Acoustic Toy Museum – Music Tech – June 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Although we don’t remember it, it’s likely that many of us started our musical careers at a very early age with all manner of sound-making toys. From simple rattles and bells to toy pianos, mini guitars and drums, there’s no shortage of ways for young children to annoy their parents. However, it’s the plastic or tin materials and dinky size of these instruments that gives them such a unique sound.
As a follow-up to its Electronic Toy Museum library, Ultimate Sound Bank has hunted down and meticulously multi-sampled hundreds of old and rare musical toys. The resulting 13Gb library comes on two DVDs and requires both an iLok key and the free UVI Workstation software.
We won’t go into details here about the UVI sample player, but suffice to say that it’s one of the best free samplers available and is powered by the same engine that’s used in MOTU’s Mach V and BPM programs.
Once you’ve dealt with the iLok registration process you are presented with 12 categories of instruments, from melodic toy pianos and zylophones to bizarre musical gadgets and kindergarten rattles. Many of the instruments sound glorious, having instant playability and a deep, crisp sound. USB has done a fantastic job of capturing the subtle detuning, key noise and natural distortion created by these old toys. The company has also managed to record glissandos, strums and built-in grooves from the more rhythmic machines. Particular highlights include a fantastic collection of ukulele rhythms and chords and a number of expertly played baby drum loops in various styles/tempos/.
Although not cheap, this is a large and extremely well-recorded collection of instruments. For anyone writing children’s music it’s a no-brainer, and for anyone else who wants to add charm, vulnerability and a unique character to their tracks, this could be the sound library you’ve been looking for.
Verdict: A unique, expertly recorded library brimming with warmth and charm.
Rating: 9/10
Click here for more information on Acoustic Toy Museum
|
