Damage by Heavyocity

Rating: 10 out of 10

There are very few software instrument packages that I find myself leaning over my console and screaming, "YOU GOTTA HAVE THIS OR YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!" but, "Damage" from Heavyocity is one of those, "YOU GOTTA HAVE THIS OR YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!" Okay, maybe "DIE" is a bit over the top, but it certainly should by all means be in your arsenal. This is one percussion package that has made a dramatic change in not only the sound of my compositions but also my approach. It really is a game changer when it comes to having the perfect percussion track in your composition. IMO, it's as close to perfect as you can get in so many ways.

Let me first say that this isn't your typical percussion package of concert toms, taikos and snares...this thing has hybrid sounds such as exploding cars, cranes, metals, a dumpster and other ridiculous things that you wouldn't think of in a million years - and oh yeah, traditional orchestral drums. As the company puts it, "DAMAGE gives you 30 GB of drama, fusing industrial sounds and orchestral drums into a devastating electro-acoustic barrage." Good descriptor with the key word here being "devastating"...I can't even begin to express on virtual paper how intense these sounds are. Truly, truly epic.

One of the criteria that I use when I buy a new virtual is, "can I make the sounds my own?" I don't want to hear them in someone else's score 3 months later and everyone knows exactly what I've used - I HATE STOCK SOUNDS not because of what they are or their quality, but because everyone else has them! The user interface is brilliant and very easy to use to make your own sound. With over 500 single-shot elements that are up to seven velocity layers and up to nine round-robins per drum...well, you start to get the idea how deep and extensive this thing is.

Percussive Kits:


It's divided into 5 different sub categories: Epic Organic Drums, Ethnic Drums, Metals, Hybrid FXs Hits & Damage Kits. For example, let's say I select a preset from "Epic Organic Drums" that has a bunch of different "drums." When I bring up the Stage Interface and hit C3 it shows me where on the stage that particular drum is located. I can then just click and place it where ever I want on that virtual stage. The beauty of this lies in the mix...I can now create a percussion track using this one preset and place different drums all over the stage and as the sequence of the drum pattern that I've created gives the listener an aural dimension that fits in and around your composition - not your composition fitting around the percussion. And that's just the tip of the iceberg - now, let's add delays, EQ's and FX's to further "sculpt" your sound into something that's never been heard or used before. And one of the really cool features is the big knob called "Punish" which increases the intensity of a particular patch using some sort of compression, saturation and witchcraft! Custom sounds made easy - wow, what a concept! I can actually focus on writing music instead of being a programmer....once again, what a concept!

Rhythmic Suites:

Along with these presets of individual "drums," you also have loops that are a great way to instantly have a great percussion track. Over 700 tempo synced loops! Once you click on Rhythmic Suite you find 2 sub folders called Loop Menus and Single Loops. In Loop Menu, there are 16 menu style presets such as "LPS Epic Organic Full" and "LPS Industrial Full."  Now, you could just use those loops and and be set - they're incredible. But, once again you can customize them by loading an individual loop from the Single Loops folder for further control options, like re-mixing, using midi to host feature (much in the way Stylus allows you to use midi sequences to customize a loop by breaking it up), level, pan & tuning by the slice of that loop. Yeah, kinda' deep but it's much more straight ahead once you start playing around with it. Remember, I'm a musician and you have to speak slowly...so, if I get it you'll have no problem! Also, adding the presets of individual drums and percussion from the Percussive Kits make them totally unique. Heavyocity has done a brilliant job of making an instrument that has a ton of flexibility. It can be as simple or as deep and complex as you need it to be.

Amp Sequencer & Trigger FX:

This is such a cool feature! There are key assignments that allow you to trigger FX's like glitch, stutter FX, rotator, low-fi, filter envelope. One more element to customize your sound and add that element that gives your track a cool sound. Now, I do have to say that these types of FX's will eventually "date" your sound - you know how you hear a track and say, "Oh, that's totally a 80's or 90's kinda of sound" but hey, for now this is very cool.

Loop Modifier:

This is where you can get pretty deep into the instrument without much effort. You can take a loop preset and remix, FX, totally recompose a loop, randomize, reverse...on and on and on! When using this approach, the chance of anyone creating the same loop as you are about 65 billion to 1! Okay, I'm not sure about those odds but you get the idea.

3 Mic Mixer:

I love this feature. Most orchestral virtuals these days have multiple mic selection and Damage joins that group. You can add as much of the close mic, room mic or hall mic. These are sliders and pretty straight forward and sound fantastic. No complaints with this one as it enables me to add these to my orchestral tracks seamlessly!

