Big Fish Audio | EQ Magazine Greg Rule | Phat Beats From the Box Product Review
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Phat Beats From the Box | EQ Magazine

Reviewer: Greg Rule Back to Phat Beats From the Box product details

With so many great sample CDs on the market these days, how can a new library distinguish itself from the pack? In the case of Phat Beats From the Box, it brings something unusual to the party. There tons of great beats collections out there, but not many human beatbox collections -- which is what this is all about.

Most of us can vocalize a simple beat or two, but when you hear the featured performers on this CD you'll realize that they're in a league of their own. Need convincing? Log onto Big Fish's website, select Phat Beats from the products pull-down list, and watch the Quicktime movie of Kenny tearing it up on Leno. Amazing!

Phat Beats provides 46 construction kits. Everything is vocalized -- including the beats, bass lines, leads, and sound effects. Fully mixed motifs are provided, followed by their multitrack layers.

Most important, the material on offer is funky and fun. From straight-ahead to insanely syncopated, Phat Beats should appeal to producers of many styles and tastes. I tucked a couple of these beats into a track for an upcoming Bowie tribute CD I was working on, and it added an interesting and fresh ingredient to the mix.

What didn't I like? I wasn't as crazy about the melodic material or spoken phrases as I was the beats. But thanks to the construction-kit formatting, you can pick and choose from whatever strikes your fancy, or get in there and tweak any elements you'd like.

Admittedly, this isn't your typical mainstream collection, but I could see building entire tracks on a vocal-only foundation from time to time. Whether icing or cake, this library is useful, fun, and different! Definitely a breath of fresh air.

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