Review: Hybrid Fluids 2 The Last Haven

Summary Headline.

Support Sample Library Review at Patreon

Jump to the Demos of Hybrid Fluids 2

Jump to the Videos of Hybrid Fluids 2

Review: Hybrid Fluids 2 The Last Haven

The Last Haven follows up their underground hit “Hybrid Fluids Vol 1” with a Hybrid Fluids Volume 2. The library downloads as 1.4GB and is housed in the Last Haven’s Flow Engine. A huge plus out the gate is that the library is delivered as a Kontakt instrument (Full version of Kontakt 5.5+ required) as well as in open WAV format with 48k/24bit audio files.

Hybrid Fluids 2 sells for $89 from The Last Haven

Thoughts

After the success of “Hybrid Fluids 1”,The Last Haven’s follows up the underground with Hybrid Fluids 2.  Hybrid Fluids 2 is divided up into several folders of nki’s including Ambiences, Boomers, Downers, Echo Hits, Markers, Risers, and Whooshes. The library also contains several instruments dedicated to Textures and Playable Instruments.

The majority of the sample playback instrument have dedicated blue keys to trigger sample playback with red keys that change the pitch of the sample playback. This is really useful to make sure your drones and textures playback in the key you are working in, but I also found that fiddling around with the red keys and changing the root in real time created a very cool experimental sci-fi-esque sound.

The front of the Hybrid Fluids 2 interface has basic functions for adjust sample playback with Attack, Release, Speed and Offset while digging further into the Effects Panel reveals a unique yet intuitive approach to adding effects.  I found the Effects control design lent itself to experimentation and seemed to really expand the sounds and create otherworldly extensions of the sample set.

Highlights for me for Hybrid Fluids 2 include what seem like some of the longest Riser samples I have heard in an instrument. Also of note is the Boomer presets as I can’t seem to get enough Boomer sounds for the trailer tracks I am currently working on.

Including all the samples as open format WAV files is a huge plus for the instrument.

Another stand out of the instrument was how inspiring it was to play the “Playable Instruments”  nkis. The Synth based instruments are simple but seem to have some real magic to them. As you may have read from some of my other reviews the inspiration factor alone is important to me and with Hybrid Fluids V2 I would say that alone is worth the cost of the library.

To be critical of the instrument, I have to say I feel like the super simple interface design is lacking. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need an animated valcanoe going off in the center of the interface in order to feel I am getting my moneys worth. I guess I just felt like the interface didn’t have a lot of thought put into it and doesn’t do the sound design contained within justice.

I think this will be a welcome addition to many kinds of music makers tool kits. In particular, those working on trailer tracks, hard EDM or action scores. The 300-plus samples contained in the library have been used to their fullest potential for the instruments. If you listen back to the preset playthrough or demos (below) you will quickly get a sense of if this library is right for your particular needs.

Hybrid Fluids 2 sells for $89 from The Last Haven

Demos of Hybrid Fluids 2

Videos of Hybrid Fluids 2