102 / COMPUTER MUSIC July 2019
reviews / mini reviews
Soundware round-up
Rhythmic Robot
Rhythmate €30
This Kontakt emulation of the
legendary 1949 Chamberlin Rhythmate
tape-based drum machine samples all
the original loops – played two at a
time, emulating the ‘mid-track’ blending
of the real thing – and providing plenty
of its individual sounds for triggering
within a dedicated nine-channel mixer.
Getting loops in time with anything but
default tempos is tricky, but usefully,
you can slice each one for pitchshifting
without affecting speed. The 39 drum/
percussion grooves (all recorded
entirely live, from swinging jazz
workouts to cinematic bongo lines) are
filthy and all the more evocative for it.
You also get Hiss and Crackle layers,
plus EQ, reverb and limiting. One of
Rhythmic Robot’s finest curios yet.
rhythmicrobot.com
n9/ 1
Sample Magic
SleazyBeats 2 £30
ThesequeltoSleazyBeats(9/10, 252) brings
another 1.2GB of sun-kissed LA beat-inspired loops
and shots, kicking off with 28 beefy, loping stemmed
beats (147 files) and the same number of funk-infused
electric and synth basslines. There are no synth
presets or FL Studio projects this time round, but the
21 Music mini construction kits are well up on the
standard set by the original, every one an inspiration.
Then there are 41 equally superb melodic loops, and
a sizeable selection of textures, FX, vocals and more.
Truly awesome.
samplemagic.com
n9/ 10nLoopmasters
Circle of Tones^ £30
The handpan, or hang, is a discoid metal tuned
percussion instrument with a mellow sound (a bit like
an understated steel drum) that’s become a favourite
of post-millennial buskers, new agers and festival-
goers. Loopmasters’ 890MB (plus REX file duplicates)
library of handpan samples sees it being struck with
beaters, bare hands and gloves for the creation of a
wide range of chords, melodies and effects. It’s
superb – surely the definitive source of such material- but we do wish the one-shots were allowed to decay
fully, rather than being cut off mid-sustain.
loopmasters.com
n9/ 10n
Sample Tools by Cr2
Jackin’ & Tech House 3^ £16
The first two somehow passed us by, but the third in
Cr2’sclub-boundseriespresumablydoesn’tmess
withtheformula.Afterthenumericalexcessesoflast
issue’soutstandingHeavyTechno(10/10, 269),
the drop to ten stemmed drum loops (50 files), ten
(each) bass, synth and vocal loops, and 80 one-shots
is inevitably disappointing, but three top-notch ‘song
starter’ construction kits ease the pain a little.
Crucially, the samples themselves are excellent, from
the punchy drums and rolling basses to the cheeky
vocal cut-ups and colourful FX.
sampletoolsbycr2.com
n8/10nStatik Link
Funk Genius^ Subscription
Inspired by the jazz-funk likes of Chico Hamilton and
Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, there’s that raw, earthy quality
to Funk Genius that only real analogue
instrumentation can bring to the party, and a fuzzy
underlay of background noise that enhances the
vibe. The 12 drum loops are groovy and colourful, and
the piano riffs are bound to find favour with hip-hop
producers, but the bass and synth sounds are pretty
basic – verging on characterless at points, in fact,
although that could become a positive if they were
used as raw starting points for processing.
noiiz.com
n7/ 1 0n