Sony ACID Loops and Artist Integration Review
- Details
- Category: Production and Creative
- Published: Tuesday, 02 May 2006 00:00
Matt Fink played keyboards with Prince & the Revolution for over ten years. Dr. Fink's Funk Factory from Sony Media Software contains nearly 1000 original royalty-free loops. This includes drum loops, analog synth themes, clavinet licks, thick analog solos, classic orchestral stabs and more. It provides solid building blocks for a wide range of pop and dance grooves. Tony Franklin: Not Just Another Pretty Bass Player is a collection of bass loops featuring Tony laying down his signature sound on his Fender' Fretless Precision Bass'. We first heard some of the loops at the NAMM show with Tony performing live. This is not your typical collection of bass loops.
Both of these new libraries from Sony Media Software are two-disc sets with 24-bit quality and a new twist Sony calls artist integration. Artist integration means these loops were created by musicians playing along to loops created by other musicians. Instead of just creating a bunch of samples in a vacuum the artist is recorded playing along to other loops. This gives the effect of real musicians playing together. The end result is a final composition that is tighter and more musical sounding.
ACID Pro 6 is the ACID we've all been waiting for. It remains true to its pick, paint and play intuitive interface and adds professional level multitrack and MIDI capability. Sony also beefed up the effects package and includes a paired down version of Native Instruments KOMPAKT sample playback engine as well as a library of samples from the Sony Sound Series. That's a pretty attractive bundle for under $400. 
The NAMM, International Music Products Association, show is a lot like the Consumer Electronics Show, CES, but with musicians and whole lot of creative gear. New components, gadgets, software modeling and workstation programs make the show a geek's paradise. The complement of beautifully crafted acoustic instruments reminds everyone of why they're at the show in the first place. It's all about making music or inspiring others to do so. 
