EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

Hi All,

Excellent discussion of the various techniques about producing groove sample 
libraries. As you can easily tell, there is no way to do every type of 
production technique on every library. 

Here's the choices we face everytime we produce a groove library:

• Single Loops vs Multi section loops?
If you include lots of section variations like verse, chorus, bridge, intros, 
endings, fills, etc., it makes the library very flexible in a linear song 
context. However, this dramatically cuts down the amount of actual ideas you 
can offer. Some libraries provide you with an unedited live track, that has 
the complete performance...which obviously takes much more space too. Our 
opinion is that pattern/section variations are important with a Live Drum 
library, but less important on a "loop" oriented product. Variety vs. 
Variations.

• Mix Variations?
Even a simple request like providing Wet and Dry variations of live drum 
grooves doubles the size of a library, and halves the musical options 
presented in the collection. Multitrack collections take up even more space. 
It's really useful to be able to control the tracks seperately, but it takes 
a lot of space, which cuts down the ideas you can offer. It's also extremely 
difficult to properly present both mix and section variations simutaneously, 
because of the numbers of tracks/channels/parts necessary to play a complete 
song. Then you have the question of variations of a mix and remixes (fuller 
mix, smaller mix, no kick, no snare, compressed, uncompressed, etc)....tons 
of choices here as well. Also, you can't always present the final mix sound 
you want in a multitrack form, because of the buss processing that you used 
in the final mix.

• Groove Control versions?
Loops are the easy part, the Groove Control process is the tricky stuff for 
us...takes a long time to make each loop work properly and musically. It also 
takes almost double the size of the original loop to present it in the 
library. However, since GC allows you at least 10 times the musical 
usefulness of a normal loop....it's completely worth including....but it does 
take up more disc space.

• Multisamples?
Ideally, it would be great to have multi-velocity hits and kits of every 
sound in the library, so that you can play your own patterns with total 
dynamics and have it exactly match the grooves. Takes more memory 
though.....and oh...you want the hits with the mix variations too? 
Multitracked hits???

So if a library were to have every possible variation (Loops, Groove Control 
versions, linear sections, fills, mix variations, multitracks and 
multisamples) it would have about THREE loops in it!!

So obviously, the most important thing is to present as many musical ideas 
and variety as possible, otherwise it isn't worth the price of the library. 

Perhaps it will be possible to include every possible approach if DVD-ROMs 
ever become more standardized, but that is taking a very long time. A DVD-ROM 
is far more cost effective to produce than large multi-CD set, but there 
isn't enough people who have DVD drives yet to do it. Also, the DVD drives 
are notoriously flakey and less reliable than CD drives....so it is a tricky 
thing for us producers that do big collections. Then again, that would only 
solve the delivery issue...the problems of how to present it and the time to 
produce a collection this way are staggering.

So currently, each Groove Control library has a different approach and 
philosophy, so the customer can decide what aspect is most important to them. 
For reference, here's the layout approach of each Groove Control Product.

Retro Funk: Section variations
Big Bad Beats: Mix Variations
Backbeat: Section variations
Liquid Grooves: Multitrack, Remix variations
Ethno Techno: Multitrack, Remix variations, Section variations
NoizBox: Multitrack, Mix variations
Metamorphosis: Variety/Quantity, Mix variations
Stylus: Variety/Quantity, Mix variations
Stark Raving Beats: Extreme Multitrack (every mic)

A good example of the difference is Metamorphosis, which has a huge variety 
vs. Backbeat, which is very flexible for creating a complete drum 
performance, but has less grooves, vs Stark Raving Beats, which has 
ultra-flexible mixing, but no section variations.

Our solution, each one complements the other!

Of course each library covers a totally different musical genre too, but 
that's a little easier to figure out from the info and demos. 

Hope that explains a little of the thought process behind these products.

-Eric Persing