Sunday 1 September 2019

Studio Schizoid Neo-Luddite Samples I - Yamaha EM-90

One of Slice's founding members: Gareth Fox of Studio Schizoid has offered up a great Yamaha EM-90 Sample Pack that you can download for Free!

"Created in protest, the Neo-Luddite sample series is an exercise in preserving the heritage of electronic music whilst presenting it in a format which allows for full utilisation in a modern studio environment. 

There's a reason that many electronic artists have retained a fascination with old analog gear: For all the progress we have made, there is something intangibly beneficial in working with the seething, transistorised sound of old drum machines. 

Many dollars have been spent on recreating the unpredictable output of these devices, and many musicians (including myself,) have spend exorbitant amounts of money on simulations of technology which by all rights, with a bit of patience and care, can be rescued from the scrap heap and pushed into service by those with the time and inclination. 

Their reward is an intangibly superior sonic pallette to work with- deeper, less harsh and somewhat organic rhythmic elements which augment and enhance the digital aspect of their productions. 

Included in this pack are 1460 one-shot samples of the drum machine section of the EM-90, seperated into three sections- 50% volume, 70% and running at full tilt. As you'll hear, the increases in volume result in a fierce yet contained distortion which, when combined with further dynamics processing, yields everything from tight, bouncy house kits to sub-killing techno, and beyond into the wonderful world of hardcore, speedcore and breakcore. 

Vast amounts of samples of the individual hits are provided here, with the intent of providing those with a predisposition towards complex multi-sampling methods a fully-featured set of transistor drums to be loaded into their sampler of choice- eg, take 20 of the hi-hat hits, which initially sound identical, assign them to a single key and instruct your sampler/software to pick a random hit each time the key is triggered. 

In that way, the very subtle differences between each burst of noise can be brought into your tracks and mitigate the need to spend uncomfortably large amounts of money on 'VA' VST instruments-- which do exactly that and not much else.

Sampled and compiled by Gareth Fox @ Studio Schizoid, Victoria, Australia
Feedback most welcomed, and please share what you've done with these samples- I'd love to hear it!"
*Contact details in sample pack.