Over the past six months I’ve had the privilege to produce some incredible drum loops with the great Eric Harland. If you haven’t checked out Eric’s playing, stop whatever it is you’re doing and check him out on YouTube. Here’s a video preview of the loops sessions, as well as a full-length interview with Eric.
Category: Uncategorized
Bass Loops – The Fender Musicmaster Sessions feat. Janek Gwizdala
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Loop Loft artist, Janek Gwizdala, to discuss his latest series of bass loops, “The Fender Musicmaster Sessions”
Video: Making Linear Drum Loops in Reason 6
One of my most popular blog posts is the one I wrote a few years ago entitled “Linear Drumming for Dummies“. It’s a concept made famous by Steve Gadd (he’s no dummy) and oddly enough, Wikipedia references this very blog when talking about the most widely discussed song featuring linear drumming, Paul Simon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”.
In the video below, I demonstrate how to create linear drum loops from non-linear sources. In this case, a straight forward indie rock loop. By using slice edit mode in Reason 6, along with ReDrum, I’m about to deconstruct and then build up an entirely new groove:
My New Baby – Cinematic Drums Vol 2
Volume 2 picks up where our first release left off, taking an even more innovative and sound design-based approach to cinematic drum loops. And “drums” don’t even begin to describe the audio contained in this collection. We raided the kitchen and mic’d up sauce pans. We took a van full of bass drums to an airplane hangar. We intimately recorded a rusty hand saw and almost lost a finger. We raided an infant’s nursery with a rack full of boutique preamps, capturing the sonic nuances of toys. We pulverized a Coldplay CD with a hammer and several gardening tools. Partly therapeutic, 100% cinematic.
This is the ideal collection for anyone looking for something beyond “traditional” drum loops for their compositions. Forget kick and snare based grooves. Cinematic Drums Volume 2 goes far beyond that, creating an incredibly unique vibe and rhythmic undulation with every individual loop. Film scorers, jingle producers, orchestrators, animators and creative songwriters, take note (and a close listen to the preview). This is the loop release you’ve been waiting for!
Number of Loops & Samples: 183
Tempo Range: 72-134 BPM
– Instant Download
– 100% Royalty Free
– High Quality 24 Bit 48 KHZ Audio
– WAV, REX2 and AIFF (Apple Loops) Formats
– PG-13
Sets included:
72_CDDestruction
80_ChildsPlay
85_KitchenOrchestra
92_HandSaws
102_BunchOfBuckets
115_InTheAttic
134_BassdrumBounty
New ReFills for Reason 6
The Loop Loft just released two new ReFills for Reason 6 that I produced. Check ’em out!
Reason ReFill – Indie Rock Drums Vol 2
Following on the success of our first Indie Rock Drums ReFill, Volume 2 delves even deeper into the many subgenres (and sounds) of indie rock. From the post-hardcore aggressiveness of Fugazi, to the slapbacked echos of Built to Spill, to the gritty blues of The Black Keys, this collection of loops and samples will give you those authentic DIY drums you’ve been searching for.
Recorded through classic Universal Audio 610 preamps, all of the loops are loaded into 28 unique Dr. Octo Rex patches, allowing you to quickly build custom drum arrangements tailored to your own songs. We also individually sampled every drum and cymbal from all of the sessions and created custom Kong and ReDrum patches, giving you the option to program your own beats utilizing our drum sounds.
On top of that, we designed a series of Combinators which tap into all of the great new effects in Reason 6, including The Echo, Pulveriser and Aligator. Combine that with feels ranging from Ted Leo-inspired uptempo shuffles to Pedro the Lion-esque 6/8 backbeats, and you have a complete arsenal of authentic indie rock drums at your disposal.
ReFill Specs:
– 250 REX2 Loops
– 67 WAV Samples
– 28 Dr Octo Rex Patches
– 6 Kong Patches
– 6 ReDrum Patches
– 4 Combinators
– High Quality, 24-bit 48 KHZ Audio
– File size: 200 MB
Reason ReFill – Doug Wamble Slide Guitar Collection
To produce our latest Loop Loft Artist Series ReFill for Reason 6, we enlisted the talent of acclaimed guitarist, Doug Wamble (Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Branford Marsalis). Recorded over the course of several days in NYC on Wamble’s signature Amistar resonator guitar, this collection of tracks and samples covers a vast range of styles, from traditional Delta blues, to front porch folk, to singer-songwriter strumming, to dirty and distorted rock. The result? One of the most eclectic and inspiring loop libraries we’ve ever released – The Doug Wamble Slide Guitar Collection.
With 385 unique guitar loops, The Doug Wamble Slide Guitar Collection is organized into six main sessions (and 53 Dr. Octo Rex Patches), each recorded in a different key and tempo, providing a vast library of both lead and rhythm tracks. To take things a step further, we designed 4 custom Combinators which run Doug’s guitar sounds through a vast series of effects including Line 6 PODs, The Echo, Pulveriser and many other devices new to Reason 6.
