View the SliceX Sampling Guide here: samplesimple.com Learn how to create custom sampled drumkits with SliceX in FL Studio. samplesimple.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Hello everybody As i promised you i uploaded a heavy rnb/pop banger. Hope you like it. Checkout TB0nebeats: www.youtube.com ——————————————————————– Here some links you should check out ,too: Myspace: www.myspace.com Facebook: www.facebook.com Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Question by Josh: Where can I download custom VST & Generators for Fruity Loops 9?
Been using fruity loops for a while but getting kind of bored with the selection, just wandering where I can get hold of some extra samples and even some generators to create some new ones. No specific sounds apart from the 8 bit/chip tunes sounds found on gameboy games etc, cause I’m a nerd. but other than that just whatever is available and appeals to me really.
Best answer:
Answer by audioloops
Tons of stuff here
http://www.audiomastermind.com/browse-free_vst_plugins-5886988-1.html
http://www.sadglad.com/freevstplugins6.html
http://freemusicsoftware.org/
And for 8bit sounds, this is heaven
http://woolyss.com/chipmusic/
Many plugins and samples available
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
I tend to tune out when it comes to sample libraries, but here’s one that takes the scripting capabilities of Native Instruments’ Kontakt sampler to extremes. The Grid Machine line developed by Lindon Parker (Channel Robot) and distributed by LoopMasters brings to Kontakt the sort of grid-based, sliced-up sample manipulation we’ve seen in the monome community and in custom tools in environments like Ableton Live and Renoise. Using KSP, the scripting environment in Kontakt, these produce entirely-custom instruments that cut, chop, stutter, reverse, mix, trigger, sub-loop, re-trigger, and modulate. You can change speed, mute, skip, reorder, and play patterns, and even mix between loops.
Even before you get to Kontakt’s effects, this kind of work really challenges the notions of what people imagine a “sampler” or “loop library” to be. And that’s been true of the sample sound design community, generally – they can brew things beyond the expected boundaries of a sample. I could even see this becoming a performance instrument.
Now, for those of us not content to use existing loops, I hope we can somehow convince Lindon to explain how he did the KSP scripting work to make it all happen. Drum ‘n Bass and House libraries are £29.95 each.
Some House for those of you who weren’t into the DnB version:
In this first of a new series of pedals, MXR has taken a classic distortion circuit (although it’s not saying which!) and modified it to produce a hot-rodded version.
The ’78 puts out a recognisable raunchy distortion with a solid mid-range. The tone control adds some sharp top end, while the crunch button gives more of everything, boosting dynamic range and the distortion’s harmonic content, effectively giving you two voices – too bad it’s not footswitchable.
Responding well to playing dynamics, this is a really good distortion pedal with plenty to offer, particularly if you are a fan of late-’70s rock.
Read more about MXR M78 Custom Badass ’78 Distortion at MusicRadar.com
 |
 |
The PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow has a chambered mahogany back topped with a slice of maple. In the SE Custom’s case, its top is finished off with a flame maple veneer to make it look extra pretty.
The eye candy quota is boosted by a Rickenbacker-style ‘cat’s eye’ f-hole, a flock of birds across the fingerboard inlays and a finish that makes this guitar look as though it’s been dipped in honey.
Speaking of the runny, sticky stuff, the neck on this guitar is the bee’s knees. Our SE has the PRS ‘Wide Fat’ profile that fills your palm with plenty of wood yet still feels fast enough for any playing speed.
While the SE doesn’t have any body contouring, there’s a generous scoop at the treble-side cutaway that offers unhindered access to all 22 perfectly dressed frets.
The SE Custom anchors its strings on a simple, fixed-intonation wraparound bridge/tailpiece. If the lack of intonation adjustment freaks you out a bit, it will be reassuring to know that PRS uses this style of bridge on some of its US-built guitars, such as the McCarty. Besides, the intonation is great on our SE all the way up the fingerboard.
In terms of the finish, it’s no exaggeration to describe our PRS as absolutely flawless. In fact, the only niggle we have is with the control layout.
The volume control is within easy reach when you need to use it, and while the tone is a bit far away, it’s not enough to cause any real problems.
It’s the pickup selector we’re griping about. Look where it is. Your hand has to make a fair old excursion to reach the switch if you want to flick it quickly while playing.
Plugging in, the PRS has a bright airy tone that works really well for clean rhythm playing. The bridge pickup is well defined without being shrill, and engaging both humbuckers is just the thing for clean blues and rockabilly.
