It’s friday, it’s Big Fish time!

Today I am checking out something a little different.

It’s a construction kit type of product, but with a twist….NO DRUMS

let’s check it out

What is Urban Inspiration?

It is a deep collection of urban/hip hop melodies and loops, no beats, no drums, just the sauce.

It’s for those that don’t or rarely ever use drumloops, or those that have an extensive collection of drumloops and just need some stuff to lay over them.

It’s got keys, bass, synths, strings, brass, flutes, guitars, and fx….but no drums, no percussion, and no drumloops.

It’s pretty much what I do to any library I get, I take them out of construction kits, put them in folders according to their kind, and most times delete the drum loops.

Sometimes I keep a few and make a drum kit, but you know what I mean.  This is nothing but the melodies, ready to loop, slice, chop, or splice into your next track

Quick Specs

• Content: 50 construction kits, over 1.03gb of wav files (smaller sizes for rex and apple)
• Format: apple loops, rex, wav
• Price: $59.95

How does it sound?

It’s sounds pretty good, pretty much like what you’d expect.

It’s well produced with a lot of variety. Honestly, it sounds like a construction kit library wit the drums missing.

Not that you’ll actually miss them, but it’s put together just like any other construction kit library, 3-5 loops or more in a kit, various parts of the track.

There’s enough here to please pretty much anyone, from the experimental edgy synth lovers, to the mellow minor chord lovin hip hop producers.

They even through a bunch of hits and stabs in there, for those that like that choppy east coast style.

This collection is made up of pristinely recorded audio with enough variety in there for it not to get old fast.

So what’s the bottom line?

It’s a decent library, pretty much on par with most of the other libraries available from Big Fish.

It’s not the cream of the crop, top of the heap, but it’s a good collection of very usable sounds and fresh production

One thing I didn’t like is the fact that, like construction kits, the loops don’t always start on the first measure of a bar.

No problem really, but since it’s all melodies, I would have preferred it to be a bunch of loops that start on the 1, however that’s easy to work around, especially when you’re chopping them up.

I give this library 4 out of 5 subs, I like the fact that they made a library just for the melodies, many of us prefer it this way as we have our own library of drums.

Definitely check it out if your looking for some riffs and loops to add to your collection, the price proves you don’t have to break the bank to get a large collection of usable loops.

Back with another soundhound, this time we checking out another collection from p5audio.

If you like guitar loops and riffs, you may definitely be interested in this one

Billboard Guitar Loops: RnB Edition

What is Billboard Guitar RnB Edition?

209 electric guitar loops Usher, R Kelly, Beyonce, Ne-Yo, etc…

played by one of Dr Dre’s guitarists…Aaron McLain.

You get a bunch of loops broken down into folders by tempos ranging from 60 to 110 bpm.

Each loop has the tempo and key included in the name of the sample for easy locating and mixing.

Quick Specs

• Content: 209 loops
• Format: Wav, REX (reason refill), and Apple Loops
• Price: $34.99

How do they sound?

Pretty slick.

Of course there are a few of the “customary” styled riffs that seem to show up in some form or variation in every hip hop, rnb, or urban guitar library, but it’s all good, they still sound fresh.

The quality of the recorded loops is professional and clean, no clicks, no pops, and even feels like there is a little bit of room ambiance on them.

There is enough in the various tempos to keep you busy, with some loops being a variation or continuation of the other.

I really dig the 60 – around 80 bpm or so loops, they seem to glide across the sound palette.

The faster tempo loops are cool and usable but didn’t get me open like the lower tempo ones.

Well produced, well played, and well recorded.

So what’s the bottom line?

This is one of those “foundational” libraries that I think every producer should have.

You know, the one’s that are just usable, period.

It gives you a great collection of well played guitar riffs at a price that won’t break the bank or have your wife breaking a bank over your head!

I give this collection 4 out of 5 subs, definitely something in here for most folks.

The guitar riffs don’t sound cheesy, in fact, many make you want to loop them up and build a song around it…no chopping needed.

Whatever you choose to do with them, just make sure you check them out, they even give you some free loops on the site to check before you buy.

Go on over and peep em out at p5audio, tell em saintjoe sent ya.

let me know what you think

Back at you again with another review from Fatloud. This time it’s another one from their XL series (easily one of my favorite series)

This is where they give you tons of sounds, already split into their own folders, instead of construction kits.

