60% off “Stormdrum 3” by EastWest Sounds

QUANTUM LEAP “STORMDRUM 3”

 takes “big ethnic drums” to another level. 

Featuring 87GB of content, this is one of the biggest collections of ethnic drums and percussion, both tuned and unpitched, from around the world.

From small woodblocks to a huge, 10-feet-wide rectangular Remo frame drum and a Japanese taiko weighing as much as a grand piano, Stormdrum 3 should be in every serious composer’s toolkit!

87GB of Ethnic Drums & Percussion from Small to HUGE

Stormdrum 3 is the follow up library to the hugely popular Stormdrum 2 from EastWest Sounds. Produced by Nicky Phoenix, “Two Steps From Hell” composer and creator of Stormdrum 1 and 2, Stormdrum 3 contains completely new content, featuring the best instruments from the private collection of Mickey Hart, plus additional instruments from the Remo private collection, hand picked by Remo himself.

Played by master percussionists Mickey Hart, Greg Ellis and Chalo Eduardo, Stormdrum 3 was recorded in the world famous EASTWEST Studio 1, the home of major Hollywood soundtracks and television themes. It includes tempo synced percussion performances directed and played by Mickey Hart, with Greg Ellis, Chalo Eduardo and Nick Phoenix and 5 user-controllable mic positions for each instrument.

StormDrum 3 contains a wide range of percussion instruments in the following categories:

• Big Drums
• Gongs, Clocks & Waterphones
• Ethnic Metals
• Metals
• Shakers
• Small Drums
• Taiko Family
• Woods     

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70% Off Ventus Ethnic Winds Bundle by Impact Soundworks

The 5-in-1 Ventus Ethnic Winds Bundle is a collection of beautiful, deep-sampled solo woodwinds from around the world including an Irish tin whistle, Japanese shakuhachi, Indian bansuri, two pan flutes, and three ocarinas. Built for the full retail version of Kontakt, all instruments use Impact Soundwork’s unified Ventus interface for easy play-ability and lots of included phrases!  

You do not want to miss out this Huge Limited Time 70% Bundle Deal!

Key Features

• An extensive list of performance techniques
• Hundreds of recorded phrases for each instrument, also provided as WAV
• Recorded through warm ribbon & room mics
• Beautiful unified VENTUS interface
• Dozens of under-the-hood tweaking controls
• Ornament system for effortless authentic performances
• Phrase playback editor
• Easy FX rack with analog-modeled EQ, compressor, delay & reverb
• TACT – Total Articulation Control Technology for easy customization of all playing techniques

 

Available Here

Arpology Cinematic Dimensions by Sample Logic - REVIEW

Let's Take a Deep Look at Arpology Cinematic Dimensions

 Core Section: A 4-core performance engine, individually animating 4 instruments to create one cohesive sound.

 The XY controller is used to visually blend the mix of the 4 cores. Record custom XY movements to play back each time a note is triggered right inside the interface or use the many XY preset automation patterns.

 Step Section: In this section, program animation to all 4 cores. Add movement in 2 ways: through the Step Animator and or via the Dynamic FX Animator, which allows for easy FX automation. The Step Animator gives each core a unique arp sequence. Set the length and attributes of each step independently with up to 128 steps. The Step section has over 300 unique animation presets that you can randomize to create new patterns in an instant. There are 6 effects slots with over 25 different effects to choose from and each can be animated. The Step Animator and Dynamic FX Animators are on separate internal clocks, allowing even more freedom to create syncopated and polyrhythms between each core.

 MIX Section: Similar in layout to the CORE window, the MIX window is tailored towards mixing each core. Adjust attack, release, EQ, energizer and more.

 MASTER Section: This is where everything gets summed into a stereo mix. The master section houses 8 dynamic effect inserts that allow for custom master effects chain, applying the parameters to all 4 cores. This is extremely handy for polishing the entire instrument as a seamless whole. From compression and saturation to delay and reverb, use the many and varied controls to instantly make presets production-ready.

 Entirely “randomizable” interface for instant and infinite inspiration.

 Dynamic meta-tag browsing system: makes it easier than ever before in finding that sound you want. When you find a favorite, just Click the heart to highlight your favorite preset.

• SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
• Full retail version of Kontakt, version 5.8 or higher (Will not work in the free Kontakt Player!)
• Mac OS X 10.11, i5, 4 GB RAM (6GB recommended)
• Windows 7, 8, 10, Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU, 4 GB RAM (6GB recommended)
• 24 GB free disk space for CINEMATIC DIMENSIONS sample content
• COMPATIBILITY (Mac 64-bit only; Windows 32/64-bit)
• Stand-alone
• VST
• AU
• AAX

REVIEW 

 The original Arpology was released in 2014 and became a breakthrough arpeggiator Kontakt instrument library. Fast forward to August 2018 and Sample Logic releases ARPOLOGY Cinematic Dimensions. The original Arpology was about 5.3GB and this new library is a massive 23+GB of sample content. There are 1,200+presets and a whole new meta tagging system which makes it an incredible time saver. You can narrow down your preset search by clicking Chordal, Glitch, Cinematic, Orchestral, One Note Glory, Synth, Strings, and so much more. 

