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Review: Wave Alchemy Drum Tools 01: Minimal and Tech House

May 29

Wave Alchemy is a relatively young company based on Nottingham; they've been around since 2008 and in that time have established themselves as providers of top quality samples for bedroom producers and industry professionals alike. This is the first in their Drum Tools series, Minimal Techno and Tech House.

Rather than sampling records or using the same soft synths that everyone rinses, the guys at Wave Alchemy build their sounds from the ground up using high end hardware. The list of equipment used should be enough to get any self-respecting production geek drooling: Jomox XBase 999, Elektron Machinedrum, ARP Odyssey, Thermionic Culture Vulture, SSL EQs and Compressors, API 512c Preamps, and (lots) more. Of course, all this kit is useless if the people pushing the buttons don't grasp the finer points of how to use it, but a few hours spent playing with the sounds should be enough to demonstrate that they most certainly do.

Initial impressions are that the collection positively drips with class and inspires creativity; when I was flipping through the previews in Live I often had to stop myself from loading sounds into a sampler and laying down some patterns. The sounds don't fall into the common trap of being overcooked with freaky fx to make them interesting, instead the focus is on subtle character and rich tone. They have that indefinable quality (fatness, warmth, whatever) that comes from a good source processed well and recorded with a high end preamp - the difference in quality is noticeable when compared to similar collections.

The pack is organised logically with folders for kicks, claps, snares and so forth, as well as prepared sampler instruments in all commonly used formats and 13 drum kits. I like how the samples are subdivided into descriptively named folders (eg. punchy or solid or minimal), as it can really help to improve workflow. One thing that I also like and you don't see much elsewhere is the inclusion of a folder of 'Drum Tools' - a collection of transient clicks and sub notes that are specially designed for layering up. Also provided is a folder of bonus sounds; in this case some very useable stabs & chords, and some less interesting 303 squelches. When I assess a sample pack of this type, I tend to look at the kick drums first, and I can honestly say that this is one of the best sets have in my sample folder. The sound quality and character on offer are stunning - each one is flawlessly engineered with the perfect bass weight to them, and will provide a rock solid foundation to your track with very little additional processing required.

Overall, this is probably one of the best sample collections I have come across in recent months; although billed as a minimal and tech house set, you will easily be able to use the samples in any sort of electronic music such is their quality. It's also ludicrously cheap at a mere 35 quid for the download, so if your drum sample library needs an injection of real class you need look no further. Highly recommended.

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Sample bonanza: Reviews & special offers

December 9

Kaboom. Two sample CD's to review today, and I bring news of some kool stuff too. Prime Loops have just announced a big winter sale, where everything is 25% off until the end of the month. Check out their website for more info. Loopmasters, on the other hand, have just announced that for December, you get double 'virtual cash' (a bit like Tesco clubcard points) on anything you buy over the next two weekends - which you can then redeem for discounts or even free sample packs. Check them out here.

On to the reviews, and the first one is Prime Loops 'Temple Of Breaks' pack. It's a straight up drums pack, full of loops from 170 - 182 BPM, and aimed away from the standard DnB template, looking more towards the drumfunk and techstep crews; there is also a good selection of sparse, halfstep beats in there, acknowledging the current dubstep-inspired trends from the likes of D:Bridge. Everything sounds tight and well produced, and there is a good variety of sounds; beats based around rimshots and bongos as well as the usual chopped kick and snare malarkey. Speaking as a minor drumfunk nerd, if I had a complaint it would be that there aren't an awful lot of crisp, acoustic sounding drums; there's more of a tougher, distorted emphasis here. If you're looking to rival the next DJ Hazard wobbler, you won't find too much of interest, but anyone looking a bit beyond that should find more than enough styles to get some inspiration. The sale I mentioned above also brings the price of the pack down to less than a tenner, which makes it definitely well worth a look.

http://www.primeloops.com/loops-samples/product/the-temple-of-breaks~98/

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The second pack for review is Loopmasters 'Push Button Bang: Rise' pack. This is quite an interesting one, as instead of focusing on a particular style of music, it focuses on a particular element comment to most styles - the 'woosh' noise. Don't laugh, I mean it - FX noises that people use in build-ups, breakdowns, sparser parts of tunes, or just to add some atmosphere here and there. This pack has 540 such noises, and they basically cover the whole angle - FX noises that go from low to high, high to low, left to right and vice versa, noises that fade in, noises that fade out and ones that do neither so that you can just loop them seamlessly. It even includes white noise and pink noise, just for completion's sake. I've got to say, I'm rather impressed; instead of trying to offer a bit of everything, it just keeps to one element and does it very, very, well. If you're looking for transitional type effects noises; look no further.

http://www.loopmasters.com/product/details/401/Rise

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i.d.

Filed under // Production Reviews Sample Pack

Posted by bassmusic

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Production - Global Underground Sample CD Review

October 9

Loopmasters have recently announced the launch of a new line of sample packs - the Global Underground line. The idea is that the sample packs are all collated by DJs and producers who have released a coveted GU album. It's a nice little tie-in/marketing approach, methinks - I'll be interested to see how it pans out, but it could perhaps end up helping both brands.

But that's not really the point of this article, which is a review of the first two in the series - one from Jim Rivers, and one from Anil Chawla & Dale Anderson. As you may or may not expect, these packs are therefore centred around deep, techy house, with nods to progressive, minimal and techno. Both include one-shots, percussion loops, FX, synth loops, basslines and all the usual extras like sampler programs and so on.

I'll start off with the Anil Chawla & Dale Anderson pack: 200MB of all the abovementioned, with lots of variations in each. The tendency is towards a tough, darker, progressivey kind of sound I'd say, and it's put together a bit like a 'construction set'; there are lots of variations on similar loops, which implies that the intention is for people to drop them straight into Ableton to switch things up in a live kind of setting. The downside to this, is that although there are (for instance) 45 complete drum loops, this is essentially 9 drumloops, with 5 variations on each. So while there is a decent amount of content, and it does all sound good, it doesn't cover an awful lot of stylistic ground.

Similar can be said for the synth loops - there are 18 basic loops, at tempos from 124-128BPM, all at three different pitches each for the sampler crew. They're well produced and sound 'right' - you could certainly drop them straight into a track - although some of them seem a touch polite on occasion.

The one shots and multi-samples are all solid, if not the most thrilling, but the pack is lifted by a good selection of effects and some random percussive noises - maybe this is an odd thing to be bigging up, but they're reverbed and effected well, and would add some pretty interesting atmospheres to a track. Overall, it's a decent pack, and at 19 great British pounds is worth checking out, especially if you're after something along the lines of a construction kit.

The superior pack though, to these ears, is the Jim Rivers one. The tempos are a touch more varied - in this case from 120BPM to about 128, and there's a lot more stylistic variation - from disco type drum loops, to techno, to stuff that even sounds rather like good old nu-skool breaks, and there are some really cool percussive loops in there too. The bass and synth loops don't have variations at different keys, but cover a lot of sounds and styles, and there are some quite interesting and creative rhythms dotted about aswell. The overall emphasis is towards warm, technoey synth sounds, and they all sound authentic, although again, a bit more grit on a couple of them wouldn't have hurt. The one shots are also pretty tight, in particular the 'snares' - most of which don't sound anything like a recognisable snare, but are all interesting noises that will pep up your drum loops. Criticisms? Well, the kick drums sound a bit uninspired, and as ever a bit more of everything would have been appreciated, but overall I'd definitely recommend this pack for those looking for a decent, introductory kind of pack for deep, techy sounds.

Don't forget to check out the Jim Rivers interview at the Loopmasters webbie, too.

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i.d.

Filed under // Production Reviews Sample Pack

Posted by bassmusic

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Review - Peace Love Productions Sample Packs

September 18

Two sample packs for review here, from US-based company Peace Love Productions. Like every other sample company, they're giving away loads of free samples on their website - go and check it out. I swear that if you just trawled round enough sample CD companies, you could fill your boots with free samples. A bit like if you trawled round enough blogs, you'd never need to buy any more music. Hmm.