This is really smart, I know I do this on my own with anything that comes in a construction kit, I separate it all before I even listen to it, so all my synths, strings, bass, brass, winds, etc….are all together.

The first one we reviewed from this series was Black and Gold, and it was dope…let’s see if Dust is dope as well

What’s up with the Dust?

Well the XL series from Fatloud is basically the “anti construction kit” and I love it. You get all the sounds separated into their own folders, so your brass, bass, keys, etc are all together.

Dust is a new collection of all original, custom created, royalty-free loops and samples.

You get brass, strings, synths, keys, drumloops, drum hits, one shots, fx, and percussion. All separated and ready to go.

This collection was touched up with a little vinyl flavor, but only enough to give it a little “dirt” yet it still sounds very new school instead of like classic hip hop, it’s a nice mix.

Quick Specs

• Content: 200 loops, 123 one shot samples
• Format: 24bit Acidized Wav, 16 bit wav, 24 bit aiff, apple loops, rex,
• Price: $45.00

How does it sound?

Like everything else Fatloud puts out, the sound is always crisp and clean. Everything is processed well and ready to go with no strange artifacts, cracks, clicks, or any other undesired noises.

The production quality is always on point, and I’m always happy at how diverse they are in style and content.  It really feels like a huge melting pot of different sounds that all have a similar “dirt shine” to them.

You can tell they were processed to work together, yet the styles and sounds themselves are very diverse in nature

You can go from jazzy brass riffs, to smooth string beds, right into a rough and rugged electric keyboard riff.  Not just turntable hip hop, not just club pop, not just jazzy rnb, it’s a little bit of it all mixed into it’s own thing.

Fatloud definitely has their own sound, and so far, I’ve always been well pleased with that sound and surprised by the range of styles included that yet remain true to their sound.

What’s the bottom line, is Dust a must have?

I think it is, but again, that depends on your style and type of music you make.  If you’re looking for some of that classic boom bap style of dusty music, then there are definitely other products I’ve reviewed that will suit you.

If you like the sound and feel of a “lil bit of dirt” yet still want something that can be turned into both classic boom bap or new school space age funk then this is it.  The synths are fat, the drums are hard, the strings are silky, and the brass is huge.

You very well may be tempted to use the loops as is, for the foundation of your next track…and that’s totally your call, I prefer to chop but sometimes you just got to loop it and go…I understand that too.

This is no question, 5 out of 5 subs, I’ve YET to be let down by anything Fatloud puts out, it doesn’t get old, it doesn’t get boring, and the quality never slacks.

I’ll say the same thing I said before….MORE XL SERIES PRODUCTS PLEASE!

I really like how they lay it out, I’m just surprised no other sample pack providers are doing it this way, you usually only get it like this on some sample cd libraries.

Either way, I’m happy, it’s dope…and I think you should check out the demos. peep Fatloud Sample Shop

let me know what ya think!

It’s Friday…Big Fish Friday.

Today I am reviewing another library from Big Fish and eQuipped Music.

Yes, eQuipped, the same  ones that made smoker’s delight, smoker’s relight and breakbeat jazz…all high quality libraries.

Premier Beats and Hip Hop Instrumentals is another entry into the realm of laid back, turntable, breaks and bits based music.

let’s check it out!

What is Premier Beats and Hip Hop Instrumentals?

It’s a great big dose of raw and rugged hip hop sounds, complete with the vinyl dirt present.

It’s two dvds full of mpc style breaks, chords, instrumentals, drums, fx, and other sounds.

It has that feel of taking hits and stabs from various records or other musical pieces, performing audio heart transplants….

and creating something totally new from the gumbo of sounds you’ve gathered.

In the eQuipped style, everything is raw, authentic, high quality, and inspiring.

From smooth ep chords to bouncin bass and random stabs….

enough to satisfy even the most dedicated crate digger.

Quick Specs

• Content: 2 dvds 8gb total (multiple formats)
• Format: apple loops, rex, refill, wav
• Price: $199 for the physical dvd package, you can also get it in 3 download volumes for $49.99 each

How does it sound?

Really, you shouldn’t have to wonder about this.  eQuipped Music ALWAYS brings the heat!