Neck pickup solo is the go-to setting for jazzy stuff. The SE is a bit lightweight for metal, but it’s still a great overdriven blues and rock machine.
If you’re fishing for a beautifully put together, almost perfect all-rounder, then the PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow ticks those boxes big time.
Shop around and you’ll find most dealers pushing them out at around £639 with a padded PRS gigbag. File that under a great deal.
Read more about PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow at MusicRadar.com
|
|
The S-1 Custom can be said to be Schecter’s take on the Les Paul Junior. Fans of Avenged Sevenfold will recognise the S-1 with its deep Satanic body horns as the basis of Zacky Vengeance’s 6661 and ZV Mirror signature models.
The guitar’s compact mahogany body is crowned with a slice of flamed maple, while the slim three-piece set mahogany neck is topped with an ebony fingerboard.
“The S-1 Custom is fitted with quality Tone Pros hardware.”
The ‘board is finished with 22 medium frets and a bunch of well-executed mother-of-pearl split crown inlays. The S-1 Custom is fitted with quality Tone Pros hardware – a set of locking tuners with pearloid buttons.
The S-1 Custom’s engine room is packed with a pair of US-made Seymour Duncan humbuckers: a SH-11 Custom Custom in the bridge position and a ’59 SH-1N at the neck.
You get a pair of volume controls and a master tone that doubles as a coil-splitter. The S-1 Custom boasts excellent playability, with access to the upper frets unhindered thanks to the deep cutaways and a tapering of the body at the neck heel.
The S-1 does pretty much what you’d expect from a well-equipped, double humbucker guitar. It has bags of power and clarity at all gain levels with the Custom bridge unit engaged and only really loses definition when you flick to the neck pickup. Switching to the single-coil mode sorts that one out.
Read more about Schecter S-1 Custom at MusicRadar.com
|
|
Fender’s American Vintage series is the closest you can get to a vintage Fender guitar without buying the real thing from yesteryear or moving into the more elite Custom Shop.
This new addition – along with the ’69 Thinline and ’72 Thinline – is already available in lower-cost Fender ranges, but not at this quality or with this much vintage detail.
The ’72 Telecaster Custom was first introduced in 1972; a solidbody that marries a Fender humbucker at neck with a Tele single-coil at bridge and, importantly, a Gibson-like volume and tone control for each pickup.
If the ’72 Thinline was, on paper, a little too Gibson, the ’72 Custom perhaps reflects more of a player-conceived middle ground.
Certainly many players had already started modding their Teles – adding a Gibson PAF in neck position was one of the most common alterations, but the difference in outputs could be substantial, and with just the Tele’s single volume and tone set-up there was little you could do.
Enter the four-control Gibson-style layout, complete here with Les Paul-like shoulder mounted toggle switch. It’s gloriously ’70s, too, with those amp-style control knobs, an even bigger scratchplate and even an additional string tree for the G and D strings.
The major difference is, of course, the solid ash body; with the exception of that additional string tree the neck is identical to the ’72 Thinline.
There are also period-correct 250k ohm pots and dual 0.022 mircofarad tone caps.
One reason why the Telecaster has survived all these years is that it’s graced pretty much every genre from country, jazz and blues through to modern mainstream rock and metal.
It’s not always an easy ride: some swear by the bridge pickup (and swear at the neck pickup), others find an endless soul and funk groove from that middle, hollowed mix. There are even a few of us that actually like the neck single-coil for its smooth, jazz-edged voice.
The Custom combines the spike from that Tele bridge pickup with the width and smoothness of the neck humbucker – and it’s all a little firmer and more solid-sounding than either of the Thinlines.
But it’s the pickup mix that’s the real draw here – it’s like two guitars playing in perfect sync. It’s not a particularly Strat-like, or indeed a wider Tele-like, hollowed mix at all.
Instead there’s that beautiful high-end single-coil break up, yet with a low output humbucking warmth underneath that sounds really big; it’s a tremendous roots rock rhythm tone, really three dimensional, while re-tuning to open G gives you instant Keef.
Used individually the pickups are quite well balanced, but the tonal spread is almost too wide. We can’t stress enough just how good that mix sounds though… from Motown rhythm, to ’60s power-pop, alt-country, and even quite higher-gained classic rock, it does it all – just use those volume and tone controls to match your tonal aim.
Then, of course, you have two wildly different lead tones, both referenced in the past, to switch too.
