AMG - Prototype Drum & Bass - Steve Proctor - January 2003 - Score: 9/10

Like:

Mini Tracks, very innovative.
Clean, processed, yet diverse collection of sounds.
Simplicity.

Dislike:

Lack of varied pads and effects.

Content:

Slick, intense and exciting set of samples coming out from the guys at AMG. This 200mb refill package is one of the textbook necessities for a drum and bass producer; providing the novice with essential tools but also giving the veteran producer inspiring provided by creator of the CD, Mr. Steve Proctor. This is his first sample CD release with AMG, but has an extensive repertoire as a producer and a musician in the UK. Steve manages to create a special uniqueness from other drum and bass releases, such as 260/160db Drum and Bass collections.

The refill includes

Rx2

Mini Tracks - A collection of broken down segments of several in-depth tracks.
Loads of Breaks ­ Classical collection of over 100 breaks and beats - cleaned, processed and neatly arranged. FX ­ 2 Rx2's of some interesting effects. Pads - Processed multilayered pads and strings Congas ­ An incredible set of conga and other Latin drum loops, very hot. Swing Riddums ­ Groovy swing loops

25 Subtractor Patches
20 Malstrom Patches
30 NN19 Patches
10 Redrum Kits

This refill has the potential to give any track, I mean it, ANY track a sharper edge. But let me elaborate:-

Rx2 Mini Tracks

Spectacular. Absolutely spectacular. This set of loops, which delves into categories like Metal Groove, The Roller ,Dreamer ,Gangsta' ,Jump Up ,Swing Groove ,Tech Step 1 ,Tech Step 2 ,The Tweaker,Too Bad. These sets have enough diversity to create contrasting segues between breaks or it can lay down the entire foundation of your tracks, very useful, very smart. The Tweaker, my favorite set of loops brought me back to the days of growing up with Sega's Revenge of Shinobi. The epic nature of these mini tracks can really give any music maker some great inspiration.

Rx2 Breaks

These selections of breaks and beats, as per AMG's usual style, reach the high mark in quality and sound. The organic nature of many of the rex files comes right through, which is something which can be really tricky especially at the default 175 bpm. One of the things that the reviewers here at Reasonfreaks agree on: AMG is all about consistency when it comes down to their drums rexs'.

Conga's

This is another great idea to include in a drum and bass collection. This series of loops are not only easy to manipulate, I found them to add a really exciting human touch to allot of the industrial sounding drum and bass I had toyed with while reviewing this CD. It sounds lush and real, something to really look forward to.

Swing Beats

Swing beats in a drum and bass collection! Wow. I was a little hesitant to try The Swing Riddums out, but after affixing them into some test tracks I was shocked to hear the results. These beats both take the edge out of formal tracks, making it impromptu and very enjoyable to listen to. The nicely calculated beats were a pleasure to use.

Redrum Kits

The drum sounds in the Prototype Kits were very nice thick sounds, which makes for good beat jamming, not only in drum and bass, but also in industrial, hip-hop, and garage genres. One thing which might throw veteran Redrum users off is the lack of a closed-hat sample in the 8th channel, which has been traditional for the sake of an exclusive pair of channels,
ie: open hat / closed hat. Other than that minor itch, this is one solid set.

NN19 Patches

I¹ve just spent 2 hours straight playing with these insane sounds. My favorite sound has to be the creepy and only piano patch that they included [Need More!] These samples have a nice variety of lead instruments, atmospheric pads, and basses to add to any track which you make. They were nicely programmed and very carefully sampled it seems. This is definitely worth checking out.

Subtractor and Malstrom

The Subtractor and Malstrom sounds delve into FX and Pads. These sounds have a nice punch to them and would definitely be able to floor anyone with big enough speakers. The FX seems a little limited however, and paired up with the Rx2 pads and effects, really don¹t make up an impressive part of the refill.

Conclusion

Regardless whether the FX and Pads were under par, AMG has once again brought to the music world a solid and powerful refill. The CD itself was a pleasure to use, files were easily identifiable, and the short introduction blurb within the CD was easy to understand and got the point across. Mad props go to Croc for the absolutely amazing graffiti artwork on the cover of the CD.

So, the question is, if you consider yourself a multi-style producer/musician make sure this release is mounted on your wall. According to AMG, Steve is already talking about making more stuff with them; this is definitely something to look forward to!

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