Arrival from developer Deigneor is a free MicroFreak-inspired cinematic library for Kontakt (full version).

There are many positives to highlight right off the bat with this release; it’s free, and you can download it via Pianobook, where you’ll find around 1600 free libraries.

If you aren’t familiar with Pianobook, it’s a platform that launched around 2018 as a place where creative folks can exchange sounds and ideas.

Christian Henson, the Spitfire Audio co-founder, now of The Crow Hill Company, founded Pianobook.

Arrival requires a full (paid) version of Native Instruments Kontakt.

Deigneor’s Arrival brings us some of the magic of Arturia’s MicroFreak.

If the term weird and wonderful ever was a fitting description, it’s now. The MicroFreak looks a bit weird; it feels very weird, and it sounds wonderful!

Rather than a typical synth keyboard, the MicroFreak has a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), which is completely flat.

I’ve always had a little trouble playing fast without raised keys, but if you can, the MicroFreak’s pressure-sensitive PCB is incredibly responsive (it has poly aftertouch, too).

More importantly, this tiny, odd-looking synth generates massive cinematic textures and soundscapes, and that is what we get from Arrival. Arrival offers eight instrument presets:

• Bontries
• Frothbare
• Invisible
• Morse
• Noosphere
• Novium
• Spaswing
• Unstable

The presets have all the qualities that you’d expect from cinematic sounds; they are immersive, textured, and evolving.

However, the real fun comes from the Arrival Designer, where you can combine two sound layers and tweak various parameters to craft unique sounds.

The interface displays sample playback in real-time, and ADSR controls for envelope shaping beneath each sample.

Arrival also features built-in FX and EQ.

The thing that I love most about Arrival, the MicroFreak, and anything that creates a soundtrack for a dystopian future is that they are unsettling.

As beautiful as the sounds are, they always have an edge; there’s always something uneasy about them, and Arrival really nails that sentiment.

If dystopia is your thing, you might want to check out Audiomodern’s Spectra for Soundbox, too.

Arrival is ideal for any sort of ambient electronic music, but more specifically, it’s perfect for film and game soundtracks.  Go watch Bladerunner, then download Arrival, but make sure it’s the original Bladerunner, not that dreadful 2049 edition!

Update: Apologies to everyone who read my original text, in which I stated that Arrival runs in the free Kontakt Player. I have the full version of Kontakt, and I incorrectly got it into my head that Pianobook freebies were always compatible with Kontakt Player. Maybe still slightly in holiday mode after Superbooth, but I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused. Thank you!

Download: Arrival (FREE – Kontakt required)

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Last Updated on May 16, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.