AIRing the Synergy behind Sample Logic...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
In the latest of our exclusive supplier features, we talk to the guys behind Sample Logic – Joe Trupiano and Keith Robinson. This New York-based company is famed for its cutting edge virtual instruments including Ambience, Rhythm & Impacts (A.I.R), The Elements EXP and most recently, Synergy. Here, Joe and Keith tell us how their university thesis paved the way to establishing Sample Logic, the movies that feature their products and how the MI industry has changed since they began in 2005...
For those of our newer web visitors who are not so familiar with Sample Logic, please introduce yourselves and your company background.
Sample Logic was founded by Joe Trupiano along with Keith Robinson. It all started when we turned our New York University senior thesis on sampling and synthesis into a full-blown company dedicated to creating sound libraries that “blur the line between music and sound design.”
Not wanting to go the traditional route of an orchestral library, or be stylistically constrained by catering to the experimental electronica crowd, we set out to find our own unique sound. From banging on dumpsters with crowbars to 3AM recording sessions in the New York subway, slowly but surely we perfected techniques for capturing everyday organic sounds and traditional instruments and morphing them into unique, never-before-heard musical elements.
With our extensive training in recording, computer music, synthesis, and virtual instrument design, we have taken our massive custom libraries of extraordinarily broad and complex sonic elements and delivered them in well-organized, ready-to-play products.
Your product line currently includes A.I.R., The Elements EXP and Synergy. Which is your favourite and why?
Hmmm, honestly, we have no favourites. This is why: Each product has its own unique concept...
AIR is exactly what it stands for: Ambience Impacts Rhythms. This being our first library debut, we really aimed towards making our mark in the film, TV, and gaming industry. This library does not contain any melodic, harmonic, or bass material, but only specific scoring effectual sounds delivered in a well-organized ready to use library.
The Elements, now with the EXP upgrade, goes much further then AIR, with its specific aim towards delivering what we feel are the 6 compositional ´Elements´ of music. This new EXP upgrade gives users on the spot performability and an additional 350+ instruments and multis. It is the “all in one composers toolkit.”
Synergy takes more of an ethnic and synth inspired role. With Synergy, our main focus was to deliver not only a sample library, but a sample synthesis engine that allows you to manipulate and sculpt instruments to your liking.
All in all, even though each of our products have their own specific concept and aim, because these are such massive libraries delivering thousands of instruments, they will have some overlapping genres, but completely newly created material. Just like there is more then one sci-fi or action movie.
 From rave reviews, we are finding there is no shortage in demand for cinematic score ready instruments. Composers are always looking to expand their toolkit. With our tried and true organizational system, and high quality sounds delivered with an easy to use sound sculpting interface, composers are able to craft their scores under a deadline with ease.
Sample Logic products can be heard on a number of movies and tv shows including ´24´, ´Sunset Tan´, ´Wall-E´ and ´Revolutionary Road´, to name just a few – which of these give you the greatest pleasure to be associated with and why?
We take pleasure in all usage of our products, from Djs and producers, to game and film composers. We love our diverse roster of composers and it’s been an honour having gaming, film, and TV composers embrace our products. It just goes to show how diverse, effective, and evocative our libraries truly are. Our goal is to always provide a palette of instruments and sounds that can be used in any musical style.
Sample Logic was established in 2005, what significant changes have you seen or experienced within the MI industry since then and what developments do you predict over the next 2 or 3 years?
We have seen virtual instruments and soft synths literally take command of the industry. With file storage, memory, and CPU power so affordable and easy to obtain I only see this growth to continue. We are moving into the era of the end user. It’s all about them and delivering a product that is worth their precious dollar. 
The walls of limitation have been broken down. Anything they want they can get. To that end, this has also provided an opportunity for young companies like us to compete with the long-standing power house companies. Think of this as a part of the "indie" approach to music and records that has been sweeping the US for a few years now. This is a market for unique and independent products that set themselves apart in the homogenous world of virtual instrument plug-ins. That´s what we do. We are in the business of making fantastically original products that set our users apart from the rest.
Your most recent virtual instrument – Synergy – was released last summer to glowing reviews within the music-making press – what makes Synergy different from other virtual instruments?
With Synergy, our main focus is to deliver not only an organically rich sample library, but to provide a sample synthesis engine that gives users the ability to manipulate and sculpt instruments on the fly. Being composers we understand the need to tweak and morph sounds and to that end we pushed the envelope with both our interface and creation process.
What´s been the most surprising event to come out of Sample Logic products?
At first, it was the Remix Technology award for A.I.R., which we picked up in our first year. When we originally created our libraries we were just thinking about making innovative and creative sounds that blur the line between music and sound design. We never thought about winning awards. That was a pleasant surprise! Now we have picked up the Music Tech editors choice award. Of coarse, we have also received 5 star ratings on all of our products from Sound On Sound. I think our awards and feedback from world class composers like Mark Isham and BT really help fuel our ambitions to push the envelop.
If you hadn´t established Sample Logic, what would you be doing for a living?
Composing for film/TV and video games. That´s what we do!
We also launched a sister company Sample Logic Studios www.samplelogicstudios.com dedicated for composing custom music & sound design.
What type of music do you most enjoy? Do you have any favourite composers/artists/bands?
Wow...that´s a tough one. We like a lot of music. I would say anything that inspires us to create music and sounds. We have a diverse influence from BT, Muse, Amont Tobin, Aphex Twin, Hybrid, and Brian Eno to Philip Glass, John Powell, James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, Chopin, Mahler, and Rachmoninov.
What are your other interests and hobbies outside your musical activities?
Do we actually have time in doing hobbies outside of our musical activities? Well, we like to eat, and enjoy great beer and wine.
And finally, can you reveal what projects/products Sample Logic are currently working on for 2009?
That´s top-secret classified information :-) All we can say is we have some new and original products on their way catered to exactly what our users want. We are taking on our most ambitious endeavour yet and are always looking forward to releasing the next big thing. In the meantime, we have just launched "TryPack," our free download sample pack to allow new users to sample our logic before buying. Try it now for free! www.samplelogic.com
Click here for more information about Sample Logic titles
WIN! – WIN! – WIN!
We´re giving away 3 copies of Synergy and 5 downloads of Sample Logic´s latest release ´Waterharp´ in our April competition! Click here for details
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