Roots of South America 2 | Sound On Sound Magazine

Way back in the September 1999 issue, SOS gave a four-star review to the original Roots Of South America sample library. While is has been quite a wait, Big Fish Audio have now released a second volume. I tested the WAV files in Acid Pro 5, and these contained nearly 900MB of audio files, organised into 26 construction kits and a collection of individual instrument hits. As with the original collection, the vast majority of the material is drum and percussion based - Congas, Bomba Shells, Cabasas, Cascaras, and Quijadas, amongst a number of others. However, this collection also contains both authentic rhythms and material that would suit more contemporary styles, including funk, jazz, or even hip-hop.

While Latin musical influences are much more widespread in mainstream pop music now than they were even seven years ago, there were still several musical styles amongst the construction kits that I was unfamiliar with. Alongside the well-known Bolero and Samba styles are others such as Chacarera and Bambuco. Familiar or not, the rhythms and feels of these construction kits are all very engaging. Tempos vary between a sultry and sexy 69bpm (is this deliberate?) right up to a frenzied and hedonistic 210bpm. Many of the uptempo kits shout 'carnival', and I could easily imagine these rhythms pumping out of a large street band in that context. Equally, this material would be just as happy as a bed for a Santana-style Latin/pop/rock tune.

Each of the kits includes a 'full mix' loop, which is useful for auditioning purposes, while the rest of the loops are separated into the individual instrument layers or, where appropriate, small ensemble layers. While a few of the kits include an orthodox drum kit, the majority consist entirely of instruments associated with the music of the region. Throughout, the playing seems excellent and the 24-bit recording done to a high standard. With suitable attention to the groove (with perhaps a little groove quantising), and the usual requirement not to stray too far from the original recording tempos, it was perfectly possible to mix and match loops between the various kits. The library is therefore very easy to work with.

The 400 individual hits cover 29 different instruments. These include Seed Pods, Bata, Berimbau, Cajita, Chekere, Conga, Djembe, Guira, Tima, Trompe, and Udu. In most cases, several individual hits are included, covering different playing styles and intensities. In a few cases, there is enough material to map across a keyboard to make a playable instrument.

Roots of South America Volume 2 picks up very much where its predecessor left off, but because the feel is perhaps more contemporary, this more recent collection ought to have a wider appeal. The library also represents good value for money. John Walden