Cakewalk

X-Mix Studio Loops 1:
X-Treme Dance & Hip-Hop

With the release of Cakewalk's new flagship studio software, Sonar, and the unveiling of the company's first sample-CD collection, Cakewalk Loops, the Boston based software provider is committed to making your life Ioopy. The collection includes Smart Loops: Rockit Fuel, PowerFX. In Your Face FX, X-Mix Studio Loops 1: X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop, X-Mix Studio Loops 2: Techno and Progressive House, and Pro-Samples: From EastWest Zero-G, and Best Service. Each sample CD is specifically designed for an individual area of production, but all are ready-made to work in programs such as Acid Pro, Sonar, Plasma, Home Studio 2002, and any other 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV-handling application.

X-Mix Studio Loops 1: X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop ($89) features 658 MB of Acid format loops that are individually titled and arranged in separate folders according to tempo range from 85 bpm, 90 to 99 bpm, and 100 to 110 bpm, all the way to 140 to 149 bpm. By organizing the patterns in line with their original tempos, Cakewalk ensures that a groove's intended feel is properly passed down. Grooves in the 85-bpm folder-such as "Big Pumpin," "'Cowbell Crazy," or "Funk It"-sound a bit boring and stiff at 120 bpm and faster, but when they're played between 85 and 90 bpm, fat hip-hop grooves unfold.

If you need one-shots, you won't find any here: the Cakewalk Loops collection consists of nothing but loops. X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop comes with excellent digital, and therefore printable, documentation in three separate Microsoft Excel files: BPM, Producer's Name, and Loop Title. If you are a registered Cakewalk product owner, you can obtain X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop for only $59 ($49 if you own Sonar).

I have few complaints about X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop. The programming variety and stylistic authenticity of the loops are quite good, even if occasionally cheesy. The X-Mix producers who made this batch of loops - DJ Serg, Chris 'the Greek' Panaghi, and Donnie Bennett - have paid their dues, and it shows on this CD.

- Dave Hill Jr.

Another cool feature is that most grooves are divided into three or more combinations, including the original, full orchestration, which allows a producer to select specific elements from the loop, recombine other loop segments, or just play the whole enchilada.

As for sound quality, X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop delivers much dopeness. The CD may not offer flashy excitement, but it's a practical production tool that you can use again and again. The sounds grew on me as I experimented with each groove's many forms, added effects, and turned up my subwoofer. Nearly all the sounds are cleanly recorded and sound almost completely electronic: a tip of the hat to old-school hip-hop, modern techno, and trance alike. Cakewalk assures us that many of the samples have been used in remixes for artists such as Puff Daddy, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Tori Amos, and New Order. Not bad for less than a bill.



Cakewalk X-Mix Studio Loops 1: X-Treme Dance & Hip-Hop With the release of Cakewalk's new flagship studio software, Sonar, and the unveiling of the company's first sample-CD collection, Cakewalk Loops, the Boston based software provider is committed to making your life Ioopy. The collection includes Smart Loops: Rockit Fuel, PowerFX. In Your Face FX, X-Mix Studio Loops 1: X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop, X-Mix Studio Loops 2: Techno and Progressive House, and Pro-Samples: From EastWest Zero-G, and Best Service. Each sample CD is specifically designed for an individual area of production, but all are ready-made to work in programs such as Acid Pro, Sonar, Plasma, Home Studio 2002, and any other 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV-handling application. X-Mix Studio Loops 1: X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop ($89) features 658 MB of Acid format loops that are individually titled and arranged in separate folders according to tempo range from 85 bpm, 90 to 99 bpm, and 100 to 110 bpm, all the way to 140 to 149 bpm. By organizing the patterns in line with their original tempos, Cakewalk ensures that a groove's intended feel is properly passed down. Grooves in the 85-bpm folder-such as "Big Pumpin," "'Cowbell Crazy," or "Funk It"-sound a bit boring and stiff at 120 bpm and faster, but when they're played between 85 and 90 bpm, fat hip-hop grooves unfold.		If you need one-shots, you won't find any here: the Cakewalk Loops collection consists of nothing but loops. X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop comes with excellent digital, and therefore printable, documentation in three separate Microsoft Excel files: BPM, Producer's Name, and Loop Title. If you are a registered Cakewalk product owner, you can obtain X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop for only $59 ($49 if you own Sonar). I have few complaints about X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop. The programming variety and stylistic authenticity of the loops are quite good, even if occasionally cheesy. The X-Mix producers who made this batch of loops - DJ Serg, Chris 'the Greek' Panaghi, and Donnie Bennett - have paid their dues, and it shows on this CD. - Dave Hill Jr.

	Another cool feature is that most grooves are divided into three or more combinations, including the original, full orchestration, which allows a producer to select specific elements from the loop, recombine other loop segments, or just play the whole enchilada. As for sound quality, X-Treme Dance and Hip Hop delivers much dopeness. The CD may not offer flashy excitement, but it's a practical production tool that you can use again and again. The sounds grew on me as I experimented with each groove's many forms, added effects, and turned up my subwoofer. Nearly all the sounds are cleanly recorded and sound almost completely electronic: a tip of the hat to old-school hip-hop, modern techno, and trance alike. Cakewalk assures us that many of the samples have been used in remixes for artists such as Puff Daddy, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Tori Amos, and New Order. Not bad for less than a bill.

Cakewalk

X-Mix Studio Loops 1: X-Treme Dance & Hip-Hop

X-Mix Studio Loops 1:
X-Treme Dance & Hip-Hop