In Action:

Here's an excerpt from a cue that I scored for the film "Jimmy" starring Ted Levine, Bob Gunton and Kelly Carlson using "Damage." The thing that I absolutely loved about using it was that I needed this section to have some intensity but I didn't need it to be "Transformer" over the top. I was able to create a custom percussion track that was appropriate for the cue.

"The Kidnapping"

Conclusion:

This is the best percussion package out there (right now) and as I stated earlier, it can be as simple to use or as complex as you need it to be. For gaming composers it's a dream come true and for film composers it's an essential tool for dynamic and powerful percussion tracks and to be truly inspired when creating. For everyone else - use your imagination and go nuts! "Damage" is sold exclusively through Native Instruments (be sure to check out the videos) and retails for $339. Though a little more than other percussion packages out there, trust me when I say, this will be the best $339 you've ever invested!

My Top 10 Music Websites (this week)

We all know the feeling of inspiration when you get a new sound library and play it for the first time. It seems like the ideas just pour out of you...and then there are those days that a "dribble" is an accomplishment! Yet, I digress. Unfortunately, it's usually in between projects when we try them, so rarely do those ideas ever end up in a project. So, part of my daily routine is to "troll" the web and see if I can find new companies and sounds that sound "cool" and then I'll keep a list so when I start my next film or project, I'll go through that list and see if there's anything that might play well within that score. Why I like doing this, is if I do find an instrument, purchase and download to incorporate in the score I find that having this "brand new shiny toy" gives me nice inspiration as I'm developing the score for the first time. A good example of this is the last film that I did (Jimmy to be released later this year - starring Ted Levine and Bob Gunton) and I knew that I wanted a distinct sound and not merely orchestral. I ended up purchasing and downloading a "Zither" from Bouldersounds.com and before I knew it, I had a thematic that would run throuout the film and become one of the major themes. Trust me, it's a great way to be inspired! Now, all that being said, not all music sites are new and unique sounds that have never been created before and even though "trolling" is an essential part of my existence, I do have a few sites that I visit on an almost daily basis because they are continually creating new content and updates and I want to make sure that I stay one step ahead of the competition - and if you're reading this, that would be you! So, as of this blog, here a my top ten websites that I continually keep my eye on because of their pertainance to my writing.

1. Cinesamples.com

I own several libraries by these guys including "Cinebrass and Cinebrass Pro," "Hollywoodwinds," "Cinetoms, "Cinebells" and let me tell you that these are "go to" libraries that have become a part of almost every score that I do. Now, one of the reasons that I continually check in on these guys is because they are currently in production on a new orchestral woodwinds library. And if this new library is as good as their Cinebrass and Cinebrass Pro, we have an incredible library on the horizon. I'm currently using another woodwind library and unfortunately it hasn't kept up with current technology and I'm looking forward to hearing what Cinesamples comes up with. The other part of this new library that is exciting is the ethnic library that will be a part of this.

2. Audiobro.com

LASS (Los Angeles Scoring Strings) is this company's only product (at this point) but when your only product is the industry's leading library, you can certainly rest on those laurels (I'll be doing a review on LASS later). However, the rumor mill is that owner Andrew Keresztes is in development of either a woodwinds library or a brass library...once again, if they are anywhere in the vicinity of LASS, these libraries will dominate the industry.

3. Orchestraltools.com

Here's a company that has just blown away the field in the "orchestral specialty samples" arena. Initially, they came out with "OSR" (Orchestral String Runs) that emphasizes with, what else, playable convincing string runs and intervals. They sound incredible. Their next entry was "Symphonic Sphere" (which is actually my next purchase) and includes "Trills Orchestrator" for strings and woodwinds that go all the way up to 5th trills and a "Harp" that is set-up like a real harp. Actual pedal assignments make this harp the most convincing virtual harp on the market. Now, add the fact that they are currently developing "Berlin" woodwinds library. Looks like it's race to the finish line for a few of these companies to get their WW libraries to market. It's a great time to be a composer!

4. Spitfireaudio.com

Originally, these guys were an "invite only" exclusive and expensive orchestral library that was used by mostly "A" players in Hollywood and the UK (they're a UK based company). A simply gorgeous library, it wasn't available to the masses until they introduced a few smaller libraries commercially (percussion and harp were two of them). I recently just purchased their newly released library "Abilon" which includes specialty patches like "high octave strings," "Low Octave Brass," "Brass, Strings & Woodwind FXs," "Percussion patches," and many many other usable instrument patches. It's such a great add on to your sample library arsenal! They are currently in production with Albion II - Loegria witch is the follow-up and continues the superb orchestral sounds that really does make this a complete library. Aside, from all of that, they are always creating new libraries and every once in a while, they put something up for free! Ya gotta love free!

