Formats
At The Beat Shed, we go to great lengths to produce great-sounding natural LIVE drum recordings. So we’re pretty keen for as many people as possible to be able to use them.
This is why we offer various different formats and product types that can easily be used in as many different applications and software types as possible.
We have recently started offering “variable tempo” or “sliced” file formats, as well as sampler “instruments” with placement/velocity maps for different software samplers. We will be going through our catalogue and retrospectively adding these formats to our current products, as well as producing any future products in these formats.
We hope this page provides a clear guide to the various formats and product types that we offer. If you have any further questions or comments, please do drop us a line.
File Formats
WAV
WAV is a high-quality, lossless audio file format, and the most cross-compatible audio format. WAVs can be read by Mac or PC and just about any music application your might be using.
WAVs can have different Bit Depths, and The Beat Shed products are presented as 2 different Bit Depth WAVs:
– Stereo Mixes (see below) as 16 BIT 44.1 kHz
– Multi-tracks (see below) as 24 BIT 44.1 kHz
REX2
The REX2 file is a variable tempo/pitch audio sample loop format produced by the Swedish software company “Propellerheads”.
REX2 files contain “slices” of audio with “tails” so that they can be varied in tempo, giving a huge amount of flexibility in their use in your song or project.
It is the most widely-supported loop format, and can be read by many different music applications.
Compatible Software:
Protools, Logic, Cubase, Reason, FL Studio, Stylus RMX, Nuendo 2.0, Cakewalk Project 5, MOTU Digital Performer & Mach 5, Riff Tracker, Synapse Audio Orion Platinum & many others.
Apple Loops
Apple Loops are a Mac-based loop format designed for Apple audio and audio-visual software.
They are an AIF-C format but, similar to the REX2 format, they contain slices so that pitch and tempo can be varied. Apple Loops from the Beat Shed contain “tags” that allow easy location and management within Logic or Garageband.
Compatible Software:
Logic Pro, GarageBand, Soundtrack, Final Cut Pro, Logic Express & many others.
Stylus RMX
The RMX format is another variable tempo/pitch format designed by Spectrasonics to use with their loop production suite Stylus RMX.
To install Beat Shed loops into your Stylus RMX library, place the main containing folder (after unzipping) directly into the “User Libraries” folder.
On a Mac – the Spectrasonics folder is located here:
Macintosh HD/Users/<Your Username>/Library/Application Support/Spectrasonics
On Mac OS X 10.7.x and above, the Library folder in each User folder is now hidden. To find the Users/ Library folder, go to the Finder and click the Go menu while holding the Option key. Library will appear in the menu while the Option key is held and you can select it at that point.
On Windows Vista and Windows 7 – the Spectrasonics folder is located here:
C:\ProgramData\Spectrasonics
On Windows XP – the Spectrasonics folder is located here:
C:\Documents And Settings\All Users\Application Data\Spectrasonics
A NOTE ON VARIABLE TEMPO FORMATS
When using variable tempo formats, whilst tempos can be raised almost infinitely, lowering tempos beyond a certain amount CAN cause audible timing issues and artefacts. The amount a loop can be decreased in tempo before this happens depends on the programme material – generally the “busier” the contents, the less flexibility there is in lowering the tempo.
All variable tempo Beat Shed products are tested down to 10bpm below the original tempo, and the packs often include the same grooves played at different original tempos to make sure that you can always achieve the correct groove at the desired tempo.
Product Types
“Stereo Mixes”
These products are lovingly mixed and effected stereo mixes. What you hear is what you get, and we hope you like what you hear!
They can be offered in any of the following formats: WAV (16 BIT 44.1 kHz), REX2, Apple Loops, Stylus RMX.
We often offer discounted bundles with stereo mix formats. For a little more than the price of a single format, you can get ALL of stereo formats available for that product.
“Multi-tracks”
Multi-track products are 24 BIT 44.1 kHz WAV files of each and every individual microphone channel. Multi-tracks are as naked as the day they were recorded, with no effects, no EQ.
They allow complete control of the drum sound, and suits musicians or producers who are building projects from scratch and require more precise control during mixing.
At The Beat Shed we use an array of close mics , overheads and ambient mics. This allows you to change the sound of the rooms as well as the kits, offering complete versatility.
Multi-tracks allow you to control all aspects of the drum mix, re-trigger extra sounds instantly, access individual tracks to give the user the choice of compression, distortion and FX, so a mix becomes unique. Go from dry and in–your-face to massive 80’s-style style room ambience with the room mics.
Sample Patches – “Instruments”
Some Beat Shed “Samples” products are offered with multi-velocity sample patches.
Sample packs contain a number of different “voices” (individual drum/cymbal/percussion hits) played at different velocities (volume, strength, hardness).
We have created sampler patches that “map” the voices and velocities to different keyboard note events.
Simply load the correct format into your software sampler, and you can play beats using your keyboard, or programme beats in your sequencer.
We create sampler patches in the following formats:
- EXS24 (Logic/Garageband)
- Kontakt
- Ableton Live Drum Racks
- Ableton Sampler
- Battery 3 (Mac & Windows)
- Steinberg HALion
- Propellerhead Reason
- CamelAudio Alchemy
Nope, still doesn’t make sense!
Then please get in touch!
If you have any questions or queries, need help with using the beats, or having problems with anything at The Beat Shed, please contact us here and we will reply as quickly possible.
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