One-Shots
Nov 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander
SAMPLE MAGIC ELECTRO-HOUSE
TWISTED NU-DISCO JAMS
Electro house has become the subgenre of the decade. Just ask Satoshi Tomi, Justice, MSTRKRFT, Roger Sanchez, Mylo and Tocadisco how fast it fills the floor. Typified by brash four-to-the-floor beats, tearing bass lines and all sorts of filthy, bleep-y stuff in between, it bridges all there is to love about classic house, disco-punk, synth-pop, electro and hard techno. Key-labeled and graduated into three tempos (125, 127 and 130 bpm), these 24-bit loops are provided in WAV, REX and Apple Loops, while bonus drum hits, guitar chords and effects come premapped for EXS24, Reason, Kontakt and HALion.
The bass line defines electro-house, and these loops are absolute killers with deliciously sleazy, ripping vibes. Their tones range from glitchy, buzzy and resonant circuit-bent acidic squelches to massive unisons and harmonically rich, wobbly subs. Some spun me ‘round (like a record) to the days of Stock, Aitken & Waterman and early Kraftwerk. The hundreds of drum loops are far fresher than I'd expected from this often recycled genre, and the inclusion of another hundred or so outstanding break flourishes in a kick-free Top Loops folder was a real treat. The abrasive leads, dirty Junos, trippin’ Virus-like arpeggios, harsh pegged synths, crunked-out pianos and strings, raunchy chorused SID-chips and ominous filter clouds in the Synth Loops folder are even hotter. Finally, the heavily effected, chunky guitar loops will come in handy if you're looking to join in on the whole Pink Floyd and Yes revival. If mega-hits such as Beckers' “Colour Me Blind” or Bodyrox' “Yeah, Yeah” did it for you, then Electro-House will definitely take you there and beyond.
SAMPLE MAGIC (DIST. BY BIG FISH AUDIO)
ELECTRO-HOUSE > $99.95
At a glance: Adventurous dirty electro, minimal house and twisted nu-disco. Audio CD + DVD.
Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com or www.samplemagic.com
BIG FISH AUDIO ROCK STAR
NOT JUST FOR WANNABES
At first blush, the notion of filling a DVD with pop and alternative-rock construction kits rubbed me the wrong way. Before actually listening to the disc, I couldn't help but wonder what use anyone would have for prefab tracks that modeled after bands like Nickelback, Maroon 5, The Killers, Coldplay and Matchbox 20. Once I dug into the folders, however, not a single cheesy cover of “This Love” or “The Scientist” was to be found, thankfully.
Instead, 25 folders contain essentially complete songs in waiting — from thrashing modern-rock joints to laid-back ballads and fun uptempo funk-rock numbers that would appease commercial radio. Keyed and ranging from 90 to 180 bpm, you get sectioned drum, guitar and bass tracks with multiple intros, endings and fills, plus several variations of verse, chorus and bridge for each instrument. There's really not much work for the user to do other than drag and loop parts and come up with a catchy melody. Hell, even the guitars have been EQ'd, compressed and provided as panned parts for that wide, crunchy rock-star sound. I'm typically not a fan of premixed treatments like this, but you'll still be able to pan leads, add your own effects and change the guitar tone with a soft amp. Also, the drums are left pretty raw, and the engineering is superb overall, with great tonal choices on guitars and bass.
BIG FISH AUDIO
ROCK STAR > $99.95
At a glance: Pop and alternative-rock construction kits in Apple Loops, REX, Stylus RMX and Acidized-WAV formats.
Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com
TOONTRACK TWISTED KIT EZX
RUSTIC DRUMS AND FOUND PERCUSSION
Inspired by the hard edges and dirty neo-blues sound he created for Tom Waits' classic 1985 album Rain Dogs, legendary drummer and percussionist Michael Blair has assembled a truly one-of-a-kind EZdrummer expansion pack. He revisits the custom kit used for those sessions — a mixture of regular drums and odd bits of found percussion — as well as other novel pieces collected over the years. If a Gretsch 1987 Maple kick and Pearl snare sound too run-of-the-mill for you, how about smacking an empty cardboard box and kicking a Taos drum for a deep, cavernous and more ambient tone? Try hanging a metal pot or splash from a Ludwig Super Classic bass drum for a fine, metallic-ping overtone or throw a roto-rim onto the Pearl or attach hubcaps and trashcans to a vintage Butcher Block. Personally, I was drawn most to the “snareless” alternatives of whacked bedroom drawer, guitar body and bass drum case for their more subdued sound. Your standard hi-hat is replaced by a Remo Spoxe (two roto-tom frames), providing tight, ringing sizzle and a sustained buzzing effect. Low Boys offer more of a canned effect, while the Tibetan cymbal hats sound ethnic and junky at the same time. I loved the set of four Chinese toms and djembe; rattling pandeiro and tamborim hand drums; crash cymbals hit with keys and chains; and the cake pan, spoke and Thai gong. An appropriately named Funny Stuff effects box contains such novelties as siren whistle, toy choo-choo train whistle, squeezebox, noisemakers and more. Hit the mannequin, and you get human beatbox sounds, foots stomps, clicks, claps and snaps. Blair also includes hundreds of expressive MIDI loops (60 to 168 bpm), while mixer presets by Richard Devine, DJ Amplive and others dig deep to provide techno, hip-hop and experimental impressions of Blair's kit.
TOONTRACK (DIST. BY EASTWEST/SOUNDS ONLINE)
TWISTED KIT EZX > $99
At a glance: Inspiring junkyard drums and percussion, plus rough-and-tough loops based on these kits, for the EZdrummer platform. Installation of dfh EZdrummer 1.1 required.
Contact: www.soundsonline.com or www.toontrack.com
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