Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About Us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist
  • Guitar Techniques
  • Total Guitar
  • Bass Player
More
  • How to make an AI cover song
  • 30 beautiful acoustic guitar chords
  • 86000+ free music samples

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. News

10 of the best new sample and soundware packs (April 2017)

By Ben Rogerson
published 27 April 2017

Get the best new sounds for your pound

Splice Stööki Sound Sample Pack
From $7.99/month

Splice Stööki Sound Sample Pack

Stööki is the multifaceted sound and vision collective from London, made up of DJ/producers, Lukey and Jelacee. They rock a UK bass vibe mixed with upfront hip-hop and trap stylings to murder dancefloors in their own inimitable way.

Fans of their recent banger, My G’s, will know what to expect on the duo’s first sample pack for online subscription service Splice - lolloping bass moves, crisp and playful percussion, epic rising FX, and sparse but heavy melodies.

Besides nods to their latest beats, this pack picks through Stööki’s extensive back catalogue of material to present a library of samples taken from favourite tracks. It’s quite the haul, and a joy to poke through. Yet, as with all Splice content, you can pick and choose the choicest bits from this or any pack if you’re a subscriber.

4 out of 5

Find out more about Splice Stööki Sound Sample Pack 

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Loopmasters Drums of Sparta
£30

Loopmasters Drums of Sparta

Despite the name, Drums of Sparta’s 2GB of percussion ensemble loops and fills are in no way ‘Greek’. Indeed, the regions seemingly most represented are Japan and the Middle East, via an arsenal of tubs and metals including taiko, daiko, doumbek, chang, frame drums and bells.

Naming aside, what we have here are 62 sets of ‘cinematic’ stemmed loops/beds (315 samples), at between 70 and 180bpm, most of them four bars long, plus 30 stemmed fills (117 samples). The performances are superb, and the production unfussy yet epic, making for a compelling pack.

4.5 out of 5

Buy Loopmasters Drums of Sparta
 

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
SoundDust Untopia
£35

SoundDust Untopia

Pendle Poucher’s fabulously outré patch bank for Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere 2 synth consists of 200 presets and 80 sampled sources, and is influenced by a host of equally outré artists, including composer John Hassell, Factory Records legend Martin Hannett and soundtrack composer Christobal Tapia de Veer.

There’s a bit of everything here, from basses, keys and sequences to pads, textures and ‘Electronic Mayhem’, all with a dark, menacing air, and Poucher’s trademark distortion and dirt worked in. The mod wheel is gainfully employed throughout, too. Magnificent.

5 out of 5

Buy SoundDust Untopia 

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Sample Magic Deep Melodic House
£35

Sample Magic Deep Melodic House

Sample Magic once again demonstrates its infallible knack for accurately encapsulating dance music styles without descending into cliché - Deep Melodic House is straightforward in its presentation and sonically on-point.

The 25 stemmed drum loops (165 samples), 37 basslines, 11 stemmed music loops (60 samples) and 26 spacey FX are the headlines, but our favourite bit is actually the Synth Loops folder (63 samples), which is full of lovely, varied lines. With MIDI files included where relevant and a solid array of one-shot drums bringing up the rear, this is a fantastic genre pack.

4.5 out of 5

Buy Sample Magic Deep Melodic House 

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Puremagnetik ConsoleX
$20

Puremagnetik ConsoleX

Released in 1997, Ensoniq’s ASR-X sequencing synth-and-sampler workstation was a self-contained production powerhouse, and while Puremagnetik’s multisampled emulation for Live, Logic and Kontakt doesn’t bring you anything like the full experience, for eight bucks you do get 32 of its presets and drum kits.

The Kontakt version is the most basic, its scripted interface offering the same eight controls across the board, while the Live and Logic ones adapt their Macros, Smart Controls and onboard effects to suit the sound at hand.

4.5 out of 5

Buy Puremagnetik ConsoleX 

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Sample Tools by Cr2 This is Tech House 2
£16

Sample Tools by Cr2 This is Tech House 2

The follow-up to - you guessed it - This is Tech House brings us a further 500MB of loops, hits and MIDI files in the eponymous genre, as well as 22 presets for NI’s Massive synth.

The 20 stemmed drum loops (100 samples) are bouncy and infectious, the 26 bass loops are appropriately minimal, the 20 synth loops provide a small but well formed selection of top lines, and the 21 risers and crashes are searing and impactful. The majority of your time, however, might well be spent with the six superb ‘Songstarter’ construction kits.

4.5 out of 5

Buy Sample Tools by Cr2 This is Tech House 2 

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Native Instruments Prismatic Bliss
£44

Native Instruments Prismatic Bliss

A veritable giant by NI Maschine Expansion standards, Prismatic Bliss (developed in collaboration with ModeAudio) weighs in at 1.63GB, the reason being that it focuses on far ‘longer’ sounds than any of its stablemates.

Yes, this one’s all about languid ambience, haunting pads, textural melodics and roomy beats. The samples at its core combine synthesis and field recordings to great effect, and as you’d expect, Reaktor Prism and Massive are very much in play, too, with 16 presets for the former and 31 for the latter. Pretty yet powerful.

4.5 out of 5 

Buy Native Instruments Prismatic Bliss 

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Loopmasters Urban Stories
£25

Loopmasters Urban Stories

Ably performed by UK hip-hop MC Mr Montigue, this excellent library of rap vocals includes ten full acapellas, 90 short phrases with 26 effects-processed variations (“Lyrical incision”, “Back pon da track”, “Push the dubs”, etc), and 33 scratched loops.