But the more we play this it’s the classic old-style tonality, especially of the more unusual low-output humbucker-equipped guitars, that impresses.
We also love the bridge pickup of the ’72 Custom: it’s nasty, edgy and very rock ‘n’ roll for some hugely attacking rhythm tones or wiry leads and, back into the clean Fender amp, still does a pretty good jazz sound on that neck pickup or the appealing mix.
This guitar was originally conceived at a time when Fender began to lose its way. However, 40 years on the guitar has been elevated into Fender’s top drawer thanks to numerous often left-field players who wanted a piece of ‘vintage’ Fender but simply couldn’t afford the high-value classics.
Although this guitar has been available for some time in both Mexican- and Japanese-made guises, this American Vintage improves on both those and the original with its lightweight build and lacquer finishes. Features such as the three-bolt neck joints and bullet truss rod adjusters (when done properly) make a lot of sense, too.
The small frets and fingerboard radius, not to mention the lack of a rosewood ‘board option on the Custom, or the paltry colour choice, won’t endear them to all, but with street prices already around £1.5k these updated blasts from the past remain a powerful draw.
Read more about Fender American Vintage ’72 Telecaster Custom at MusicRadar.com
|
|
Fender’s American Vintage series is the closest you can get to a vintage Fender guitar without buying the real thing from yesteryear or moving into the more elite Custom Shop.
This new addition – along with the ’69 Thinline and ’72 Thinline – is already available in lower-cost Fender ranges, but not at this quality or with this much vintage detail.
The ’72 Telecaster Custom was first introduced in 1972; a solidbody that marries a Fender humbucker at neck with a Tele single-coil at bridge and, importantly, a Gibson-like volume and tone control for each pickup.
If the ’72 Thinline was, on paper, a little too Gibson, the ’72 Custom perhaps reflects more of a player-conceived middle ground.
Certainly many players had already started modding their Teles – adding a Gibson PAF in neck position was one of the most common alterations, but the difference in outputs could be substantial, and with just the Tele’s single volume and tone set-up there was little you could do.
Enter the four-control Gibson-style layout, complete here with Les Paul-like shoulder mounted toggle switch. It’s gloriously ’70s, too, with those amp-style control knobs, an even bigger scratchplate and even an additional string tree for the G and D strings.
The major difference is, of course, the solid ash body; with the exception of that additional string tree the neck is identical to the ’72 Thinline.
There are also period-correct 250k ohm pots and dual 0.022 mircofarad tone caps.
One reason why the Telecaster has survived all these years is that it’s graced pretty much every genre from country, jazz and blues through to modern mainstream rock and metal.
It’s not always an easy ride: some swear by the bridge pickup (and swear at the neck pickup), others find an endless soul and funk groove from that middle, hollowed mix. There are even a few of us that actually like the neck single-coil for its smooth, jazz-edged voice.
The Custom combines the spike from that Tele bridge pickup with the width and smoothness of the neck humbucker – and it’s all a little firmer and more solid-sounding than either of the Thinlines.
But it’s the pickup mix that’s the real draw here – it’s like two guitars playing in perfect sync. It’s not a particularly Strat-like, or indeed a wider Tele-like, hollowed mix at all.
Instead there’s that beautiful high-end single-coil break up, yet with a low output humbucking warmth underneath that sounds really big; it’s a tremendous roots rock rhythm tone, really three dimensional, while re-tuning to open G gives you instant Keef.
Used individually the pickups are quite well balanced, but the tonal spread is almost too wide. We can’t stress enough just how good that mix sounds though… from Motown rhythm, to ’60s power-pop, alt-country, and even quite higher-gained classic rock, it does it all – just use those volume and tone controls to match your tonal aim.
Then, of course, you have two wildly different lead tones, both referenced in the past, to switch too.
But the more we play this it’s the classic old-style tonality, especially of the more unusual low-output humbucker-equipped guitars, that impresses.
We also love the bridge pickup of the ’72 Custom: it’s nasty, edgy and very rock ‘n’ roll for some hugely attacking rhythm tones or wiry leads and, back into the clean Fender amp, still does a pretty good jazz sound on that neck pickup or the appealing mix.
This guitar was originally conceived at a time when Fender began to lose its way. However, 40 years on the guitar has been elevated into Fender’s top drawer thanks to numerous often left-field players who wanted a piece of ‘vintage’ Fender but simply couldn’t afford the high-value classics.
