Below the fold I have some audio links to share with you guys. These are miscellaneous loops, one-shots, stabs, and other do-dads kindly provided by none other than the guys at Akai. They’ve been posting a number of free goodies on their Soundcloud page as of recent, so if you find the highlights below useful then I recommend following them for more goodies down the road.
It’s always tough to predict the sound quality of random samples found online, but keep in mind that this is Akai we’re talking about here. I trust these guys ;)
Monday Drums is a batch of loops using classic 808 and 909 drum machine sounds, Synth Bleeps & Bloops can be loaded into a sampler and mangled for atmospheric effects with ease, and for you drum and bass heads, there’s always the Welcome To The Jungle pack to boot. Now get to work.
I come across free software plug-ins on a pretty regular basis, but many don’t leave much of an impression on me. Mainly because they’re either trying to re-invent the wheel, or they simply won’t add value to the programs many producers are already using. Every once in awhile I find a gem however, and the Tyrell N6 synth is one of them.
The Tyrell N6 is a classic virtual subtractive synth. AbletonTutor on Twitter posted a rave review about it the other day, convincing me in just 140 characters to take a look myself. The N6 was developed as a side project by U-He; they’re best known for creating Zebra, a very powerful (yet tough to learn) modular software synth. Originally concieved as a low-cost hardware analogue synth, the developers quickly learned such a project was not feasible. They instead decided to port it over to the software side, and the rest is history.
One of the biggest benefactors of the Tyrell N6 is the voice stacking capability, which allows you to layer multiple oscillators on top of each other. With a little detuning programmed in, you can create some very full-bodied, dynamic sounds on this puppy. Many of the other knobs and sliders on the N6 perform what most subtractive synths are expected to: oscillators to generate the sound itself, envelopes to shape the sound, and LFO’s control the rhythmic elements over time.
A huge bonus in the Tyrell N6, which I’ve never seen before in a free VST, is a modulation matrix. Although not nearly as complex as something you would find in Native Isntrument’s Massive or Reason’s Thor, the N6 matrix still allows you to automate the parameters of the LFO over a span of time.
This is a highly recommended soft synth for a producer on a tight budget. It’s capable of generating some very dense, expressive sounds, as the video embedded above illustrates.
Fresh out of ideas for your next Ableton project? Sometimes all it takes is a custom rack to find a different way to process your sounds and get those creative juices flowing again. Live’s racks are virtually boundless; you can make them as simple or as complex as you want. AfroDJMac is an Ableton user who creates and shares custom racks every single week, his most recent being a “Super Bass” rack.
You need to have the entire suite to take advantage of this rack because he utilizes the Analog synth. But check out the video above and see how he uses his rack to not only generate the sound, but also add a bit of fuzz (read: character) to just the high end. And he manages to use the one rack not only to create the bass, but also the lead sounds on top of it. Pretty cool.
]]>Cool Free Stuff: Downtempo & Experimental Compilation Via Finest Egohttp://www.beantownboogiedown.com/beantown-boogie-down-cool-fr/2011/8/27/cool-free-stuff-downtempo-experimental-compilation-via-fines.htmlnickdawg2011-08-27T15:32:33Z2011-08-27T15:32:33Z Words: Matt Farina
Here’s a free compilation from a label called Project Mooncircle, a worldwide label that’s been putting out releases since 2004. I stumbled across this, liked what I heard and wanted to find out more, and turns out it’s actually the fourth in a series. All share the title of ‘Finest Ego’ with each release focusing on a different geographic area; the prior compilations include New Zealand/Australia, Russia, and Japan.
This one in particular collects a solid variety of producers and sounds from Ireland & the UK, overlapping mostly on electronic hip-hop and funk. Fans of the LuckyMe collective (Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, Mike Slott) or the French Musique Large team (Poirier, Débruit, Fulgeance) will want to check this out - many of the brightly-colored synths and funky beats on this comp bring these producers to mind.
