Big Fish Audio's BollyHood Beats
BollyHood Beats ($99.95) takes up where other ethnic loop and sampler libraries leave off by featuring authentic Indian instruments performed in contemporary Western styles — in this case, hip-hop, R&B and pop. The featured instruments are duff (bass drum), dholak (tom-like), manjira (finger cymbal), shaker and tabla. Construction kits range in tempo from 57 to 110 bpm, and include individual instrument loops along with partial and full mixes. The loops were performed by noted Indian percussionist Sanket Athale. They are provided in ACIDized WAV, REX/RMX and Apple Loops formats. Audition and purchase the library from the Big Fish Audio Website (bigfishaudio.com).
Impact Soundworks' Groove Bias
In creating Groove Bias ($99), Impact Soundworks aspired to deliver the “funkiest, phattest acoustic drum library around.” Inspired by classic records of the '50s, '60s and '70s, the company sampled three vintage kits and a set of percussion instruments using beat-up mics, analog gear and tape machines. The resulting 4GB library — edited in Pro Tools at 24-bit, 96kHz resolution — is available in Native Instruments Kontakt 2 and 3, Apple Logic EXS-24, Steinberg Halion and Propellerhead NN-XT sampler formats. Of the three kits, Superfreak is a '60s Ludwig Silver Comet kit, Tape is a hybrid kit starting with a '30s Ludwig Pioneer Black Beauty snare, and Herodotus, by John Gump, mimics Cream drummer Ginger Baker's kit. Listen and buy at impactsoundworks.com.
Bitword's Oxide 128
Bitword's Oxide 128 ($59) is a collection of 128 bpm construction kits designed to have a corrosive impact on your music. The 24-bit, 44.1kHz library comes in Apple Loops, ACIDized WAV and REX-2 formats, as well as kits for Native Instruments Kontakt 2 and Battery 3, FXpansion Guru and Ableton Live Drum Racks. The 423 loops in the library are ideal for house, IDM and electronica, and will comfortably stretch up or down 20 bpm. The loops are augmented by 895 individual hits, making it easy to build custom kits to meet your needs. Oxide 128 is also available as a ReFill for Propellerhead Reason ($59; $10 crossgrade). Buy or check out the audio examples at bit word.com.