AXE •••
PC/MAC INTERACTIVE CD-ROM

Now here's a surprise: a PC/Mac format interactive sampling CD-ROM stuffed full of what it claims are 20 million different grooves of Brazilian percussion presented as both WAV and AIFF file formats. Confused? So was I until I un-picked its plastic shrink wrap and thumbed it into my PC, and all was revealed... Essentially, Axe is a self-contained sample looping and arrangement software program bundled with more than 600 Brazilian drum, percussion, woodwind and vocal samples. Once loaded, the program allows you to access all the loops and grooves direct from the CD-ROM, and gives you a neat and entirely self-contained platform in which to audition the sounds as well as mix, match, layer and loop any number of them to create your own tracks. Setting it up is a doddle and the whole interface (as well as looking almost impossibly cool and futuristic) has an easy and uncomplicated air about it. You start by selecting a drum track from the menu listing all the instruments' bpms, and off you go. Simply select a new recording track and drop in another instrument, vocal or percussion element; as the loops cycle round, dropping parts in and out on the fly is a piece of the proverbial cake.

Another dimension is the Auto Groovemaker page, a sort of randomising multisample jukebox which takes only vague song guidance information from you (such as rough tempo, complexity, and style) and basically does the rest, chaining together odd loops and flying in the occasional instrumental solo, all the while triggering the correct loops to keep the Brazilian beats bubbling along.

This product represents a new area of the market for sample CD producers and one that, I feel, we'll probably be seeing a lot more of in the future. There are, however, a number of definite drawbacks, mainly concerning the interface itself: despite looking and feeling very good, it doesn't have nearly as much in the way of true interactivity as most professional users would demand. It is, after all, a stand-alone product, which when looping samples and creating tracks from its own bank of sounds does the job well enough; but asking it to interact with or be a part of another sequence package is almost certainly well outside its capability. Having said that, the sound samples themselves (despite having an almost exclusively percussive theme) sparkle and shine with authenticity. As an introduction to the world of sample looping and rhythmic song arrangement, I can't think of any other product that's as simple as it is fun to use. For first-time PC/Mac samplists looking for a cheap yet effective software package stuffed full of exciting and usable Brazilian loops and grooves, Axe is certainly something you can't afford to be without, but for everyone else it may even be worth the asking price just to get your hands on such an interesting and well-compiled set of South American WAV and AIFF samples. After all, it's not every sample CD that comes complete with an entire section of Apple Quicktime movies featuring short films of real musicians recording the parts in the studio, is it? File under 'interesting but rewarding gimmick'. Paul Farrer

£ £59.95 including VAT and UK p&p.

A Time and Space, Owlsfoot Business Centre, Sticklepath, near Okehampton, Devon EX20 2PA.

T 01837 841100.

F 01837 840080.

E Click here to email

W http://www.timespace.com

 

BASS BOX•••
MIXED MODE AUDIO & PC/MAC CD-ROM

Bass Box is a mixed-mode audio and PC/Mac format sample CD showcasing the bass-playing talents of its creator and producer, Pat Cotton. It's an independent commercial venture, so you may also have seen it advertised in SOS's classified pages, where it sells for £30.

In common with a number of similar types of release, track one contains all the samples in WAV and AIFF file format, followed by a neat and very funky demo on track two before the audio kicks off between tracks three and 87. Dedicated entirely to the bass guitar, this CD divides its samples into four main stylistic categories: Disco, Reggae/Dub, Contemporary, and a comprehensive section at the end of the disc devoted to single-note samples. The three main riff categories are then sub-sectioned into smaller groups, each featuring between four and 20 different sampled bass grooves. The grooves usually come in bunches of three all at the same tempo, but play the given riff in three different key signatures. As well as listing all the bpms, the friendly colour-coded sleeve notes also show you the variations of playing styles (normal, slapped or pulled).

With regard to the samples themselves, the approach seems to be more of an authentic 'warts and all' style of recording technique. The riffs aren't heavily equalised, nor does there seem to be too much in the way of external processing such as chorus or compression. The result is that, while these sounds don't exactly burn out of the speakers and demand your sampler's immediate attention, much of the creative work on the sounds seems to have been left for users to work on themselves -- either leaving quite a bit of work to be done, or providing a fresh and open-ended approach, depending on how you look at it.

As far as the performances go, the riffs are packed with creativity and a good understanding of the cheesier side of disco and dub bass playing. What they occasionally lose in accuracy, the grooves more than make up for in variety and colour. As we all know, the sample CD market is a fierce and frightening place for the first-time independent CD producer, and in that respect hats off to Small Recordings for single-handedly pulling off a well-presented and musical release. How it stands up to the major competition from the US and the rest of Europe is best left up to the sample-buying public, but for a first-time effort, if Bass Box is by no means a one-stop shop for all your bass sample needs, it does offer almost intoxicatingly high levels of fun and usability. Paul Farrer

£ £30 including VAT and UK p&p.

A Small Recordings, PO Box 11636, London SE19 1ZH.

T 0181 670 5822.

F 0181 265 9285.

