Reviews
Whitenoise Records Deep & Tech Kicks (sample pack review)
This collection of kicks from Whitenoise Records offers 100 one-shot samples and 100 loops, all of which are set to different keys. You might not think right off the bat that tuning a kick to a certain key could be useful, but it can – you can use it to compliment your bassline and the entire melody of your track, giving it all a deep foundation to rest on. This can be especially useful for the hypnotic vibe necessary for the deep and tech house genres, where the kick and the bass are the real flesh and blood.
There are several different types of attack on these samples, some that have a trebly hi-hat frequency, others that are tough mid-range punches, and others that are straight sub throbs. There are more subtle kicks for minimal tracks and some very fat and heavy ones for thicker beats in styles like tech house. No matter what kinds of music you’re dabbling in, you’re likely to find something beneficial in this pack.
All 100 kicks are offered in standard 24-bit format as well as 16-bit and original 32-bit. The truth is that they sound great at any bit depth. Whitenoise Records has provided these samples mixed and mastered through state-of-the-art equipment, and the exceptional quality is immediately noticeable. If there’s one thing to take away from this pack it’s the one-shot samples; although they’re primarily designed for techno and house, these can be used by producers working with any genres in order to infuse robust, driving kicks with the rest of their tracks.
One thing that’s a bit of a disappointment is that the loops are just 4-to-the-floor repetitions of the same kick sounds we hear in the one-shot folders. There’s nothing in the way of creative sequencing that would inspire producers to try different kinds of arrangements and rhythms, and anyone could easily recreate these loops by simply dropping a kick on the beginning of each measure in their DAW of choice. And, in fact, these sequences are the same ones worked into the patches provided in the pack, which work with Ableton Live, NI Kontakt and NI Battery. Granted, if you use the patches you’re able to move the sequences around however you like, but a little more variety would have been interesting to see. It seems that these loops were designed for producers without much experience who want to get started working on some techno tracks. Which, of course, is understandable; the loops cater to the beginners, while the more adept producers can apply any of the one-shot samples to any style of music they might want to work on.
With 100 kicks to choose from in an assortment of styles and keys, this high-quality sample and loop pack is a great addition to any producer’s toolkit. While it might not have much in the way of creativity as far as the loops go, all of the sounds are of excellent caliber, and will definitely help aspiring producers start achieving professional-grade mixes.