Nine Volt Audio has released Stickbreakers Vol 2: Ten Man Taiko, a sample set that presents ten percussionists playing ten deep and resonant Japanese taiko drums in a 1200 seat hall.

The playing was recorded from stage, balcony and two separate hall microphone positions, each capturing tight hits, loose hits, extra loose hits, tight rim hits, loose rim hits, tight stick clicks and loose stick clicks. The core content weighs in at over one gigabyte, with nearly 1400 samples.

Patches have been designed to meet a range of needs, from traditional open-air taiko ensembles to the sound of distant armies on the march.

Features:
» All pertinent sound and effect controls are accessible on the front interface.
» Mod wheel can lengthen or shorten the drums’ decay in every patch.
» Remap any patch on the fly with the turn of one knob.
» Patches to easily blend “Stage”, “Hall” and “Balcony” microphone positions.
» 1.06 GB of 44.1 kHz/24bit samples
» 18 Kontakt 3.5/4 instrument patches
» A wide range of articulations, some with as many as 111 samples per key, with a total of 1392 samples.
» User interface controls are available to control the depth of automatic sample rotation and other humanization features.
» Contains a “Master FX” patch capable of implementing 24 different FX chains.
» Each FX chain has alternate effects that can be cross-faded in real-time using the pitch bend wheel.
» Ensemble recordings were made with percussionists placed in suitable acoustic positions to accommodate composers wishing for accuracy in stereo width and depth.
» Patches are available with multi-microphone mix controls.
» User interface controls include: convolution reverb (with 14 custom IR .wavs), saturation, stereo width, velocity curve, low and high pass filters, delay, low, mid and high EQ gain, AHDSR, remap knob and humanization.
» Compatible with full retail versions of Native Instruments’ Kontakt 3.5 and up.

Nine Volt Audio’s Stickbreakers Vol 2: Ten Man Taiko is available now for $69.99. More information on Nine Volt Audio Stickbreakers Vol 2: Ten Man Taiko.

Native Instruments has released Abbey Road 80s Drums, with two drum kits for use in the free Kontakt Player and the Kontakt 4 sampler.

Abbey Road 80s Drums contains two characteristic instruments that significantly contributed to the sound of the respective musical decade – a vintage Yamaha 9000, and a Slingerland Magnum Chrome with single-headed concert toms and a full set of Octobans, the melodically tuned tubular toms that were popular among drummers of that time. Both drum kits were set up and sampled in Abbey Road’s Studio Two and Studio Three, taking full advantage of the acoustic properties of these famous recording rooms.

Abbey Road 80s Drums features a sophisticated implementation of the typical “gated reverb” technique that enabled the distinctive huge-but-tight drum sound of the 80s. Different sets of ambient microphones were used at Abbey Road to capture additional, strongly compressed versions of the room sound, including a mono overhead signal recorded through a STC 4021 “Ball and Biscuit” microphone and a specially built replica of the SSL E-Series talkback compressor, utilizing a further popular recording trick of that time.

Selected Neve preamps, an analog 2-inch tape machine and other exclusive outboard gear further contribute to the genuine, powerful sound character of Abbey Road 80s Drums. Up to 27 velocity layers per instrument, each with up to six additional variation samples, guarantee authenticity both for rhythm programming and for real-time MIDI-controlled playing. The functional user interface offers convenient control over all articulation, sound shaping, mixing and routing functions, with envelopes and volume of the gated ambience individually adjustable per instrument group. Advanced randomization can even add subtle nuances to the tone and timing to make it virtually indistinguishable from a studio-recorded drum performance.

More information on Abbey Road 80s Drums.

Grace Digital has debuted the Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player, a new addition to their line of internet radios. Simply plug it into your current home stereo system and gain access to 30,000 internet radio stations, podcast and on demand Wi-Fi radio content. Like all Grace Digital internet radios, Tuner supports a variety of services including Pandora Radio, NPR on-demand, iheartradio, and SIRIUS.

By connecting directly to your home stereo system the Tuner Wi-Fi Radio & Media Player provides superior sound quality and access to internet radio stations and services from all over the world. With a built-in Ethernet jack and a true 802.11g wireless connectivity, set up is quick and easy. The Tuner’s stand-width design appears to be just another component in your current home audio setup. The Tuner can dial in Reciva, iheartradio, CBS Radio, Pandora, Premium SIRIUS Internet radio, Live365, MP3tunes, NOAA, and NPR. Users can also wirelessly stream their personal collection direct from their PC or Mac to their home stereo. The Tuner comes equipped with a full function remote control or download the Grace Digital Audio Remote Control App to control one or more of your Grace Digital internet radios from your iPhone, iPad and/or iPod Touch.

Grace’s Tuner is available no for $219.99. More information on the Grace Digital Tuner Wi-Fi Radio & Media Player.

