Yep, it’s Friday…so get you a big ole plate and get ready for some Big Fish!
Today I’m dipping back into some of that laid back, ambient, on the cloud funk!
Downtempo/Ambient is one of my favorite types of music…there are no rules…you don’t need a super complex beat.
It’s all about the sound and the emotion.
So you know I love to explore these types of libraries…
So let’s see whatsup with Ambient Skylines
What is Ambient Skylines?
A huge, deep, fluffy collections of chilled out, refrigerated…ice cold loops and samples.
This is definitely one that leans more towards the cinematic, emotional….mood setting side of chillout and downtempo music.
Tons of space and ambiance in this library.
You get loops and then a collection of “non-looped” sounds…
which brings a lot of flexibility.
This one gives you all those freezer burned, reverbed out, smooth as butter riffs and loops that you love if this is your type of stuff.
Unlike many downtempo libraries, this one has stuff that is not only good for making music, but great for sound design and sound fx work as well.
Quick Specs
- content: 10.88gb total in all formats, 5 gb of 24bit wav files
- format: apple, rex, wav, rmx, acid
- price: $129.95
How does it sound though?
Well I’m glad you asked, as that’s what where here for.
As with anything from Big Fish, the recording is top quality with no undesired artifacts or glitches.
The thing I noticed about this library, comparing to some of my other favorite downtempo/ambient, is it’s more about the sound and the mood.
The sounds are very light, as well as heavy in ambience and reverb.
I like this, it gives it a different vibe compared to most, which makes it perfect for background music, sound fx, movie scores, games, media, documentaries, etc, in addition to straight up beat-making madness.
Everything in the library meshes together very well, from the electric bass to the airy sax samples. They all have this “cloud” over them…which you have to hear to understand. It’s not a muffled, cloaked sound….but it’s almost something like a “mist” which was sprayed across the entire collection.
One thing I did miss was a folder of dedicated drum hits, I mean there are some kick/hi-hat combinations, and a folder of percussions, but I would have liked to see some straight up ambient kicks, drums, snares. Or even a folder of drumloops ready to be chopped.
Overall the sound captures the feel and mood you would expect when you think of Ambient, not just airy, but also including some nice city/urban soundscapes as well.
What’s the final verdict on this joint?
I like it, I am a fan of downtempo/ambient music, I love to hear it and I love to make it.
This one takes on a different vibe and leans more towards the cinematic/film side of things in my opinion, as opposed to being straight up beat making material.
That’s not a bad thing, as most of the time we like to sample from things that are from film, movies, media, etc…so it gives a different vibe to the music for sure.
I give this library a 4 out of 5 subs, it’s very solid and has a lot of content.
I definitely would have liked to see some more drumloops or drum samples, but there’s enough in the kick/hi-hat loops and the percussion folder to keep you satisfied. I have no problem pulling in a snare or two to mix with the library.
Sometimes leaving the snare out gives you an even more chilled vibe
It’s definitely something to look into if you’re into this type of music and sound.
But yo…just check it out for yourself, here’s from free samples from the library! Free Ambient Skyline samples
you can also check the other demo songs on the page over at big fish: ambient skyline
make sure you let me know what ya think, leave a comment below
good lookin on the freebee Saint
@jaidon, no doubt fam, thanks for checkin it.
this is i sik kit rite hurr
@jaidon, indeed yo!
no prob i swear nobody really digs into these sounds like u du Joe 4real reviews go Hamm mi man:)
@jaidon, I try to find the good stuff man lol
Another great review, keep up my bruh…
@Laman (olujade) Richards, thanks for checkin it out fam, I appreciate it!
Good review..like this one alot! Thanks for the free loops bro.
@Mike, thanks for watching, yeah man, big fish hooked it up on this one 🙂
I like to give freebies when I can man!
sound pretty dope sounds like something for a drake type track
@BLak Mc”GuyVaH, thanks for checkin it out yo!
As usual, you do your thang man. Keep up the good work, and thanks for the freebies.
@William, no doubt fam, thanks for the support, enjoy! I’ll try to get freebies more often 🙂
Dope Review,Dope Product And Some Hot Free Sounds? What Could Be Better? Definitely A Good Look Saint Joe.
@jamilci, thanks for the response fam I appreciate you taking the time!
Man Big Fish never quits. I liked what I heard especially the vocal sounds, those are always too hard to come by in libraries. I wonder if any of the Equipped guys worked on this, the layout of the sounds seems similar to Slo Motion Tokyo, right down to the ‘drums’. The Tokyo set has percussive sounds you can layer, but similar to this, not a normal folder of regular hits. I hadn’t heard of this, thanks for the review.
@Metatron72, that’s exactly what it reminde me of, Slo Motion Tokyo lol, man we like a lot of the same stuff yo lol.
But yeah it’s nice, but it still has a different vibe compared to equipped I think, not bad or worse just different in my opinion.
Nice input as usual. I agree that the ambient/downtempo genre is more about “mood & feel” which creates the basis for the atmosphere that one is looking to create/produce. As far as the lack or limited number of drum loops, I myself probably won’t miss it. In my experience I’ve found that such things, however helpful, can sometimes influence what I’m looking to do and I loose my original muse so to speak. When you’re given a limited palette to work with it can force you to use more ingenuity thus leading to those happy creative accidents (granted it’s frustrating getting there).
Review on my brotha’…keep on.
Peace & Blessings
@jamari, yeah, I’m looking more for the drums that are in the same “feel” as this library. I’m not a drum loop or loop person, if they included drum loops then I would be able to chop them up and make kits 🙂
It’s not a huge oversight though, as the library is very useful for this style, I loved it. And I have plenty of drums anyway lol…but sometimes people are looking for an “all in one” library they can go to and have all the parts to cook with 🙂
I’m very glad it wasn’t laid out in “construction kit” format…I loved the layout of the library.
@saintjoe, true. From just the few sounds that I’ve heard through your review my mind just started wondering towards BFD Eco’s jazz kit or Abbey Road’s 60’s-70’s drums w/ some soft brush strokes and the like. And throw in a sprinkle of that Doodlebug library…Mmmm, tasty!
😀
@jamari, yessssssssssss lol…exactly lol. Or some drums from the chill 2 library, etc…so many options, but it’s always good to have some even if it’s just 5-10, that are treated in the same “way” as the rest of the library 🙂
@jamari, Brother’
Now you’re talking…. Mmmh!
I can feel it…..
@everythingbutthegirl, I know huh? Lol
Sounds awesome man, definitely a fan of this stuff! I love adding it into everything…there’s almost always a little sumthin’ that’ll really make a track well rounded.
@Andrew, yeah man, adds a nice texture for sure!
Good honest review, this library sounds just up my alley
@cane creek, thanks for checking it out, I also love sounds like this.