ReFill Specs:
– 385 REX2 Loops
– 53 Dr Octo Rex Patches
– 4 Combinators
– 2 Kong Patches
– High Quality, 24-bit 48 KHZ Audio
– File size: 382 MB
The Sound of Skin – A Free Download
Yep, this is what I spend my time working on.
via The Loop Loft:
Skin. Not only is it our body’s largest organ, it’s now the latest addition to The Loop Loft’s offering of fine instruments. Ever wondered what goosebumps sound like? Does the skin of a newborn resonate more than that of a 34 year old man who’s never worn sunscreen? How much bass can our cheeks really produce? Does fist bumping sound as douchey as it looks? These were the types of questions that were keeping us up at night, so we set out to record the very thing that keeps us all together: our integumentary system.
Dry skin. Oily skin. Clean-shaven skin. Three-day-scruff skin. They all have unique sonic qualities… and we captured them in stunning, 24 bit, 48 khz detail. This is not just another sample library, it’s a full-on loop collection served up in WAV, AIFF (Apple Loops) REX2 and Ableton Live Pack formats.
Preview the Skin Loops in action:
Normally, such an eclectic and innovative collection of loops and samples would cost tens, if not hundreds of dollars, but for a limited time, The Sound of Skin is available for FREE. That’s right. Just add it to your cart and checkout. No credit card information is necessary for download. Who’s got goosebumps now?
Number of Loops: 28
Tempo Range: 90-120 BPM
– 100% Royalty Free
– High Quality 24 Bit 48 KHZ Audio
– WAV, REX2, ALP and AIFF (Apple Loops) Formats
I’ve Got Your Multitrack Drums Right Here
The Loop Loft just released a new collection of Multitrack Drums that I produced. Check it:
“Take the melodic mallet drumming of Art Blakey, combine it with warm brush strokes of Philly Joe Jones and mix it together with some 21st century backbeats, and you get our latest Multitrack Drums release, “Felt and Wires”. Consisting of six individual channels of drum set mics along with 4 channels of percussion, this collection gives you complete control over a very orchestral, dynamic and ethereal sounding session that will appeal to film scorers, songwriters and instrumental composers alike.”
The Loop Loft also released a bundle of the Multitrack series:
“We’ve bundled the first four releases of our popular Multitrack Drum Sessions, giving you over 2 gigabytes of individually tracked drums, cymbals and percussion, all at a 25% discount! From straight up pop backbeats, to highly syncopated funk/fusion, to dramatic orchestral percussion, this bundle of Multitrack Drum Sessions will give you a wide range of arrangement options and grooves, as well as the flexibility and control that only individually tracked drums can provide.”
More Indie Rock Drums!
It’s Friday… which means two things:
1. I’m drinking some excellent IPA.
2. There’s a new release from The Loop Loft.
Check the details and listen below!
Following on the success of our first Indie Rock Drums release, Volume 2 delves even deeper into the many subgenres (and sounds) of indie rock. From the post-hardcore angst of Fugazi, to the slapbacked echos of Built to Spill, to the gritty blues of The Black Keys, this collection of loops and samples will give you those authentic DIY drums you’ve been searching for.
Indie Rock Drums Vol 2 by thelooploft
2 New Multitrack Sessions
Things have been busy for me this week at The Loop Loft. Today we just released two new Multitrack Drum Sessions, “Funk Meets Fusion” and “Thick & Meaty”. Check ’em out below:
What would it sound like if legendary funk drummer, Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown) joined a legendary fusion band like Weather Report, and they only performed in dance clubs where the tempo was regulated to 128 bpm? Well, we’re not sure if such a bizarre/awesome union like this would ever occur, but if it did, the drums would probably sound a lot like our latest multitrack release, “Funk Meets Fusion”.
Just like the name implies, the Thick and Meaty Multitrack Sessions are loaded with drums that give you plenty to chew on… and more. Using one of our beloved birch studio kits, we slapped on some extra-punchy Remo Pinstripe heads and pulled out our ultra-aggressive brass snare drum, all to give you a sound that is fat, juicy and totally in your face. Along with all of the individual drum tracks, we also captured the room sound on a separate channel, putting an even bigger (and natural) sound at your disposal. Just adjust the faders and mix to taste!
Slide Guitar with Doug Wamble
There’s something special about the sound of slide guitar. Whether it be in a country, blues, folk or rock song, there’s a certain je ne sais quoi that instantly hits my soul when I hear those notes slip from fret to fret. Why am I having such a cheesy, heartfelt moment about a certain six stringed instrument? Because I’m super stoked about the latest project I worked on for The Loop Loft.
I had the honor and privilege to produce slide guitar loops with the great, Doug Wamble. If you don’t know who Doug is, odds are you’ve probably already heard is incredible guitar playing. He’s played with a huge range of people including Wynton Marsalis, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Nora Jones, Brandford Marsalis and even Courtney Fucking Love. That’s also his guitar playing that you hear on all of the awesome Ken Burns documentaries.
So, enough gushing about Doug… let’s just get to it and check out his magnificent slide guitar playing:
