One of the strongest points is having a dozen or more relatively short variations on drums and guitars, allowing you to put together convincing parts with interesting variations instead of just looping the same parts over and over and over . . . some of the guitar lines even make harmonies when layered. In fact, everything fits together like a somewhat anti-social jigsaw puzzle. Other standout features: nasty “atmosphere” effects, a few wicked synth and scratch parts, intense guitar one-shots, and a folder of “X-tra Hardcore Drum Loops” that sound like Keith Moon on black metal. The audio example at www.eqmag.com doesn’t show the variety, but shows the power. Check it out, and you’ll see why this gets a major thumbs up.

Contact: Big Fish Audio, www.bigfishaudio.com

Format: DVD-ROM with 1,055 loops (1.36GB) in multiple formats; 84 guitar one-shots (99MB); 24-bit/44.1kHz

List price: $99.99