The artwork for these releases is a nice fit, with color schemes and geometric patterns reflecting the musical makeup. Seems that part is handled by a German group called LGB5. It’s cool to see a truly worthwhile compilation given away for free, especially as both LGB5 and the Mooncircle label have strong bodies of work already - so check them out and support them if you like this!
(Nick comment: Sony Walkman diehards will find themselves in luck. CASSETTE versions of many of these compilations are readily available for purchase on the website.)
]]>Cool Free Stuff: Bass & Dancehall Vibes From D Rakkas on Mad Decenthttp://www.beantownboogiedown.com/beantown-boogie-down-cool-fr/2011/8/25/cool-free-stuff-bass-dancehall-vibes-from-d-rakkas-on-mad-de.htmlnickdawg2011-08-26T03:33:59Z2011-08-26T03:33:59Z
Dilemma: you want to play some jungle smack dab in the middle of your bass set, but do it without completely alienating the tweens in the club born post-1990. After all, they’re the ones less familiar with such blasphemy transcending the 160 beat per minute range! Solution: insert some pressure by the likes of D Rakkas mid-set. Perfectly flowing along with the ethos of the Mad Decent label his new EP is about to drop on, this dude brings the drum and bass breakbeats, the electro-bass bottom end, and some dancehall vocals to form quite the cocktail of music we should just pigeonhole as “fun”.
Budget-minded people will appreciate a freebie in the form of a remix to the lead track (“Gangsta Revival”), which the description above fits perfectly. There are amens for the breakers, and vocals for the ladies. Everyone’s happy, everyone dances. Those that are of age get to drink. Those that aren’t probably get to drink too. The end.
If us east coasters make it past the impending hurricane over the weekend, we get to hear the remaining seven tunes from the EP next Tuesday! Check out the preview of all the cuts here.
]]>Cool Free Stuff: Free Percussion and Ambient Packs For Ableton Livehttp://www.beantownboogiedown.com/beantown-boogie-down-cool-fr/2011/7/19/cool-free-stuff-free-percussion-and-ambient-packs-for-ableto.htmlnickdawg2011-07-19T05:23:10Z2011-07-19T05:23:10Z
Have a craving for some free samples to refresh your Ableton device racks with? Allow me to direct you to Togeo Studios. I was directed here from the Ableton forum and honestly, I can’t wait to download some of these sample packs myself. Always on the chase to find new drums, one of the packs that probably comes the most in handy for me is the Beatmaker Classics. This one includes 50 drum kits, each loaded as separate racks, complete with macro knobs for full control of paramaters such as the attack, decay, and release times.
Already got enough drums? The Dreamscape series of packs may still be of interest. A multi-part Live pack, Dreamscapes are racks that include synthesized, ambient sounds via a series of simpler devices loaded as racks. These might come in handy for creating textures or other sounds that fill the higher frequency ranges of your projects.
Make sure you add Togeo Studies to your bookmarks page; they release updated packs on the regular. If you’re digging the free ones, be sure to check out the paid ones as well; all of them are priced reasonably and you’re bound to get a decent amount of mileage out of them if you happen to be an avid Live user.
]]>Cool Free Stuff: ASC-Reach Out (drum and bass)http://www.beantownboogiedown.com/beantown-boogie-down-cool-fr/2011/5/18/cool-free-stuff-asc-reach-out-drum-and-bass.htmlnickdawg2011-05-19T03:30:24Z2011-05-19T03:30:24ZImage Credit: http://onethirtybpm.com/
This awesome, free joint by longtime drum and bass producer ASC can be best compared to being in a large, dark, and empty room. When suddenly, a bucket containing thousands of metallic balls are dropped from high up, each one differently sized. They bounce relentelessly off of every flat surface within the confines, resulting in a cornucopia of taps, bangs, plinks, and plonks, resulting in the creation of a multitude of pitches, rhythms, and echoes at different lengths.