E Click here to email

W http://www.dircon.co.uk/~dncotton

 

DEF HOUSE•••
AUDIO SAMPLE CD

House, garage and tribal are the three main styles of dance music catered for in this 61-minute audio CD from Universal Sound Bank. While other CD releases tempt you with the promise of 'every kind of dance music style you could ever possibly want', one of the principal strengths of Def House is its focus and attention to detail within a specific dancefloor style and tempo set. The 600 or so drum loops all fall into one or other of these three categories and are listed along with their bpms and music style. True to their house music heritage, the tempos range from just 120-130bpm, but this tight focus allows a good deal of stylistic movement across the 63 tracks of loops. Most of the loops are two bars long, and there can be anything from four to 12 loops in each track of the CD. Sonically speaking there's a wide range of quality, from scratchy lo-fi mono grot to pumping 'boom-tick' in abundance, and many of the loops feature a high level of vinyl depth, which all adds to the authenticity.

The layout of the loops on the disc seems to follow a pattern of starting quickly (about 130bpm) then getting slower towards the end (120bpm), before stopping altogether to make way for a host of classic analogue bass sounds. These take the form of single note samples from the likes of synths such the Minimoog, MC202, Prophet 5, and Micromoog, cover a fairly wide spectrum of squelch and fizz, and are pretty much the kind of standard fare you'd expect to find. One of the biggest drawbacks here is the extremely short length of most of the samples, meaning that you might have to do an awful lot of looping within your sampler if you want to play anything other than very staccato bass lines. Tucked onto the end of the disc is a small but usable collection of individual house drum sounds: 24 kicks, 12 snares and a load of hi-hat and effects percussion.

In conclusion, it's hard to know what to think of this release in terms of who it's aimed at. The decision to focus entirely on house, garage and tribal music styles is to be highly commended, but unfortunately it isn't exactly a new idea. The loops are well varied but they come across more as a potted history of what's gone before than a scorchingly hot release determined to break new ground and forge interesting and experimental sounds into what is, after all, a very sample-heavy genre. Admittedly, if you're a relative newcomer looking for a solid and user-friendly way into the house music scene, you'll find much of what you need in Def House, but dedicated remixers and DJs may find some of the sounds and loops in this collection a little bit old hat. Having said that, this release does have a very high 'bang-per-buck' rating and in a crowded and sometimes confusing sample marketplace, Def House is a worthy (if not entirely perfect) addition to the plethora of dance music products. Paul Farrer

£ Audio CD £59.95; Akai, Roland or Ensoniq CD-ROM £99.95. Prices include VAT; add £3.80 for delivery.

A East West, Suite 1A, 25 Meeting House Lane, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1HB.

T Orders: freephone 0800 393027. Enquiries: 01273 736733.

F 01273 328881.

W http://www.eastwestsounds.com

 

PITBULL JUNGLE LOOPS••••
AUDIO CD UNIVERSAL SOUND BANK

For the uninitiated, 'jungle' is a high-energy form of dance music that's been generally accepted as one of the most pioneering areas of dancefloor music production in the last decade. Taking its influences from such diverse sources as house, jazz, acid, and even ska styles, in the last three or four years that jungle has been with us its effect on music has been considerable. It's not surprising, therefore, that sample CD producers Universal Sound Bank should follow this trend and create an audio CD (also available in Akai format CD-ROM) dedicated entirely to the genre.

Pitbull Jungle Loops is an 86-track 70-minute journey into the wilder and more experimental side of contemporary jungle production. By its very definition jungle has always had a raw and grainy texture to it, and this collection of over 400 drum loops doesn't disappoint in either quality of sound or programming musicianship. The 34 tracks of loops have three categories -- intelligent, hardcore jungle, and drum and bass -- and each track contains 12 different loops. The tracks start at 170bpm and work their way down to 150, 5bpm at a time. The loops usually consist of a two-bar phrase, and fly out of the speakers at a terrific pace, so you really have to pay attention when you're sampling them!

After the drum loops, the rest of the disc (tracks 36-86) is taken up with what seems like a veritable Aladdin's cave of individual jungle drum and percussion effects. Starting with the bass drums and moving across the entire range of snare, hi-hat and effects sounds, these are also logged according to their categories (intelligent, hardcore or drum and bass). They deliver all the vinyl warmth and hiss you would expect if you had gone through your favourite 12-inch hardcore dance mixes with a very hungry sampler and a copy of ReCycle, which is pretty much what must have happened here.

As a viable source of contemporary jungle drum loops and individual sounds Pitbull rates very highly indeed. It is perhaps, then, a shame that the scope of this disc isn't wide enough to include at least a few bass, vocal and synth samples to complete what would otherwise have been an excellent package. Of course, the age-old argument that anyone with the patience to sample, edit and program thousands of individual drum and percussion sounds from an audio CD like this would be better off spending their time learning the ways of the Jedi knight with Master Yoda in a swamp somewhere is perhaps well founded, but for the majority of users this CD will represent good value for money, with an experimental edge that keeps it one cut above your average collection of drum loops. Paul Farrer

£ £59.95 including VAT and UK p&p.

A Time and Space, Owlsfoot Business Centre, Sticklepath, near Okehampton, Devon EX20 2PA.

T 01837 841100.

F 01837 840080.

E Click here to email

W http://www.timespace.com

 

Home | Search | News | Current Issue | Digital Editions | Articles | Forum | Subscribe | Shop | Readers Ads

Advertise | Information | Links | Privacy Policy | Support