Review: Electronic Critters Sample Library, Volumes 1, 2, & 3

Product: Electronic Critters Sample Library Vol. 1, 2, and 3
Manufacturer: Haunted House Records
Type: DVD Sample Library (also available as downloads from SoundsToSample.com)
Format: 16 and 24-bit WAV files (except Vol. 3 which is 24-bit only)
Price: €19.95 plus postage for DVD or as downloads $14.99, $27.99, and $27.95 respectively
Demo: http://www.hauntedhouserecords.co.uk/electroniccritters.html

One of the great things about the cheaper CD and DVD replication that's available today is that it has opened the sample library market to smaller developers who can offer more unique, niche titles. Never has there ever been a wider variety of sample libraries on the market, and chances are, no matter how weird or obscure your music is, there is something out there that will appeal to you. Today, I'll be looking at some of the latest offerings from one such talented developer: the Electronic Critters sample libraries from Haunted House Records.

VOLUME 1: CIRCUIT BENDING SAMPLE LIBRARY

If you’re not familiar with it, circuit bending is the process of opening up (usually) low end musical instruments and kid’s electronic toys and altering the circuit connections in order to get them to create sounds they were never intended to make. The results are usually noisy, glitchy, and otherworldly. Once fashionable only in experimental circles, nowadays, with glitchy sounds gaining more mainstream acceptance, other genres are discovering and integrating circuit bent sounds.

Of course, not everyone has the skill, time, or desire to learn how to circuit bend their own creations. And even if you do, circuit bent equipment can sometimes have a short life span. That’s where the first volume of the Electronic Critters Library comes in.

The library consists of WAV samples in both 16 and 24-bit formats divided into ‘raw’ samples of a variety abused toys and ‘processed’ samples which further mangle the already strange noises using a variety of signal processing. All in all, the library contains about 1,000 different sounds. Most are harsh, glitchy, abrasive, and alien-sounding – imagine the sounds a dying robot might make, and you’ll not be far off. The recordings are all clear, nicely edited, and well-organized.

In addition to the sounds, a folder with pictures of all the sampled circuit bent toys is included (a nice touch), as well as an compilation of music by creator Steve Haunt’s project Creature. I’m not sure if these libraries were intended to be viral marketing for Haunt’s band, but it is definitely a novel way to promote one’s musical work! Creature covers a variety of different sounds, but generally fits in a sort of ambient IDM feel to it and is very nice listening indeed.

Obviously, because of the nature of the types of sounds it contains, this library isn’t for everyone. But if you’re looking for an excellent source of unique & bizarre noises to spice up your tracks, you’re not going to find a better deal out there. The sounds are great as is, but they’re also fantastic fodder for further manipulation in your sampler of choice or sample-twisting synths like Alchemy and Absynth. (9/10)

VOLUME 2: AIRWAVES

The second volume of Electronic Critters takes a more subdued, creepy feel to it. The sources for the 277 sounds contained within are various radio and television transmissions. These sources are then further processed through all manner of effects such as filters, modulation effects, reverbs – you name it. As before, the sounds are available in 16 and 24-bit WAV formats. The 277 sounds are split into 63 groups, with each group offering variations on the sound via different (sometimes drastically so) signal processing. Drones, futuristic textures, and alien soundscapes are the order of the day here.

Although there are some harsh sounds here, the overall feel of this volume is more ambient and atmospheric than the one that precedes it. In fact, a lot of this material would probably be very useful to anyone doing soundtrack work, especially in the sci-fi and horror genres. These could have great applications as song intros for an industrial track or even as special effects for the breakdown of a dance track.

As before, the sound quality is top notch and the processing is creative and skillfully applied. Mr. Haunts clearly knows his stuff! This volume also contains the free Creature promo album, as well as a free demo pack of sounds from the first volume. If your productions are missing a sense of atmosphere, you’d do well to check out this collection. (10/10)

VOLUME 3: THE CREATUREPHONIC WORKSHOP

The third volume of the series is also the most varied. Inspired by the famous BBC Radiophonic Workshop, this collection uses sounds sources such as “field recordings, radio interference, ultra sounds, and Theremins reprocessed and chopped up to create electronic sounds out of this world.” And indeed, that’s what you get.

The sounds are all in 24-bit WAV format (no 16-bit option this time) and are split up into categories consisting of 103 Ambient Textures, 126 Loops, 140 Musical Phrases and Sound Beds, and 313 Source Samples. I really like that the unprocessed source sounds are provided here. Not only are they useful in their own right, but it encourages users to use the library as inspiration for their own processing. The sound quality is just as good as the other volumes and are very well-edited and processed.

As I mentioned, the variety of sounds here is really wide with the main unifying factor being that they’re all heavily processed (Source Samples excepted, obviously). Most of the sounds are featured in several different versions, each with different signal processing used. All the loops are helpfully marked by BPM and loop points are all flawless. I did feel like the loops are a bit of a mixed bag, though. They’re all well done, but some definitely are more useful in a wider range of styles than others. The Musical Phrases and Sound Beds category will probably only interest people looking for quick soundtrack music, consisting as it does of full musical arrangements (each individual layer is separately available as well). These are generally well done (although the snare drum on the Slinky arrangement was in serious need of quantizing), but they’re not the types of elements I think too many people would be able to integrate easily into their own music. They’d probably be very appreciated by amateur film makers and other people who need complete music beds quickly, though.

A very well done collection of interesting sounds to be sure, but the useful to non-useful ratio on this one isn’t quite as good as the other collections. It made it a bit difficult to sort through and find the really useful stuff quickly. Your mileage may vary, though. All of these collections are obviously rather niche in their appeal, and how much this one rocks your world depends on what your niche is. Even still, for the price, it’s hard to complain. (7/10)