5. Sonokinetic.net

This is one of those truly exceptional music websites. They come out with sample libraries that no one else has considered. Once again, I have a few of their libraries and have not been disappointed. With titles like HIPP (an orchestral toms percussion library), Sultan Strings (middle esasten based string library), Tutti (orchestral hits, tension chords and builds), Maasai (african based loops, instruments, vocals)...well, you get the idea. There's a wide range of virtuals that you really won't find any where else. By the way, Tutti is phenomenal when spicing up your sequenced orchestral tracks! More about that at a later time.

6. 8Dio.com

8Dio is one of those surprises that have really become a big player in the virtual instrument world. And with the advent of "Adagio Violins," they are starting to compete with the LASS's of the world. The realism of the demo's are pretty impressive. I recently purchased the "Legacy Series: Scoring Piano" which is a vintage 1928 Steinway Grand and it is absolutely beautiful. If you're looking for that "Thomas Newman" kind of sound, this piano definitely delivers! They also have many other instruments from a small "Train Flute" to their notable, "Requiem Pro" choir virtual which is not cheap, but you do get what you pay for and this one is worth every penny! To see a full list of all of their instruments be sure to put this company on your "go to" lists!

7. Heavyocity.com

Heavyocity had always been known for their music/sound design virtuals and they are great (I own Evolve Mutations and ALWAYS go to it when scoring - it lays beautifully when doing orchestral scores), but when they introduced "Damage" (dark, aggressive HUGE epic percussion) they really rounded the corner and have made an even bigger name for themselves. To me, "Damage" is one of those virtuals that NO composer should be without. I literally can't live without it now...whether small single hit subs or huge epic thundering chase scenes, this is one bad boy! The countless reviews on this package from magazines, online and users definitely are a true test to the usefulness and necessity of this virtual. This makes me check this site regularly to see what else they might be coming up with.

8. Orangetreesamples.com

My first review was on this company's "Evolution Guitar - Strawberry." Needless to say, I am blown away by what they are doing. Primarily a fretted instrument site (Electric & Acoustic Bass, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar), they do have a few world instruments like "Grand Kalimba," "Mesawinds" and "Passion Flute." One of the reasons that I put them on this list is because of their innovative way of approaching the "Evolution Electric Guitar," it's amazing sound realism and utilizing the new Kontakt 5 engine. I'm looking forward to seeing what new tricks they'll have up their sleeve in the future.

9. Samplelogic.com

I like their line on their site, "Burring the Line Between Music & Sound Design" and that's exactly what they do. I own "Morphestra" and as much as I go to "Evolve Mutations" from Heavyocity, I probably use this even more. It is an incredible cinematic virtual instrument. Sounds that really are unique and when creating multis in Kontakt, you have sounds that no one has experienced. But, the biggest boom for them in the past year has been the introduction of "Cinematic Guitars." I used this one on my last film and let me tell you about inspiration...this is one incredible package. Don't let the name fool you - this isn't your "run of the mill" guitar package...in fact, I'm not really sure they should have called it guitar in the first place. It's so much more that just that. Go listen to the demos and you'll know what I'm talking about. I'll definitely be doing a review on this one in the future. This company continues to "blur the lines" and I can't wait to hear what comes out of them next!

10. Samplelibraries.com

Here's a company that I can't wait to have a project to justify the purchase of an instruments that I want. Eduardo Tarilonte is the owner creator of these libraries and has some pretty incredible sounding stuff. For example, "Dessert Winds" is a library that, along with others, contains an Armenian Dudek that is just ridiculously good! The playability and legato mode of this instrument leaves you really wondering if this is a live performance when you hear the track. This one is definitely on my radar of instruments to get. Other titles like "Epic World" (sound landscapes), "Forest Kingdom" (a unique sampled library inspired by nature) gives you an idea of his approach to music, textures and design. It's one thing to come up with unique and different sounds but to have them sound as incredible as they do (granted they are the sites demos - I won't be able to give a total thumbs up until I can actually get my hands on some of them). So, this site is definitely worth keeping an eye on as Eduardo is continually creating new libraries.

So there you have it...there are many other sites that are definitely worth keeping an eye on, but for the moment theses are the ones that are "shaken' it up" for me. I'll keep you posted as someone knocks off any of these "Top 10." And with the way technology keeps processing and changing the way we write and perform, I'll post a "This Weeks Top Ten" as new stuff comes out and things progress...it's an exciting time to be a musician!

Til next time!