Here's the final mp3: (download mp3)


Normally I'd talk about the whole process, but the video does a good job of summing it up. A few of my favorite tools:

• Logic Pro
• reFx Vanguard
• Stylus RMX
• Avalon 737

More 1 Hour Songs:

• Electric Core
• Delicious which was officially released!

I decided to put the Pro-C up against my two favorite software compressors ... Logic's Compressor and the Sonalksis SV-315. Both have distinctive sounds, and both are heavily used in my productions. When I first test out new goodies I start out with a drum beat and then add the sugar (plugins!)

I used battery 3 to make a quick beat and then applied the Pro-C ... first impression: Very versatile.

You have three distinctive compressor algorithms to choose from: Clean, Classic, and Opto. Each one acts exactly as they should. The clean setting is a standard digital compressor, classic simulates tube compression, and opto provides that transparent opto sound (like an Avalon AD2044 ).

As usual, the Pro-C comes with all the cool FabFilter GUI effects and has some really nice midi controls. How likely am I to bust out the midi controls on a single compressor? Not very likely, but options are always nice to have.

So how did the Pro-C compare to similar settings on Logic's Compressor and the SV-315? (note: I bounced each compressor within 1 decibel of each other). Have a listen:

Beat with FabFilter Pro-C:

Beat with Logic's Compressor:

Beat with Sonalksis SV-315:

Overall, the Pro-C is a strong competitor. Logic's Compressor was the weakest out of the three, and the SV-315 brought out more bass. I preferred the Pro-C's sound because it was more balanced and still retained a nice fat sound wtih sharp transients. But, the real test is actually using it in a production and seeing how it performs during battle! Or maybe a 1 hour song?

I'll give my 30 day evaluation a good workout and then decide if $200 (actually $129 since I own the other toys) is worth it. (Maybe FabFilter is planning a Pro-EQ?)

The great thing about creating loops for the purpose of loop production, is you can start from ANYWHERE! I had produced a set of loops about 3 years ago that were alright, but not spectacular. I decided to load up a loop from that collection into Native Instruments Kontakt 2 and slice the loop for individual hits. Kontakt makes this relatively simple. I always start by sequencing a click track with the hihat-like sound. Then I play the beats with M-Audio's Trigger Finger. Here's the result:

It sounds a bit dull (which can be a good thing), but let's make the snare SNAP. I added Logic Pro's LinearPhase EQ on top of Kontakt and boosted highs and bumped the low around 150hz. Much more snappy. Again, depending on the song, this may or may not work for your taste. Samples are all about personal taste in what you choose to use. I used the LinearPhase EQ because it's very transparent and maintains the audio fidelity, but it uses more CPU power and you can't use it live. Here's the result with the EQ:

Now let's get away from that sound, but still build on it. I loaded up Sonic Charge's MicroTonic onto another track and played a 4-to-the-floor beat with an accompanying snare. I loaded up a preset first, then adjusted the kick to my liking. Then, I ran my Kontakt sounds through Reaktor 5. For Reaktor, I used an older ensemble, FusionReflections, and used a preset. Here's the result:

Next, I removed Reaktor and loaded up AudioDamage's BigSeq onto my Kontakt beat. These guys are great ... small audio software company producing awesome bite sized plugins at a very affordable price (I can't wait to get my hands on Replicant ). Again, I just loaded up a preset for speed. Here's the result:

It's great just building on top of things. Building loops/samples is all about personal taste, and speed! The more varieties you have, the quicker you can get to what you want. Try to keep your loop production fast. You don't want to split hairs over the eq curve, because it's likely to be altered when used in a production. All these loops built here took about 30 minutes to produce.

Here's all the samples in 24-bit AIFF format (10.4 megs):

Download All Samples/Loops Here.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

QUICK NOTE: When exporting loops, it's best to bounce them in 24-bit format without any dither. This gives you the fullest dynamic range to work with in your productions. Also, all these samples had an iZotope Ozone limiter applied at the end, just enough to raise the volume within 5db of 0dbfs (just enought to not clip or distort the peaks).

Happy loop building!