UVI Emulation II 01/30/2012
Review of UVI Emulation II: For lovers of the sounds of the 80s - Emulation II is a sound library not to be missed. While it has its limitations - it's easy the best 80s sound library on the market.  Revival of the 80s. Although that the 80s had its particular sound in terms of production, such as huge gated snares and cheesy synthesizers, I always look back on the 80s as the time when the soul and definition of pop really got nailed. Sure, what we call pop today springs from many sources such as soul, disco and even rock - but the core of all those catchy melodies and massive intros we're hearing today is so 80s it possibly can be.
Click here to hear (and see) a demo of UVI Emulation II. Add Comment Sample Magic Vintage House 01/11/2012
Review of Sample Magic Vintage House: following the trail from their Hed Kandi library, Sample Magic releases a new collection of sound aimed for back in the day when house was house.  Back to the roots. Long before house sprouted into all the flavors and mutations we're seeing today, the definition of house were pretty defined: a electronic beat machine - usually a 909 - a bass guitar, some electric piano and maybe some synthesizers and that was pretty much it.
In this library Sample Magic relives the era in - by todays measure - a pretty calm tempo of 120 and 125 bpm. This library is aimed for the users who are primary looking for old-school drum sounds and loops toppled with some nice bass loops. Review of Sound of Revolution Kick Free Revolution Vol 3: Oliver Schmitt is back with a new collection of kick free loops. If you are into electro and techno, this is a collection of loops that will help you stand out.  Bring your own kicks. Oliver Schmitt is a man driven by a passion. Just like Deadmau5, Oliver Schmitt knows the art of creating drum loops that sound spot-on modern with a minimum of ingredients. For someone like me - who rather add than take away - it's almost like dark magic. But as the old idiom famously says 'the devil is in the details' - and that's what Oliver Schmitts loops are all about. Tiny details that you barely register but perceive as a whole.
Waveform Recordings Old School Tech 12/10/2011
Review of Waveform Recordings Old School Tech: This library transports you back to the 90s when techno broke free from house and the focus turned to more synthetic and deeper sounds.  Although the 80s still make an impact on modern productions of today - electro or popish trance - the 90s is in my opinion one of the most underrated decades.
That's when techno moved away from house and rave and started a whole new sound. Old School Tech from Waveform Recording is a collection of 530 megabyte samples and loops, covering this part of musical history. Sample Magic Hed Kandi 11/30/2011
Review of Sample Magic Hed Kandi: Hed Kandi is one of those labels that you directly know what you will get: soulful and uplifting house. So when Sample Magic releases a new sample library with the blessing from Hed Kandi, the biggest question is: can I finally become a Hed Kandi superstar? The answer is not quite. But it lays the foundation.  Everybody seem to know about Hed Kandi. Maybe it's because of their crystal clear profile - both visually as with the music. But it's still kind of weird. People I know who aren't into house knows Hed Kandi. Even connoisseurs who specializes in Indian ragas knows about Hed Kandi.
While the typical Hed Kandi compilations cover lots of ground, it's still quite clear what you get. Electronic/electric funky house. With its own sample library Sample Magic calls the compilation disco-house, which sums it up quite nicely. The library Sample Magic Hed Kandi is not a pool of sounds to cover all aspects of Hed Kandi. 5Pin Media Prog Tech Synths 07/29/2011
Review of 5Pin Media Prog Tech Synths: Prog Tech Synths is a collection of midi files specifically aimed for progressive and tech house. While the material in the collection is good, it could have been executed in a much better way.  Before the era of software synthesizers midi-files were the Big Thing and together with the General Midi specification it became - uh - huge. Suddenly you could give a song on your friend and the sounds would sound pretty much the same. As everyone knows - although that the General Midi specification was a good idea - all sound cards and even external sound modules sounded pretty much rubbish. Even by the standard of that time. Damn it, even by the standards of today, built-in General Midi Sounds in sound cards sounds horrible. So for many users the word midi became synonymous with low quality.
Although not a new idea, midi files are seeing a renaissance, specifically when added together with sample libraries. Many developers of sample libraries are today not only selling their loops and sounds, but also the original files that were made to create the material. The idea is actually quite useful and is executed in a brilliant way in Trance Cosmos Elements Volume 3. So when 5Pin Media not only release a library with focus on midi files, but it's the third in a series - it's hard not to get interested. Prog Tech Synths is a collection of mainly midi files, but also some samples. The basic structure is built around ten construction kits. Katana Bits Advanced Hard Dance 01: Raikiri 07/05/2011
Review of Advanced Hard Dance 01 Raikiri: what happens if you take eurodance, combine it with rave and put it in the context of 2011? The answer is: A fresh and cheeky injection of sounds for the dance floor.  Japanese Eurodance. Katana Bits is a new sound designer that recently signed up for distribution via SoundsToSample. Raikiri is a term from the japanese anime series Naruto meaning 'lightning blade' which if my Kung-Fu is still relevant is some kind of hardcore ninja-skill. What is publicly known about Katana Bits apart from their devotion to manga is not much. They are japanese. They come from Tokyo and have an obvious passion for the fast and bombastic.
I think the latter is what caught my ear when first skimming through the library. When minimal styles still are in fashion - a compilation like this shines through like a multicolored rainbow in the dark. It's like Leila K stumbling in a housing cooperative meeting, wearing a mini skirt with a bottle of champagne. The people over at Katana Bits are apparently fans of the Sylenth software synthesizer - and on their Soundcloud page you can listen to the sounds they come up with. But let's get to business. What does Raikiri actually contain? Sample Magic Electro 03/02/2011
Review of Sample Magic Electro: Release number 20 from soundbenders Sample Magic is dedicated to electro - and when Sample Magic talks electro, they mean commercial electro.  The magic is back. If I would say that trance is dead, it would come back and haunt me until I repent. So I won't say that. Instead I'll say that Electro is the hottest style on the three most important places right now: clubs, radio and the fitness club. So when sample moguls Sample Magic release a 850+ sound library in the said style, you pay attention.
It's easy to repeat yourself when reviewing products from Sample Magic, and right now it seems this producer of loops and sounds can do nothing wrong. While I personally am a big fan of Sample Magic, I feel their greatness have come with age. Although early releases were good - I think their most recent releases have been impressive as in 10/10. Samplerbanks Minimal Pop 02/14/2011
Review of Samplerbanks Minimal Pop: Minimal Pop is a classy collection of drum and bass loops for modern dance music production.  House, not pop. Minimal Pop from producer Samplerbanks is described as a collection minimal loops in the form of chords, synths, basslines, breaks, glitched sounds and drum loops. The inspiration of the library was taken from artists such as Alan K, Brandon Plank, Andy Lee and Nieghel. The style of the material is aimed for (quote) "Minimal, Minimal House, Deep House and Tech House music". Wave Alchemy Deep Tech and Progressive 10/26/2010
Review of Wave Alchemy Deep Tech and Progressive: Wave Alchemy have a solid reputation of being one of the top players among the creators of sample libraries, and with their latest product they show they're not afraid of pushing the boundaries.  Last time I laid my perverted hands on a library from Wave Alchemy was a couple of months back when I got the opportunity to write about their Drum Tools 01 collection of processed drum samples. Since then they have been working on a new library, just released - aimed for the more quirkier and darker side of techno. This time, it's not just drum sounds on the menu, but also loops: drum, bass and synths. Since I have three nasty deadlines hanging over me, I won't waste any time but get straight to it. | Subscribe news
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