SynthManiaSample CD-ROM in Roland S-770 & S-750 format
OMI Universe Of Sounds – Sonic Images audio demos
OMI Universe Of Sounds – Sonic Images photos
| Year of release: | 1992 |
| CD type: | Roland |
| Partitions: | 63 volumes |
Audio Sample CD
Gs Chinese Percussion audio demo
Gs Chinese Percussion specs
| Year of release | 2000s |
| CD type | Audio |
| Partitions | n/a |
Sample CD
Best Service Dance Mega Synth audio demo
Best Service Dance Mega Synth specs
| Year of release: | 1990s |
| CD type: | Audio / AKAI / E-mu |
| Partitions: |
Best Service Dance Mega Synth links
Sample CD-ROM library in Akai format
This is an AKAI CD-ROM consisting mainly of a large number of samples from the pipe organ in the cathedral “Saint Alain De Lavaur” in France, made in the year 1523 – plus two bonus organs from the 18th and the 20th centuries.
The accompanying booklet presents a story of the organ and its numerous fixes during the last four centuries.
The programming of this CD-ROM is extensive, there are hundreds of samples of the many configurations of the organ. There are “Lavaur Sets” that have been especially designed to be used in two keyboard configuration + pedal keyboard, or 3 keyboards, or split and mix versions.
There are several AKAI partitions, and the patches include samples from “Tutti”, “Fonds”, “Bourdon”, “Clarinette”, “Gambe”, “Trompette”, and even some church noises are added for good measure…
Check out the following demos of individual patches from this CD-ROM.
Universal Sound Bank Church Organs audio demo
All examples were played from Propellerhead Reason 3’s NN-XT sampler, going through the RV7000 reverb (running programs matched to the nature of the samples) – then through the default Mastering Suite.
Universal Sound Bank Church Organs specs
| Year of release: | 1995 |
| CD type: | AKAI |
| Partitions: |
Sample CD-ROM library in Akai Universal format
American Heartland is another fine offering from the Sonic Reality team, this time focusing on traditional, classic instruments of North America.
Here’s the introduction on the CD-ROM’s booklet:
“American Heartland is a respectful nod to America’s past. Its guitars, harmonicas, dusty keyboards and beefy drums help us recall the beginnings of what would eventually become popular Rock, Blues, Country and Folk styles. These soulful instruments have a way of grounding us and helping us relate musically. Regardless of what kind of music you do, they will add a touch of authenticity to your work, and give you a well-laid path to follow your muse.”
The sound quality on this CD-ROM is really good. They used some top notch recording equipment, and it shows.
The instruments presented in this collection include beautiful acoustic guitars (Taylor and Martin), dobro, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and other classic American instruments. They are all very expressive and with a bit of sequencer work, you could make them sound very, very authentic.
Check out the following demos of individual patches from American Heartland:
Sonic Reality American Heartland audio demos
All examples were played from Propellerhead Reason 3’s NN-XT sampler, going through the RV7000 reverb (running programs matched to the nature of the samples), then the default Mastering Suite.
Sonic Reality American Heartland specs
| Year of release: | 1995 |
| CD type: | AKAI |
| Partitions: | Eight (A – H) |
Sonic Reality American Heartland links
Sample CD-ROM library in Roland S-770 and compatible format
Drumscapes Volume 1 is a collection of drum samples, including single hits and full grooves, formatted on CD-ROM for the Roland S-770 and compatible samplers and sample players.
From the CD-ROM’s booklet: “Drumscapes are direct to digital, live recordings of fully produced studio drum tracks. In addition, each song track includes every individual drum and cymbal hit for digital sampling.”
The recording quality is extremely good: the sounds are very punchy, full-bodied, and the drum patterns are tight and perfectly looped. The single hits also are recorded very well, so it’s easy to create your own drum kits, picking and choosing from the different volumes.
The vibe here is for the most part on the acoustic side of rock/pop, with the occasional venture into hip-hop or Motown – These samples are really good and if you play any of the styles listed here below, you will not be disappointed.
