, subsequently signing with well-known London independent Ninja Tune, before developing his signature guitar-based folk- and blues- inspired sound as an in-demand collaborator for various established artists, penning several critically-acclaimed studio albums leading to numerous film and advertisement placements, extensive world tours, and, currently, his first foray into media scoring with production work on a major gaming soundtrack — captured on three of his favourite ‘signature’ guitars, each with their own distinctive tone. Think of it this way: three different guitar protagonists feature in FINK – SIGNATURES, each with their own story — namely, BRADY, a 2004 Mal Brady Bouchier nylon acoustic with a rich, mellow sound; FESTY, a 2010 Martin D28 steel-string acoustic with a pop sound, singled out as Fink’s workhorse festival and touring guitar; and ORWELL, a gentle 1984 Martin D35 steel-string acoustic, featuring most prominently on his recent records. “Each guitar’s imperfections are what makes them so special,” says the Cornwall-originating musician himself, continuing: “Its wrinkles are battle scars, its tracks are trophies, and its rattles are its dialogue with the past.”
Putting Fink’s personal perception into its rightful context within FINK – SIGNATURES, Spitfire Audio in-house composer Lucie Treacher begins by talking about ORWELL: “It’s got this really warm, full-bodied sound — named after Orwell as a guitarist from 1984; it’s a Martin D35, and was used a lot on Fink’s album Perfect Darkness. There are arpeggiated patterns which are recorded in DADGAD, so they’ve got this lovely dreamy quality, and each octave is, essentially, a different tonality. What I absolutely love about this library is the STRING SQUEAK FX — as always, if you click on the knob, we can access our parameters, so between chords you get that lovely slide-y, squeaky string sound that you would get on a guitar, which makes this sound super realistic. With the dynamic fader up, we fade from a close mic’d signal into a re-amped signal using Fink’s signature vintage amp, creating a kind of moody, electric feel. We could use these arpeggiated loops in a more unconventional way by stacking up the loops to create unusual chords. What’s really cool about this library is that for each note we’ve got three velocities and three round robins, so it’s pretty detailed sampling. Another feature of this library which is quite different is that we can change the start point time; by selecting START POINT, I can select where I want the sample to start playing back from — at around 50 percent you can already hear how the start of the [Orwell Plucked Harmonics preset] attack is cut and the tone completely changes; it becomes almost like an electric piano. Add a bit of DELAY and crank up the REVERB — those parameters all give you DIY opportunities.”
ORWELL has no fewer than 14 presets featuring a range of techniques with varying tones to its notable name, while FESTY provides 13. “Fink’s festival workhorse guitar is brighter with a poppier sound,” says Lucie Treacher, before picking up on a particular preset favourite: “Festy Strummed 2 has got a kind of 3/4 feel and these gorgeous hints of suspended chords. Each guitar has been sampled roughly the same way, so you’ve got very similar patches. We’ve also got these two-finger chords, which, if played at a slightly lower velocity, are more spread.”
BRADY brings another 11 presets into play. “This is Fink’s original signature nylon guitar, lent to him by guitar-maker Mal Brady just to tie him over, but it’s still with him 20 years later,” Lucie Treacher reveals. “Having been to radio stations all over the world, studios, and at the mercy of various baggage handlers, it’s still with us, and it’s got a lovely rich sound. Obviously being a nylon guitar, all our one-shot articulations are lovely and mellow. We’ve also got our …Pulled Chords, and these can be just used individually, so they’re without the rhythm of the loops.”
And as if that was not enough to be getting on with, FINK – SIGNATURES also comes complete with seven PERCUSSION presets made up of tempo-synced, percussive loops played on BRADY, FESTY, and ORWELL, plus percussive hits on different guitar cases, as well as foot-stomps. “Sort of squeaks and creaks using the palm of the hand on the body of the guitar and strumming above the nut that are a really fun feature of the library,” Lucie Treacher notes. Needless to say, Spitfire Audio also sampled Fink’s “…fire-crackly voice…” to create six VOICES presets that can be used as pads, as well as including three dedicated PADS presets, comprising Electric Piano Pad, Harmonic Pad, and Sustained Strings Pad, the latter of which was created using a magnetic string resonator, and all of which wonderfully complement FINK – SIGNATURES’ core guitars.
It is surely fair to say, then, that Spitfire Audio’s FINK – SIGNATURES succeeds in its musical mission of distilling instantly playable guitar performances borne out of years of dedicated practice — from a seasoned professional with a distinctive style — to lend itself to a range of compositions from intimate indie scores to acoustic pop tracks and beyond. Better still, nine easily navigable — namely, expression, dynamics, REVERB, ATTACK, RELEASE, START POINT, CHORUS, STRING SQUEAK FX, and DELAY — controls central to this library’s implementation of the British sound-specialising music technology company’s easy-to-use AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible, NKS-ready plug-in provide much in the way of those delightful “…DIY opportunities…” to personalise its sound as a definitive acoustic guitar toolkit with a human touch, full of character and sonic depth that more than live up to Lucie Treacher’s sincere summary: “It’s a really gorgeous set of tools, made with a lot of love and care.”
FINK – SIGNATURES is available as an AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible, NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD®)-ready plug-in that loads directly into a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for an RRP (Recommended Retail Price) of £49.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$49.00 USD/€49.00 EUR (inc. VAT) — from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/fink-signatures/
Spitfire Audio’s namesake Spitfire Audio application allows anyone to buy now and download anytime, and is available for free from here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/info/library-manager/
For more in-depth information, including some superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated FINK – SIGNATURES webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/fink-signatures/
Watch Spitfire Audio’s premiere of FINK – SIGNATURES — including in-house composer Lucie Treacher’s telling walkthrough video — here: https://youtu.be/95ZZGf48SIA