We don’t know how the folks at Producer Loops do it, but they manage to crank out one excellent sample library after another. This week’s (!) effort is Supalife House, which the creators describe as a fresh perspective to house music, combining banging beats with glitched and progressive top loops, quirky energetic basslines, smooth ambience and brash leads sure to take your productions to new rapturous heights! We say it just plain rocks!

Supalife House is the brainchild of Eddy Beneteau’s ‘Supalife Records’ and contains a large collection of loops and one-shot samples drawing on the Tech-House and Glitch side of the House equation. This is the first in a series of Sample Packs created by Supalife Records and distributed exclusively by ProducerLoops.com. We would like to see a little more concentration on the Drum/Percussion side of things, but for 30 bucks, you get a lot of quality House action.

Contents:
» Supalife House contains 442 original loops and samples (per format) in the following categories:
— Drum Loops (claps, full kit, hi hats, kicks and percussion)
— One-Shots (bass, lead, pad, rhythm and second synths)
— Synth Loops (bass, lead, pad, rhythm and second synths)
» Dry, Wet and Tail loops:
— As with most Producer Loops products, you’ll find dry, wet and decay/tail versions of most musical loops allowing you to end a phrase with the decay of the FX as opposed to a fade or sudden stop. You can also create your own FX mixes using the dry loops by mixing them through your choice of software or hardware reverbs/delays/etc.
» MIDI Files:
— MIDI files add a whole new level of control as they contain only the musical data/instructions to trigger an instrument. Simply import the MIDI files, and set their output to your favourite synth or sampler in your sequencer and they’ll play back perfectly at any speed or pitch and you can change the notes about as required.

Specifications:
» Choice of ACID, Apple, MIDI, REX or ReFill
» 48kHz / 24-bit audio quality
» All loops and one shots key & tempo tagged
» PC & Mac compatible
» Includes Reason ReFill
» 100% Royalty-Free (No Exceptions)

Producer Loops’ Supalife House is currently available as a download for $31.73 / £24.95 / €30.36. More information on Producer Loops Supalife House.

Bluezone Corporation has released Hard Techno Sensation, a banging drum library containing 68 loops plus 27 individual drum hits that are designed for Techno & Hard Techno, Trance & Hard Trance, Hardstyle & Hardcore. The set is hard-hitting and the samples/loops come both as AIFF and WAV files.

Each musical loop or sample is ready for immediate use on your tracks or it can be tweaked based on your needs. The pack is royalty free and can be used at no extra cost in all your original and commercial compositions.

Features:
» No-Kick Loops
» Percussion Loops
» Drum Loops
» Drum Hits / One-Shots

Specifications:
» 170 MB Data – 194 Files
» Loops recorded at 143 bpm
» Formats : WAV / AIFF

More information on Bluezone’s Hard Techno Sensation Drum Library.

Producer Loops have premiered Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx Vol 2, a new sample library that goes deeper and darker than the first volume. It’s presented as a polished, versatile tool set packed full of disturbing bass lines, frantic breaks, powerful kick/snare combos, ripping synth leads and much more. Also, includes MIDI files.

Picking up where volume 1 left off, Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx Vol 2 contains over 550 entirely original loops and samples processed with a dark, grimey and punchy vibe in a variety of different flavors including ACID WAV, Apple Loops, REX2, ReFill and EXS24, plus MIDI. Artfully mangled stuttering basslines interweave with tight breaks and a cacophony of rides and cymbals, underpinned by the trademark distorted tones of hard DnB. The result is a selection of loops that don’t just move some serious air – they blast it clean out of the way.

Producer Loops’ Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx Vol 2 is available now as a download and costs $16.10 / £12.95 / €15.54 More information on Producer Loops Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx Vol 2.

Producer Loops has dropped another quality sample library dubbed, Progressive Trance & Electro Vol 1. The new release brings give you five massive construction kits combining euphoric Trance with side-chained Pads and Synths. Alongside the various formats, this pack also contains MIDI loops for all maximum versatility.

Producer Loops takes Trance to the next level with this progressive collection of Electro tinged construction kits. Sidechained loops are included to give your mixes the pump and energy vital to modern Trance, Electro and Dance productions. All samples are recorded at 48kHz / 24-bit resolution, and come as ACID WAV, Apple Loops and REX (drums only).

Features:
» Effect Tails (Unlooped Riffs)
» REX files for drum parts
» Dry and wet versions of all loops
» Unified tempo across all 5 packs
» Key and BPM information embedded in the filename

Using the supplied MIDI files you can assign any of the musical phrases found in this pack to your favorite synth or sampler, and integrate them seamlessly with the pre-rendered loops. Seeing how MIDI is effectively only instructional data, you can change the pitch and tempo to any extent you like with no artefacts.

