Pursuit of the perfect pads

The concept of the pad has arguably been around for hundreds of years. However, something of a revolution occurred in the 70s, as synthesisers and string machines provided greater sophistication and ease in polyphonic operation, and hence the synth pad was born. Consequently, it feels as though the pad has never left us, occupying a relatively central position in the production of electronic music, as well as ambient and soundtrack composition. Any product which brings a different shine to this arena is very welcome, and even more so if it bears the capacity to add interest to the concept. Where Habitat scores highly, is with its ability to blend two very different layers together. On the one hand, there is a vast supply of very high quality acoustic samples; recorded at the Teldex sound stage, the acoustic elements range from strings and wind, French horn, guitar and piano. These acoustic layers are organic in themselves, and bizarrely provide an influencing element to the electronic elements, which are also arguably organic, being overtly analogue in nature. The blend of instrumentation is sublime, and being compartmentalised through layering, provides a pad-based canvas that can evolve and build, as required by the user.