Kithara: Cinematic Guitar Instrument for Kontakt by Native Instruments

Kithara's four-layer engine gives access to more than 350 sound sources. The Attack layer handles crisp plucks and short articulations such as marcato. The Sustain layers add depth with textural loops, strummed beds, e-bow drones and pads. The Release layer comes into play as sustained sounds fade, adding natural decay or sound design elements.

Each layer can be customized on its own, so you can mix and match articulations and fine-tune the result. Up to four instruments can be shaped and layered together, which suits building wide, immersive beds.

The Fragments engine adds granular, fluttering detail that drifts through the sustain and release layers. You control velocity, pitch and density of these fragments to shape how they move through a texture.

The library includes more than 300 presets that can be filtered by bowed, plucked, textural and rhythmic qualities, as well as by mood and instrument type. Character FX give each layer a distinct color: Degrade adds vintage, tape-like warmth, Shatter sharpens and distorts textures, and Diffuse creates a dreamlike blur.

A flexible modulation system can adjust volume, panning, tuning and effects over time. The options page provides velocity controls, aftertouch assignments and a Tightness knob for timing and responsiveness. Kithara also integrates with Kontrol keyboards and NKS, with polyphonic aftertouch available for panning, tuning, stereo spread, reverb send and filters.