Ten complete construction kits from CM Special 02, with over 300 samples, covering a wide range of tempos from 60bpm slow movers to 150bpm dancefloor dynamite
Join us in our sampling time machine as we take you back 20 issues to CM63 and its exclusive range of nearly 300 ethnic samples. This percussion-oriented collection takes in a sizeable range of instruments from marimba, bodhran, Chinese gongs and maracas to didgeridoo, dulcimer, dumbek and more.
A massive grab-bag of 1241 samples, covering a wide range of musical bases. The action kicks off with over 50 multisampled instruments, from guitars and basses (both electric and acoustic) to authentic analogue synths, drum kits and a myriad of keyboards.
Then there are 5 varied construction kits, including beats, FX and, er, harpsichord, as well as a shedload of loops, hits, effects, pads and much more.
Copy them to your hard drive and dig in!
A melting pot of 777 funky loops and one-shots.
First up is a massive collection of meticulously crafted 70s-style funk grooves. We hired in a number of professional sessioneers to bring it on, including 35-year veteran Wayne Cunningham and his treasured collection of DW and Ludwig snare drums, along with a flight-case of hi-hats and cymbals. We tracked him using TG2 and Manley preamps, as well as the usual studio standard mics: AKG D-112, Shure Sm57, Neumann and more. This collection comprises a ton of beats and variations, fills, intros and more.
The bass and guitar parts were performed by in-demand Philly guitarist Har. Short on moniker, long on talent, Har knocks out a brace of funky, soulful rhythm guitar and slap bass parts.
With The Electronic Garden involved, you won't be surprised to learn that we've also got some world-class samples for you. TEG drew upon their massive modular analogue and beloved Moog, as well as a Hammond organ, Clavs and electric piano, all positively swirling with soul.
About the drum loops: the human feel is very important to the funk genre, so the loops are organised in folders by BPM. There is some variation within each folder, though. Some loops might be ahead or behind the beat by a few BPM, but, if necessary, they can be stretched to fit your music more precisely. We chose to go with the original feel and let you decide for yourself.
This vast collection of sounds was produced by The Electronic Garden and Richard James Audio Design.
Kicking off this funkfest is a mothership-full of comprehensive construction kits. Each contains a selection of ass-shakin' drum loops and their constituent his for maximum flexibility.
Then there are a host of basslines, forged with two 70s Musicman StingRays using various tone settings and levels of string degradation to get a genuinely old-skool sound.
The guitar samples were recorded with a 1973 Fender Strat running through Native Instruments Guitar Rig, and the keyboards were made using a combination of a Kurzweil K2600 (clavinets, electric pianos, acoustic piano and some organs), a Korg Ms-20 and Native Instruments' B4.
The construction kits are in the following tempos and keys:
| Kit | Tempo | Keys |
| Kit01 | 113 bpm | A & D |
| Kit02 | 103 bpm | B & F# |
| Kit03 | 101 bpm | G & C |
| Kit04 | 108 bpm | A & D |
| Kit05 | 97 bpm | D & G |
A library of 118 meticulously-sampled Latin sounds. A wide range of instruments has been used including timbales, congas, castanets, cabasa, maracas, triangle, whistle, guiro, clave and woodblocks, all mapped out in General MIDI format. The congas and timbales that appear in the GM kit have also been used to create dedicated, detailed multis.
The instruments are mapped in a variety of formats; HALion, Kontakt and DS-404.
We called upon the talents of Gospel singer Noelle Drake to lay down some luscious 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' all mapped out in Ds-404, HALion, Kontakt and NN-XT format.
That went so well that we retained her services again for a series of 'Ooh yeahs!'. Noelle's voice was tracked with a Neumann large diaphragm condenser microphone and sent through a Chandler Limited EMI/Abbey RoadTG2 preamp for that authentic 70s sound.
Can you feel it?