The lyrics in the full tracks are of the braggadocious, aggressive kind, and Mr M’s flow is redoubtable. The dry phrases and scratches will probably prove the more useful elements for most, although some of the more stuttery ‘wet’ phrases are well worth experimenting with.  

5 out of 5

Buy Loopmasters Urban Stories 

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Origin Sound Eastern Trap
From $7.99/month

Origin Sound Eastern Trap

Looking to give your latest trap workout a little more gravitas and musicality? Then check out this serious new bank of Eastern-inspired loops and melodies.

Drawing on traditional jazz chord progressions and (beyond) old-school Egyptian grooves, the peerless Origin Sounds sound designers have crafted a fine collection of exotic sounds to play with.   The 379MB of sample content includes a wealth of rich pads, inspired synth lines and some bang up-to-date basslines. Also included are full stems and bounces of some live drum loops, to counterbalance the digital heaviness, and some great world music rhythm percussion files to help you find your timing.

A ten pack of Massive presents only sweetens the deal, and brings home a unique sample set that   is sure to bring some variety to your trap productions.

4 out of 5

Find out more about Origin Sound Eastern Trap   

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
ModeAudio Disintegrate
£18

ModeAudio Disintegrate

Grouped into 12 construction kits (you get Ableton Live projects for each, but they’re very rudimentary), Disintegrate’s 144 loops, 110 tail samples, 47 drum one-shots and 95 MIDI files have a decidedly retro cinematic theme. Drawing on synths and processed field recordings, it’s a tour de force of overdriven basses, wobbly pads, sinuous drones, ambient FX and synthy percussion.

Disintegrate may not be Mode’s most broad-ranging release to date, but its usual sonic craftsmanship and emotive production style is fully evident. 

4 out of 5

Buy ModeAudio Disintegrate 

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson
Social Links Navigation

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

More about tech
Michiru Aoyama

Japanese ambient musician Michiru Aoyama has woken at 5am to record a new album every day since 2021 – he's now earning $3,000 a month from his music on Spotify and Bandcamp

max richter

Max Richter unveils new piano plugin based on the renowned composer's Steinway D SPIRIO | r: "If you want to evoke the intimate stories we all carry inside us, then you will be well served by this instrument"

Latest
Graph Tech Un-Lock Nut

Love Floyd Rose vibratos, hate Allen keys? The Graph Tech Un-Lock Nut could be the electric guitar mod for you

See more latest ►
Most Popular
"I don't think it ever really goes away" – Brian May admits he still suffers with imposter syndrome

By Rob Laing5 December 2023

“I don’t want to generalise and say that he made everything sound good, but he did”: Joe Satriani reveals his strategy for replicating Eddie Van Halen’s tone on upcoming Sammy Hagar tour

By Jonathan Horsley5 December 2023

Modalics releases MINDst Drums, a new sampled drum kit plugin that promises realism and authenticity

By Matt Mullen5 December 2023

RØDE acquires rival Mackie to create audio powerhouse: "Their origin story is uncannily similar to ours"

By Will Groves5 December 2023

7 of the best new hardware synths in 2023

By Si Truss5 December 2023

"This video is what happens when you spend your time practicing instead of arguing about gear online" – Julia Przybysz proves groove is in the hands with a stunning bass workout of Michael Jackson's Get On The Floor on a $350 StingRay

By Rob Laing4 December 2023

Vince Clarke: "Martin Gore brought along his synthesizer, we looked at the thing and thought, this is a lot easier than learning chords on a guitar and you only need one finger to play it"

By Danny Turner4 December 2023

The 7 ways I learned to improve my guitar tone – that won't cost you money

By Leigh Fuge4 December 2023

Believe it or not, the Behringer UB-Xa synth is now on sale - and it’s even cheaper than we thought it was going to be

By Ben Rogerson4 December 2023

10 Christmas gift ideas for the music-maker in your life under $100

By Chris Cartledge4 December 2023

Cherry Audio kicks off the festive celebrations with a free plugin emulation of Oberheim’s classic SEM synth module

By Ben Rogerson4 December 2023

  1. The Prodigy
    1
    “It's so offensive that it can't actually mean that”: Have The Prodigy finally changed the lyrics to ‘the most controversial song of all time’?
  2. 2
    14 tips for producing better techno: "Automate the low-pass filter frequency to create a rhythmic pattern on your bassline"
  3. 3
    “I am always able to come up with brand-new chords that no one has been stupid enough to sing over”: Page Hamilton on harmonic curiosity and the aggressive expansion of Helmet’s musical vocabulary
  4. 4
    Why does the Epiphone Greeny Les Paul cost $1,500?
  5. 5
    The 7 ways I learned to improve my guitar tone – that won't cost you money
  1. Radiohead
    1
    "Right, we've had a break – this is it": Radiohead drummer says band are "coming around to that point" of getting back together
  2. 2
    “I am always able to come up with brand-new chords that no one has been stupid enough to sing over”: Page Hamilton on harmonic curiosity and the aggressive expansion of Helmet’s musical vocabulary
  3. 3
    Why does the Epiphone Greeny Les Paul cost $1,500?
  4. 4
    The 7 ways I learned to improve my guitar tone – that won't cost you money
  5. 5
    Believe it or not, the Behringer UB-Xa synth is now on sale - and it’s even cheaper than we thought it was going to be

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.