Wav Sample Packs

How your samples are created

Recording

Depending on the location, the organic samples are recorded using field recorders and our beloved AKG C-414. We record at home, outside, and in different venues. We use re-amping and capture echoes and reverb tails. Explosive sounds, stomping, slamming things snapping, clapping, creating noise. Those sounds are sometimes used rather unaltered and in other cases processed by our outboard gear. Some are included in the Sample Packs directly, others are used as layers for our stacked samples.

Even small parts of live recorded room information can make a huge difference for your sound. It usually adds that character, which we call “warm” for a lack of a better word. Jams made without any real-world room information often lack depth. Send our samples with live recorded early reflections, reverb tails, and echos into the reverb of your setup and you will instantly hear it. In order to get the most depth of field, we place our mics with intent. We love to experiment and go to extremes, always having the bigger picture in mind.

In the end, every single sample in our .wav Sample Pack is supposed to be able to serve you in differing ways. Enabling you to get the maximum out of the creative possibilities of your unique setup is what we strive for. The options to manipulate Sounds work best when Samples have a very broad spectrum. By adding organic sounds here and there, as main sound, or as a layer you can juice up your sound.

The samples are not recorded with any limiter or compressor on. This lets the transients you get within the sample packs sounding clean, defined, and punchy. The source sound must be captured and translating perfectly, all the time. NO compromise, NO fix it in the mix mentality!

Being the gearheads we grew up to be, we switch between our Preamps from Neve to Focusrite and the Studiomaster Series II analog mixing console. This variation of the gear we use ensures that different samples never sound too much alike. Character is what we aim for. The more the sonic details differ, the richer the sound of your jam.

The same is true for the recording of our machines. Sometimes we record the output of our analog synths and drum machines directly. Sometimes we route the signal through the effects we feel are a good fit.

In every single step from recording to the final product, time is taken to ensure that the best possible quality is achieved within the entire production chain at all times.

Processing

Again, we apply a range of approaches when processing our Samples. From conservative filtering to wild combinations and crazy settings. When needed, the Tube EQ and the onboard EQs from the Studiomaster II add that bottom and that sparkling top end you hear in our .wav Sample Packs. Not forgetting the punchy and soft-sounding Mids. Modern digital EQ’s really go a long way for some applications. But when it comes to sound design, drastic changes, real sculpting, nothing compares to analogue EQ’s. That’s a hill we’re willing to die on.

The same is true for distortion. We use tube distortion, overdrive, and distort different inputs of our equipment when searching for new sounds.

The reverb you experience in the samples is 90% captured during the recording, in real-life venues or basements. The other 10% is a mix between our beloved Lexicon rack units and a combination of outboard FX pedals.

If the sound requires noise reduction, then this is the point it is applied. Some samples are surgically clean, and some are ruff and noisy but in an awesome way. This also means hum reduction might be applied to get unwanted and disturbing frequency out of the signal. You want and can expect a pleasing experience in all the sounds of our wav Sample Packs.

Trimming and letting the sample decay longer or shorter is taken care of as well. Custom fade-in/-outs are added to ensure unwanted clicks vanish from the source. If you think you hear a “Click” then is there for a purpose.

Another important step is matching and adjusting the LUFS of all sounds in the sample packs. Therefore, you can comfortably skip the sounds without the worry that your ears will blow or that you do not hear the sample. The consistent level is one factor of an easy-to-use sample pack. This is what you can expect in all our wav Sample Packs.

The last process is to make sure nothing peaks over 0 dBFS. This is achieved in the box with a super-fast limiter. This is the way to catch and control the True Peaks.

Curation

No matter how many Gigabytes of samples you collect, or how good the Samples in your library are – without proper curation, you can never get the best out of your jams. Sample skipping, importing, deleting, organizing new Samples mid-session can kill your vibe. We have been there too often.

When you hit play, everything should already be in place. Because with the perfect selection, you can stay in the zone longer – hyped up, enjoying the flow. That is why we take days to curate our Wav Sample Packs. Creating drafts, testing them in the jam, analyzing, redefining… We repeat the process as long as it takes to get every Kit to shine. Every wav. Sample Pack is built with a rich spectrum of samples. From clean go-to 808´s to crazy slapping layered monsters. Each session is a bit different, just like the mood you’re in. The aim is to create kits that drive your inspiration and enable you to translate your vision into sound quickly.

We call our approach to curation the 4D technique. Why? A proper selection can only be made with regard to the four “dimensions” of sound: Function, Dimension, Style, Character.

Function: Most genres use predefined Instruments that provide a specific function. The Kick, or Bassdrum, providing a heavy pulse complimented by Snare or Clap, for example.  Every .wav Sample Kit provides a variety of all functions.

Dimension: Within the function, there are lots of possible variations in the sonic spectrum. Some kicks are small and blend in well, others are Big stompers, some are dry, others carry loads of room information. A few are best used as Layers, some perfect to be a fundament for layering, others already stacked. Many starting points are already close to where you want to get. At the same time, this offers a maximum of flexibility.

Style: You found your perfect Kick that slaps like crazy and now want a Clap. To keep everything in its place, the clap should be more of a standard. Or did you go with a short, clean Bassdrum and want a crazy and dirty snare?  We make sure that for every function there are different styles available in every .wav Sample Pack. From go-to standards to buck wild crackers.

Character: Different synthetic sounds combine well, but often start to shine way better when you compliment them with organic sounds. Vocals, Hand-Snaps, field recorded feet kicking things.

Our wav Sample Packs provide you with premium sounds, rich in sonic spectrum, that enable you to get from a rough idea in your head to a banging piece of music quickly.