Michael Jackson: We will miss you!!!

A day of mourning for singers, musicians, producers, and fans alike. The King of Pop Michael Jackson passed away Thursday, June 25, at 2:26 pm. Though the cause of death may never be fully known what is definitely known is that Michael was the best selling Pop Star of all time and even more so was a bridge between two races in the music industry. Although he was faced with a series of scandals in final years of which no-one can say for sure what happened. Only Michael and God know the truth and that is good enough for me.

It is really sad that he left us so early, but his legacy will live on as he joins other great record breakers such as The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and of course Elvis.

My heart goes out to Michael's family, friends and fans like myself as I give my condolences.

Michael Jackson, we will miss you!!!

KOTO: Sampling DVD

KOTO-demo
An ancient Japanese musical instrument comes into the spotlight again. The Koto is not only used in traditional music, but also modern day composers have also used the instrument in collaboration with orchestras since the early 1900’s. Koto captures the pure sound of Japan and will flood your ears with various sounds.

Koto was used in old Japanese court music to sooth the body. It has been said that this instrument could purify you mind, body, and soul. There is an opening in the bottom of the Koto which releases the sound that seems to penetrate your body.

The DVD-ROM was recorded with the player facing the Koto using the correct posture and emotional display to achieve the high quality 96 kHz/24bit sound. You can hear many basic play techniques such as types of chalking, finger slides, pizzicato, and arpeggios all inside 1023 files.

The Koto sound is as quite as the moon, cherry blossoms, and the surface of water. It has a lightness of flying butterflies and the sputtering of fish, but has the strength of thunder. Its 13 strings bring elegant and spiritual sounds that mimic stillness and motion as does the 4 seasons of Japan. You will feel as if it is you who is playing these warm, dynamic tones.

The overflowing rich sounds of the Koto were by no means for the enjoyment of music. During a time of ruins and decay of ancient times it may have been known as an intellectual sound source. But with the Koto’s inspirational sounds from its creator resonating with mankind will bring harmony into the new age.

Sound Files

This product contains KONTAKT2 and REASON NN-XT encoded program and sample files. To use these files you need KONTAKT2, REASON NN-XT, or REASON COMBINATOR.　（Ver3.0 or later）

File	Key Switch
KOTO_full.nki	C1	normal middle-finger
	C#1	normal thumb
	D1	staccato
	D#1	pizz Right
	E1	pizz Left
	F1	suritsume-A
	G1	suritsume-B
	A1	arpeggio
	B1	arpeggio-minor
KOTO_normal.nki	C1	normal middle-finger
	D1	normal thumb
KOTO_pizz.nki	C1	pizz Right
	D1	pizz Left
KOTO_suritsume.nki	C1	suritsume-A
	D1	suritsume-B
KOTO_bending.nki	C1	normal middle-finger
	C#1	normal thumb
	D1	ato-oshi_semi tone
	E1	ato-oshi_whole tone
	F1	oshi-hanashi_semi tone
	G1	oshi-hanashi_whole tone
	A1	ato-oshi + oshi-hanashi_semitone
	B1	ato-oshi + oshi-hanashi_semitone_whole tone
KOTO_arpeggio.nki	C1	arpeggio
	D1	arpeggio-minor

8 Bit Family II by: Discovery Sound

8BIT FAMILY II

The 2nd edition of the well-loved series “8 Bit Family” is here, jam-packed with vintage videogame tones, loops, multi-samples and sound effects.

In 2003, Discovery released “8BIT FAMILY” – a classic sample CD-ROM stuffed to the gills with sounds of the old videogames. It has since become notorious the world over, received unanimous acclaim and even been crowned the “KEY BUY AWARD” by US KEYBOARD magazine in its July ’03 issue.

Due to overwhelming demand and as a direct response to the feedback generated by the 1st edition, “8BIT FAMILY 2” has now been delivered. “8BIT FAMILY 2” contains over 530MB of 16-bit, 44.1 kHz recordings in Acidized WAV, REX2, KONTAKT, BATTERY and RNS (REASON3.0.4) formats. Its standout feature is without a doubt its convenient and comprehensive range of “Construction Kits”…

The main bulk of the 55 included kits enable users to produce interesting, complete compositions via a combination of Drum Loops, Bass Loops, Synth Loops and Vox Loops. The process of accessing and manipulating these files is made simple via the inclusion of a table of contents with the sample CD, as well as some helpful Battery and Kontakt programs. Minimal fuss – maximum music!

