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Cult Sampler
Reviewed By jsd [all]
April 22nd, 2004
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Windows
I was hoping to be able to recreate a lot of the tracks from my youth with Cult Sampler, but unfortunately the rather spotty and oftentimes perplexing choice of sounds included makes that difficult or impossible. Despite the fact that the cover art on the box is based on the Fairlight, there are only a meager 20 Fairlight samples included. Other classics like the Synclavier are also poorly represented.
There is a strange emphasis on orchestral samples. Strange because most of these samples are short and low-res (8 or 12 bit). I can't imagine anybody these days is desperately looking for the Akai S1000 stock violin patch! On the other hand, this would have been a great opportunity to bring back some of the more off the wall sounds of the 1980's.
The classic drum machine section is convenient and usable, but most of these sounds have been well covered in the past. I would have liked to hear some of the weirder drum sounds from various sample libraries, but they are not to be found.
Speaking of drum kits, due to the Kompakt player limitations, you cannot route individual drum hits to separate outs. You'll have to spring for the full version of Kontakt 1.5 to do that.
So far I've only touched on the negatives, but it's not all bad news. What you do get is laid out well, and the Kompakt player format means that the sounds load up quickly and work without fuss. You can get right down to making tracks with this instrument. The Native Instruments web based Challenge/Response system is a love it or hate it affair, but it worked quickly and trouble-free for me.
To sum it up, it's a decent collection of vintage sounds which leans a little too heavily towards ordinary fare like organ, piano, and strings, and not enough towards the weirder artifacts of the 80's for my taste. Don't get this thinking you're getting a massive Fairlight or Synclavier library. It's no doubt useful if you're looking to add a touch of 80's quirk to your music, but it could have been so much more.Read Review
There is a strange emphasis on orchestral samples. Strange because most of these samples are short and low-res (8 or 12 bit). I can't imagine anybody these days is desperately looking for the Akai S1000 stock violin patch! On the other hand, this would have been a great opportunity to bring back some of the more off the wall sounds of the 1980's.
The classic drum machine section is convenient and usable, but most of these sounds have been well covered in the past. I would have liked to hear some of the weirder drum sounds from various sample libraries, but they are not to be found.
Speaking of drum kits, due to the Kompakt player limitations, you cannot route individual drum hits to separate outs. You'll have to spring for the full version of Kontakt 1.5 to do that.
So far I've only touched on the negatives, but it's not all bad news. What you do get is laid out well, and the Kompakt player format means that the sounds load up quickly and work without fuss. You can get right down to making tracks with this instrument. The Native Instruments web based Challenge/Response system is a love it or hate it affair, but it worked quickly and trouble-free for me.
To sum it up, it's a decent collection of vintage sounds which leans a little too heavily towards ordinary fare like organ, piano, and strings, and not enough towards the weirder artifacts of the 80's for my taste. Don't get this thinking you're getting a massive Fairlight or Synclavier library. It's no doubt useful if you're looking to add a touch of 80's quirk to your music, but it could have been so much more.Read Review
