Analogue Experiments by Medway Studios
The sample pack industry only seems to be growing, and while this offers the consumer more choices, it poses the problem of having to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Although there are a few quality sample collections available, finding something that has a unique character that can fit within your production style can be a challenge.
That's why I was pleased to come across ModeAudio and their release entitled Analogue Experiments.
The Samples
It contains 120 loops from the rare and inimitable EMS Synthi A.
A synth so coveted that at one point a queue of almost 20 years formed for those wishing to obtain a new unit (and priced around $5000), before finally being put out of production.
One of the striking characteristics of the Synthi A, which is based of the VCS3 (appearing on the Dark Side Of The Moon among other classic albums), is its very unstable operation.
This lends a very chaotic yet musical appeal to the resulting output and is one reason for why it's been so difficult to model in the virtual domain.
ModeAudio were lucky enough to have access to one and this sample back is borne out of their experiments with the machine.
If you're looking for something different to add a distinctive edge to your productions, especially genres such as techno, dubstep, minimal, or anything requiring a rough touch, then this deserves a good look.
Everything from dirty glitches, noisy bass tones, and even melodic material is presented.
Each one posses wonderful level of randomness, sometimes only slight, which can go a long way to adding life to a track.
While the loops are labeled in BPM format, I'd imagine many people extracting single hits and reconstructing their own loops or instruments from them.
Many of the sounds would also work well for constructing risers and other transition sounds.
Its Strengths
What I liked about this collection was it sounded less like a typical sample pack but more like the kind of output from a week's long session I'll have with my own hardware recording down interesting patches to be chopped up and processed later.
Too many sample collections now seem to focus on trying to recreate the sound of the current Beatport Top 10.
It's refreshing to have something with a wider scope that allows more creativity to come into play.
The pack is quite raw, the only effects I can hear are the Synthi's own built in spring reverb.
I'm glad they've left the sound of the EMS unadulterated rather than force unwanted processing on the sounds.
A good hallmark for any sample pack is how usable it sounds upon first listen and I found myself coming up with many ideas for the samples while flicking through.
It also really made me want a Synthi.
I really can't fault this collection although I would have liked to hear a few more of the melodic type sounds, as for me they were some of the standouts.
Perhaps ModeAudio will see it fit to produce a Volume 2.
Check It Out
Highly recommended, you can check out 'Analogue Experiments' here.