I love drum hits. And as someone who loves to program his own beats, I can never really have enough of them. In this case, we are presented with a specially useful collection of goodies, as all of the presented hits are available in various flavours. Having a "desk" (so straight into the analog mixing desk), "lo-fi", "mpc" and "tape" version of all the sounds is a blessing. Depending on how much processing you are planning on doing yourself, this can really help your workflow. Have tried a nice clap in your beat, but want it dirtier? Try the lo-fi version. Want the hat to sound a little less harsh and more saturated? Go for the tape version, etc. All in all, a really handy collection.

This is meant as a one stop collection to create disco tracks and as usual Loopmasters presents us with a high quality collection of loops. All elements needed to begin your next disco banger can be found here, from horns to strings, and percussions to drums and guitars. And all the instruments, including drums and percussions, were performed by good players, HUMAN ones. The reason I am highlighting this is that there's nothing more annoying than buying a disco collection for that "real" retro flava, just to find out the included beats were programmed to sound like the real thing. (Dear manufacturers, you know who you are, here's a spoiler alert: they never sound like the real thing, and most of us are better beat-makers than the ones you employ, so.....) The sound here is great all around, if, for my personal taste, mixed a little to brightly. The sounds are also pretty heavily processed, so for those of you that like their material raw and want to sculpt it to their liking, this might not be the right collection. Everyone else that's craving good sounding disco elements straight out of the box will have a great time with their purchase.

If you are searching for a collection of well executed and nicely sounding conga-loops, look no further. I have often found myself in need of a "classic" conga loop and while I love laying down my own phrases, or programming them in my DAW, sometimes a sample is just what your after. I often find it quite hard to find the kind of loop I'm after, as most conga-loops seem to be played overactively, thus sitting too dominantly in the groove, or they are very genre-specific towards afro, or latin music. Here you'll find some pretty basic stuff, perfectly suitable to underline a nice house or disco groove, but also more complex patterns usable in more tribal and ethnic styles. Add a really good quality of the recordings and a simple and effective structure of the folders (by style/name and BPM) and you got a winner.

Brilliantly crafted collection of percussion samples. Not overly processed, but clean and ready to use in any production. The selection is not limited to a few conga loops, but expands far beyond that and is a great addition to any genre, specially those in the house bpm range. If you want to add an organic percussive feel to your track, this is a great starting point.

This is just one of those no-brainer buys. Even if it is not the newest sample pack, it is still super useful. What you have here are the 3 Thomas Penton packs so far in one collection. Meaning both, good quality and big quantity of drum sounds, usable in every style of electronic music. Great.

It's always nice to find a sample pack, that delivers exactly what it says on the cover. No promises of instant stardom or immediate chart success. Just a collection of very useful loops & tools, and these it really delivers. Anyone who has been in the game for long enough is always on the lookout for backing loops, atmos and percussion loop, that are not overly processed and won't completely colour your mix (or are so complex that the track you end up with sounds 70% like the sampled loop you used). Here you find unobstrusive percussion loops, nice rhythmic atmos and a few stackable top loops, that are perfect to fill up the gaps in your drum arrangement, rather then completely dominating it. Sound quality is good too, so all I can say is: nice one!!!

This is a very useful pack. Everything delivered here is imediately useable, and while there are some hits and loops that could serve as musical basis for your tracks, what this pack really excels in are backing loops, processed percussions and synth-pads and atmo-loops. Something most of us keep searching for. A good buy.

This pack would be worth a recommendation for the way it is organized alone. There is a huge number of one shots on display here and all are very well categorized (under "Kick Tools" you'll find Kick Sub Tone, Kick Mid Body, Kick Transient Tops etc...). While not all of the samples meet my taste, there are some very useful processed sounds on here. I especially like the percussive vocal hits. This is not a pack for someone on the lookout for organic sounds, or accoustic drum hits. But for people looking for harsher and more processed material, this might be a great addition!

This is a really nice construction pack for any kind of deep, loop-based house. The overall sound quality is nice and it has a typically "german" touch to it, which is a good thing. The rhythm section is where this pack really excels the most. The construction kits are great basic tools to quickly get a track started and are nicely processed, while the deep basslines are immediately useable in your productions, or can serve as a nice inspiration. The provided deep drum-shots are a great bonus.

Rasmus name is synonymous with impressive musicianship and high quality productions. And boy, does he deliver the goods on this one. Ras is a multi-instrumentalist. This is packed with enough bass-lines, guitar hooks and rhodes/synths licks, to provide the basics for an impressive number of house, deep-house & tech-house tracks. The percussive elements and live drum-loops are perfectly processed and will add a "human" feel to any dull, or very heavily quantized beat. And the overall "analog" feel of the (great) recordings can give you that extra bit of classiness and hi-fi sound you've been searching for. Essential!!!

This does just what it says on the label: it is a really useful collection of top-loops. I would mostly recomend this to pumpin' Tech House producers on the lookout for nicely swingin' and jackin' loops, as an addition to their beats. The sound quality is good, with a lot of brightness. Recomended!

I found this sample pack really useful. While the complete beats are great for putting down quick ideas in the tech-house genre, the top-loops and percussive loops are all very funky and have a great shuffle to it. I also found, that there are many "neutral" drum-elements included, that can be used as backing-loops, adding a nice swing and depth, without over-shadowing your individual drum programming. The basslines work well, and the vocals are a nice inspiration for tracks. All in all, a really good bang for the buck.

The Oud is a brilliant instrument. It holds a very important place in oriental music, so this CD is great for anyone looking to add that "arabian nights" touch to their music. The ouds are well recorded and featured in many variations. However, there aren't that many different tempi, or tonalities included, nor do the sounds come in any format that allows strong tempo varietions. So these samples are best used in downtempo styles. And for these, they provide great inspirational value.

Jon Cutler has provided an array of soulful hits in the past and this compilation sums up his work perfectly. The grooves range from jackin' to afro-tinged and the key, synth and live-instruments are usable for all funky house styles. The beats have all got that "american" shuffle and swing to it. However, the loops (and especially the REX files) are chopped up perfectly and will sit tight in your production right away. Some of the provided beats have been created with classic drum machines, which adds up to that old-school feel. Sonically, it all has a really analogue & warm sound to it, if compared to most other actual sampling CDs. Since the actual deep and tech-house fraction is drawing their inspiration heavily from the house sounds of the 90s, whoever is into these styles will find this compilation extremely useful.