Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Plugin Week 25
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week A-Z
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
plugins
Tech "It's a stupendously powerful tool": 10 of the best sampler plugins in 2025
Sonic Charge Synplant 2
Software & Apps "This really is the ultimate sound design tool": 6 of the most creative plugin synths for sound design
Plugins
Plugins To mark Plugin Week, here’s our pick of the most out-there sound design plugins you should grab now
Plugins Future owns
Plugins Our resident platinum award-winning mixer and producer shares 10 of his go-to plugins
plugins
Tech The ultimate soft synth showdown: Serum 2, Pigments 6, Phase Plant, Vital and Massive X: But which is best?
synths
Tech 5 innovative synth plugins daring to do things differently
Plugins
Plugins Our go-to plugins for adding flavour to our sounds
  1. Tech
  2. Samples

10 of the best new sample and soundware packs (March 2016)

News
By Computer Music ( Computer Music ) published 9 March 2016

We round-up and rate the latest collections of loops, hits and FX

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

Raw Cutz Smokers Unite

Raw Cutz Smokers Unite

The follow-up to the excellent Turf Smoke, which is actually included (hence the high price - owners of Turf Smoke can upgrade for £25), Smokers Unite is another hazy virtual crate digging session, featuring 146 laidback, jazzy loops and 255 one-shots, plus 16 small but perfectly formed Live and Maschine projects/ Groups/Drum Racks.

The sound and vibe of ‘golden era’ hip-hop has been captured to a T, with a broad range of ‘real’ instrumentation covered, and we love the attitude and spirit of both collections.

4.5 out of 5

Buy Raw Cutz Smokers Unite

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Sample Magic Golden era

Sample Magic Golden era

Another classic hip-hop-style library, Golden Era is cleaner and more structured than the grittier, dustier Smokers Unite, but neither is qualitatively ‘better’ than the other.

Sample Magic’s contender comprises a whopping 1382 samples, including mini ‘break’ construction kits, drum, percussion, synth and vinyl noise loops at 80, 90 and 100bpm, and a ton of one-shot drums, FX, stabs and more.

Hip-hop is the overarching theme, but there’s more to it than that. In addition to the quality of production, the volume of content included makes this a crazy bargain.

5 out of 5

Buy Sample Magic Golden era

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Loopmasters Ultimate Vocals

Loopmasters Ultimate Vocals

A ‘best of’ compilation of vocal loops and lines from across the Loopmasters catalogue (far too many titles to list), at 3.5GB in weight and 2000 samples in, err, height, Ultimate Vocals can’t help but constitute good value for money, and by and large, the quality level is high.

With so many genres represented - from blues, funk and pop to DnB, trap and house - there’s something for everyone, although the scattergun approach might render most of it redundant for many producers, depending on how stylistically adventurous they’re prepared to be.

4 out of 5

Buy Loopmasters Ultimate Vocals

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Goldbaby SuperAnalog909

Goldbaby SuperAnalog909

Goldbaby’s second dedicated TR-909 multisample library (the other being Tape909) sees his beloved beatbox shoved through various outboard configurations (Fat Bustard II, Moog 500 filter, AML ez1073-500, etc) and every sound recorded as eight round robins.

You get individual samples and multiformat sampler patches, and as with many of its label-mates, it’s the analogue subtleties and nuances that make SuperAnalog909 a worthy endeavour. For the electronic producer seeking a sampled 909 with real character, soul and bite, it’s a must-have.

4.5 out of 5

Buy Goldbaby SuperAnalog909

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Mode Audio Resonate

Mode Audio Resonate

400 vintage drum machine one-shots, most arranged into kits for Reason, Logic, FL Studio and Live, plus five tuned kick drum sampler patches and four creative channel strips.

The sounds are powerful and mix-ready, and the Drum Racks (in the Live version) are well balanced and set up with six macros already assigned - although they have to be pointed at their sample folders when loaded.

We wish the samples were more descriptively named, but Resonate is a fun, musically useful and joyously affordable offering.

4 out of 5

Buy Mode Audio Resonate

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Loopmasters Dope Ammo & Run Tingz Cru - Drum & Bass Fusion Vol3

Loopmasters Dope Ammo & Run Tingz Cru - Drum & Bass Fusion Vol3

For Loopmasters’ third Drum & Bass Fusion library, Dope Ammo is joined by another leading light of UK jungle. The 531 samples have been compiled from a series of named projects, so it’s easy to see what goes with what for construction kit-style usage, although it does also mean that each folder of loops is full of variations on a few themes.

It all sounds awesome though, with its hard-hitting but old-school vibe, and the usable one-shot drums round things off nicely.

