650 Free Loops~!

I just added more loops to the free loop library. The latest upload is all synth loops with unique, eclectic and interesting sonic flavors. Enjoy~

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The best free VST instruments

There are just so many free VSTs out there that it can be difficult finding the ones that aren’t a complete waste of your time. I decided to go through them all and review my favorite ones that I consider to be the best VSTs. I will post my reviews on the LoopArtists forums and include free loop previews demonstrating the VST. I am now making videos and started a Youtube channel to also help demonstrate these best free VSTs.

The attributes I look for when determining what makes one free VST instrument better than another is as follows:

• Sound Quality: The quality of the audio output and oscillators needs to be above average. The synth should have something that sounds distinct about it.

• Unique Features: Unique features sets a synth apart from the rest and helps forge new methods in music production.

• Presets: These usually give a good idea of the overall sound of a synth and help with inspiration for creating something new.

• Filters: I listen for the quality of filters as they are used quite often and greatly help define a sound.

• Interface: A good VST instrument should have an easy to use interface. Knobs and sliders should be laid out in a logical way and there should be minimal clutter.

I’ve gone through numerous VSTs and sifted through a lot of crap. Here are the videos I’ve made for the VST instruments that stand out to me. I will continue to add new videos on a regular basis.

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Triangle 2

A very decent synth that can make some nice gritty and deep sounds. The synth includes a nice delay, mediocre reverb and a range of distortion effects. This one is definitely worth checking out.

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Alchemy Player

Camel Audio has made possibly the best free VST instrument with the creation of Alchemy Player. This synth sounds amazing and pales in comparison to its bigger brother Alchemy. You would be denying yourself goodness if you passed this free one up.

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Tyrell N6

U-he has a strong lineup of synths so far and Tyrell N6 is a more than welcome “free” addition. At first I was not very impressed with this free VST instrument but after digging in deeper I discovered some lush, fat, thick and distorted sounds. This free vst instrument has a very user friendly interface and the sound quality is impressive. If you are looking for fat sounds I would definitely give this one a try.

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NoiseMaker

Tal has created a really excellent sounding soft synth here. This free vst instrument has a very user friendly interface and is very well organized. The sound quality is extensive, the envelope editor is inspiration and the filters sound great. Definitely give this one a try.

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Scapes Wizard

HG Fortune Scapes Wizard is a free VST instrument that specializes in amazing sounding ambient textures and soundscapes. A wonderful array of possibilities exist in creating strange and multi-dimensional sounds.

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ST 2008

GTG ST 2008 is a free VST instrument that is more simplistic than most but is also very easy to use. The sound quality is nice and the 3 LFOs add some very nice possibilities in sonic motion.

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Ultrasonique

EVM Ultrasonique is a free VST instrument which I consider to be a very nice sounding synth. The XY pad sounds very expressive and the step sequencer is a nice added touch. The synth might not stand out in a mix but makes for some tasty sonic frosting.

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550 Free Loops in the library

4-12-11 Lots of new free loops have been uploaded. The variety of electro drums has increased and there is now a new category of Sound FX called “Soundscapes”.

3-21-11 More free loops have been added to the library bringing the total to 450 free loops. I added mostly synth lines and arpeggios that range in genre, style and tempo. There is also yet another revision of loopartists in the works that will allow easier navigation as well as space for my upcoming premium loop packs so expect that in the near future.

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Hardware and Software reviews on the LoopArtists Forum

The forums on LoopArtists have been updated to include hardware reviews and software reviews of synthesizers, drum machines, vst plugins and vst instruments. So far I’ve reviewed the Quasimidi Polymorph which was a dark a moody synth which has been discontinued and is very hard to find. I’ve also reviewed the JP-8080 which has some classic Roland sounds and I also just finished reviewing the Nexus2 vst instrument which is an amazing sounding rompler.

These reviews will sometimes include loop previews that both demonstrate the product and are free to download.

Expect to see many more reviews in the future.

I just added a review for the Korg Electribe ER-1. The synth drum machine had some very unique and eclectic features that had the ability to sound amazing but did it sound as good as I was hoping for? Read the review and listen to the free loop previews of the Electribe ER1 to find out.

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Featured Free Loops

I thought it would be useful to have a section on the front page that features a select 7 loops from my weekly upload. These 7 featured loops will give you an idea of what genre, style and category the latest loop upload consists of. I will be changing the featured loops on a weekly basis after my upload of new loops is complete.

I also included a featured loops section in the forums that is a sort of archive of all the loops that were included in previous sets. Feel free to comment on what you think of this new feature.

The current archive of featured loops in forums includes:

• IDM Drums
• Electro Drums
• Dirty Synths
• Virus TI
• Soundscapes

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The Idea behind LoopArtists

I’ve been creating electronic music for over 10 years now. I have always created original beats and melodies but have no problems using audio loops for both editing and inspirational purposes. It’s so much fun to take a good loop and chop it up, re-arrange it and sometimes glitch it to something totally unique and different. When I hear somebody say they don’t like using loops it just tells me they are unimaginative and have only used loops “as is”. If you take the time to do some creative editing your results can be amazing.

As much as I enjoy them, the act of buying loops has always been a pain in the ass and waste of hard drive space. I think it’s ridiculous to buy an entire cd or dvd of loops and only find a few that are actually useable in my music. I don’t consider myself a tree hugger but I can’t imagine all wasted discs that have been tossed are good for the environment. I mean think about how wasteful it must be to download the loops you want and then just toss the disc. It just always seemed to me like a waste of money, time and resources and I felt there had to be a better way.

Several years back I had purchased an expensive dvd of thousands of loops that were mostly mediocre. I was going through the list of loops listening to each preview when I wondered if I could be on a website previewing these same loops individually and picking and choosing exactly what genres, categories, instruments and styles of loops I wanted before spending any money. It was at that moment that the idea for LoopArtists was born.

I wanted a site that allowed users to pick and choose exactly the loops they wanted without having to purchase a huge library of loops found on a disc. If a user wanted a throbbing electro bass line for their current project then they could go and find just that loops and download it . Phase 1 for the site is giving away hundreds of my loops for free. A royalty free license is provided and all the loops are high quality and have been looped to perfection. My goal is to show people that for the purpose of LoopArtists I prefer quality over quantity.

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