Emptyvessel—who has previously crafted sounds for heavyweights like Arturia (including presets for instruments like Augmented YANGTZE)—has a knack for capturing the beauty of broken things. While the industry chases pristine virtual analog emulations and sterile orchestral libraries, the New Zealand-based sound designer focuses on rust, tape hiss, and imperfection. His latest pack, mora, leans heavily into that liminal space between analog unpredictability and digital degradation.
The raw material comprises around 470MB of long, evolving samples. Emptyvessel sourced these from a Tangible Waves modular rig and a Novation Summit, but the signal chain is where things get interesting. The sounds were processed through an Elektron Octatrack, various tape dictaphones, and the Elektron Tonverk. That hardware pedigree gives the audio an inherently dusty, cinematic quality before it even hits the software engine.
And the software engine in question is TAL Sampler. This is where the workflow friction kicks in. The pack includes 55 presets specifically designed to exploit TAL Sampler’s modulation matrix and vintage DAC models. Every patch maps velocity, the mod wheel, and macro knobs (P1 and P2) to control layer balance, timbre, and bitcrushing. If you use TAL Sampler (specifically v4.9.4 or higher), it’s a brilliant playground.
More Formats Coming Soon
The problem is format dependency. If you live in Kontakt, Ableton, or Bitwig, you only get the raw WAV files. Dropping those into your DAW bypasses the intricate macro routing and careful modulation that makes these patches playable instruments rather than static drones. Emptyvessel mentioned that ports for Ableton, Bitwig, and UVI Falcon might happen in the future. Until then, non-TAL users are essentially buying a DIY sample folder.
For producers who want melancholic basses, faded pads, and immersive drones without the bloat of a 50GB library, mora offers a highly curated palette. It’s an exercise in character over cleanliness, built entirely without AI generation—just deliberate, human sound design.
Pricing and Availability
mora is available now via the Emptyvessel store. The download includes the 55 TAL Sampler presets, raw WAV files, and four custom UI themes for the plugin.
