Ian Boddy Beatalogue
Multi-format
Reviews : Sample / Sound / Song Library
This collection comprises 300 24-bit loops duplicated in Apple Loops, WAV and REX2 formats, with some Kontakt sampler mappings thrown in for good measure. Three nominal tempo groups are provided (100, 120 and 140 bpm), but there’s enough tail on the REX2 slices to slow down the tempos by at least 25 percent before gaps start appearing. Folders are organised into Treated, Twisted and Warped (whatever that means to you) and most of the loops have three or four timbral/pattern variations for fills.
The main selling point of this collection is the evocative sound, which has the undeniable stamp of authentic analogue circuitry. Boddy’s collection of modular hardware has delivered exactly that thick, yet compact, sound I strongly associate with analogue drum machines and processing. It’s better captured here, in fact, than I can remember in any other library I’ve come across. Even when distortion is applied with a trowel, the tone remains pleasantly rounded and cohesive and, while this may lead some people to feel that the overall sonic personality is therefore somehow restrained, personally, I’d be more inclined to interpret it as being in good taste. The provision of entirely mono samples might feel a bit odd, but it’s true to the concept and lends a certain vintage chutzpah to proceedings.
In addition to the all-pervading analogue atmosphere, some lovely fluid modulation effects really help give a good ebb and flow to the loops, which is good in some instances where the source rhythm programming comes across as a bit pedestrian. Whether he’s using filtering, modulated delay effects or various other weird and wonderful modular sound manglers, Ian Boddy is to be commended for giving those real-time controls a good dose of elbow grease, where lesser sound designers are often content just to lean back in their swivel chairs and watch the twinkly lights. The flip side of this, though, is that we aren’t exactly in MOR territory here, so the appeal will be felt most strongly by those with clear electro leanings and a strong constitution.
Frequently exaggerated mid- and high-frequency attack transients reminded me favourably of various old drum modules, but at the low end I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were rather flabby much of the time. (There are lots of stray subsonics, too, so I’d advise high-pass filtering these loops at mixdown for the health of subwoofers everywhere.) For this reason I’d suggest that you’ll get the most out of this library if you can take advantage of the REX-format loop versions; you could then pick and choose the Beatalogue slices that work best for you in terms of their unique personality and then supplement them, as necessary, with more dependable general-purpose kick one-shots.
All in all, this is a very charismatic library that, despite some rough edges, is well worth investigating if you’re looking for geek-free analogue drum/synth thrills. There’s very little ballast on board and the price is reasonable, so it’s decent value too. Mike Senior
Time + Space +44 (0)1837 55200
Time + Space +44 (0)1837 55200
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Wed 23 May 2012
Sound On Sound : Est. 1985