Yall know I’ve been working out different ways to use Maschine to the fullest and still have proper integration with my plugin collection.
I’ve finally found it!
Using Maschine standalone, and using Ableton Live as a rack…but what I also found out, is that you can sync live to Maschine’s clock!
Using midi drag and drop when I’m done sequencing, I can get everything I do in Maschine into Live’s session view very quickly.
Then I just arrange my patterns that way, it’s a very quick, efficient, and unlimited workflow….I really feel like I have no limits right now.
I can’t wait until I can drag and drop audio from Live back into Maschine Then I can use some of that warping and other goodness from live.
Anyway, this is my current workflow, and out of all the different ways I’ve messed with Maschine and plugins, this feels the most productive and the most natural.
Got a new collection of videos coming to ya, where I’ll be “In The Lab” with Nova Loops, reviewing a bunch of products they sent over for me to checkout.
They have a ton of sounds in various styles, so I’m going to go through a bunch of their construction loop sets and makin a track using only their sounds.
It’s the end of the week so you know what time it is
BIG FISH FRIDAY BABY!
I got some fresh fish for ya today… this time we gonna get a lil more rugged and look at some hip hop samples big fish sent me.
Straight Outta NYC baby!
What’s up with Straight Outta NYC?
Well, it’s a sample cd, not a sample pak, it actually comes on a dvd like most collections. I think the term sample cd is getting old lol…most now come on dvds with gigs of files.
Anyway, according to the site:
“The heart of East Coast Hip Hop resides in one place: New York City.
Straight Outta NYC is full of the life, the beats, the grooves, the melodies, and everything that is East Coast Hip Hop.
Check out the beats, horns, guitars, synths, basses, clavs, fx, vocals and more.
Also included in each construction kit are all the drum hits broken out and a folder of drum tracks giving you the individual parts of the drums broken out for easy mixing, remixing or mixing and matching.
All material comes in WAV, REX, Apple Loops and RMX format. Take the snare loop from one kit and match it with the kick from another or try any number of other combinations!
It’s time to check out the Hip Hop flavors of NYC!”
…yeah, okay, I’ve heard this before. Someone claims to have
captured the real “feel” of hip hop and it ends up being some
cheesy unusable collection of cliche beats and riffs…
let’s see
So did Big Fish come real or cheesy?
…yeah, okay, I’ve heard this before. Someone claims to have captured the real “feel” of hip hop and it ends up being some cheesy unusable collection of cliche beats and riffs…
let’s see
So did Big Fish come real or cheesy?
They came HARD! Man, I was definitely not sure about this one, I mean, the demo sounded okay…but a whole collection?
Straight outta NYC? I had to check it.
The production is top notch, the riffs and keys have a feel that you definitely can use. Some of the piano parts have that “sampled sound” so you can chop them up and have a sample based track without dealing with sample clearance. I love that.
The elements are raw, rugged, and ready to go.
The loops are long enough that you can get tons of chops for different tracks. They have those sick organs you hear in that east coast stuff, epic strings, even some of those rocwilder type synths and stuff…
It’s not JUST underground, they captured the whole entire east coast nyc style of music, from underground, to storytelling, to harlem club bangers.
What about the price?
Well this one surprised me…like many of you, I’m used to sample cds/dvds being around 99 bucks or more, no problem.
This one comes in at 69 bucks, I think that’s a heckuva deal. It’s a not much more than the average sample pak you can download from many online vendors, but the amount of content you get is banannas.
I think this is a great value, considering it’s less than the average sample cd, good stuff.
I think it keeps it in the reach of most folks, even if you’re on the “one sample collection a month” diet, this one is a good deal.
So what’s the final verdict?
I gave this collection a 4.5 out of 5 subs…very solid production. The only reason I didn’t give it the full 5 is because I would have liked to see a folde or two of extra instrument riffs and such.
They include the single drum hits, which I love about their collections, that way I don’t have to chop if I don’t want to.
Great production, tons of variety even though it’s strictly east coast, you get a lot of different styles. The price is right, and the loops are pretty long.
This week they sent me a guitar sample collection from the “Off The Hook” Series.
This is a well known series in the sample cd market for urban and hip hop production.
Let’s check it
So what exactly is Off The Hook Guitars?
It’s just what it says, a huge collection of guitar construction kits from the “Off The Hook” series.
according to the site:
When it comes to Hip Hop and RnB loops, Off the Hook has set the standard. Once again, Anthony Myers raises the bar with this incredible offering dedicated to urban guitar loops.
Off the Hook Guitars gives you smooth acoustic and electric guitar loops, licks, leads, wah wah, riffs, rhythm parts, and more.
These 40 live recorded construction kits contain several guitar parts that work great together, or they can be used individually to give you that sexy guitar feel you’ve been lookin’ for.
As a bonus, you get the drum mixes as well.
It all comes in WAV, REX, Apple Loops, Acid and with a special RMX installer.
What type a variety in a guitar cd?
Surprisingly, quite a bit.
The way they did this one is very nice. You get a full construction kit based on guitars.
You get the full guitar mixes, as well as the individual guitar riffs and parts.
They even put the drumloops in there. At first I didn’t care about that but once I heard them it was fun to chop them up and get some new drum sounds
The styles are all over from laid back and jazzy, to sexy rnb, to even some funk styles
How about the production and sound quality?