The first is Afro-Cuban Rhythms. This really does do exactly what it says on the tin - it's strictly percussive, and based firmly around 80 - 120BPM Latin American sounds (although there is a disco section in there too). Each style of beat comes with several variations of conga, kit, timbale, guiro loops and so on, with a few fully mixed beat loops, and a directory of one-shot hits too. Spread over about 300 loops, this collection was played by some professional Latin percussionists, and recorded (from what I can tell) on some fairly nice gear - the kits in particular sound great. I'm a bit of a sucker for a good snare sound, and there are plenty in here. If I had a complaint - well, I do have a complaint, and then another one after that - it would be that a lot of the loops are really only slightly different; two conga loops with different accenting for instance. That's not to say that they're all the same of course, there's still a good amount of variety. The other complaint would be that the core palette of sounds seems to be fairly small - we're talking about different styles played on the same instruments, if you see what I mean. I'd have really liked to have heard some more different sounding kits in here.

All that said though, the kits and sounds are really nice. Even if you're not really into Afro Cuban rhythms, there are some crisp acoustic kits here that are worth your attention anyway. It's a fairly niche product, but then the price is about 18 quid by my reckoning (30 dollars) which makes it worth checking out.

The second one is Jazzy House Loops. This pack is, funnily enough, based around the jazzy, funky, lighter house end of things, and comes with over 460 loops, as well as some drum oneshots. The drum loops come in various flavours - there are full beats, grooves with no kick, conga and percussion loops, all at about 120BPM. I'd say that again, the conga and percussion loops sound really good, and the kicks are solid enough, everything swings nicely. Some of the loops, though, sound as though they would be more at home on a tech-house pack - there's a lot of slightly techy sounding, highpassed stuff in there. Nothing wrong with that per se, but in a jazzy house pack I'd have expected a few more Derrick Carter-esque chunky shaker loops and so on. Moving on, there are the usual collections of bass sounds, FX, a few pad sounds - these are all good, although they didn't really grab the attention - but the highlight of the collection is, if you ask me, the keys sections. They've been played by pianist John Hobart and are really spot on - stylistically, they'll fit right into any deep house or Hed Kandi-ish funky stuff, well played, sound good, from organs to pianos and Rhodeses (er, can you pluralise Rhodes?) and there's loads of them - 166 cut-up little licks and riffs, and then another 20 or so long solos. I'd say this pack works a bit better than the one above - it provides a full overview of the sound, and although not perfect, I think the wealth of keys loops more than makes up for the faults. It's the same price too. Recommended.

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i.d.

Filed under // Production Reviews Sample Pack

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FatLoud Hip Hop Construction King and FLOW Sample CD Reviews

September 7

(download)

Hip Hop Construction King and FLOW are the first two sample CDs in the FatLoud Construction King Series, and as the name might suggest they are aimed squarely at producers who want to be the next Dre, Kanye or Timbaland.

The first of the two, Hip Hop Construction King, is a collection of loops between 80 and 100 BPM. The loops are separated into eight toolkits, and are broken down into individual drum parts, synth leads, pads, chords, percussion and so on – basically all the elements that you would need to make a mainstream radio friendly hip hop track. Listening through to them, my first impression is that the synth parts are somewhat uninspiring, being mainly composed of what sound like fairly standard soft synths playing simple lines. Of course, they may well come alive when processed with some interesting FX, but I can’t really see myself reaching for them when I need a synth line in a track I am working on. Much better, to my ears, are the drum sounds and percussion, which are pleasingly punchy and crisp – the hats in particular will cut through a mix nicely. However, and this is something that I cannot quite grasp, a lot of them come with fairly heavy reverb already on them, which makes no sense as surely any producer will want to add their own reverb in order to make the sounds sit better in the track…? I reckon this is because this CD might be aimed at those who are relatively new to production, and stand to gain more by mixing and matching loops from the different construction kits than getting bogged down in the finer points of sound design.

