Review: One-Shots
Jun 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander
SONY CREATIVE SOFTWARE CINEMATIC FUNK: URBAN TONE POEMS
Open to Multiple Interpretations
Producer and multi-instrumentalist Lukecage apparently likes things dark and understated. On two previous Sony outings — Westside Underground and Underground Soundlab — he used the slinky vibe of '60s and '70s funk to create sophisticated and mysterious hip-hop collections. This time, Urban Tone Poems is all about digging deep into his jazz and classic R&B roots. The 584 MB disc breaks down to 15 “sessions” (construction kits), each featuring a dozen or more tracked-out phrases and drum/percussion loops. Though mostly acoustic in nature, instrumentation is extremely progressive: Minimoog marries well with double bass; orchestral strings and big-band horns often make way for Mellotron flute and brass samples; various accordion, mandolin and concertinas play up the gypsy factor; and rustic musings on acoustic piano, overdriven organ and vintage Rhodes fuse beautifully with trippy vibes, synth arpeggiations and intricate electro-acoustic guitar.
Beat and rhythm components are all over the map, which is fine by me. This disparity adds to the quirkiness of the collection. Where else can you find a glitched early Roland Rhythm Composer mixing it up with a brushed jazz kit and big, bad oom-pah kick or double-time vinyl breaks saddled atop a dream-sequence of musicbox-flute riffs? The kalimbas, hand drums, ethnic percussion and ambient street drums play excellent counterpoint to the skippy orchestral and jazz phrases for interesting sample culture ideas. Heavy MPC loops provide deep hip-hop beats and DJ scratch/cut effects. With its dusty melodies and lush chords ready to roll, Urban Tone Poems should be a welcomed dose of inspiration for any thirsty producer of urban-folk or cutting-edge mainstream music.
Price: 59.95
At a glance: Abstract beats, phrases and effects suitable for avant-pop, glitch-hop, R&B, soundtracks and more. 584 MB of Acidized WAV.
Contact: www.sonycreativesoftware.com
FOCUSRITE LIQUID MIX 2.2.1
Go With the Flow
Focusrite has been diligently updating and fine-tuning Liquid Mix version 2 to the point where an update review is appropriate. The new software for Liquid Mix (32-channel) and Liquid Mix 16 features a boatload of tweaks for various cosmetic and DAW compatibility issues. I was mainly interested in the greater functionality improvements as a whole. Of particular note, the new sidechain function provides an additional 1-band EQ that can be fed into any of the classic compressor emulations. Clicking on the new Sidechain Monitor switch in the plug-in window reveals a small menu for selecting the EQ-band type (low-/high-shelf or bandpass) and three dials for controlling frequency, gain and Q. Also, a new ScEQ prompt appears on the hardware controller, selectable using the data encoder. That means that Liquid Mix can effectively act as a de-esser or compress only a particularly resonant frequency on guitar, for example. Once the sidechain EQ is set, deactivating the monitor allows you to hear the result in full context.
New to the Liquid Mix Manager window, the Variable Latency section has six settings (264 to 8,200 round-trip samples), allowing for more reliable operation in a variety of hosts based on flexible audio-buffer settings — potentially making Liquid Mix usable as a tracking processor. There's also a new option for the hardware controller to always follow the currently active plug-in onscreen — a feature I truly appreciate, being a combination controller-/mouse-mixer. Overall, the V2 software makes accessing all those great convolution models in Liquid Mix a lot more functional, solid feeling and useful than ever. Available as a free download from the Focusrite site, investing five minutes in this update is a no-brainer.
Price: $1,099 FOR LIQUID MIX; $799 FOR LIQUID MIX 16; FREE UPDATE TO V2.2.1 FOR REGISTERED USERS
At a glance: Addition of sidechain EQ, hardware-follow, variable latency settings and sampling-rate switching on the fly.
Contact: www.focusrite.com
LOOPMASTERS MARSHALL JEFFERSON — HOUSE GENERATION
Not Everyone Understands House Music...But He Does
Featuring more than 1.2 GB of content in mixed formats, this latest volume in Loopmaster's Artist Series is essentially private access to Marshall Jefferson's most closely guarded sound sources, as well as contributions from an all-star lineup of some of his closest friends and house “specialists.” Ed Funk lays down more than 70 live drum breaks and fills for that Philly sound, while Chicago percussionist Louie Louie joins in with tasty accompaniment, not to mention his own folder of 95 amazing percussion loops. Marshall took charge on the 53 programmed N.Y. garage and techno breaks, prominently featuring TR-808 and 909, but also recruited the King of Acid House, Chris “Bam Bam” Westbrook, to lay some dope beats and groovy guitar parts. Bass loops are about equally divided between deep synth and squelchy TB-303, for that acid-house sound that Marshall helped pioneer. Sherman Burks and Rob Crawford handled much of the keyboard programming, but it's all Marshall dropping his trademark house piano riffs, Rhodes, Clav and organ lines.
Some of the coolest inclusions are loop folders containing live house strings and brass sections, courtesy of Orbert Davis and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. These are molten-hot lava bombs with strong influences of late '70s soul- and funk-infused disco capable of blasting and stabbing their way through the densest of beats. Marshall brings in whom he calls “House music's Marvin Gaye,” Byron Stingly, for vocal duties. I loved Ce Ce Rogers' expert loop editing and vocal hacking, doing wicked cut-ups on runs and phrases before twisting the filter. While others have tried, you can't get any closer to the origin of house music than this — a must have.
Price: $69.95
At a glance: An absolutely unique and privileged collection of timeless house samples from the genre's legends. Acid/AIFF/Apple Loops/REX/WAV/ReFill.
Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com
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