To sum up: this new edition contains multi-format samples in a wide variety of styles and tempos to help expand the user’s production environment. All you need is a MIDI keyboard, and you’ll be cooking up crazy creations within minutes! “8BIT FAMILY 2” is not restricted to those who only like dance music beats – its samples and sounds work well with all genres.

Pick up this comprehensive and well-put together package of vintage videogame sounds today, and relive those classic nerdy moments in your music compositions!

Sound Files

ACID WAV 277 files / REX2 267 files / KONTAKT 27 programs
BATTERY 1 program / RNS for REASON 3.0.4 55 programs

:: ACID WAV Drum Loops [Loop x 50 files] Bass Loops [Loop x 45 files] Synth Loops [Total: 114 files] Nano [Loop x 6 files] Noise [Loop x 7 files] Sine [Loop x 27 files] Synth [Loop x 74 files] Vox Loops [Loop x 3 files] Mix Loops [Loop x 55 files] SoundEffects [Oneshot x 10 files]	:: REX2 Drum Loops [Loop x 50 files] Bass Loops [Loop x 45 files] Synth Loops [Total: 114 files] Nano [Loop x 6 files] Noise [Loop x 7 files] Sine [Loop x 27 files] Synth [Loop x 74 files] Vox Loops [Loop x 3 files] Mix Loops [Loop x 55 files]
:: KONTAKT [Total: 27 programs] :: BATTERY [Total: 1 programs] :: RNS for REASON 3.0.4 [Total: 55 programs]

Sample Sounds:

1. F-01_Seq_bpm_130_C#
2. F-04_mix_bpm_130_G#
3. F-09_mix_bpm_130_D#
4. I-02_mix_bpm_160_G
5. I-02_Syn01+02_bpm_160_G
6. J-01_Syn_bpm_170_G

The Legend of China Sample Cd

The Legend of China

Modern China's rich and evocative sounds.
KeyBuy Award Winner! - US' Keyboard Magazine

Hundreds of vocal and instrumental phrase are offered, including fresh performances from Beijing Opera performers.

The award-winning is a 2-CD set that evokes the essence of Chinese folk music, with superb instruments, evocative songs by classic Chinese Opera singers, and a variety of sounds and effects by the people of China. Not only for Asian taste, these discs are a treasure trove for all continents and genres! This has been a very popular CD sample this Olympic season.

Performance Demo: Red Millenium

Review

ReasonFreaks ( http://www.reasonfreaks.com/ )
Reviewed by ButchManring

Discovery became legendary whern they released this collection onto the market in 1999. It caused a huge stir, and with good reason too. The quality of the recordings, and the sheer amount of samples in this library made it a hard one to ignore for people looking for a range of authentic sounding Chinese flavours. ( omission ) Discovery deserves all of the praise that was heaped in wads upon it when this collection was first released. When i got this, there was so much good usable stuff that i hardly new where to start. Admittedly, in my opinion, this sample pack seems more suited to movie and theatre scores, but anyone looking for traditional sounds would find it irreplaceable. Never have i heard such a fantastic slice of life from one culture. Except maybe the Alma Flamenco Release but even that didn’t have the diversity that this does. Butch give this a well deserved RF award. Well done discovery.

8 Bit Sound Effects

The Original 8 Bit Family

The sounds of the video game of the past that thrilled us at arcades and at home have now returned in an 8-bit anthology.

It has been over 25 years since the global disco sound boom of the 1970’s “Saturday Night Fever” music scene. These disco sounds were unstoppable during the era, however they quickly faded do to their formulaic nature. By the ’80s, disco was obsolete. During that period, the video arcade game phenomenon was conquering every coffee shop and mall around the world. The lo-fi “bit” sound was exploding in popularity, as the catchy sound of "Pac Man" and the like bleeped around the planet.

The library introduced here is the collection of sound loops from early, beloved video games. Despite the simple kitschiness, the 8-bit sound (a rectangle wave, a triangular wave, and noise), has become a treasured piece of pop culture, and is making a comeback in today’s music.

"8 Bit Family" was crowned with "KEY BUY AWARD" by KEYBOARD magazine. This is the second such splendid achivement for Discvery; "The Legend Of China" received the first such award.

Keyboard :: KeyBuy Award