With all the commotion and friction these shiny metallic objects are creating, you can’t bring many other things into the equation; you’d hate to think of what happened if one happened to get knocked out of its trajectory (oh, the horror). So ASC takes great care to make the components outside of the drums in “Reach Out” as subtle, yet effective as possible, without competing too much against them. Just enough synth is added to yield a melody that jives with the pitch of the percussion, and you may as well just toss in a medicine ball to handle the low end (how you’ll get it to bounce to make that funky bassline I’m not too sure of though).
]]>Cool Free Stuff: New Juke Mix And Exclusive Track By Moveltraxx Crewhttp://www.beantownboogiedown.com/beantown-boogie-down-cool-fr/2011/3/29/cool-free-stuff-new-juke-mix-and-exclusive-track-by-moveltra.htmlnickdawg2011-03-29T13:14:48Z2011-03-29T13:14:48Z
If you’re on the hunt for some quality juke on this side of the pond, look no further than the Moveltraxx guys. They’ve got some stuff happening right now, including several nights centered western Canada (where they’re currently based).
If a flight out to British Columbia isn’t in the cards, they’ve got a pretty good online presence to boot. Their blog is regularly updated with plenty of special blends from members of their crew, as well as one free 320kbps MP3 download each month. Not a bad deal at all.
Moveltraxx already boasts a solid roster of original producers as well as remixers, including Big Dope P, Congorock, DJ Sega, Sinden, Berou & Canblaster, DJ Rashad, and the Philthkids.
Sample a bit of their sound with their most recent radio show, as mixed by the Philthkids. As these guys quote: “The two best things in this world are music and a women’s ass…put the two together and you truly have something amazing.” Can’t say I disagree with that.
Jamie Grind - Footwork LDFD - Twerk It Addison Groove - Dumbshit Philthkids - For the Booty Clicks’n’Whistles - Hello Wildlife - Nocturnal World - French Fries DJ Assault - Vandalism Taz - Gold Tooth Grin Sines - Danceflo’ Typhonic - Running Johnny Megabyte - Liquid Gold DJ Rashad - U See Them Hoes
The free track of the month, Berou & Canblaster’s “Kapongo”, can be downloaded on the right column of their blog on the homepage. You have to provide them your email, but worry not. I’ve been on their list for several months now, they’re not going to spam you. They send 1 or 2 emails each month, loaded with quality content if you’re a juke lover. No “COME TO MY PARTY FRIDAY NO COVER IT’S ONLY 1000 MILES AWAY!1!” in CAPITAL LETTERS type stuff.
]]>Cool Free Stuff: 2 Fresh Tracks Hot Out The MSTRKRFT Studiohttp://www.beantownboogiedown.com/beantown-boogie-down-cool-fr/2011/3/24/cool-free-stuff-2-fresh-tracks-hot-out-the-mstrkrft-studio.htmlnickdawg2011-03-24T05:08:48Z2011-03-24T05:08:48Z
Now I’m not sure if there’s any political undertones in MSTRKRFT’s brand new track “Back In The USSA”, but they don’t seem like a political band, and this sure as hell isn’t a political blog. So forget any references to socialists or Alex Jones or whatever. Or the Beatles for that matter, this is NOT a euro-trance cover of the track that kicked off the White Album. It’s just a catchy instrumental piece that has that synthetic MSTRKRFT sound, and it’s yours, free.
Soundcloud embeds below for not only “Back in the USSA”, but the equally badass (but more guitar-centric) tune “Beards Again” for previewing. Like what you hear? Head over to Mstrkrft.com for the direct download links for both tracks.
]]>Cool Free Stuff: Kevin Saunderson- The Sound (1987)http://www.beantownboogiedown.com/beantown-boogie-down-cool-fr/2011/2/21/cool-free-stuff-kevin-saunderson-the-sound-1987.htmlnickdawg2011-02-21T18:07:48Z2011-02-21T18:07:48Z
Drama aside, “The Sound” is fantastic, and the use of Roland’s classic drum machines will make this track something that pretty much anyone on the dancefloor can relate to and appreciate.
