EQ Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 72)

Soft Machines DIGITAL REDUX ELECTROTECH SOUNDS projects. That’s exactly what you have here. In particular, the beat loops tend to be short (often 2 bars) with lots of variations, so you can put together rhythm tracks that keep the listener’s interest. The construction kits are mostly beats with a few melodic parts, so having the additional collections of loops and one-shots comes in handy—especially the arpeggios, melodies, and drum hits. Overall, this is a coherent collection of grooves that lends itself well to editing and further processing. And at this price, you’re getting serious value as well. —Craig Anderton CONTACT: Digital Redux, www.digital-redux.com FORMAT: DVD-ROM with 2.88GB of content (10 construction kits, about 600 files total, about 300 loops; most available as WAV/AIFF/Stylus RMX/REX2/Acidized WAV; 24-bit/44.1kHz audio) LIST PRICE: $40 For loops, this collection includes construction kits, beats, percussion, arpeggios, and melodies in Acidized, REX2, and Stylus RMX formats; one-shots include drum kit sounds, basses, pad and synth, glitch blips, and FX. REX editing is good, but while most Acidized files stretch reasonably well, the more complex drum parts often need extra transient markers to stretch properly. The content covers a wide range within the electronic genre, and it’s easy to put together convincing tracks with very little effort. While the files didn’t make my jaw drop in awe, readers of these reviews know that I appreciate collections with large numbers of useful, somewhat neutral loops that don’t force you in a particular direction, and can slide effortlessly into a variety of NINE VOLT AUDIO ACTION DRUMS: BOOM JINX BREAKBEAT EDITION Beats, beats, and more beats—both acoustic and electronic drums, with a well-produced, muscular style that allow these to lay a firm foundation for whatever you want to put on top. All files except the Apple Loops are organized into “beat suites” with a full mix, full mix without snare, another mix without kick, and loops for individual sounds from the full mix. The individual loops are also organized into folders based on sound (kick, hi-hat, etc.)—ideal for “mix and match” applications, or for choosing, say, a particular kick beat for one of the kick-less beat suite loops. The Acidization is a disappointment (missing transient markers), but the REX editing is excellent, and extra credit for the Apple Loops: They’re all recorded at 80BPM, because loop aficionados know it’s easier to stretch faster than slower. Also, additional props for including 30 Stylus RMX multi presets. Stylistically, these have a definite “Euro” vibe with groovacious use of swing, appropriate processing, and lots of attitude—as a result, you can just bring them into a project and your foundation is set. But you can also get creative through the ability to do easy mix and match. If you like club music with a bit of a hip-hop vibe, these are powerful, beefy loops; there’s not a dud in the bunch, and they’ll get people moving on the dance floor. —Craig Anderton CONTACT: Nine Volt Audio, www.ninevoltaudio.com FORMAT: DVD-ROM with about 600 loops duplicated in REX2/Stylus RMX/Reason ReFill/Apple Loops/Acidized WAV; 16and 24-bit/44.1kHz LIST PRICE: $79.99 (download or DVD) BIG FISH AUDIO HADEETH 2 These construction kits with Middle Eastern rhythms are typical Big Fish: A mixed file, along with the various elements that make up the mix (usually 4–6 loops). There are also 121 files of hits for the seven individual percussion instruments used to make the files—valuable not just for augmenting these loops, but for loading into a sampler if you want a fine set of exotic percussion sounds. The music is what you’d expect, consisting of rolling, hypnotic hand percussion grooves that range from 80 to 150BPM. While the full mixes have their uses (particularly for layering on top of dance mix grooves), you may find the individual loops more useful as they add an exotic accent without “taking over” a track. I even tried some of these with rock drum tracks; they worked surprisingly well together, as the Hadeeth 2 loops added a loose, swinging type of feel. The loops have just enough room ambience to give an organic, “real” vibe, but definitely not enough to get in the way. Recording quality has both accuracy and presence—you won’t need to add any EQ to these puppies. For fans of adding “ethnic” touches to their music, this is a tight, consistent, well-rounded library with plenty of inspiring grooves. Imagine a drum circle with people who actually know how to play, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s going on. —Craig Anderton CONTACT: Big Fish Audio, www.bigfishaudio.com FORMAT: DVD-ROM with 66 construction kits duplicated as WAV/REX/Stylus RMX/Apple Loops; 24-bit/44.1kHz LIST PRICE: $49.95 72 EQ MARCH 2008 www.eqmag.com http://www.digital-redux.com http://www.ninevoltaudio.com http://www.bigfishaudio.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - March 2008

EQ Magazine - March 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Punch In Tool Box Dream Theater Nick Drake LO-FI Recording Tricks Guitar Trax Bass Managment Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Tascam Gigastudio 4 Cakewalk Sonar 7 Crane Song Avocet Cad Signature Series Mic Packs Waves GTR3 Kjaerhus MPL-1 Pro SE Ableton Live 7 Centrance Micport Pro, Tapco LINK.midi 4x4, Multi-Gigabyte USB 2.0 Memory Sticks Digital Redux Electrotech, Nine Volt Audio Action Drums, Big Fish Audio Hadeeth 2 Room with a VU

EQ Magazine - March 2008

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