Forgotten Keys has released Roland CompuRhythm CR-78 Drum Machine, a sample pack featuring the sounds of the CR-78 drum machine.
What you get is the work of someone who cares about getting as close to the original instrument as possible, and keeping the sound quality as high as possible. Don’t let the low price put you off!
The samples can be used in any sampler that accepts 24 bit 44.1 KHz sample format. However, this pack comes alive when used with the supplied Native Instruments’ Kontakt File. Kontakt is a software sampler for use on a PC. By taking advantage of the scripting capabilities that kontakt offers, it has been possible to create a virtual drum machine, including all the rhythm patterns and variations of the CR-78.
You are able to add “Imperfections” to give a touch of realism to the sound including random velocity, timing and accent variations. There are eight samples of every sound which are picked at random when the Round-Robin button is selected. Even the “clunk” of the rhythm selector buttons and “click” of the knobs has been sampled! Sound groups can be panned and their volume balanced. Rhythms from the same group can be added together in any combination (not just two as on the original), and can also be played via incoming MIDI notes allowing you to play the rhythms from a sequencer or DAW.
The sample pack is available to purchase as a download for £5.50 GBP.
More information: Forgotten Keys
Forgotten Keys has released version 2 of its Univox SR-95 / Keio Minipops MP-7 Drum Machine sample pack.
Version two is a major update of the Kontakt instrument file.
There is now a built-in rhythm pattern player with all the original rhythms from both the Univox SR-95 and Keio minipops MP-7. Rhythms can be combined just like the real thing, in fact you are able to create combinations unavailable on the real thing due to the way the selector buttons were shared between two rhythms.
You can also mute instrument groups (of which there are eight) and add “Imperfections” like velocity and timing variations. Sound groups can now also be panned.
The Univox SR-95 / Keio Minipops MP-7 sample pack is available to purchase for £3.50 GBP.
More information: Forgotten Keys / Univox SR-95 / Keio Minipops MP-7 Drum Machine
Forgotten Keys has released the Roland TR-77 / Rhythm77 Sample Pack, a collection of sounds from the Roland TR-77 / Rhythm77 Drum Machine.
There’s quite a lot of information on the internet already about this machine so I won’t go into too much detail about the history of it. It’s worth noting though that this was Rolands’ first Drum Machine apparently. At the time we called them “Rhythm Units” and they were usually found sitting on top of an electronic home organ, hence the wooden cabinet and music rest.
Roland TR-77 / Rhythm77 sample pack features
- Samples (24bit 44.1KHz WAV format) of all internal sounds from the first Roland Drum Machine from the early 1970s.
- 8 random round-robin variations and a few extra sounds created by the ancient art of poking around inside.
- Extensive use of Kontakt scripting to create more of an instrument rather than just a means of triggering samples.
- Includes MIDI files which contain 1 or 2 bars/measures of all the built-in rhythm patterns using the default keyboard mapping on MIDI channel 10.
The Forgotten Keys Roland TR-77 / Rhythm77 Sample Pack is available to purchase for £3.50 GBP.
More information: Forgotten Keys
Forgotten Keys has released Elka Rhapsody 490, a new sample pack featuring the sounds of the Elka Rhapsody 490 string machine.
The Elka Rhapsody is an Italian made “String Machine” from the 1970s. It has that classic shimmering ensemble effect and was used by the likes of Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis. The sound isn’t an accurate simulation of a real string orchestra — though I thought it was at the time — but has a unique and pleasant sound nevertheless.
Elka Rhapsody 490 Sample Pack features
- 147 samples in 24 bit wav format.
- Every note of each sound was carefully recorded (3 × 49 samples) to keep as high a quality as possible.
- Kontakt instrument files for each of the 3 sounds plus extra instrument files (stereo versions and other created sounds using the raw sample data).
- The Kontakt instruments use a random sample start offset script so that the same note repeated doesn’t always start at the same place in the modulation cycle avoiding that machine-gun effect on repeated notes.
- Note: This sample pack has no sfz support.
The Elka Rhapsody 490 Sample Pack is available to purchase for £7.50 GBP.
More information: Forgotten Keys / Elka Rhapsody 490 Sample Pack
Forgotten Keys has released Yamaha FE-70 Electone Organ – Lower Ensemble Vocal 1 and 2, a sample pack featuring sounds from the Yamaha’s FE-70.
Yamaha FE-70 Electone Organ – Lower Ensemble Vocal 1 and 2 features
- All 44 notes from each of the Lower Ensemble vocal 1 and 2 sounds in stereo wave files (16bit).
- Oohs and ahhs with the same shimmering ensemble effect as typically used on string sounds.
- File size: 24.69 MB (zipped).
The Lower Ensemble Vocal 1 and 2 sample pack is available to purchase for £3.50 GPB.
More information: Forgotten Keys
Forgotten Keys has released a Yamaha FE-70 Electone Organ sample pack, featuring the sound of Ensemble strings 1.
All 56 notes of the Ensemble Strings 1 sound sampled and seamlessly looped in all their stereo loveliness!
Despite it’s “digital” look, the Yamaha FE-70 and its siblings from the mid 1980s used Ensemble circuitry similar to the Solina and other String Machines of the 1970s to create its lush, stereo string and other ensemble sounds.
Yamaha FE-70 Electone Organ Sample Pack features
- All 56 notes of the Ensemble String 1 sound in stereo wav files (16bit).
- Includes sfz and Kontakt mapping files (Kontakt version has some additional echo effects).
- Size: 15.82 MB.
The Ensemble strings 1 sample pack is available to purchase for £3.50 GBP.
More information: Forgotten Keys / Yamaha FE-70 Electone Organ – Ensemble strings 1
