Kurt Ballou [Tape Op #76] is known for making incredible records both as a producer/studio owner (God City) and as the guitarist for hardcore/punk band Converge. Now, Ballou has released his second signature drum sample library, six years after releasing his first, through Room Sound Premium Drum Samples. Ballou has managed to up the ante with an incredibly musical and comprehensive collection of samples recorded at the famous Electrical Audio [#87]!
As a fan of Ballou's work, I had an idea of what I could expect going into this review, but the sheer musicality of the samples and attention to detail in the GUI blew all of my preconceptions away. Note: Like all Room Sound sample libraries, you'll have to run Kurt Ballou Sig. Series Drums - Vol. 2 through Native Instruments' free Kontakt Player. Once I got that running, the first thing that stood out to me – as someone who has used a lot of drum sample libraries – is that it starts with a more or less blank sonic slate. Unlike other sample libraries that sell themselves on being "mix ready," these samples sound more or less raw, incredibly well recorded, and with tons of vibe. However, should you want something more final sounding, you can choose from a number of "mixed" presets, which also sound killer. There's also a one-shot loader built into the kit selection. When you combine this blank canvas feeling with the sheer number of simultaneous microphone options (21!), the ability to turn microphone bleed on and off, the option to apply samples recorded on a Studer A820 to ATR master tape, and the built-in mixing effects, this feels like a library that was designed for producers to have maximum flexibility and potential. Instead of auditioning a ton of one-trick-pony samples until you find the one that fits your song (like thousands of other songs using the same samples), Ballou gives you the tools to program incredibly realistic-sounding drum parts, then mix them entirely inside the GUI (or route to individual channels within your DAW) and end up with something that actually feels real and unique to your song. There is no "firework inside a gymnasium that's been compressed five times" snare sound in this library, and the world is so much better for it.
’The sheer number of sonic options available is staggering. The microphone choices are presented as if you were recording on a console, so from left to right are Kick In, Kick Out, Snare Top, Snare Bottom, Toms one through four, Hats, Ride, SDC overheads in ORTF, a spaced pair of Coles 4038s as overheads (that's right, two overhead options), stereo pairs of Near, Mid, and Far room mic options, and a mono room option. I strongly recommend watching the microphone breakdown on the Room Sound website. Kurt walks you through which mics were used and why. Also, listed on the left side of the GUI is the microphone position in relation to the drum, the preamp used, and the option to choose between digital or tape as a recording medium. You can then toggle several options for each channel, like its Turbo Track properties (a processed parallel track), the amount of bleed into the other channels, insert FX, and sends. It's kind of like a channel strip but specifically designed to aid in mixing drum samples. Speaking of insert FX, you can add a British-style EQ model, Kurt's signature fixed curve God City EQ model, popular compressor/limiter emulations, and tons of other digital options such as a Transient Shaper, Tape Saturation, Clipping, a Bit Crusher, several recognizable guitar pedals, reverbs, delay, and a Stereo Widener... it's like staying at a resort – you don't really have to leave the premises. And, of course, the same inserts can also be applied to the master bus within the GUI.
There were only two things that I found myself wanting: Another hi-hat sound option (all of the drums have several incredible choices), and drum samples for every other genre of music! I highly recommend checking out the product demos and examples on the Room Sound website, as they do a great job of representing what is included, though I will say that due to the flexibility of this library, you won't necessarily be confined to hardcore or rock. I found myself using these samples in various scenarios across many genres. Either way, these samples are a treat to use.
_disp_horizontal_bw.jpg)