One-Shots, July 2008
Jul 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander
GALBANUM ABSTRACTION 02
INTELLIGENT ELECTRO-ORGANIC BEATS
Andrew Souter uses precision math tools, computer music scripting languages and countless hours of tedious editing at the single sample level to create avant-garde sounds. He worked on Native Instruments Massive's factory wavetables and the highly expressive Galbanum Architecture collection of single-cycle waveforms. Abstraction 02 is a downloadable series of loops that have been formulated in MetaSynth. More than 700 MB of content unzips to a folder of 512 loops that, albeit uncategorized, layer together effortlessly like one big construction kit. You also get 1,024 single-hit electro-percussion samples grouped into 32 instrument folders and named with MIDI note names to facilitate auto-keymapping in your sampler. All files are 24-bit/44.1 kHz.
The loops are a master class in stutter theory and glitch-music sound design. Ranging from edgy circuit bends and resonant distortions to clangorous metallic tones infused with kinky subwobbles and ear-piercing blips, about half of the loops are abstract “mood” elements while the rest are glitched-out synthetic drum phrases. All loops are two or four measures long, provided without kick/snare/hat (so you can add your own later) and stretch flawlessly over a wide tempo range due to their highly rhythmic nature. I like that everything is completely dry, allowing you to arrange, and custom slice and chop them without worrying about reverb or delay trails. That also creates a greater coherence between all loops and makes dropping in single hits as augmentation a piece of cake. Abstraction 02 is a gold mine of posh electro-organic grooves and deviant soundscapes that defy labeling and should serve as ample inspiration for any future electronic or urban style.
GALBANUM
ABSTRACTION 02 > $39.95 PER FORMAT
At a glance: More than 700 MB of glitch-music loops created using custom waveforms, low-level math and sample-level editing. Acidized WAV, REX2 and Apple Loops formats.
Contact: www.galbanum.com
LOOPMASTERS DEEP HOUSE PRODUCER: HARLEY & MUSCLE
HOT LOOPS RUNNING ON ALL CYLINDERS
During the past decade, William “Harley” Cataldo and Flavio “Muscle” Romaniello have become synonymous with deep-house, producing smooth late-night grooves that fuse classic Chicago house with '80s soul, jazz-funk and contemporary London house. They've worked with such luminaries as Robert Owens, Gloria Gaynor, Loleatta Holloway, Jocelyn Brown and Miguel Graca, to name a few. This DVD stockpiles 2 GB of their best source material as 16-bit/44.1 kHz samples in mixed formats, including Reason, Kontakt, HALion, EXS24, Stylus RMX, Cakewalk Rapture, Dimension and the Ableton Live Sampler. Starting in loops, there are 54 drum grooves (115 to 124 bpm), each four to eight measures long and containing just enough variation to keep things interesting as you loop them. High-frequency loops, broken-out percussion components, kick-and-clap-only loops and no-kick loops are also provided in each tempo to aid in building up arrangements. The 42 key-labeled, very deep bass lines are spectacular; they combine all the right stylistic influences.
The pianos folder contains 48 phrase loops featuring a variety of fully effected Rhodes tones, ranging from dark to bright, but all are tranquil and moody. Their lush chords (7ths, 9ths, 13ths, suspensions, alterations) hold for many bars, giving them a slightly dissonant feel. The 25 gorgeous string progressions are also highlights, with tones ranging from velvety pads to vintage string machines and intimate orchestral ensembles. You also get nine bass multis, 10 Rhodes multis and more than 200 drum hits and effects. Deep House Producer's classiness, relentless floor-filling beats and intelligent instrumentation add up to a decadent flavor worth indulging in.
LOOPMASTERS (DIST. BY BIG FISH AUDIO)
DEEP HOUSE PRODUCER: HARLEY & MUSCLE > $69.95
At a glance: An infectious collection of jazz-funk and techno-infused deep-house construction kits. Acidized WAV, Apple Loops, REX, ReFill, more.
Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com
CORSAIR FLASH SURVIVOR GT
SAFE AND SECURE BITS AND BYTES
I've been shuttling DAW sessions, favorite plug-in settings, live gig photos and production videos between my home studio and “daytime” multimedia facility on USB flash drives for three years. However, plastic and rubber-jacket construction make most of those drives somewhat vulnerable to heavy impacts and drops. The Flash Survivor GT — encased in a CNC-milled, anodized aircraft-grade aluminum cylinder — is the answer.
Corsair has gained near de facto status in the pro audio and video industry for the dependable data integrity of the Voyager thumb-drive series. The plug-and-play, high-speed USB 2 Flash Survivor GT is available in 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB capacities featuring extremely durable screw-in tubes with shock-dampening collars, waterproof EPDM seals and bright-blue status LEDs. Employing performance-matched IC-paired memory and controllers, the Survivor clocked in at an impressive 29.5 MB-per-second average read speed with only slightly slower writes. I rolled a 300 lb. production rack over it several times on a concrete floor and dropped it from a three-story balcony onto a paved parking lot. Amazingly, no physical damage short of a few surface scuffs nor data loss or transmission errors occurred. TrueCrypt software (Windows Vista/XP/2000-compatible only) comes preloaded, allowing for 256-bit AES data encryption. Corsair bundles the drive with a USB extension cord and a dog tag, which can be used to carry it around your neck. Flash Survivor GT sets the flash-drive bar sky high.
CORSAIR
FLASH SURVIVOR GT > $49.99 TO $229.99 (4 GB TO 32 GB MODELS)
At a glance: High-speed USB 2 (1.1-compatible) stick featuring extremely rugged, CNC-milled aluminum design and Windows security encryption software.
Contact: www.corsair.com
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