Metal Guitar: Riffs & Rhythms - Music Tech - June 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
If you like your guitar riffs a bit filthy and at speeds that would make most guitarist’s hands cramp up in pain, then you may be interested in the latest in Nine Volt Audio’s BPM Flex Series – Metal Guitars. There are actually three versions available: Amped & Distorted has been fed through a tight, crunchy, distortion and is ready to be dropped straight into a mix; Clean & Direct is a clean version for you to add your own amp-simulation to. Finally, there is a double-DVD combo version that contains both.
In total there are 293 riffs, each recorded at 15 pitches to give 4,395 REX loops. Due to the nature of the REX format these loops can be played back at vastly different tempos, with no artefacts or glitches. Although the loops can sound a little synthetic when previewed individually, they would sit nicely when layered with drum and bass parts.
The riffs themselves range from chugging power chords to blazing high-note arpeggios; also included is a collection of sustained and muted power chords, single notes, strums and one-shot slides. All of the loops, chords and notes have been mapped out to Kontakt instruments and you also get MIDI versions of each loop for easy bass line creation.
It’s nice to see such a well thought-out package with a whole host of extras. Nine Volt Audio has even included a program called Rextractor that will convert any REX file into an ACID WAV or Apple Loops at any tempo. Whichever version you go for, you’ll be ready to rock.
Verdict: The ultimate metal guitar toolkit with plenty of riffs, chords, hits and masses of flexibility.
Rating: 8/10
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