Computer Music Mag Review - Synth Drums

CM (Computer Music Magazine) - 30/05/2014

Incorporating almost 6000 samples, Synth Drums uses 10 classic synths as source material for an epic trove of colourful drum and percussion sounds, captured raw, processed and via vinyl and ¼’’ tape.

100 odd multi-format sampler patches are a good initial access point, and the variety and quality throughout reflects the amount of effort that’s clearly gone into their production! 10/10

Music Tech Mag Review - Synth Drums

MT (Music Tech Magazine) - 30/05/2014

As you’d expect, everything here is heavily electronic, yet the analogue nature of the equipment makes things sound strangely organic at times. Alongside kicks, claps, snares, toms, cymbals, hats, congas and percussion are all manner of bass hits, dissonant chord stabs, mallet strikes and synth swells, meaning that this pack could be used to flesh out more than just the drum parts of a track

It’s clear that this has been a labour of love for the Wave Alchemy team, and the resulting library is packed to the brim with variety and warm, interesting sounds.

Verdict

A massive pack of organic-sounding synth drum and percussion sounds with exceptional attention to detail and a surprising degree of variety! 9/10

AskAudio Mag Review - Synth Drums

AskAudio (AskAudio Mag) - 30/08/2013

Vintage analogue drum kits seem like they'll never go out of style, and those classic 808 and 909 kits remain as ubiquitous as ever – platonic ideals of a dance music percussion aesthetic. So when you hear about a new package like Wave Alchemy Synth Drums, you might roll your eyes, thinking “Who needs another classic Roland drum kit? Isn't one enough?” – but you'd be missing the point entirely.

First question: how do they sound? I wasn't familiar with the Wave Alchemy brand before testing these out, but after hearing this pack, I wouldn't hesitate to use their samples again. Coming in three main sections: unprocessed, processed and “special” processed, all the included samples sounded clear and present, punchy and crisp where needed, and smooth in all the right places. The library organization is impeccable as well. I began by exploring the processed samples, which had been run through their typical post-production signal chain for added tone and girth where warranted.

With such a wide selection and a bit of creativity, I'm pretty sure you could produce entire tracks using nothing more than the samples provided here – with some clever arrangement and effects processing, of course.

Read the full article here

Waveformless Blog Review - Synth Drums

Tom Shear (Waveformless) - 08/05/2013

I was a little sceptical of how useful these sounds would be for modern styles, but after playing with these sounds, I was completely blown away.

Truly, I think this may be the best library Wave Alchemy has released so far. If you're familiar with Wave Alchemy, you know they have a reputation for excellent sound quality, and that is no different here. In fact, I think they raised the bar for themselves in terms of punchiness and clarity.

The sound design is creative, the sound quality is beautiful, and once you start mixing, matching, and layering the samples, the possibilities become even more impressive. 10/10

Read the full review here