One-Shots, May 2008
May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander
QUANTUM LEAP GYPSY
Sounds of the Romantic Nomads
Easily mistaken for a straight flamenco library from the box shot, Gypsy transcends many cultures (Romani/Czech, Italian, Hungarian, even Celtic/Gaelic) featuring an absolutely stellar sampled collection of highly detailed old-world instruments. Some instruments are so rare, in fact, that their history is deeply rooted in centuries of nomadic use throughout the Middle East and Eastern Europe. There are four types of accordions, including the bandoneón, a free-reed “squeezebox” popularized by the Argentineans in tango music; and a cimbalom, a type of hammered dulcimer with a majestic, brassy tone. There are also four guitars, trombone, violin, a very cool gypsy percussion kit and programs featuring the foot stomps and traditional castanet playing of two flamenco dancers.
Quantum Leap's amazing new advanced Play engine is truly special. Take the rustic-romantic solo violLlegato mode detects connected notes and plays from a single strike, seamlessly changing directions at full-bow extension. Jack up the mod wheel, and you get grittier, rosin-stickin' hammered-up attacks, perfect for unleashing hardcore gypsy drama. The trombone also offers true legato intervals for amazingly realistic “voomps” between notes. All the guitars were sampled with up and down strokes, various picking styles and release trails, and they are realistically programmed for round-robin playback on duplicate notes. The classical nylon guitar is a standout, with its gorgeous presence, natural vibrato and harmonics switching. Accomplishing flamenco-style repetitive strumming on the Spanish steel guitar patch is simple thanks to a repeat keyswitch that plays double notes; I only wish the heaviest velocity layer had a snappier pluck. Never before has a single plug-in inspired my musical creativity to go in so many different, exotic directions.
At a glance: Inspiring collection of old-world instruments powered by the 64-bit Play engine. Audio Units, VST, RTAS, stand-alone. iLok required.
Contact: www.soundsonline.com
XLN AUDIO RETRO ADPAK
Peace, Love and Drums!
If you're a fan of the '60s and '70s classic rock drum sound, this inaugural ADpak should definitely get you smiling. Spotlighting three distinctive Ludwig kits, it starts off with a Ringo-inspired Black Oyster Vintage “'60s Pop” setup, featuring a 20-by-16-inch kick; 14-by-5-inch snare; 12-, 13- and 16-inch toms; 14-inch hi-hats; a trio of Paiste and Sabian crashes; and a brilliant 21-inch Meinl Byzance Dark ride. The medium sizes of the drums and coated heads give it a wonderfully tight and groovy sound, handling everything from Motown and Brit rock to more psychedelic West Coast fare.
For those about to rock — hard — the “Heavy '70s” Blue Oyster kit mimics John Bonham's later setup. His legendary thunderous sound required big drums, including a 26-by-14-inch kick (22-by-16-inch also provided), 14-by-6.5-inch Chrome Supraphonic 402 Series snare, 13- and 14-inch rack toms and 16- and 18-inch floor toms. Bonham played Paiste cymbals exclusively, from what is now the 2002 series. I love the bright, cutting sound of the 14-inch Sound Edge and 15-inch hi-hats (including Ching-Ring variations); the huge stereo spread of the 20, 18 and 16-inch medium crashes; and the 24-inch ride. It's too bad they didn't also include the 18-inch Paiste ride that Bonham often used as a highly distinctive crash.
An acrylic Vistalite kit with fast attack and clear sustain, plus various tambourines, cowbells and a four-person handclap round out the pack. More than 70 presets and tons of solid MIDI grooves take you from a close and intimate early Motown Marvin Gaye sound to crunchy and lo-fi funk, dreamy Mama's & Papa's ambient, hard-rockin' Keith Moon□style backbeats and even contemporary urban/electro kits using Addictive Drums' synthesis and effects.
At a glance: Three classic Ludwig drum sets from the '60s and '70s with cymbals from Paiste and Sabian. 70+ presets; 1,300+ MIDI files. Requires Addictive Drums software.
Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com or www.xlnaudio.com
LOOPMASTERS JAZZ SESSIONS
Smoky Sounds of an Intimate Venue
Loopmasters' nod to '50s jazz is a hefty 3 GB of tempo-categorized (60 to 270 bpm) instrument phrases and drum loops, delivering the vibe of an intimate old-school swing-jazz venue. Thankfully, it never once veers off course into modern fusion or cheesy department store smooth-jazz. The almost 600 drum and percussion grooves are near faultless, carrying deep and oftentimes complex rhythms that sizzle atop equally soulful double and fretless bass. There is also a folder of slides/effects featuring lots of wonderful slap and string noises. Trumpet, trombone, sax and flute (both in sections and solo riffs) are generally good with lots of expressive falls, shakes, swells and stabs. Sadly missing is clarinet, which is absolutely essential for swing. I also quite enjoyed the bluesy-tinged licks and noodles of acoustic and electric guitar. In addition to clean jazz tones, there are some wonderful amp noises and dirty John Lee Hooker settings. The Hammond and Rhodes phrases move the sessions slightly into the '60s but do not detract from the underlying style focus. You also get sampler multis of the double bass, Hammond, Rhodes, a nicely weathered old jazz piano and 160 one-shot percussion sounds arranged in three kits (Big Kit, Conga Setup, Natural Jazz Kit).
As you'd expect, the feel of this library is very live and organic. I really enjoyed the warmth of acoustic dynamics that it added to my largely electronic hip-hop tracks. Specifically, I loved the nostalgic sound of vinyl-lifted material I got from doing MPC-style cutting, filtering and triggering of the layered instrumentations in programs like NI Battery 3. Short of calling in some mean session players, I can think of no easier or more authentic way than Jazz Sessions to blow scotch-soaked rings of cigar smoke into your tracks.
At a glance: Authentic sound of '50s swing-jazz ripe for sample cutting. Acid/WAV/REX2 loops; NNXT/EXS24/HALion/Kontakt patches.
Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com
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