The layout is simple to get around and the ability to create complex sequences in a snap is invaluable. I found myself not wanting to leave my chair as I swapped out individual soundsources in each of the 4 cores. Creating your own presets is so painless and with the exceptionally easy randomization feature, the possibilities are endless. You can Randomize the XY pattern, Master FX, all 4 cores, random play, and step animator all on the Random page. If you want a lengthy demonstration of what the presets sound like, you can watch my 1 hour and 40 min preset walkthrough video below.You can also Drag & Drop MIDI patterns from ARPOLOGY right into your DAW which opens a whole new world of possibilities. 

I always considered Sample Logic one of the monarchs of virtual instruments and sample library companies that continues to release magnificent content. They have never released a sub-par library yet and I always find myself amazed at how they deliver such solid releases time after time. The fact that it took Sample Logic a year to produce this library is something I must recognize. The amount of hard work poured into this library is evident. So, having owned the first Arpology, I can honestly say this is a worthy upgrade. 

No matter what music you produce you will find Arpology Cinematic Dimensions a powerful resource of inspiration and creativeness for years to come. Sample Logic has released a mammoth release with a sound so deep with expression that you may lose days when playing it. Now go score that next big hit and create some out of this world arpeggiated cinematic grooves. Is Arpology Cinematic Dimensions the perfect sample library to add to your composing toolbox for Kontakt? 
Absolutely Yes!
 5 Out 5 Stars

Arpology requires the full version of Kontakt 5.8 or higher and is currently offered at an introductory retail price of $349 (reg. $399) and crossgrade price of $299 for previous Arpology owners. Discount prices end August 14th,2018

Available Here

Written by Steve D Montgomery (Composer & Recording Artist for DARKMOOD, SDM, & INFINITE MINDSCAPE)

Omnisphere Ylem by Gahrn Audio - REVIEW

Omnisphere Ylem is a collection of 50 dark, atmospheric textures for Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2 aimed at ambient and experimental film and game music.

The soundset features:

25 Textures Playable
25 Textures Soundscape

Omnisphere Ylem is available for € 14.00 (incl. VAT). You can download a demo pack of patches from the collection for free.

Omnisphere Ylem requires Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2 version 2.3.2 or higher.

REVIEW

A while ago I reviewed Omnisphere Ylem II created by Gahrn Audio, a sound design company owned and operated by composer, producer, and sound designer Claus Gahrn. Just like Ylem II it has a collection of 50 dark, atmospheric textures for Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2 created for ambient, experimental film and game music.  The fact that I was going backwards and reviewing a part one soundset after reviewing the second soundset in the Ylem series was a little worrisome. Certainly part 2 had to be better right? Maybe and maybe not. Ylem contains 2 categories 'textures playable' and 'textures soundscapes' just like it's brother Ylem II.
The textures in Ylem are powerful, dripping with dark emotions. I encourage everyone to put a pair of headphones on and listen to the textures in the video patch walk-through I created below. If you own Ylem II, you need the original Ylem, I believe these two soundsets work in conjunction with each other as a perfect pair. 

The textures in Omnisphere Ylem are ominous, haunting, and mysterious. If you are scoring a horror, sci-fi, or suspenseful film, this would make an essential addition to your composing underscore arsenal. Gahrn Audio has created Ylem with a modern complexity of atmospheric utopia. Ylem also contains some demo patches you can try before you buy it but at this price point of €14.00 (incl. VAT) I would say it isn't necessary. You can listen to all the patches in the video below and this should convince anyone this soundset is worth its weight in sound design gold. So, the bottom line is GarhnAudio's Ylem is out of this word and
deserves a spot in anyone’s Omnisphere 2 third party library collection and earns a 5 out of 5 stars!

Omnisphere Ylem 

Available Here

Premier Performance Bundle by AKAI/AIR Music Technology 87% OFF !

Premier Performance Bundle by AKAI/AIR Music Technology

For just $89.99, AKAI and Air Music Tech proudly offer The Premier Performance Bundle featuring 16 epic libraries at  a whopping 87% off (over $590 savings)! 

Discover one of the world’s most diverse collections for live or studio performance with well over 150GB of content. 

This is the ultimate collection for beginners and seasoned pros alike.  You do not want to miss this amazing deal, hurry and save!

 GET IT HERE

 

Alchemist 2 Cinematic Impacts by String Audio- REVIEW

ALCHEMIST 2 - Cinematic Impacts is available in two packages.