The styles included are: Rhythm & Blues Hip Hop/Rap Adult Contemporary/Light Jazz Ballad Medium Rock Fast Heavy Rock Power Ballad Fast Shuffle Slow Shuffle Pop/Country Ballad Fast Techno Rock Medium Techno Rock Uptempo Funk Slow Motown and as a bonus there’s also a full set of percussion samples. In order to use these CD-ROM you will need a SCSI CD-ROM drive connected to your S-series sampler or XV-5080. Keep in mind that certain sound data will need 32MB of memory, supported only by the S-760. The S-770 and 750 have less.
Northstar Productions Drumscapes Vol 1 audio demos
A Lexicon MPX-1 multi-effect processor was used to add reverb/ambience to the samples.
Northstar Productions Drumscapes Vol 1 specs
| Year of release: | 1992 |
| Format | Roland |
| Partitions |
Northstar Productions Drumscapes Vol 1 photos
Northstar Productions Drumscapes Vol 1 manuals
I put together a .pdf of the CD leaflet:
Northstar Productions Drumscapes Vol 1 links
Sample CD
The third chapter in the Datafile series. This one definitely has a more modern look and feel, and orbits toward the very “British” side of dance music. Again, like with its predecessors, many high quality loops, synthesizer sequences, percussion, fx samples etc.
Zero-G Datafile Three audio demos
Zero-G Datafile Three specs
| Year of release | 1992 |
| CD type | Audio |
| Partitions | n/a |
Zero-G Datafile Three links
Sample CD
The second chapter in the Datafile series. More great loops and sounds.
Zero-G Datafile Two audio demos
Zero-G Datafile Two specs
| Year of release | 1991 |
| CD type | Audio |
| Partitions | n/a |
Zero-G Datafile Two links
Sample CD
This was the very first sample CD I bought. In 1991 or 1992, when this disc came out, sample CDs were just starting out, replacing the huge business of synthesizer sounds sold on RAM cards that had been popular the years before (remember the huge market of third-party sounds for the Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50, and Korg M1?).
The Datafile series was very popular because it was very versatile. It offered a one-stop solution for the early 90s samplist. Sounds drafted from the Datafile One were abundantly used in many hits of the day.
Zero-G Datafile One sound demos
Some classic loops including Funky Drummer that opens the set.
Zero-G Datafile One specs
| Year of release | 1991 |
| CD type | Audio |
| Partitions | n/a |
Zero-G Datafile One links
Sample CD-ROM library in audio & Akai format
Alpha Dance II is the sequel to Best Service’s Alpha Dance, one of the classic techno-dance CDs of the early-mid 1990s.
Alpha Dance II comes in two CDs – one that contains the audio format, and the other one containing the Akai CD-ROM portion of this collection. There is a generous 300MB of samples, all geared for dance production.
This collection was produced in Berlin in 1995, and naturally the style best suited to it is mid-90s techno-house. All the elements needed in a dance production are present, including liquid house organs, superb sequencer lines, analog-sounding and evolving pads, several different types of synth FX, bleeps, zaps, sub bass, vocals, acoustic and electronic percussion loops, lead synths, basses, vocoders, and more!
The nice thing about this CDs is that the samples were all recorded very dry and clean; that gives the users the ability to apply their own effects and production tricks.
Check out the following demos of individual patches from Alpha Dance II:
Best Service Alpha Dance II audio demos
The original factory demo song. This song will give you an idea of how much you can do with just a sampler and a well-produced sample CD like this.
And here below I’m adding some examples of the single sounds contained in the Akai CD-ROM. All examples were played from Propellerhead Reason 3’s NN-XT sampler, going through the RV7000 reverb (running programs matched to the nature of the samples) – going through the default Mastering Suite.
Best Service Alpha Dance II audio specs
| Year of release: | 1995 |
| Polyphony: | n/a |
| CD type: | Audio + AKAI |
| Partitions: | Six (A – F) |
Links