[UPDATE: The Skanksta has now been replaced by a far superior freeware alternative. The current update on this theme is the vastly superior Undercult. Hit this link for the Vox Continental II inspired Undercult. It will kick proverbial posterior in your VST-hosted ska, mod and soul recordings.]
The Skanksta is a ska-orientated VST organ, designed to produce a light and bright sound which will fit in well with quite a number of quirky and/or rhythmic music styles. It’s essentially a Vox Continental II with animation provided by a rotary speaker rather than a vibrato unit, and selectable key-splitting to simulate two manuals across a single MIDI keyboard. The key-splitting is particularly important for reggae-derived styles, where the left hand part will typically contrast sharply in tone with the right hand.
The drawbar system for this organ is explained in my original VSTV1 post.
To the left of the upper manual are two switches. The left hand switch is labelled Rotor, and switches the rotary speaker effect on or off. The right hand switch is labelled Speed. This allows you to alternate between slow and fast rates of spin. The simulation mimics a speaker-plus-horns setup, with both rotation components speeding up and slowing down at their own rates. The key-splitting is set by clicking the blue note name at the top right of the graphic display. This will open a menu of notes from C1 to B5. Simply click on the desired note and the key-split will be set at that point. To use the upper manual only, spread across the whole keyboard range, set the key-split not to C1. To use the lower manual only, spread across the whole keyboard range, select the key-split note B5.
DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION
The FreeST Skanksta is supplied as a VST plug-in only, and is downloaded as a simple, ready-to-use .dll file. After downloading the .dll file, place it in your VST host’s VstPlugins folder. Most VST hosts will then detect the instrument automatically. If you normally have to add your VSTis manually, please use the same process to add these.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Before downloading this VST organ, please be aware that it is freeware, created by a hobbyist and not a professional organisation. Every effort has been made to ensure that it works effectively and fulfils its role well. However, it is in no respect guaranteed bug or problem free, and is downloaded and/or used at your own risk. In opting to download or use the FreeST Skanksta you absolve its creator of any responsibilty for any problems you may encounter as a result.
[UPDATE: The Skanksta has now been replaced by a far superior freeware alternative. The current update on this theme is the vastly superior Undercult. Hit this link for the Vox Continental II inspired Undercult. It will kick proverbial posterior in your VST-hosted ska, mod and soul recordings.]
