101 Below | Keyboard Magazine

Had enough driving dance and hip-hop hooks for a while? Take a trip to 101 Below - beats per minute, that is. Think chill, wistful scenes in movies, a gray day in Amsterdam, and then throw in a little Zen contemplation. This romantic, cerebral blend of acoustic and electronic elements arrives on a DVD-ROM with over 4GB of samples.

As 101 Below is construction kit-based, start with the 31 "sample arrangements." Each is a complete tune, in WAV format, derived from elements in an associated kit (nothing says you can't use these arrangements in your own music, but that seems like cheating). When you find something you like, which probably won't take long, you next decide if your host is going to be Reason or something that reads WAV files. In Reason's favor: NN-XT, NN-19, and ReDrum patches, along with complete .RNS songs if you're in a hurry. Against: Although the construction kit elements are available as REX files, marker editing here is sloppy: Missed transients and too many markers in some places can make time-stretching frustrating.

If you go the WAV route, the Acidization quality (for Acidization-aware hosts) is quite a bit better than other Big Fish releases I've reviewed. It's still not perfect, but most files stretch well enough that you can easily mix and match elements among various songs.

There are typically twelve elements per kit; you'll also find a selection of sampler-friendly WAV hits and notes. If that sounds like too much work, NI-compatible presets (.NKI and .KT2 formats) do the sample mapping for you. While writing this review, I was surprised to find myself listening to most of the sample arrangements all the way through - I enjoyed them from a musical standpoint. They're recorded well, and pensive without being depressing. If you're looking for elements that fall into a chill arrangement as easily as snowflakes fall on a frozen lake, 101 Below delivers the goods.

But 101 Below has other talents, too. The next time you're scoring the scene in the movie where Christine is waiting at the train station with a combination of trepidation and excitement, anticipating Marc's arrival, you're good to go with 101 Below. And as they kiss while the sun sets over the beach, secure in the knowledge that Marc's ill-fated affair with Monique is truly in the past, you're covered for that scene as well. And the credit roll too, come to think of it.