The second of the two, FLOW, is composed of over 400 loops and 200 individual drum hits, separated into toolkits. Much the same as the first CD, I wasn’t really feeling the loops provided, as although well produced they didn’t offer much in the way of sonic or rhythmic innovation to tickle your ear or add that extra something to take your track to the next level. The individual drum hits are again however, very usable – I tend to judge sample CDs of this nature by the kicks and snares they offer, and there are some very nice thudding kick drums and snapping snares that I can see myself reaching for. I was disappointed that there wasn’t a more varied selection of percussion, but the hats all sizzled.

Overall I’d say that these samples are well produced, but play it a little bit too safe in terms of sonic innovation to really stand out from the crowd. It could be argued that mainstream hip hop beats are quite standard in terms of sound design, so I suppose that in that respect the samples do achieve what they are supposed to – although the flip side to that argument would be to say that the biggest hip hop producer out there, Timbaland, is someone who isn’t afraid to experiment with his sound. Anyway, I digress – a mixed bag, but if you want some nice clean drum sounds at a decent price then I’d recommend you check these CDs out.

Peep a couple of demos of these sample packs here and here, and you can even download a pack with some free samples in here.

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Review: Loopmasters Celt Islam Sample Pack

August 19

Loopmasters recently got in touch and sent over a copy of their latest sample pack for review - titled Celt Islam: Sufi Dub Soundsystem. For those who don't know, Celt Islam is a UK-based producer, working in the genre of what he calls 'Sufi Dub'. This is, to my ears, somewhat of a three-way soundclash between rootsy dub, modern dubstep and Asian world music influences.

So it's from this kind of background that this sample pack is composed: you get 454 samples, from drum loops to FX, vocals, musical loops and so on. They range from being fully 'world music', with sitars and tabla, to synths and analogue sounding FX, and are largely between 120 - 135BPM.

The drum breaks all sound good, they're well produced, and all contain subtle details with dub effects floating in and out of the mix to keep the interest. There's also a folder of 'ethnic percussion loops' and this really caught my attention - the loops are played by some well-known percussionists and really have a lot of character. From the Dholak to the Tabla, there were lots of useful sounds, and although a couple of the loops had a touch of background noise, my only real complaint would be that there weren't more of them.

The musical loops section has some really interesting stuff too, from Sitars to Flutes to dubbed out Pianos, some straight, some glitched up, with a few synth pads thrown in for good measure, and I think this was my favourite part - there were loads of interesting textures and sounds, with a pretty wide sonic palette; there was certainly more than enough to give you some new ideas here.

This pack will obviously appeal to anyone working in the world music, ambient, dub and 'ethnic' inspired areas, but will likely appeal to dubsteppers too; there has for a while been a trend in dubstep to bring in interesting sounds from other cultures - see Benny Ill & Hatcha's track Highland Spring or Distance's classic 'Nomad' for instance. On top of that though, there's potential for people who just want to add an extra colour to their tracks. I've already used a couple of the percussion loops in some orchestral(ish) music that we were pitching to a TV advert, and it fit perfectly.

Downsides? Well, I'd say that the vocal samples are somewhat unimaginative - lots of ragga shouts of "all junglists!" and "rewind!" which, although authentic sounding, and featuring the talents of the mighty Bongo Chili, don't bring much new to the table, and likewise some of the FX; if you need some general dubby FX then there are lots here, they sound good and are well recorded, but aren't really as inspiring as some of the other areas of this pack.

Still though, at £24.95 this offers good value and especially in the areas of the recorded Indian instruments, it really shines.

If you want to hear some of the loops for yourself, check out the Loopmasters Soundcloud page, where you can download 10 loops from this pack (and indeed loads of the other packs) for free. Likewise, follow them on Twitter and they'll send you free samples every week. And if that wasn't enough, anyone who creates an account at their website gets a load more free samples too. You really can't say fairer than that.

Filed under // Free Samples Production Reviews Sample Pack

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Sample Pack

Review: Wave Alchemy Drum Tools 01: Minimal and Tech House

Sample bonanza: Reviews & special offers

Production - Global Underground Sample CD Review

Review - Peace Love Productions Sample Packs

FatLoud Hip Hop Construction King and FLOW Sample CD Reviews

Review: Loopmasters Celt Islam Sample Pack