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March 2008 COMPUTER MUSIC | 101
reviews
Samples round-up
Find out whats new in the world of samples right here!
Sample Magic
Minimal & Tech-House
Y
et another minimal house
sample library, Minimal &
Tech-House thankfully
manages to avoid obsolescence
by being rather good. The
contributing producers are obviously
familiar with the conventions of the
genres, and the samples are all of a
high standard.
The music and synth loops –
usually the least useful aspects
of these libraries – are tastefully
done and quite inspirational, as
are the drum loops and the
always-important individual
drum hits. Minimal &
Tech-House would make a
great investment for
anyone making deeper
dance music.
9
CONTACT: Time+Space, 01837 55200
WWW.timespace.com
FORMAT: Audio, Acid WAV, AIFF, Apple Loops, REX,
NN-XT, Kontakt, EXS24, HALion PRICE: £59.95
E
cstatic Grooves is a
collection of drum loops and
single hits for mid-tempo 4x4
dance music. Although to us the
word ‘groove’ conjures up thoughts
of funky bass licks and keyboard
parts, you won’t find any melodic
samples here – it’s all drum beats.
Thankfully the quality level is
generally high, and the 1650 loops
certainly have plenty of punch to
them. The emphasis is on strident
euro-style beats, but if you’re after
something a little more subtle, the
inclusion of 550 single-hit drum
samples is a definite bonus. This
package is worth
investigating if you’re into
the harder mid-tempo
styles of dance.
8
CONTACT: Time+Space, 01837 55200
WWW.timespace.com
FORMAT: Acid WAV, AIFF Apple Loops, REX2, ReFill,
Stylus RMX, Kontakt 2, EXS24 PRICE: £59.95
Zero-G Ecstatic Grooves
Cakewalk
E-MU Proteus Pack Xtreme Lead 1
C
akewalk’s new range
repackages the patches from
the E-MU sound modules of
the 90s in a convenient software
format compatible with their
Dimension Pro synth. And for the
time being, purchasing any of the
range will entitle you to a free
Dimension LE download.
Despite that offer it’s actually
Dimension Pro users who will get
the most from Xtreme Lead 1 as
many of the patches cry out for
tweaking, especially the bass tones.
There are hundreds of other presets
beyond those, though, including
synths, pads, one-shot kits
and effects. It’s a great
buy, especially if you’re a
Dimension Pro owner.
8
CONTACT: Edirol Europe, 0870 350 1515
WWW.cakewalk.com
FORMAT: Dimension Pro/Dimension LE
PRICE: £49
P
roperly Chilled is a mixed
bag of musical odds and
ends, ranging from
not-at-all chilled experimental
down-tempo beats to 80s movie
soundtrack fodder. All the material
here appears to have been
programmed on keyboards rather
than played live, so you’re getting
what you pay for. But on the plus
side, some of the musical ideas are
rather fetching and you get a good
amount of audio (about 1GB of
unique content).
If you need inspiration on a
budget, Properly Chilled is a
worthwhile buy. Those
who are after ‘real’
instruments, however,
should look elsewhere.
7
CONTACT: Time+Space, 01837 55200
WWW.timespace.com
FORMAT: Acid WAV, AIFF, Apple Loops, REX2, ReFill,
Stylus RMX PRICE: £20
Digital Redux Properly Chilled
D
espite ditching some much
more, shall we say, visceral
cover art for their latest
ethnic sample library (we’ll leave
the lurid details to your
imagination), PowerFX have come
up with a winner. Another aural
travelogue in much the same vein
as last month’s Global Groove
Groundworks, this compilation
includes loads of African, Indian,
Arabic, Oriental and South American
beats and instrument loops.
If the thought of Egyptian lutes
and Middle Eastern violins gets you
hot under the tie-die collar then this
hefty 890MB library will
keep you busy until the
Hibernal solstice. It’s great
value, too.
8
CONTACT: [e-mail]
WWW.powerfx.com
FORMAT: Acid WAV
PRICE: $79
World Loop Spice Rack
Vengeance Effects Vol. 2
S
o far Vengeance’s sample
library output has been
nothing short of outstanding.
Can they maintain their superb track
record with this latest collection of
sound effects?
Boringly enough, yes; although
750 might not sound like a huge
number of sounds, the standard is
incredible, and each sample is
useful in its own way. The different
categories include processed
percussion loops, sweeps and
impact sounds, with no filler
material to speak of.
This is recommended to anyone
who needs big and
impressive sound effects –
electronica producers will
absolutely love it.
9
CONTACT: Time+Space, 01837 55200
WWW.timespace.com
FORMAT: WAV
PRICE: £59.95
CMU123.rev_mini 101 25/1/08 16:24:55