If there’s one word I can use to describe Time Crystals, it’s alive.
Emergence Audio’s Time Crystals isn’t just another Kontakt library offering pretty pads and endless drones. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem of sound, built on a fascinating blend of ancient resonances and modern technology. If you’re in search of an instrument that can constantly surprise you, even after hours of use, Time Crystals may just be your next obsession.
At its core, Time Crystals transforms the timeless resonance of quartz singing bowls into a universe of sound that never sits still. Thanks to Emergence Audio’s signature “Non-Static Sampling™” and the evolution of their “Infinite Motion Engine™ 2.0”, every single note blooms, morphs, and drifts in a way that feels completely organic. No two strikes, no two drones, no two moments are ever exactly the same.
The Alchemy Behind the Sound
Rather than capturing a single “perfect” sample and looping it endlessly, this Kontakt library perfectly dives into what makes real instruments magical — their tiny imperfections, shifts in resonance, subtle decays, and unpredictable overtones.
Time Crystals starts with 27 deeply sampled quartz singing bowls, covering an impressive eight octaves. Each recording is handled with extreme detail, preserving the natural quirks and glistening highs that make these bowls so captivating.
But the real magic happens once these raw sounds are fed through the Infinite Motion Engine. Instead of static samples, you get organically evolving sounds — complete with built-in LFOs, motion controls, randomizers, envelopes, delays, and filters. The engine constantly weaves subtle variations into the playback, so even holding a single note feels like you’re listening to a small ecosystem breathing and changing in real time.
Emergence Audio Time Crystals – What You Actually Get
Time Crystals ships with over 160 thoughtfully designed presets, covering everything from warm, celestial pads to dark, evolving drones and shimmering pulses.
If you’re a tweaker, you’ll love the 100+ adjustable parameters under the hood. Motion depth, onset variation, delay/doubling, harmonic manipulation, randomized pitch sweeps — it’s all there and ready to be modulated or MIDI learned.
Despite the depth, the GUI is intuitive and inviting. You don’t need a PhD in modular synthesis to make meaningful changes. A few minutes of knob-twisting is often enough to transform a preset into something uniquely yours.
The sample quality is pristine: 24-bit, 48kHz recordings that feel rich and detailed even when heavily layered. Installation takes about 5.97 GB of disk space, and best of all, you don’t need a full version of Kontakt — the free Kontakt Player works just fine, making this library accessible without extra investment.
It’s also fully NKS-ready, so Native Instruments hardware users can dive in with seamless control.
Quick Specs Snapshot:
- Format: Kontakt 7.7+ (works with free Kontakt Player)
- Size: ~5.97 GB
- Content: 27 unique bowl sound sources, 160+ presets
- Engine: Infinite Motion Engine™ 2.0 + Non-Static Sampling™
- System Requirements: Windows 10/11, macOS 12–14 (Intel/ARM)
- Price: $149 (one-time purchase, lifetime updates)
Sound That Shapes Itself
What makes Time Crystals special isn’t just the sounds themselves — it’s the way they move.
Hold down a key, and you’ll hear tones subtly unfurling like ripples in water. A pulse might begin with crystalline clarity and slowly twist into a ghostly shimmer. Drones bloom and recede like breath, sometimes revealing unexpected harmonic artifacts or rhythmic tremors.
Because of their Non-Static Sampling approach, every performance is a little different. There’s no sterile repetition. You can truly play this instrument, not just trigger it.
It’s perfect for situations where you want the sound to feel alive without constantly fighting your DAW’s automation. Film scoring, ambient layers, trailer sound design, meditative soundtracks — this is where Time Crystals feels most at home.
Real-World Applications
Time Crystals feels tailor-made for composers who work in cinematic and ambient genres. If you need slow-building tension, mystical dream sequences, flashbacks, or otherworldly environments, you’ll be reaching for this library again and again.
In a scoring session, it could easily serve as the emotional undercurrent beneath dialogue. In a game soundtrack, it might become the ghostly atmosphere of an abandoned temple. In ambient music, it’s an endless well of inspiration for lush textures and slow-motion storytelling.
The library’s flexibility also means it can drift between moods easily. Some presets feel serene and healing — perfect for meditation apps or therapeutic music. Others hint at darkness, growing into unsettling or even ominous tones suited for psychological thrillers or sci-fi.
How It Stacks Up
There’s no shortage of atmospheric libraries out there. But Time Crystals carves its own niche with a few key differences:
- Organic Source Material: Built from real quartz singing bowls, not synthesized samples.
- Constant Evolution: Thanks to Non-Static Sampling™, no two performances are ever identical.
- Hands-On Control: Deep but intuitive — customizable without being overwhelming.
Compared to similar libraries in the $150–$200 range, Time Crystals feels like an extremely good value.
The Final Word
Time Crystals genuinely stands apart. It captures that elusive feeling of unpredictability and organic life that so many cinematic and ambient composers crave but rarely find.
It’s not just the gorgeous sound of quartz bowls. It’s the way those bowls unfold, breathe, and mutate — thanks to Emergence Audio’s careful craftsmanship and innovative engine design.
Whether you’re scoring films, crafting soundscapes, or just looking to lose yourself in rich, endlessly evolving textures, Time Crystals is a beautiful addition to any composer’s arsenal. And at $149, it punches far above its weight.
If you’re ready for sound that doesn’t just play — but lives, grows, and transforms right alongside your ideas — Time Crystals might just be your new favorite creative companion.
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