Power Tools by Ohm Lab

Today we take a look at another ModeAudio sample collection. This one is called Power Tools and features over 300 quality drum samples and 30 presets, formatted for whatever programs you might be using!

Every product we have reviewed from ModeAudio has been high-quality, user-friendly and obviously made by people with a shared passion for producing the best possible sounds for fellow musicians and producers to use and enjoy. So when we received Power Tools, we took a breath and crossed our fingers because we know just how many drum sample collections there are out there and how difficult it can be to justify picking up yet another.

Upon opening Power Tools up, we were happy to see that ModeAudio stayed their usual course of quality over quantity, as well as independent innovation. Many of the sounds were nothing new to us, and they probably won't be new to you either. BUT, the quality of the samples instantly puts them ahead of most drum sample collections geared toward electronic music production. Every single sound has been expertly manicured to ensure there are no pops, clicks, unwanted noise or artifacting. This means you can simply drop the sounds directly into your projects, or sampler, and go!

Personally, I have some big issues with how many people are processing sounds these days. Especially drum samples! There is very little room left for sounds to breath and come to life. They go from already-pretty-loud to OH-MY-GOD-MY-EARS-ARE-BLEEDING-AGAIN! in zero seconds flat. Eventually, it just sucks all the fun and enjoyment out of actually listening to the music they are used in (I say that as someone who likes the idea of making it through most of life with the ability to hear the world around me). But the ModeAudio crew get's it. And that is one of the things I love most about using their products. They provide quality sounds and let you make them fit your music the way you want them to.

That said, these drums have some serious impact! No messing around here. Each sound is big and bold. There a few sounds that are more on the minimal side of the spectrum, but they still cut through the mix just fine, and the large majority are intended to force people out of their seats and onto the dance floor.

Just because the current trend is for drums to be able to send people flying through walls if they get too close to the speakers does not mean they cannot be expressive and provide subtle details that make a groove come to life. Power Tools, Like the rest of ModeAudio products, is about the small details. The open, mid-way and closed hi-hat samples are just one example. The expertly programmed choke groups is another.

We went with the Logic Pro (EXS24 sampler) version of the Power Tools sample collection. But it is also available for Reason, Maschine, FL Studio, Ableton Live and in traditional .wav format. Each one comes with detailed instructions on how to set it all up for your specific software and they've even produced a little demo video to show the drum kits being used in Ableton Live.

The Logic Pro version of Power Tools even came with an Automator script (I love automator!) so it could install itself!

Let's talk sounds! Here's what you get with the Power Tools collection:

30 Claps
60 Hi-Hats
70 Kicks
50 Snares
40 Toms and Various Percussion Sounds
80 Tuned Kick Drums (These are all HUGE!)

Our Logic Pro pack also came with:
5 Channel Strips
30 EXS24 Drum Kits
1 Project File

Below you can hear a small demo track made with a handful of of sounds from the Power Tools collection. No processing of any kind has been applied, so what you hear is what you get! We kept things fairly simple and stuck to a consistent theme so you can hear the sounds clearly and have a chance to compare them as it progresses. A sub drop has been placed wherever drum kits were changed. With over 300 samples to explore, there was nowhere near enough time to use them all in this demo.

[Please listen to the demo track on the original review page]

Rest assured that we also spent some time tweaking, manipulating, glitching and processing several of the sounds in this collection and they all came through it just fine. This sample pack is OhmLab approved and endorsed!