How they manage to keep things raw, grimy, and dirty yet pristine in quality is beyond me, but they do it.

You get small bits and pieces, chords and riffs as one-shot samples to throw into your favorite sampler and just go to work.

They also have these same chords and riffs constructed into full loops, if you prefer the sound and randomness you get from chopping samples.

As if that isn’t enough, they also have these “instrumental loops” which are the chord and riff loops, mixed with bass, ep, and fx for a full sample chopping feel.

Recording is pristine, just enough “sauce”  on their sounds to keep them unique. I really don’t know what they do to their libraries, but I love it, it has a “smokey” feeling almost, airy, light, hard, smooth, silky….just all around goodness.

Kinda like your favorite fresh warm pie!

What’s the final verdict on Premier Beats?

A+ all the way.

This is an inspiring library, even the packaging is amazing, the dvds look like little vinyl records!

I like how they packaged the sounds in a way that everyone can use no matter how you like to work.  If you like to chop up samples, you can do that, if you just want to chop specific parts like the chords you can do that.  Even if you want to take the various chords from throughout the library and put them together yourself (I think it’s somewhere over 1000 different sounds and riffs just in the chords section) you can do that.

You get bass, drums, ep, and fx sounds too!  The drums alone are top notch and ready to go, so it’s like getting multiple libraries in one. Each section lives up to the quality and feel I’ve come to expect from eQuipped.

This is a 5 out of 5 subs library, all the way no questions asked. Something you will use for a very long time, their libraries are timeless.

If you want something that you can use, abuse, and not worry about it getting old, checkout Premier Beats and Hip Hop Instrumentals

or any of the other libraries from eQupped available at Big Fish: eQuipped Music at Big Fish

leave a comment below, let me know what you think!

Today we checkin out some smooth sounds from SoundsToSample.com

In case you didn’t know, this site is run by the creators of Sample Magic…yeah, them.

Checkin out some rhodes samples they sent over for review, in a Jazz/Funk style.

David knows I like smooth, downtempo, chilled out sounds….so I had to check this one on his suggestion.

What is Mellow Jazz/Funk Elements?

In short, it’s a collection of rhode samples.

What I first noticed about this collection is the variety of styles in there.

Usually when you get a rhodes library it’s all pretty much along the same groove.

Not this one, you get blues, jazz, funk, chords, arpeggios, and other random stuff.

Rhodes are like salt, everyone should have some in the house.

Quick Specs

• Content: 430 acidized wav files
• Format: Wav
• Price: $39.95

So how do they sound?

The first thing I noticed about the sound is that it seems they were all recorded with the mic pretty close to the cabinet.  That can be good or bad depending on what you want.

But it gives it a full bodied sound, lots of harmonics and such.

Like I said before, the variety is a strong point of the collection, because you can find tons of different styles and they all sound authentic.

The playing is very groove oriented, especially when you get into some of the jazz loops, a bunch of nice riffs and stuff ready to be chopped.

The inclusion of single chords is also welcome, with 3 and 4 note varieties.

All in all, it’s got a good authentic rhodes sound, though some may find it a little too “full” for their tastes.

So what’s the bottom line on this library?

It’s got a great sound, great production and plenty of variety to be useful in various situations.

If you like the “fullness” of a rhodes sounds, as opposed to a more “controlled” feel, then you’ll love the sounds in here.

The production provides enough variation in the loops and riffs to allow for some great chops to be extracted.

I give this library a 4 out of 5 subs, solid library at a nice price.

check it out over at SoundsToSample.com: Mellow Jazz/Funk Elements

leave a comment below and let me know what you think about the demo.

time for some more motion samples

today I’m checking out an urban orchestra pack called Hoodlum Orchestra

What is Hoodlum Orchestra?

a collection of multi sample orchestra based loops.

Strings, violins, timpanis, and horns all played in a nice orchestral style,

with an urban edge.

These aren’t single sound loops, but multiple sounds put together in one loop,

just like the samples you’d grab from records or cds

Quick Specs

• Content: 160 multisample loops
• Format: wave
• Price: $35

What do they sound like?

Like some dope orchestra loops.  They don’t sound synthetic so I don’t know if they brought in real string players or what, but they definitely have an authentic sound to them.

Not too epic to where you can use it, some of them are laid back too.

Quality wise there’s nothing to worry about, everything is recorded well.

