Recording - January 2015 - 61

"SL_Heavy_Emo_Rock2_135_D_Guitar_3". The only problem is
that they seem to be intended for completely different songs!
Similarly, SL_ALT1_120_D_AGuitar_Rhythm_GroupB_01
and SL_ALT1_120_D_EGuitar_Rhythm_GroupB_01 would presumably be compatible files, as their names are nearly identical. The first two measures sound great, with a lovely balance
between the acoustic and electric textures... followed by two
more measures of instant train wreck with the files playing completely different chords. "Alt Rock 115 C#" features a beat that
plays back twice as fast as it should. The folder entitled "Alt
Rock Drums 100 BPM" is full of great-sounding drum beats, but
the one labeled "Alt Rock Drums 120 BPM" is full of fills...
In other words, this collection is kind of a hot mess, and a lack of
any documentation (a problem shared by all these libraries) just
adds to the chaos. Still, there's plenty to dig about this title, like the
Electronic Beats folder and the one-shots. You just have to be willing to work a little harder to get there. [Matthew Yost of Soundtrack
Loops responds: "Alt.Rock Remastered is one of our very first titles
from back in 2006; we plan to fix these issues."-MM]
Date Night RnB
Speaking of working harder, producers of primarily song-oriented genres have the added constraint of following key and
chord structure when trying to find usable loops. An endlessly
cycling hip-hop loop will rarely work for even a simple "1-4-5" progression, which puts these loops out of reach for pop and rock
songwriters.

Date Night RnB handles this situation somewhat pragmatically,
by providing extended loops that are most often up to 16 measures long. This "room to run" allows progressions to develop more
fully and gives the option of using smaller portions of the loops as
well.
The sounds are romantic, '70's-inspired, and drop dead sexy.
Each of the six "construction kits" features a deep, organicsounding palette of vintage keys, basses and beats that instantly bring to mind the "Slow Jam" feel of artists like Barry White,
James Ingram, Patrice Rushen and R. Kelly.
These aren't full songs per se, but vibes that set the scene
and steam up the windows. Tempos range from 75-90 BPM
and most kits feature a Rhodes electric piano, an analog synth
lead, string pads, a synth bass, a drum loop, and other small
percussion. All of these parts are perfectly locked to tempo, yet
feel languid and relaxed. The electric piano figures prominently with chiming, bell-like highs, creamy low mids and a
wide stereo panning vibrato. Also featured are the synth leads,
which manage to float busily through every loop without ever
annoying us.
I loved all of the sounds, but felt the beatbox-styled grooves
were too "canned"-sounding. Simply replacing these with
loops from other "real" drum collections helped quite a bit, but
then I noticed the MIDI files included in this library! There are
no one-shot samples to play back these MIDI files, but they
allowed me to keep the feel of these grooves while leaving my
tonal options completely open. I also used the MIDI files to
extract these pockets into my DAW's Groove Quantize function
with terrific results.

R&B Acoustic
Date Night's closest relative here would have to be R&B
Acoustic, with 101 bass, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar loops
organized into 33 construction kits with cryptic names like "Red
Wine" and "Small Talk". Although the bass is not always
"acoustic", the sounds here are nonetheless honest, delicate
and inspiring, with obvious nods to artists like Babyface and
Mary J. Blige.
At first I was disappointed in the scarcity of loops included within each 'kit'-just one loop for each part. Add to that the shorter
nature of these loops (2-4 measures on average) and I was certain
they'd be less than usable. Surprisingly, the consistently smooth,
silky feel and crystal-clear sound quality made mixing and matching these loops even more fun to work with! I stumbled upon several new creative avenues, simply by mashing together loops in the
same key! R&B Acoustic could even be considered a lovely, airy
companion to the Date Night loops, taking into account the complementary frequency ranges of the two titles.
Super Freak Studio Drum Beats
If things start getting a little too low-key for you, you'll find a fresh
injection of energy bursting from Super Freak Studio Drum Beats. This
collection features over 400 Drum Beats, many of which were recorded on the same 1956 Round Badge Gretsch drum kit that was used
to record "Super Freak" by Rick James. I'll lead with the only problem
in this library: all of the loops are labeled with cryptic names like
"SL_SuperFreak_Ludwig_090_21.wav". But the loops themselves...!

This is another Soundtrack Loops title that mystifies with its ability to be so absolutely locked to the click and yet remain this damn
funky. The sound of these tracks is dry, in-your-face, and dripping
with attitude. Scratch, grit and other forms of distortion are lightly
soaked into these tracks, with a slightly edgy, on-top feel throughout. These grooves rarely stray from the realms of funk and especially rock.
Most loops are mixed beats that are 1-2 measures long, suggesting an old-school breakbeat application. However, there
always seemed to be 'neighboring' loops that worked well as variations. Additionally, there were a lot of really tasty fills to select
from, as well as some helpful hi-hat and ride cymbal patterns.
This library's incredible value is supercharged by over 200
Electronic Beats loops that are every bit as stanky and even more
sonically cranky. Try this: Play some of these beats and then look
in a mirror. You'll most likely see that same scrunched-up expression that guitar players make when they play a solo. They're just
that vicious and infectious!
Takeaway
All of these Soundtrack Loops titles were great sounding,
expertly edited and are provided royalty free. Their affordable
pricing and premium quality make them solid winners, and with
over 150 libraries to choose from (including lots of freebies),
you're bound to find something to fit your needs.
Sven-Erik Seaholm (seaholm@recordingmag.com) is a singer/
songwriter and recording engineer in San Diego. Learn more at
www.kaspro.com.
RECORDING January 2015

http://www.kaspro.com

Recording - January 2015

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