Although this guitar has been available for some time in both Mexican- and Japanese-made guises, this American Vintage improves on both those and the original with its lightweight build and lacquer finishes. Features such as the three-bolt neck joints and bullet truss rod adjusters (when done properly) make a lot of sense, too.
The small frets and fingerboard radius, not to mention the lack of a rosewood ‘board option on the Custom, or the paltry colour choice, won’t endear them to all, but with street prices already around £1.5k these updated blasts from the past remain a powerful draw.
Read more about Fender American Vintage ’72 Telecaster Custom at MusicRadar.com
|
|
Carl Gavins has been building Animal Custom Drums in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, for the past five years. He works full-time, aided by three other drummers who help out on a part-time basis.
“A quick look at Animal’s website reveals that Rick McMurray of Ash and Paul McManus of Gun are both fans.”
Animal builds four lines of drums, all with the same quality construction, but varying in the type of lug and finish. The lines are LT (Light), Core, Elite and Exotic.
Our kit is an Elite, but slightly confusingly it’s fitted with what Animal calls its Core lug. This is a single-fixing swivel lug, whereas Animal says most Elite customers go for mini-tube lugs.
You can specify your preference of lug and hardware. Lugs are made in Taiwan, and aren’t exclusive to Animal; we found some of them a bit stiff and had to be careful to avoid cross-threading.
Our review kit has a 12″x8″ rack tom with resonance mounting bracket, a 16″x13.5″ floor tom with legs and a 20″x18″ bass drum with heavy duty spurs and die-cast claws. Shells are 6mm, 12-ply Finnish birch. This is Animal’s standard construction, but if you order a Core series kit you can get a birch core with a more exotic laminate.
All shells are accurately fabricated in Animal’s own moulds and have vertical inner plies. “People talk about vibrations travelling faster up and down the shell,” Carl says, “but to be honest, it’s easier for us with how the moulds are set up and how the ply bends.”
Inside, the shells are treated with a satin oil, rendering them silky to the touch.
The butt join on the innermost bass drum ply had a touch of filler, and there was another small line of filler further round the shell. This makes no difference to the performance.
The bass drum was circular to within an eighth of an inch, while both toms were near-perfect – which is exceptional. Bearing edges of 45 degrees were cleanly cut and level.
Regarding our review kit’s finish, Carl says: “I wanted to do something like the Gibson guitar sunburst but a bit lighter. So this is sunburst stain with satin oil finish and Ginger Glass glitter inlays.”
The sunburst is applied smoothly, although there’s little grain pattern in the birch to get excited about.
There’s also matching Ginger Glass on all of the hoops. This complicated finish makes the kit more expensive, since inlaying the wrap into the shell is more time-consuming.
Strips of wrap have been cut into the outer plies of each shell – creating a slight dip – so they’re not quite flush.
The wooden bass drum hoops are also covered in the Ginger Glass, which is overlapped twice on the bottom of each hoop, leaving a little bulge. The exposed edges of the wrap are quite sharp, too.
It would perhaps have been better if the wrap was inlaid in the classic style.
Completing the look, there’s an attractive, lightweight new Animal script badge, which is laser-cut from stainless steel.
Finnish birch is the traditional European drum-building wood. Carl points out that, “I always say to customers who ask which is better, maple or birch, that unless you particularly want maple you won’t hear the difference in a live situation. And I can do birch cheaper for you.”
We’d agree with this – there’s precious little discernible difference in tone between the two woods. What do make a difference, however, are the thin, resonant shells, the shell dimensions and the supplied heads. The latter are Evans, with Clear G2 batters on the toms and Clear Genera Resonants beneath.
Starting with the traditionally dimensioned 12″x8″, you get a classic, punchy and reverberant tone. It’s versatile, retaining good definition over a healthy tuning range.
The unusually-sized 16″x13.5″ yields a slightly more unique sound, in that the shallow depth makes for a more aggressive floor tom. It really cuts, and at first we thought that this might give it a rather stark tone. But the beauty here is you can tune it that little bit deeper and dirtier for warmth, while still retaining a good level of clarity. Tuned higher, you get the deep pitch benefit of the large diameter, but with the fast response of the shallow depth.
Warmth is not in question with the more standard-sized 20″x18″ bass drum. This is particularly the case if you use the foam rings on the Evans EMAD-2 batter, which progressively cut out the highs and leave you with a darker, tighter sound. When playing this punchy kit, you really start to appreciate how the bass drum grounds everything with its fat bottom end.
