Not a lot to say on this one, some free drums from trauhmadrums.com and I like them

Peep this quick video and go download them, he’s cool peeps and didn’t know I was doin this video but I love to show love to the smaller developers and he has some create drums.

check it out

download at http://www.traumahdrums.com./

lemme know what you think.

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.

peep the vid and let me know what you think.

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 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.

This is just a quick video showing a track I made using some string a brass sounds from novaloops

these sounds came from the novaloops Coast to Coast Brass and String Collection

leave a comment below, lemme know what you think.

Aight, so…we love fatloud around here, they are definitely one of the companies I respect, and enjoy.

A majority of their collections where either singular sound packs or construction kits…..and yall know how I do my construction kits.

I like stuff to be in it’s own folder based on sound…not construction kits.

Fatlout put out “After Hours” a free sample pack that crushed many other packs companies try to sell.  And they did it the way I like it…

Sounds were in category folders instead of construction kits. So you had folders for synths, strings, keys, bass, etc.

I loved it…and I constantly pestered Paul over at Fatloud, let him know that people want packs like this…many producers miss a lot of dope sounds because they just don’t look at construction kits.

If you organize sounds in a way that doesn’t force the producers hand, you’ll sale more….I’m willing to bet that this new Black and Gold collection is breaking records for sales at Fatloud…it’s what the people want!

So what is Black & Gold?

Black and Gold is the first pack in the new XL series from Fatloud.  The XL series is basically what I said above, instead of construction kits, sounds are organized by type into folders.

I really love this format, and I organize all my sounds this way.

Whenever I get new construction kit formatted sounds, I remove everything from the folders BEFORE I listen to it…and put them in folders based on sound.

I don’t want to be forced into making a track that sounds like the construction kit…so I mix it all up.

I know tons of producers and beat makers who think the same way, some won’t even mess with construction kits.

Being able to buy a collection of sounds, that are organized by sound type…is a dream come true for many beat makers.

Fatloud came out with all guns blazin on their first of hopefully many in the XL series.

Quick Specs

• Contents: 400+ loops, riffs and one shot samples
• Format: wav, acid, aiff, apple loops, rex 2, reason refill
• Price: 32.90 euro about $47

How does it sound?

Dope!

Honestly, each folder in this collection could stand on it’s own as a mini sample collection. The strings are nice, the keys, synths, everything has that Fatloud edge we’ve come to expect.  All they do is urban music, and it shows.

The production and variety of the sounds in here is definitely inspiring and will keep you busy for days.

I feel like each loop is a new track waiting to happen, there’s not a bunch of repeats and it feels like everything was made to stand on it’s own…it just doesn’t feel like a construction kit.

Not unwanted clicks, pops, or hisses are present…keeping everything tight, clean, and ready to use.

The sound is very “now” if that makes any sense.  You can definitely tell they love the music they produce, and they definitely have no intentions of allowing any “filler” to make it’s way into their collections.

So what’s the final verdict?

without a doubt, no question, you should already know why are you even asking me……

5 out of 5 subs.  This collection is setting a new standard, and I really hope other companies take note.

Many beatmakers would get a lot more sounds from you if you put your stuff in category format instead of construction loops.

To many beatmakers and producers…construction kit = “premade beats”.

I hope to see MANY MANY more in the XL series from Fatloud….and honestly, I hope to see some of my other favorite companies take notes and put out products in this format in addition to their construction kit format.

Go on over to fatloud.com and checkout the demo…you’ll see Black and Gold front and center.

What do you think about fatloud and their new sample pack format?

Let me know below in the comments.