Polychrome Beats by Producer Spot
Before we even press the play demo button of a potential new sample pack, how many of you are drawn to the artwork?
It is like our brain is using our eyes to hear those samples that would gel a track together even before those sound waves hit your ears. That is what happened me with the Polychrome Beats sample pack by ModeAudio. The fractured edges and the colours just made my brain go this is the one before I even knew what new turn my music could take.
Like most of us do, I opened up my weapon of choice (Reason 8) and quickly flicked through each folder to give myself an aural kaleidoscope of what's inside.
The Sound
The first thing I was drawn to is the bass. I cannot do bass sounds to save my life, so I have a keen ear for that sound that I have needed but didn't know it. The bass loops got the neurons firing in my head.
I like to chop, mangle and glitch my music to the point where they are barely recognisable, but listening to the loops I felt I should just take a step back, relax and just go with them. They are great sounding (my personal favourite being the downland bass) and either chopped up and used as single notes or otherwise make a strong addition to anyone's sample library.
When it comes to samples and sounds in general for track creation, I hold high importance to the feel of the sound, where it takes you and what mental image it can portray.
You might hear a sample on its own, without context, and suddenly, you stop staring at your DAW wondering where to go with the track, as you found the aural glue that will put it all together.
With the leads in this pack, it is 5.30 am, the sun is coming up in downtown Miami, and something has made my day before it has even started. The chords and ambient loops add to this feel and, with some chorus, unison and some heavy verb, any of them could be the start of that great shoegaze track you have never written. This holds true for the gated loops and the different stylized noise loops that are also included.
The drums have an 80's feel to them,and there is a nice grit to the loops, sometimes a bit too much. It is the drum loops in my opinion, however, are the weakest part of this pack. They are a bit too busy in parts, and the lack of one shot drum samples means, if I want a single hit, I can't have it without some overspill of sound due to the necessity of having to slice the samples myself. Also, there is a bit too much reverb on the loops for my personal preference. My grievances though are minor ones. Plenty of hard work and dedication has gone into this pack and
Also, there is a bit too much reverb on the loops for my personal preference. My grievances though are minor ones.
Plenty of hard work and dedication has gone into this pack and I'm not going to fault it in any big way just because my tastes aren't met 110%.
The addition of the midi files always earns my kudos, as well as sample tails and both are included in this sample pack. Having the perfect riff and the perfect sound (just not the one on the sample itself) can very often happen, and ModeAudio got you covered.
Conclusion
This sample pack is quirky and off the wall, yet extremely well crafted, with a great insight to a producer's needs. This pack is worth checking out if you haven't already, and is the perfect introduction to what looks like a sample house to watch.