Samplebase has released five new SoundBlocks for Satellite, including a free one by Jordan Rudess (which can be downloaded and used, for free, in the free Satellite plug-in).
Piano Off the Record [$29]
New to Samplebase is producer Michael Bearden whose sought-after piano chops (Anastacia, Ashanti, Destiny's Child) are displayed in his latest SoundBlock offering. Piano Off the Record is a collection of piano loops designed to inspire Hip Hop producers. These loops have been specially processed to sound as though they were lifted off a vinyl record. This SoundBlock offers instant control over the crackle, dirt, and vintage feel of the loops. Plus, the vinyl sound can be adjusted or removed for a clean piano vibe. Inside there are 35 original piano loops recorded at tempos ranging from 85 to 103 BPM, ready to automatically time-stretch and change pitch in Satellite to any tempo and key that is dialed in. Included are several vinyl noise samples that can be played individually, for use in other musical projects.
Pulsation Station 2 [$29]
MIDIhead returns with his second installment of pulsing sounds, designed to add motion to electronic music. Pulsation Station 2 is a luxurious excursion into the depths of electronic and cinematic music. Unlike its prequel, Pulsation Station 1, loops have been omitted in favor of multi-sampled pads, leads, basses, and textures optimized for use in a variety of electronic music styles, especially film score.
The majority of the 32 included multis contain multiple stacks of sonic ear candy where each layer can be manipulated to taste. Users can also build their own multis from the available patches. The modulation wheel offers immediate real-time control of the sonic character, adjusting a variety of parameters for fascinating results. Of course, all of the "pulses" in Pulsation Station 2 (delays, LFOs, filters, effects parameters) sync to the host tempo automatically. Pulsation Station 2 also employs field recording, injecting organic sounds into a synthesized wonderland.
House Guitar – 127 BPM and House Guitar – 130 BPM [$19 each]
Producer and session musician James Davis has created two SoundBlocks for Samplebase, House Guitar – 127 BPM and House Guitar – 130 BPM. These two SoundBlocks complete a three-volume set of funkadelic, up-tempo guitar loops by session strummer James Davis. The riffs are specifically designed for progressive house music, focusing on the commonly used House tempos of 127 and 130 BPM (the series covers 125, 127, and 130 BPM) All of the House Guitar SoundBlocks contain several variations for each riff, including some creative and inspiring edits, chops and reverses. These guitar loops are perfect for creating a funky dance floor vibe, with several variations per loop.
There are also a handful of pre-assigned effects that are specially designed to add more color and interest. As with many Samplebase SoundBlocks the mod wheel provides immediate control over the character of the sound, in this case adjusting a low pass filter that can be used for builds and transitions.
Jordan Rudess–NODE [Free]
The new Jordan Rudess–NODE SoundBlock features the vocal anomalies of well-known keyboardist Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater). It loads exclusively into Samplebase's free Satellite synth-player.
Halfway through the 2009 NAMM show in Anaheim, Rudess noticed that his voice had changed as a result of straining to talk over the loud rumble of the show, producing a second tone that was exactly an octave higher than his normal voice. So, he decided to record the effect in his hotel room using his iPhone. Upon sharing the story with Samplebase's creative director Mike Babbitt, he agreed to let the sound designers at Samplebase program his vocal experiments for Satellite, and to put them into a free SoundBlock for Samplebase users.
"This was a totally random, but very fun accident for me," says Rudess. "The guys at Samplebase may be a little crazy, but they did some very cool, unexpected things with my voice and I really like how it turned out."
The original conversation between Rudess and Babbitt was documented in a video filmed on the NAMM show floor.
The Jordan Rudess–NODE SoundBlock is a free download for Samplebase users and visitors.
About Samplebase
Samplebase.com is a website dedicated to offering thousands of high quality, downloadable production-ready Loops, Phrases, and Multisampled Instruments that cater to today's "wired" musician. The sample-playback synth engines Satellite (free for all Samplebase users) and Satellite Pro run stand-alone on Macs and PCs, or as a plug-in in AU, VST, RTAS (Universal Binary on Mac) and VST, RTAS (PC) formats.
