By John Pellegrini
The crazed minds at AV Deli are at it again with Hip Hop Nation 2, another set of imaging CDs for Rhythmic CHR and Urban Hip Hop Soul House stations. As with all their libraries you get a ton of sounds for a bargain buyout price. Hip Hop Nation 2 is six full CDs of the kind of stuff that any modern music station would want. Though they’re pitching it as mentioned above primarily to Rhythmic CHR and Urban Hip Hop, much of this stuff could be used by Hot AC and Alternative stations as well. Even intense sport talk stations could make good usage of the sounds contained herein. Produced out of the Chateau Brazil portion of the AV Deli kitchen, this is ass-kicking stuff.
Disc one contains sixty tracks of accents varying in length from one second to ten seconds; 4 tracks of lasers, and four tracks of horn sounds. Nearly every track has two or three index sound cuts, so you’re getting well over 130 sound cuts on the disc, perhaps even more. I’d rather not count the exact number, so just take my word for it.
Disc number two features sweepers and transitions ranging in length from one second out to eight seconds. Again, many of the tracks have multiple indexes. Each one of these sweepers make excellent drop in bits that can be fit inside promo beds or music segues to add just the right weirdness. Disc number three has a full complement of scratches of varying lengths (including one that’s 29 seconds long, and rewinds. In addition to being used for promos and beds, I think all of these bits could easily be dropped into songs for specialized mixes, should your station want to make your own extended mixes of current hits.
Disc number four contains 81 tracks (most with multiple indexes) of pads and foundations ranging in length from five seconds all the way out to sixty-four seconds. These are monster beds. You could use them anywhere from between song chatter, promo beds, transitional beds, or you could loop the shorter ones. Hell, add in some of the effects from the last 3 discs and you practically have a whole new music library. You’ll likely be fighting to hold on to this disc, if not the whole library. Speaking of which, there are two more discs to discuss.
Disc number five is 67 tracks (again with multiple index cuts) of loops and beats ranging from four seconds to twenty three seconds — though the operative word here is loop, because they’re all basic rhythm tracks (read that: drum beats) that could be looped out forever quite quickly. Also, because they’re just different drum beats without music behind them, you could mix them into anything, or add to them anything to completely change tracks you already have. Imagers and music mixers who can play instruments like guitar or keyboards or even horns will find this disc highly useful.
Finally, Disc number six contains 98 tracks of fully produced music beds ranging in length from sixty seconds, thirty seconds, and ten seconds. These can also be remixed and looped using stuff from the preceding CDs to make any number of music beds. The creative opportunities this library allows you boggles the mind. And if those six weren’t enough, each Hip Hop Nation 2 set comes with a bonus CD called, “Signals III.” The first 43 tracks contain elements or sound effects that range from one second out to fifty seconds. Again, each track has two or three index cuts. The next tracks are called Net Sounds, which are modem and dial-up oriented noise. Then there’s radio dial switching and television dial switching spans, followed by longer form phone sounders. And finally, tracks 57 through 82 are called “Theater Pads,” and are nearly impossible to describe other than to say special mixes of sound effects and rhythm that you have to hear to believe. All of the stuff on Signals III will definitely stick out of your promo and imaging beds like a large asparagus tree in a desert.
This library is a definite must-have for any of the stations in the Hip-Hop, Rhythmic CHR, and Hot AC formats that are constantly needing fresh and new sound sources (name one that isn’t). I could even imagine a club DJ using these sweepers and beds in dance mixes. Stations that rely on music mixes for much of their broadcast programming would do well to have this set. Add in some lyrics and a rapper or singer and you’ve got a new song to add to the music list! I’m not kidding, this stuff is all that and a jar of Cheese Whiz.
Hip Hop Nation 2 is a one-time buyout library and market exclusive. The retail price given is $1595.00, but they offer a special US buyout on their website of just $295.00. So, if you’re even slightly interested, get on www.avdeli.com right away before they sell out. Or you can call AV Deli’s offices for human details in Racine Wisconsin at (262) 632-8610.
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