One-Shots
Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander
Reviews of Sample Logic The Elements, Big Fish Audio Syntron-X, Zero-G Classic Disco and more
BIG FISH AUDIO SYNTRON-X
JUST ADD LOUD CLOTHES AND SPIKED HAIR
Veteran producer Matt Buschbacher has set out to capture the stark essence of early '80s synth-pop — an era of music he fondly remembers for having a rigid electronic structure and cold synth sounds but with underlying pop sensibilities and a strong beat. Using retro-emulating virtual instruments as his source, you can hear sound-design influences of Kraftwerk, Soft Cell, Vince Clarke, Gary Numan, the Human League, Thomas Dolby and OMD, to name but a few. Stylistically, though, Buschbacher has gone in his own direction.
The disc opens to a folder containing 23 construction kits ranging from 80 to 180 bpm, with most hovering around 120. I'm immediately impressed by the scope of what's offered: everything from dream-pop, robot music, techno-goth and early Ministry-like electro industrial (minus screaming guitars) to erotic '80s house and even a cool downtempo new-wave rap beat. Typically four bars in length, several permutations of drum parts are offered per kit, and individual hits are provided for beat tweaking. Additional folders contain simple, rather uninspiring octave arpeggiations; four drum kits offering 184 unique sounds, mostly typical of classic Roland, Linn and E-mu boxes; and 25 backing beats that have been heavily mangled by flanger and reverb/delay. Closing things out are nearly a hundred short male and female phrases, spieling such wondrous prose and alliterations as “silicon snowfalls” and “green geisha.” Presented in vocoded and reso-voice forms, none of them are particularly interesting or useful in context. Perhaps through intent, Syntron-X doesn't hit the sonic signature of '80s synth-pop quite square on, but it should inspire producers enough to create a “neo-wave” subgenre.
BIG FISH AUDIO
SYNTRON-X > $69.95
At a glance: 3 GB of neo-'80s construction loops, grooves and soundscapes. Acidized WAV, Apple Loops, RMX, REX.
Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com
SAMPLE LOGIC THE ELEMENTS
EXPANDING THE PERIODIC TABLE
The year-old Sample Logic A.I.R. breathed new life into experimental dance and soundtrack work that involved arranging tracks from only three basic musical elements: ambience, impacts and rhythms. More than double the size (13.5 GB of new material), The Elements takes those categories and expands into bass, harmony and melody for a much more musically rounded library. The six folders are subdivided by genre, timbre and the mood they evoke.
There are 25 highly emotive categories in the Ambience folder, including Dark N Twisted, Melloncollic, Narcotic Adventures and The Fun House. From tempo-synced motionscapes to free-flowing, complete environments, these go far beyond the mostly transitional material in A.I.R. The Impacts and Rhythms folders use synthetic/electronic/natural sources to accentuate mood shifts through powerful buildups and action-packed loops. These are made from glitched beatboxes, metallic scrapes, thwacked objects, hammered woods, world drums and more. Throughout the library, there's a good balance of synthetic and organic material, sometimes fused to the point where you can't tell the difference. I love how the new categories allow you to complete a score within a single instrument. The bass elements are provided as instruments and loops, ranging from distorted, electric guitar to “woofed out” and trance-y subwobbles. My favorites of the nearly 700 new melody and harmony patches include the majestic brass wind and cathedral organ patches, sparkling modular synth arpeggiations, world instruments and vocal voyages. Unlike in construction kits, much of the material from across the collection works marvelously together. The Elements is an awesome one-stop production resource for many musical genres.
SAMPLE LOGIC
THE ELEMENTS > $299
At a glance: A six-element approach to creating experimental dance and evocative soundtrack work. Kontakt Player 2, stand-alone or Audio Units/VST/RTAS/DXi plug-in.
Contact: www.samplelogic.com
ZERO-G CLASSIC DISCO
AN ATTEMPT TO BRING SEXY BACK
Something pretty amazing happened in the late '70s, when disco went underground and became black dance music — the foundation for house and R&B as we know it today. Almost overnight, television shows such as The Midnight Special and Soul Train began featuring artists like Evelyn “Champagne” King, Thelma Houston, Loleatta Holloway, Norma Jean and Luci Martin (formerly of Chic), who each brought welcomed doses of funk and soul to the dancefloor. Classic Disco is a 700-sample, 1.6 GB collection reminiscent of the period spanning 1977 to 1987, presenting 35 construction kits (107 to 125 bpm) in a multitracked format. Other folders contain additional bass, guitar, piano and drum machine loops, plus a special whispered shouts section (think Van McCoy's “Do the Hustle”).
Stylistically, the kits run the gamut from funky clavinet-based George Duke-type romps and Quincy Jones-inspired acoustically infused jazzy numbers (replete with signature mono synth parts) to material from the early '80s proto-house/post-disco era that borders on hi-NRG. There are even some fun oddballs like “A Buddy From Rio,” with all the right Copacabana breezy vibe of a merengue club turned disco, or “Bad Hair Good Groove,” which provides heavy drum machine claps and classic staccato synth hooks reminiscent of Nu Shooz. There's definitely some classic Philly sound, typified by the lavish percussion that became a prominent part of mid-'70s disco songs. That said, I'm a little surprised that more hard-hitting floor fillers à la Michael Jackson's “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough” or even Madonna's “Borderline” didn't make the cut to truly round out what could have been a mini- anthology. Classic Disco offers swagger but seems overpriced, all considering.
ZERO-G (DIST. BY EAST WEST/SOUNDS ONLINE)
CLASSIC DISCO > $159.95
At a glance: 35 construction kits covering a decade of soulful disco. Acidized WAV, Apple Loops, RMX, REX2, NN-XT, Kontakt 2, EXS24.
Contact: www.soundsonline.com
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