Virtually every loop in Progressive Trance & Electro is supplied as dry and wet action, meaning you can choose whether or not to have sidechaining and other effects applied to any given loop. If you want to drag, drop and render, the wet loops are for you. If you like to tinker under the hood and apply your own effects mix, use the dry versions.

Specifications:
» 48Khz / 24-bit
» PC/Mac Compatible
» All loops recorded at 128BPM
» 5 Construction Kits + Drums and FX folders
» Each kit contains 300-400Mb of content (each format)

Producer Loops’ Progressive Trance & Electro is available now for $11.44 / £8.95 / €10.66. More information on
Producer Loops’ Progressive Trance & Electro.

The sound scientists at Producer Loops have delivered Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx Vol 1, a new series by Eddy Beneteau (White Papoo) that explores dark d’n'b territories. The library contains over 500 individual Drum and Bass loops and samples available in various formats. Includes frantic breaks, distorted basslines, powerful drums and melodic synth phrases.

Features:
» High Quality 44.1khz / 24-bit Audio
» All loops sync to BPM
» All loops are key & tempo tagged
» PC/Mac Compatible
» 125 Synth Melodies
» 119 Rex Drum Loops
» 227 One-Shot Drums
» 20 Ambient FX
» 26 Reece Bass Loops
» 31 Pad Loops
» 20 Break Loops
» 26 Cymbal Loops
» 15 Full Drum Loops
» 22 High Breaks Loops
» 14 Kick and Snare Combos
» 6 Tom Fill Loops

For producers demanding ultimate control Producer Loops drops 150 MIDI files for Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx that will give you access to the raw musical data behind these loops, allowing you to assign your favorite drum and synth sounds to them.

Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx Vol 1 comes in the following fomats: ACID WAV, APPLE LOOPS, EXS24, MIDI, REFILL, REX2 and WAV.

Producer Loops’ Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx Vol. 1 is available now for $16.30 / £12.95 / €15.07. More information on Producer Loops Drum & Bass Tip Trixxx Vol. 1.

PowerFX has released AudioLocker, a desktop application that allows you to store your files in your own account in the Soundation cloud. AudioLocker is meant to complement their online music production entity, Soundation Studio.

PowerFX claims that Soundation Studio is a powerful online sequencer with 11 real time effects, 3 synthesizers, a drum machine and a fully integrated Sound Shop. However, when you click on the “Studio” button on their website, you just get a blank page. (Marketing girls, Marketing!! —Ed.)

AudioLocker is a simple drag ‘n’ drop program, easily allowing uploads, downloads, delete, folder creation and integration all within Soundation Studio. AudioLocker also receives and stores any purchases made from the Soundation Sound Shop, so those sounds are always available and always backed up.

Currently there are 3 versions of AudioLocker:
» Intro, a 100MB account for $19 a year
» Basic 2 GB account for $49 a year or $4.99 per month
» Power User 5 GB account for $99 a year or $9.99 per month, which includes 20 sound sets (over 400 additional loops) preloaded in your AudioLocker as a bonus

Not having a free “entry level” version of Audio Locker is definitely a miss. In reality, the 100MB version should be free since that’s not much storage in today’s terms, and $19 bucks is a little spendy for what amounts to be a fancy-pants FTP utility.

More information on PowerFX AudioLocker.

Producer Loops and released Chillout Progressions, a new ambient / soundscape sample library with 5 huge construction kits. Each of the 5 kits traverses across abstract sonic scenery, weaving subdued and mellow elements with euphoric high energy sounds, all with a progressive edge and executed on a massive scale. (Calgone take me away! —Ed.)

All of the sounds heard within these layered loops have been crafted by producer Harald Karla, resulting in a unique soundset that breaks free from the traditional pallette of tones heard within the genre. A selection of these sounds can be found in the ReFill included with this pack.

Each kit features a Dry folder, containing loops without reverb or delay, allowing you to create your own FX mix in your audio software of choice. In addition, several of the loops are supplied as non-looped, allowing you to end a phrase with the tail of the effect. As an added bonus, Chillout Progressions also includes MIDI files for both the musical and rhythmical elements. If you have a favorite synth or sampler patch that you want to use, no problem – simply import the MIDI loops and assign the sound you want to that track. (Nice!)

Chillout Progressions is the first product from Producer Loops to take advantage of our innovative new Shake ‘n’ Bake Pick ‘n’ Mix system. Now you can choose which format you want, and even design your own product by selecting the kits in the pack you wish to purchase.

Features:
» 600+ loops (per format)
» 24bit 44.1 kHz CD audio quality
» Choice of Various Formats via Pick ‘n’ Mix Product

Producer Loops’ Chillout Progressions costs $15.50 and is available now. More information on Producer Loops Chillout Progressions.