New breaks samples

It’s a breaks-themed sample collection this issue with two all-new packs and loads of classics! Get them on the DVD or download direct at filesilo.co.uk

Dusty Breaks

We gave you the Ultimate Bass collection last issue, and now it’s time for a break. Many breaks! Here’s what Robbie from Cyclick Samples says about his new breaks collection…

“This sample set provides some semiraw sources for use as breaks, chopped or otherwise. All the loops are two-bar phrases, though some were originally one-bar recordings doubled up. The drum kit used is listed below as are the mics and preamps used. I played for five to 10 minutes to a click at a given tempo and then edited out phrases I liked, or at least were in time.

“Mics used: Coles and STC 4038 ribbons as overheads, Royer R121 outside the kick and the Beyer M88 inside, Beyer M201 and SM57 as snare top/bottom, Calrec CM1050 on the hats, Sennheiser MD421s on the toms, a Telefunken AR51 behind the drummer, a Reslo ribbon close to the ground almost a metre in front of the kick, a Mapling Super Stereo Ear (toy) mic next to it and a pair of Joe Meek JM47 cardioid condensers hung from the roof about 5m off the ground. Finally, beats 16 to 24 in the 95bpm set are played with maracas instead of sticks and there’s a tambourine on the hi-hat… because I felt like it!”

THE DRUM KIT

Beverley Blue Badge 60s/70s drumkit (13/16/22)

Beverley Blue Badge 70s steel snare 14x6

Zildjian A Custom 17” crash

Sabian AAX 16” Studio crash

Agop Istanbul Alchemy 14” hi hats

Various hand percussion items

Groovy Breaks

Oli Bell from Groove Criminals explains how he nearly got carried away with his breaks creation this month…

“We’ve been layering dirt and dust over some tasty breaks this month here at GCHQ (not that one). All the beats were programmed in the box using a combination of Battery and Geist and drawing on our frankly huge library of real drum sounds that we’ve built up over quite a few years of recording sessions. We do have a secret sauce for processing loops to make them sound like we have grabbed them from the back of the crates (which may or may not involve tape), but plugins like Vinyl Strip, Maul, Time Machine and the Abbey Road collection all sound brilliant when going for the dusty beats vibe.

“The cut-up breaks took some older loops we had made – some indeed for Computer Music issues long past – and threw them into Geist to slice, dice and rearrange into something new. We enjoyed that so much we dug out our (dusty) Akai MPC 1000 and fed it drum samples to make some beats with more of a cut up hip-hop vibe.”

GEAR USED

Apple Logic

FXpansion Geist

NI Battery 4

Akai MPC 1000

Waves Abbey Road Vinyl, Chambers, plates and J37

Audio Thing vinyl strip

FXpansion Maul

Tone Boosters Ferox and Time Machine

Various hand percussion