4 out of 5

Buy Loopmasters Dope Ammo & Run Tingz Cru - Drum & Bass Fusion Vol3

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Incognet Massive Groove EDM Kits

Incognet Massive Groove EDM Kits

Six extensive 128bpm construction kits put together by DJ Shiverz, each comprising a build and drop, followed by a full-on groove, and all squarely falling into the ‘mainroom EDM’ bracket. The production behind this pack is first rate, and the inclusion of MIDI files and presets for the Spire and Sylenth1 synths used to create it brings in that extra bit of interactivity.

If it wasn’t so cheap, we’d be questioning the utility of MGEK, with its restrictive remit, but at just 12 quid, it’s well worth checking out.

4 out of 5

Buy Incognet Massive Groove EDM Kits

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Mode Audio String Theory

Mode Audio String Theory

This hip-hop sample library with an emphasis on guitar looks like an iffy proposition on paper, but proves to be pretty convincing in practice.

Sorting its contents into 12 complete projects, String Theory puts electric guitar and bass alongside down-the-line hip-hop beats, synths, keys, vinyl noises and FX. While the axes don’t feel 100 percent comfortable 100 percent of the time in that setting, the performances and tones are great on their own terms.

An odd one, but we’re all for trying something different.

4 out of 5

Buy Mode Audio String Theory

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Sample Magic Underground House

Sample Magic Underground House

Among Underground House’s 1.2GB of samples, MIDI files and Massive presets, the 36 stemmed drum loops are the least interesting part - there’s nothing wrong with them; they just don’t wow us.

The rest of the loops are well up to Sample Magic’s usual standards, though, amounting to a ton of attention-grabbing basslines, melodics, pads, FX, percussion lines, tops and vocals that hop confidently between minimal, dark, tech and deep house styles. You also get a sizeable collection of equally comprehensive one-shot drums.

4 out of 5

Buy Sample Magic Underground House

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Zero-G Other Worlds

Zero-G Other Worlds

A 4.6GB library of extended textures and ambiences by Adam Pietruszko, Other Worlds’ 500 lengthy (up to 1m44s, with most around 30s) samples are divided up into Futuristic, Industrial, Mellow and Suspense folders.

There are multiple variations of each sound at different pitches and keys, but you still get a decent amount of material for the money. Tonally, Other Worlds ranges from decidedly abstract to subtly melodic, although it’s largely of more relevance to sound designers than music producers.

4 out of 5

Buy Zero-G Other Worlds

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
Computer Music
Computer Music
Social Links Navigation

Computer Music magazine is the world’s best selling publication dedicated solely to making great music with your Mac or PC computer. Each issue it brings its lucky readers the best in cutting-edge tutorials, need-to-know, expert software reviews and even all the tools you actually need to make great music today, courtesy of our legendary CM Plugin Suite.

Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects… image
Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects…
…with the latest issue of Computer Music magazine
More Info
Read more
plugins
"It's a stupendously powerful tool": 10 of the best sampler plugins in 2025
Sonic Charge Synplant 2
"This really is the ultimate sound design tool": 6 of the most creative plugin synths for sound design
Plugins
To mark Plugin Week, here’s our pick of the most out-there sound design plugins you should grab now
Plugins Future owns
Our resident platinum award-winning mixer and producer shares 10 of his go-to plugins
plugins
The ultimate soft synth showdown: Serum 2, Pigments 6, Phase Plant, Vital and Massive X: But which is best?
synths
5 innovative synth plugins daring to do things differently
Latest in Samples
nitzer ebb
SampleRadar: 205 free EBM samples
gregg lehrman
Output's AI-powered Co-Producer plugin chooses samples for you, but is it streamlining workflows or outsourcing creativity to AI?
robots
SampleRadar: 533 free MIDI orchestra samples
Moby
“I want you to just dive in, use the music, and see what happens”: Moby makes 500 instrumental tracks available for free as he relaunches Mobygratis sound library
splice
Splice acquires Spitfire Audio in rumoured $50m deal
Marshall Jefferson
SampleRadar: 267 free deep house samples
Latest in News
Exodus Gary Holt
"It might have been like 12 people there”: Exodus’ Gary Holt pulls zero punches in his new autobiography
blur and oasis
“I am happy to accept and concede defeat”: Damon Albarn just admitted that Oasis won
Jeff Lynne ELO
"Jeff is devastated": ELO's last ever mega-gig plunged into jeopardy after last-minute cancellation of last night's Manchester show
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: It's your last chance to grab a Prime Day deal on gear from Fender, Roland, Casio, Yamaha, Toontrack & more - but you'll have to be quick
Ernie Ball Music Man Pino Palladino StingRay: the bass legend's new signature model is offered fretted or fretless, and in a deep and luxurious 79 Burst finish.
Pino Palladino teams up with EBMM for a signature StingRay inspired by the bass that started it all
Amerie
How Amerie created a ‘00s R&B/funk classic with producer Rich Harrison

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
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

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

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...