Line 6 FBV Express mk.ii
Big Fish Audio
Contact Time+Space, 01837 55200
Web www.timespace.com
Format Acid, WAV, Apple Loops, REX, RMX
Here we have 25 construction kits aimed at the
pop/R&B producer. The tempo range is broad
(75 to 118bpm) and the content totals 1532 loops
and hits – about 3GB in Apple Loops format.
All kits include not only full instrument loops,
but also individual drum stems and hits, and
typically have three musical sections. These are clearly labelled by
chord type, which certainly helps if working in a particular key.
Sonically, Urban Nation inhabits the more tonal end of the
spectrum, so at times feels more soulful than some urban kits. The
sounds are strong and perfectly suited to commercial production.
Bela D
Contact Time+Space, 01837 55200
Web www.timespace.com
Format Kontakt 2 & 3, WAV
Diva Revamp marks a shift to Kontakt format
and an amalgamation of three previous Bela
D ‘Diva’ products. The result is 2.3GB spread
over a multitude of instruments, often with
keyswitched articulations. Sounds include
syllables and sustained, marcato and staccato
vowels. Typically, these are unlooped, and some phrases include
transitions or sung intervals. The use of two separate vocalists
allows instrument combining for richer sounds, while their Kontakt
script means you can introduce note-by-note envelope variations.
Our only gripe is that it should all really be in Kontakt 4 format too.
Big Fish Audio
Contact Time+Space, 01837 55200
Web www.timespace.com
Format Acid, WAV, Apple Loops, REX, RMX
18 commonplace percussion instruments are
featured here, including congas, bongos, agogo,
shekere and cabassa. Across eight tempo-speciic
loop folders, the set includes 4/4, 3/4 and 5/4 time
signatures, and ranges from 80 to 240bpm. You also get a folder of
one-shots. It sounds like it’s all sourced from the same instrument set,
and sometimes the playing is a little too loose for our liking. Plus there
are some glaring omissions, such as no tambourine loops at 120bpm.
By contrast, congas are well covered and well played (56 loops at
140bpm). Overall, not quite what it could have been.
Drumdrops DOWNLOAD
Contact info@loopmasters.com
Web www.loopmasters.com
Format WAV, REX2, Acid, Apple Loops
This well-known drum loops series moves
into rudeboy territory. It includes 86
variations across 11 tempos (from 117 to
132bpm) in both dry and efected form
(so 172 loops in total). Use of analogue recording tape, ska-savvy
drummers and vintage kits means that, stylistically and sonically, it’s
right on the money and you’ll ind some tidy skankin’ ills. Even so,
beat variation is limited, and you won’t ind any intros or single hits.
For this reason, it’s ine for adding a ska lavour to existing tracks,
but not much good for making actual ska music, and there’s no
multitrack version, as there is for some other Drumdrops titles.
Puremagnetik DOWNLOAD
Contact info@puremagnetik.com
Web www.puremagnetik.com
Format Live 8.1.1, Kontakt 3.5, Logic 8
TrapKit features most of a 60s Ludwig kit
(kick, tom and loor tom), combined with
a DDrum snare, Zildjian hats and ride, and
Sabian crash. Recorded in a relective live
room with typical kit mics (KM84, C451, SM57, Coles 4038, and so
on), the sound captures the nature of the original kit well, and with
multiple round robin hits, it’s suitably varied. It’s deinitely a big step
up from Purple Kit, Puremagnetik’s previous sampled acoustic pack.
However, we do feel the sound lacks punch, particularly the snare. In
addition to custom interfaces for Kontakt and Live users, there are
also four presets, including a rather cool processed kit called ‘zapped’.
All in all, this is not bad at all given the low, low price.
Hollow Sun DOWNLOAD
Contact steve@hollowsun.com
Web www.hollowsun.com
Format Kontakt 3, EXS24, Reason ReFill
This pack samples a fully refurbished
Novachord instrument from around
1940. Famous for its creepy pads, the
original was designed by organ supremo
Laurens Hammond. It’s basically a 72-note polyphonic subtractive
synthesiser, but of course, it’s rammed full of valves rather than
transistors. Through painstaking sampling and editing, Hollow Sun
have produced over 130 patches that capture the essence of the
original. The sounds are at times reminiscent of string machines
and sometimes of 60s organs like Farisas, and they’re at their
most distinctive when using the Novachord’s own electromagnetic
vibrato. Terriic stuf! Note that the Kontakt version is $120.
August 2010 / / 117
mini reviews / reviews <
CMU154.rev_mini 117 11/6/10 12:07:26 pm