Contact: Big Fish Audio, www.bigfish audio.com
Format: DVD-ROM with construction kits duplicated as Apple Loops and Acidized WAV files; 24-bit/44.1kHz
Price: $99.95 list

This DVD-ROM has two folders of the same material, in Acidized WAV and Apple Loops versions. There are 28 sub-folders (27 for Apple Loops; I think they ran out of space on the DVD-ROM), each of which contains a construction kit that has a mixed file, individual files, and occasional “stems,” like all drums or all melodic instruments. They’re organized by tempo, although of course, both Acidized and Apple Loop formats are stretchable — except that the Acidization isn’t very good. You’ll need to tweak markers, and the nine lowest-tempo construction kits (65–85 BPM) aren’t acidized at all.

Still, those are technical complaints. Artistically, the loops are innovative, with a wide variety of parts (drums, percussion, guitars, synths, keys, etc.) that occupy a niche not found in other sample libraries. To hear what I mean, check out the audio example I threw together in about 30 minutes at www.eqmag.com. It’s not your father’s reggae...