One-Shots, April 2008

Apr 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander

SAMPLE MAGIC SUNSET SESSIONS
DOWNTEMPO LATE-NIGHT OVERTURES

Chill-out is a pretty wide genre, so there's no better way to compile this 1.8 GB collective hangover than by commissioning samples from a diverse range of talent — including analog pioneer Ian Boddy, soundscape veteran Eat Static, lounge lizard Jake Island and more. The disc unfolds in three stages of insobriety (80, 90 and 100 bpm), from dancing away the last call at a balmy beach club to recovering in slow motion back at the resort. Setting the pace are roughly 50 drum loops per tempo category (many of which are variations) mostly made from acoustic kits. Though not overly wet, these are often processed using distortion, reverb or a trippy “grain” effect on only specific snare and hi-hat beats for carefully appointed accents. I'm a big fan of the crossover nature to these loops, blending crusty funk and dark dub with vinyl-resourced hip-hop and modern electro minimalism. The beats are strong and intelligent. Supplemental fills, percussion loops and a vast folder of drum hits are also provided.

In the live instrument folders, some exquisitely played double-bass loops have been close-miked to capture tons of great wood tone and lively string character. Soft jazz and folk-inspired flute phrases proved to be great REX ammunition. The dusty Rhodes phrases and broken chords are, in a word, gorgeous; their riffing counterparts practically write booze-soaked compositions for you, particularly when arranged haphazardly. Strident classical and jazz styling on acoustic piano and swirling acoustic guitar tremolo runs lend a defining smokiness to any groove. And I absolutely loved the sultry trombone licks that give this library another unique dimension. Sunset Sessions offers a mature and organically seductive sound to lounge music traveling in the slow lane.

SAMPLE MAGIC (DIST. BY BIG FISH AUDIO)
SUNSET SESSIONS > $99.95

At a glance: Blissed-out downtempo beats and eazy-sleazy listening grooves. Audio CD and DVD. Groove and phrase loops in 24-bit WAV, REX and AIFF; drum hits, chords and effects pre-mapped for EXS-24, Reason, Kontakt and HALion.

Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com or www.samplemagic.com

DIGITAL REDUX HIP HOP HOTNESS
TEN PLATINUM RECORDS IN WAITING

In an overcrowded game of $100 giga-libraries, New York City-based newcomer Digital Redux is forging a niche by offering affordable and tightly focused mini-libraries across several genres. This first volume concentrates on “platinum” hip-hop, backboned by 10 radio- and club-friendly construction kits (85 to 100 bpm) inspired by the likes of Kanye, Swizz and Blaze. Each kit contains an inspirational full mix, followed by half a dozen or more drum mix alternatives, parted-out drum multitracks, processed instrument loops and dry root-note hits of every instrument for sampling. What I like about the approach is that you're getting all the original work-up samples of an obviously skilled beat producer, not just the final arrangement. Often, two-dozen or more loop files per kit provide ample possibilities for arrangement and mixing. Folders of additional beats, percussion loops and drum hits are provided for times when you want to switch it up or remix an outside track from discrete components.

None of the beats are off the hook from the jump, but that's not to say they won't deliver with a little work. The secret lies in trolling through the tonal one-shot folders — key-labeled and organized in groups such as orchestral, bass, guitar, keys and synth. These melodic hook-makers are ideally suited for stretching, layering and mad MPC-style pitched pad/trigger sequencing. For instance, the big-band brass shots, dirty orchestral stabs, deep cello comps and elephantine tuba splats go a long way toward channeling East Coast respect. Overall, Hip Hop Hotness makes up for its short list of kits through high-quality programming and a plethora of useful bonus material.

DIGITAL REDUX
HIP HOP HOTNESS > $40

At a glance: 10 fully multitracked construction kits and nearly 400 complementary loop and one-shot sounds. 24-bit Acidized WAV, AIFF, RMX, REX2, ReFill.

Contact: www.digital-redux.com

EIOSIS E²DEESSER 1.2
CREATIVE SIBILANCE REMOVAL FOR MAC

If I could hand out a Remix Technology Award right now for best GUI design in a small-format effect plug-in, it would have to go to Eiosis for its dead-sexy and efficiently workflowed E²Deesser. Available only for Mac G5 or Intel machines, its structure is unique in that it can process, solo/audition and route a vocal track's sibilant and voiced parts separately. By adjusting the detection frequency, response time and variable reduction ratio, you're able to fine-tune how smoothly the processor transitions between sibilant and voiced parts. Dialing in the equivalent of a zero delay response in the variable latency look-ahead circuitry, I achieved transparent sibilant reduction during live tracking, straight from the mic. Regardless of the signal level or the vocalist's dynamics, reduction was smooth and uniform. Even the most drastic sibilance cutting didn't cause the vocals to sound dull or affect their tonal qualities in any way. Very impressive.

After detection, a fully parametric EQ with lowpass, high-shelf or peak/dip filter curves allows you to independently control the volume and contour of sibilants. A similar EQ is present for the voiced path. I had a lot of fun applying a bright EQ setting to the attack (sibilant) portion of percussion and bass loops, and a darker setting to the release (voiced) portion. Then, using dual instances of E²Deesser across two identical tracks (with sibilant and voiced paths soloed, respectively), I was able to do some creative panning and mixing of the sustain/release portion only, without worrying about the attack getting blurred by subsequent pitch, time or harmonic effects. Conversely, equalizing the vocal “body” without touching the sibilance means you can add or remove air, tone-match a song or increase a vocal's presence without making the sibilance harsh.

EIOSIS
E²DEESSER 1.2 > € 150 NATIVE; € 300 TDM (approx. $220/$440)

At a glance: Unique de-esser design treats and routes sibilant and voice portions of a vocal separately. TDM, RTAS or Audio Units for Mac only. Requires OS 10.3.8 or later and iLok or Synchrosoft dongle.

Contact: www.eiosis.com

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