Production wise, there is plenty of variation to get a bunch of different feels.

Everything from down south anthems, laid back west coast strings, and hype/grimey east coast stuff….it’s all here.

So what’s the bottom line on the Hoodlum Orchestra?

It’s a very solid collection of orchestral samples.

Sometimes you get orchestral samples and they are too “epic” sounding so you can only use them for hype/epic style music.

These have a nice variety with plenty of laid back sounds to fit into various types of music.

They are played with an urban edge so they will provide constant inspiration.

I give these a 4 out of 5 subs.

Nice quality, nice production and a nice price.

Check em out right here: Motion Samples Hoodlum Orchestra

leave a comment and let me know what you think

back again with some more authentic samples from platinumloops

this time we taking it south of the border! And no I don’t mean taco bell….

What is Latin Breaks Volume 1?

It’s a full authentic collection of rhythms and loops straight from Latin America.

Percussions, horns, vocals…

all the various sounds you would expect in an exotic latin musical excursion.

Not just a bunch of bongos, but these sound like full breaks

chopped from complete latin records or performances

Real Latin music played live by real Latin musicians

Quick Specs

• Content: 144 loops and 7 one shot samples
• Format: WAV, AIF, REX2
• Price: $69.95

So how do they sound?

Authentic…and spicy!

One thing I’ve come to notice about platinumloops is when they say Latin, they mean it.  Just like their Arabian breaks product, this product captures the authentic sound and vibe of real Latin music.

The playing and recording is the type of stuff you spend hours getting dusty fingers looking through old thrift store records, cds, and 8 tracks.

These samples fit easily in a movie or tv soundtrack, as well as they next hip hop, pop, or dance tune.

There is a bit of “air” about the samples, that gives it that live feel, maybe because it was actually recorded live.

I found myself just listening to the grooves, not knowing how or where I would use them.

Production is high quality, and there is tons of different elements to mix, mash, and mangle

So what’s the bottom line?

I was really surprised in this library, when I first got it in for review I thought I couldn’t do anything with it.

I knew it was recorded well, but it felt more like something I would use in a movie score and not for making my next production.

Either way, movie score or music production, these sounds can be very useful and inspiring.

I give this collection a solid 4.5 out of 5 subs.

Well produced and well put together, I would have liked to have more of the musical elements, even though there is quite a bit, I felt I could have traded a few of the percussion loops and breaks for some good latin horn/guitar grooves.

But all in all, a great product.

check out the demos on their site, they even have a few loops/breaks for download: Latin Breaks V1

leave a comment below and let me know what you think

It’s been a while since we did a review on something from Samplified Sounds but they released a new library a while back that I hadn’t reviewed yet!

This one is a euro styled urban pop library.

let’s check it out

What is Eurotronix?

It’s a collection of euro pop infused with rnb!

For those that like huge pad, synths, gated trance leads, and sweeps in their music, this is for you.

This collection really sounds like a bunch of euro pop songs, read to be chopped.

You get the full track with everything in it, for those that love to chop, and you also get it broken down into smaller chunks..

still big enough to chop or loop if you prefer.

Quick Specs

• Content: about 570+ wav samples broken up into two parts
• Format: wav
• Price: each volume (1 and 2) is $19.70 each

How does it sound?

Luscious!

These really have a lush sound to them. The way they produced them makes them sound just like some euro pop/electronic songs.

I like the fact that they give you a huge track where all the sounds are together, so you can chop them up like a sample.  But they also give you the smaller parts to chop up, some of which include individual sounds isolated for further flexibility.

The sound quality is superb, they sound ready for the radio already.

No glitches or pops found at all.

Plenty of content to keep you busy with enough variety to keep you creative.

What is the final verdict on this one?

The quality of the production, the feel of the music, and the quantity of the content make this library stand out.

It is a definite 5 out of 5 subs in my opinion, I had fun with it, plus I just loved listening to it.  These folks really know their production and it shows.  They may not have tons of packs, but each of them stands out among the crowd.

The fact that they broke them into volumes (they used to be only single libraries) allows more people to get their hands on them.

This is a great library, a different taste from the normal urban/hip hop and rnb libraries so it’s really a breath of fresh air.

Check em out and listen to the demos: samplified sounds eurotronix

leave a comment below and let me know what you think