ONE-SHOTS
May 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Dave Hill Jr.
GMedia Music Oddity
VST SYNTH
Remaking quirky and eclectic vintage synthesizers is what GMedia Music does best. Its M-Tron software rendition of the kooky tape-playing Mellotron was an instant software classic. In the case of Oddity, GMedia has copped another obscure classic: the ARP Odyssey. When exploring the sonic character of this legendary, '70s-era synthesizer (of which only about 4,000 existed), you get the feeling that you are in the presence of a dangerous and rare exotic animal, but hidden beneath its unnaturally colored fur is a menacing and deadly stinger. These stingers, in the form of two voltage-controlled oscillators, can emit both sawtooth and square waveforms (like many synths of this era). But Oddity's frequency modulation and Morph Time knob assure that this animal is always on the move. As I explored the dark and authentic-looking plug-in interface, making use of the gorgeous user manual, I found Oddity to be capable of some wild and woolly, if not scathing, sounds. However, by auditioning Oddity's 320 factory presets, a soothing analog character emerged. Oddity's drums, leads and stabs retain a particular bite that promises to sear through any mix. Other presets could be categorized as sound effects, such as “Constant Wind” (sounding like the name implies), the old-school sci-fi beeps of “Enterprise” (as in Star Trek) and “UFO” (Close Encounters). Combining forces, GMedia's Oddity was built in tandem with France-based plug-in masters Ohm Force. May the Force bring us more plug-ins soon?
Product Summary
GMEDIA MUSIC
ODDITY > $TBA
At a glance: Vintage ARP Odyssey software remake in VSTi format.
Contact: e-mail info@gmediamusic.com; Web www.gmediamusic.com
Big Fish Audio Hit Zone
SAMPLE COLLECTION
Hit Zone, brought to you by the Bunker 8 crew, Toronto-based makers of Nu Groove Pop and Extremely Abrasive Beats, is a four-CD collection (two audio; two Acidized WAV) of modern dance, pop and electro-funk samples that tips its hat to the '80s but sounds altogether current. Touchstones include the likes of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Timbaland and The Neptunes. Aside from the occasional love ballad, Hit Zone's grooves are primarily mid- to uptempo (100 to 132 bpm). The well-carved-out bass frequencies caught my ear. Even on my subpar bathroom boom box (that everyone keeps around for mastering, right?), Hit Zone thumped me in the chest without too much cabinet growl. I was also pleased to hear some well-placed tabla flurries, screeching reverb-laden synths and more than a couple of soulfully played piano tracks lacing the booty-shaking dance grooves. True to most Big Fish libraries, handy construction kits or soloed individual tracks are present so that you can easily extract the exact part of the composition you like. Aside from the 32 track starters, Hit Zone doles out another 40-plus dance grooves in an extra Beat Zone portion of the disc. Whether you are producing soulful R&B or the world's next Janet Jackson, these tracks speak to the radio.
Product Summary
BIG FISH AUDIO
HIT ZONE > $99.95
At a glance: Four-CD set with two audio discs and two CD-ROMs of corresponding WAV files.
Contact: tel. (800) 717-3474; e-mail info@bigfishaudio.com; Web www.bigfishaudio.com
Zero-G Ambient
REASON REFILL
Creating great ambient tones is more than a matter of smattering reverb and delay on your favorite acousti-cool samples. Case in point, Zero-G's Ambient ReFill (distributed in the States by Sounds Online) brings several hundred standard and not-so-standard drones, voices, flutes and highly altered synthesizer tones to your Reason software studio. All samples are made ready for Reason's NN-19 sampler format but work in Reason 2.0's more flexible NN-XT sampler, as well. Most of Ambient's one-shots and multisample instruments will loop (or hold) while the key remains depressed. Once released, the sounds tend to taper naturally, keeping the ambient vibe in check. Organizationwise, Ambient is divided into descriptive subfolders, such as Ambient Percussion, Ambient Voices, Bells, Drones, Ethnic Sounds, Nature Sounds, Synth Atmospheres and FX. Although the collection fits amazingly on a single CD (along with each sample used to make the set), Zero-G has actually included volumes 1 and 2 of synthesis master Ian Boddy's critically acclaimed Ambient series. Sounds range from delicate to nasty, jarring to meditative and synthetic to natural. Of course, adding a little reverb or delay to these babies never hurts.
Product Summary
ZERO-G (DIST. BY SOUNDS ONLINE)
AMBIENT > $99
At a glance: Two sample CDs combined into one Reason ReFill.
Contact: tel. (800) 969-9449; e-mail info@soundsonline.com; Web www.soundsonline.com
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