FULL VERSION (download size 6.3GB)
A total of 6+GB of original sample material (Full Quality WAV files).
3.8+GB of brand new samples plus all samples included in the first version of Alchemist Cinematic Impacts Vers.1 (2.4+GB)
Two Instruments:
Alchemist 2 Cinematic Impacts 2: 2.4GB of brand new sample material and 300 of new snapshots powered by the new ALCHEMIST 2 engine.
Alchemist 2 Cinematic Impacts 1: All samples (1.6GB) and snapshots (195) of the first version of Alchemist Impacts powered by the new ALCHEMIST 2 engine.
900+ high-quality WAV total samples.
6 layers.
495 pre-programmed Snapshots.
Main Engine: Individual layer controls for pitch, volume, pan, solo, mute, effects bypass, layer lock, adsr, layer boost and cut, pan and amp LFO send.
Powerful randomize function.
Dedicated Motion Engine: Arpeggiator, Pan and Amp LFO.
Dedicated Color Engine: 200 convolution Impulse Responses, Randomize function.
Dedicated Effect Engine: skreamer, lo-fi, chorus, tape saturation, delay, and distortion (controlled by the modulation wheel).
Dedicated Eq Engine
TouchOSC compatibility and custom template

UPGRADE VERSION (download size 2.46GB)
(only for owners of Alchemist Cinematic Impacts Vers.1)

Brand new ALCHEMIST 2 engine, a lot more powerful and more efficient
2.4GB of brand new sample material (Full Quality WAV files).
Two Instruments:
Alchemist 2 Cinematic Impacts 2: 2.4GB of brand new sample material and 300 of new snapshots powered by the new ALCHEMIST 2 engine.
Alchemist 2 Cinematic Impacts 1: All samples (1.6GB) and snapshots (300+) of the first version of Alchemist Impacts powered by the new ALCHEMIST 2 engine.
900+ high-quality WAV total samples.
6 layers.
495 pre-programmed Snapshots.
Main Engine: Individual layer controls for pitch, volume, pan, solo, mute, effects bypass, layer lock, adsr, layer boost and cut, pan and amp LFO send.
Powerful randomize function.

Dedicated Motion Engine: Arpeggiator, Pan and Amp LFO.
Dedicated Color Engine: 200 convolution Impulse Responses, Randomize function.

Dedicated Effect Engine: skreamer, lo-fi, chorus, tape saturation, delay, and distortion (controlled by the modulation wheel).
Dedicated Eq Engine

TouchOSC compatibility and custom template 

  

REVIEW 

 If you've never owned a String Audio Library what are you waiting for? 

When I did my review of Alchemist 2 Cinematic Textures I wondered what the chances would be that Alchemist 2 Cinematic Impacts would really hold up as a necessary upgrade. Could it really be possible that String Audio could pull off another prefect score? I watched the video several times they released demonstrating only a handful of the new 300 snapshots. To be honest, it was a little frustrating that no one put out a video with more snapshot demonstrations of the library. To fill that curiosity void I created a 50 some minute video demonstrating a more comprehensive example of the presets. Keep in mind there are a lot I skipped over because of time constraints but you will at least have no question if this library is worth buying or upgrading from Alchemist 1 Cinematic Impacts. 

The first thing I want to express about this library is that it is not your typical cinematic impacts sample library. These sounds are exactly what every composer looking to score that next horror, dark sci-fi, or suspenseful motion picture should be looking for. These presets are dark, frightening, unnerving, sinister and downright exceptional. This library sounds freaking good!  

As I said in my review of Alchemist 2 Cinematic Textures, you can create your own sounds so easily with these libraries. If you watch the video below I do give some examples of this but don't expect any talking, it's all about the sounds that make up this video. I don't like to distract the listener too much with me rambling in my preset demonstration videos. I like to let the sounds tell the story. Alchemist 2 Cinematic Impacts is essential for anyone looking for the kind of sound that gives you that tense build up and then slams the audience with that jump moment.  

The sound design is once again flawless.  

Besides the support for the Midi/OSC controller TouchOSC, they added controls for the Volume LFO and Pan LFO to the main engine allowing you to engage the LFO quickly with a click of the mouse. There's basically an endless amount of possibilities and with the powerful randomize function you will spend no time discovering even more new sounds.

If I can address one minor complaint I have with String Audio and it's quite a simple request. The upgrade process from one library to the next is a little cumbersome in my opinion. I would love it if String Audio would someday just release separate libraries as 1 and 2 and eliminate the whole upgrade process. 

The bottom line is String Audio has proven that Alchemist 2 Cinematic Impacts is a sample library force to be reckoned with and it earns a 

5 out 5 Stars!

GET IT HERE