And once again the bass drum responds well to higher tuning, with the definition and bounce needed for your best double-kick flurries.
Animal is one more British name in a growing list of established UK custom-builders who provide bespoke services at prices that don’t make your eyes water. A quick look at Animal’s website reveals that Rick McMurray of Ash and Paul McManus of Gun are both fans.
Read more about Animal Custom Drums Elite Kit at MusicRadar.com
|
|
SuperNova Custom Drums (SCD) are the work of Jersey drummer Chris Troy. Chris builds three lines of drums: the flagship Trojan; the Apollo, which is aimed specifically at jazz drummers; and the Nebula which has Acrylic shells.
SuperNova is a custom build company and Chris Troy offers customers a choice of four types of his own wood ply shells, or, if you prefer, solid wood stave shells.
“SuperNova builds to order and you can specify whatever you fancy.”
He doesn’t make his own acrylic shells but gets them from RCI Starlite. Full shells are constructed from a single type of wood, while Half-Half shells have one type inside and another on the outside.
Blended shells have two different wood types alternating throughout the shell, and Sandwiched shells have one type of wood on the inner and outer side and a different one sandwiched in the middle.
For review we have a 14″x5 ” Trojan Sandwiched oak and birch ply with a light oak stain and satin oil finish; and a 14″x6″ Nebula Navy Blue Acrylic.
Both drums have 10 of SuperNova’s own design Vortex Lugs, which are made using a CNC (computer numerical control) machine. The lightweight circular lugs give SuperNova a distinctive image, something which not all custom makers achieve. Each lug is fixed internally with just two small, high quality bolts.
The drums are fitted with expensive Trick GS007 strainers and 20-strand PureSound Blaster snare wires. Hoops are heavyweight 2.3mm triple-flanged steel.
The 14″x5 ” Trojan Sandwiched shell in oak and birch is 5-ply and 6.6mm thick. It has a handsome satin oil finish which shows off the broad-grained oak pattern at its best.
The inside is also oak (with birch sandwiched in between) but is a lighter colour, lightly sealed and sanded to a satin smooth finish. There was the tiniest of splintering around a couple of the internal fixing nuts and the butt-join of the innermost ply was very slightly raised from half way up the shell.
Bearing edges are expertly cut to a 45° peak two-thirds of the way towards the outer edge. They are sharp and level and there are narrow snare bed dips just around the snare ends.
For the 14″x6″ blue acrylic snare SuperNova obtains ” thick acrylic shells from RCI which are the best available since they are acrylic-welded at the seams. The shell was slightly out of round by about 1/8″. Once again the edges are a sharp 45° and flat but, I have to say, somewhat ragged to the touch.
SuperNova builds to order and you can specify whatever you fancy. Sourcing rare hardwoods is a fraught business, so SuperNova has signed up to the Trees For The Future Organisation, pledging to plant 100 trees for every drum sold and guaranteeing all plywoods are sourced from sustainable supplies.
The 14″x5 ” Trojan Sandwiched shell in oak and birch is not only a seriously cool-looking drum, it has the performance to match. Fitted with a coated Evans G1 batter it has a lovely crisp tone and I would happily play this drum in just about any musical setting, it’s that versatile and attractive.
It’s extremely difficult to pinpoint the contribution and flavour brought to a drum by any hardwood, but it’s probably safe to say the birch gives the drum its cut and control, the oak its mids and warmth.
At any rate there is an almost creamy tone to the centre-smack, while catching the rim brings out the full resonance of the medium-thin shell. It helps that Chris has cut accurate 45° bearing edges which makes tuning easy and reliable.
Despite being ” deeper than the wood, the acrylic drum has a slightly brighter timbre, a little cleaner and less complex. With clattering rim shots you’d almost believe it was a metal shell drum – it has that fresh, metallic clank. B
But lamp it in the centre and it is as warm as many a wood drum. The sound has possibly fewer overtones, but it is not cold or clinical, which is always the suspicion with a synthetic material. It does feel capable of giving a bit more volume than wood if necessary. I can well understand those who say acrylic is an ideal material for drums.
SuperNova’s unique lugs give its drums a distinctive look often missing from drums with generic hardware. The exterior finish on the oak drum and the bearing edges are superb. Chris Troy has the expertise and passion to make great drums.
Read more about SuperNova Custom Snare Drums at MusicRadar.com
|
|