Roots of South America 2 | Music Tech Magazine

This second instalment of South American loops and hits from the Roots series brings yet more authentic rhythms to your music. Recorded and produced in Argentina, the producers of this sample collection, Fernando Martinez and Facundo Guevara, have opted to develop the sound, adding contemporary jazz, hip hop and funk styles to the mix.

The collection comprises 26 rhythmic styles separated into folders, plus an additional folder of hits using 29 different ethnic instruments. Each of the folders is available in Apple Loops and .WAV formats, with complete mix files for each of the styles as well as individual instrument loops.

Unusually for a sample collection, many of the loops run to more than one or two bars, with several mixes offering up to 16 bars, some containing subtle rhythmic changes. This offers a distinct advantage over smaller loops in producing a realistic-sounding rhythm track without sounding repetitive; however, fitting it to a track may require a certain extra amount of audio editing. In addition to the Apple Loops and .WAV files, many of the instrument loops are also presented pre-sliced in REX format.

As you would expect from Bigfishaudio, the production quality of the samples is superb. Wisely, the producers have opted not to colour the samples with too much ambience, enabling each of the instruments to slide almost instantly into a suitable mix with little or no additional processing.

A wonderful collection of ethnic rhythms that can be easily used to add spice to contemporary western music.

MTM RECOMMENDED AWARD 9/10