Top notch, period. Having this collection is like hiring the best session guitar players you can find.
Everything sounds authentic and well-played.
The sound quality is superb but that’s a given for Big Fish, they always have good quality. And remember, this is a professional sound library, so it has to deliver the goods.
What about the price value?
The price is pretty common for a sample cd, right at 99 bucks it’s not over-priced nor under-priced.
I’m pretty used to sample cds being around this price so it’s not out of the norm, and for the quality and amount of content, I think it’s a good deal.
This may be a little on the higher end of the scale for those of you not used to purchasing sample cds, but to those that know, you can spend quite a bit more for a good quality cd/dvd.
The sheer amount of content and quality makes it worth it, I have sample cds from Big Fish that I purchased years ago that still get regular use today.
So what is the final verdict?
Hands down, no question 5 out of 5 subs. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.
I was pleasantly surprised with the drumloops! They were awesome and a great way to chop up some new drums.
I’m all for the royalty free goodies man, I prefer not to sample from records/songs because I don’t want to pay royalties.
So when I do sample, I love stuff like this. Dope quality, lots of content, lots of options, and even some nice drums.
Each Friday I will be taking a look at something from bigfishaudio.com
They are one of the largest and most well known providers of sample cds and sample libraries in the industry.
I have established a relationship with the company where they will send me out various products throughout the year so that I can review them on the site.
Most of their products are in the sample cd range, as well as instruments, but the also do some sample paks as well.
I’m pretty sure I bought my first sample cd ever from big fish audio lol.
Anyway, today we’re going to look at one of their downloadable sample paks, Club Bangers RnB
So what IS Club Bangers RnB?
according to the site:
Club Bangers R&B Pak contains eight fresh and new R&B construction kits that are ready to drop in the clubs.
Edited and formatted to the highest standards, these kits are ready to go in nearly any music sequencing application.
All the content is included in acidized WAV, Apple Loops, REX, and RMX formats Once you get started, you’ll notice how easy it is to get great pro-sounding tracks together.
Smooth and sexy these jams are instant hits. The sounds are clean and tight and at this price you can’t go wrong.
Only 8 Kits? Is there much variety?
Yes, there is tons of variety.
You’ve got to remember, Big Fish is known for producing some of the most popular sample libraries around, and most of them carry a higher price tag, most starting around 100 bucks.
That’s not bad, that’s actually the norm for a full sample cd, I’m talking stuff with gigs and gigs of samples. But with the download paks, they are allowing pretty much everyone the opportunity to get the same Big Fish quality at a lower entry point, something for everyone.
The variety of the kits is actually pretty good, I was expecting them to all sound the same but each takes it’s own direction and doesn’t really copy the others. Some are synth heavy, others more ballad or piano based, while some are heavy on the strings, it’s all good, and they all sound great.
If that wasn’t enough, they also give you the individual drum tracks AS WELL AS the individual drum hits, I love when construction sets come with single drum hits, so I don’t have to chop the drum loops myself.
What about the sound and production quality?
This is where the collection stands out and I was very pleased with the sound. The synths range anywhere from soft and smooth to hard and in your face, all with no distortion…unless of course it’s on purpose.
The keys are recorded well, the bass has great low-end, and the drum loops KNOCK. The drums themselves are what surprised me the most in this one, I know Big Fish brings the pain when they do instruments, so I didn’t expect anything but the best.
I was NOT expecting to open up a highly usable and down right bangin set of single drum hits.
The styles and production in this pack are very diverse, the loops are long enough to get many chops from it, or even loop it up as is and lay a great foundation for your next RnB joint.
And the price-point?
The price is right baby! Don’t expect to 4 to 7 gigs of stuff this high quality for 29 bucks, but you do get enough content to keep you happy and you will not feel cheated with this purchase.
29 bucks puts it right in the price range of many who are used to buying the single sample packs from many online sample providers. But it allows you to get a taste of the Big Fish, and also gives you a glimpse into what you can expect from their larger sample collections.
I like this addition to their site, it allows everyone to benefit from their years of producing high quality sample content no matter what your budget is.
Final verdict? What is the rating?
I went into this not knowing what to expect, as you know I’m not a huge construction pack fan, but I’ve been known to use them in my own way. I was able to find some loops and sounds to chop and that ALWAYS makes me happy.
I give this collection a 4.5 out of 5 subs, it’s really great, the only reason I had to not give it a full 5 subs is that there were only 8 kits, had there been 10 to 12 kits I would have given it a 5 out of 5.
Either way, it’s dope, a great value, and let’s many people get into the Big Fish sound that may not have the budget for their larger libraries. ( I will review some of those for you as well)
If you’re looking for a nice collection of RnB sounds and loops, as well as some bangin drums, you should definitely checkout Club Bangers RnB Pak.
Then I can use some of that warping and other goodness from live.
Anyway, according to the site:
Well this one surprised me…like many of you, I’m used to sample cds/dvds being around 99 bucks or more, no problem.
I gave this collection a 4.5 out of 5 subs…very solid production. The only reason I didn’t give it the full 5 is because I would have liked to see a folde or two of extra instrument riffs and such.
according to the site:
Hands down, no question 5 out of 5 subs. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.
according to the site:
