BPM Hip Hop Planet expansion from UVIsoundsource

Back again with another UVI expansion for Motu’s BPM, as well as the free UVI workstation.

Since BPM is really geared towards urban/dance production, I wanted to checkout the Hip Hop library from UVI

Like the other UVI libraries, this one loads up seamlessly in the BPM environment….

as I mentioned before, I really like how modular the BPM enviroment can be, because you can customize it to how you work, with sounds you want.

Anyway, so let’s see if they get the “hip hop sound” and if it’s useful.

What is Hip Hop Planet?

It’s a hip hop/urban sound library with some very specific features that allow it to integrate well with BPM.

Basically, like many libraries, it’s made up of construction kits, 87 to be exact.

But, where it differs from most, is the way in which you interact with it.

You get data specifically for Motu BPM which includes kits+patterns, kits, patterns, the construction loops, individual sounds, and instruments made up from the melodic elements of each construction kit.

It also works in the free uvi workstation, allowing you to work with the sliced loops and phrases, kits, sounds, and instruments without owning BPM.

Quick Specs

• Content: 3.6gb of samples
• Format: Uvi soundcard for BPM, UVI Workstation, Mach 5
• Price: $149

How does it sound?

Pristine….

Like the factory BPM library, these sounds have that quality and edge that urban music producers will enjoy.

It’s probably because they had it mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound Studios in New York…he specializes in mastering hip hop, urban, and rnb music.

I will say this, like the factory sounds in BPM, there is a punch and clarity in the drums that you can’t deny.

And while I love the sound, I am not a huge fan of the drum kit layout.

Personally, I found that the kits were a tad bit redundant, as a lot of the percussive sounds were used over and over in each kit, the rim shots, some 808 style claps, toms, claves, etc…

The reason I mention this is because I think it could throw you off a bit if you don’t look deeper, there are tons of single hit drums and percussion under the sounds folder, which in my opinion, aren’t fully represented in the factory kits.

What I found to work best for me, is I just create my own kits from the single hits.  But the kits work well for quick access and you can always customize them with the single hits.

The instruments sound well, but I would have liked them to be full multi instruments instead of the special “x-sample” instruments.

Basically what these are, in BPM land, is the chopped melodic instruments from the construction kits, spread across keys into an instrument.  They are for most situations, but they don’t span across all the keys all the time, so sometimes you find a sound you like but want to play it up or down a couple of octaves and it just doesn’t extend that far.

Not a deal breaker, but I would definitely like to see full instruments in addition to the x-sample style of instruments they use in BPM. Think of x-samples as something you’d make if you take a few notes from a record/song, and spread them out on your keys to play.

This is a very common way of creating instruments in urban/hip hop music, it would just be nice to have it expanded a bit into full keyrange instruments that are looped, etc.

There are some very nice bass sounds, as well as synths and even some vocal/fx. They also include the drum kits in instrument format so if you’re using the uvi workstation you’ll be able to pull up the kits, and if you’re using BPM you can pull up the kits in the bank or rack areas.

What’s the bottom line?

Bottom line for me always comes down to sound as you know, and the sound of this library is very nice.

When I first got it, I was a little put off by the arrangement of the kits and felt underwhelmed, until I decided to explore the single hits and then I found quite a bit of usable stuff.

Honestly I think the way the kits are laid out could make folks feel less excited, especially after reading the info and hearing the demos.  Just be sure you explore the single hits because there’s much there to be played with that may not be as evident when going through the premade kits.

The synths and other instruments are useful and have a “chopped sample” feel, as if you were to take a note from a record and spread it across a few keys/pads for playing.

They work well and sound good, it would have been even better if they took the source instruments used and made multi sampled instruments in addition to the x-sample, being able to play a looped version of the synths and pads that span across the entire keyboard would allow it to be even more flexible.

At the end of the day, I loved the sound, and once I started making my own kits with the single hits I really saw the beauty of it.

I give Hip Hop Planet 4 out of 5 subs, if they do a part 2, or another urban focused kit, taking into consideration some of my suggestions on the kit layout and instrument creations, they could easily knock it out of the park.

That said, I do see room for improvement, not on the sound itself, which is awesome, but on the overall organization of the kits and the creation of the instruments.

This is definitely worth checking out, especially if you are a BPM user, but also users of Mach 5 or the UVI Workstation will enjoy it, because like I said, the sound quality is just top notch all the way around.

Checkout their demos over at uvisoundsource: EKOLOOPZ – Hip Hop Planet

let me know what you think