Best loops and sample packs for all genres: April 2024
Put a Spring in your sound with these head-turning samples from the world of afrobeat, trap, drum ‘n’ bass, synthwave and more
Musician working on a track in a studio, photo. Image: Alberto Case via Getty Images
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This list of new sample packs, hot off the press for April, offers sounds that sit within a variety of genres. This month, peruse through a selection of samples perfect for everything from jazzy afrobeat to driving industrial techno, synthwave or dramatic drum ‘n’ bass.
- READ MORE: Best free plugins and freeware of the month
Whether you’re on the hunt to add new gear to your already impressive arsenal or want to be entirely inspired, this roundup is a solid place to look.
Loopmasters Presents: Synth Explorer – Synth Odyssey
Love the recognisable sound of an analogue synth? Blade Runner super fan? Perhaps you’re obsessed with the seductively synth-heavy sounds of Com Truise, Kavinsky or The Midnight? If you’re any of these, then this Loopmasters-made sample pack, fittingly titled Synth Odyssey, is well worth checking out.
Curated by renowned German dance producer Roland Sebastian Faber, it features 663 MB of royalty-free loops and one-shots perfect for retro techno and synthwave genres. All sitting between 128 and 130 bpm, there are vintage synth melodies, arpeggios, deep basslines, sound effects, and synthwave-ready electronic percussion.
- Sounds like: Kavinksy, Com Truise, Gunship
- Size: 663 MB
- Price: $38/£30
Find this sample pack on Loopmasters.
Loopmasters – Bones Of Afrobeat
With Bones Of Afrobeat, Loopmasters is on a mission to bring summer a little bit closer. This sample pack is all about Afrobeat – loose, jazzy drums, frenzied percussion, smooth brass, and laid-back vibes. Focusing on the more jazz-leaning side of afrobeat, it features lengthy loops of organic instruments, such as trombones, saxophones, and congas, alongside electric bass and keys.
This is the sort of pack that can inject an organic feel into your music. It’s a surefire way to make it sound like you’ve been jamming all day with a full-on real Afrobeat band in the studio when, all along, it was just you using no real instruments at all.
- Sounds like: Ezra Collective, Fela Kuti, The Budos Band
- Size: 2.28GB
- Price: $43/£34
Find Bones of Afrobeat on Loopmasters.
Goldbaby – Vinyl Drum Machine Collection
Independent sample maker Goldbaby has updated its coveted Vinyl Drum Machine Collection pack, boasting samples from the likes of the Roland TR-series of drum machines, the Elektron Syntakt, IK Multimedia’s UNO Drum and many more.
Speaking on the recording process, Hugo of Goldbaby says: “The inherent charm of vinyl has consistently enriched my sampling technique. Vinyl adds warmth, depth, and character to audio…I meticulously recorded 16 drum machines for this pack — sending them to renowned record-cutting studios, DubStudios, and Analog Cuts. Back in the Goldbaby studio, the resulting Acetates and Dub Plates were played back on an audiophile deck (Project), vintage decks (Technics and Pye), and even a portable deck (Vestax). Tastefully recorded through high-end studio hardware and carefully edited into one-hit drum samples, these are some seriously good drums with loads of character and made with love.”
- Sounds like: Daft Punk, Metro Boomin, Vegyn
- Size: 3290 x 24-bit one-shot wav samples
- Price: $39
Find out more at Goldbaby.
Patch & Play Lab – Electronic Ear Candy
Patch & Play Lab create sample packs full of quirky electronic sounds recorded using strange recording techniques.
This pack, Electronic Ear Candy, is full of what they call “tasty EDM delights”. It’s focused on electronic drum fills, glitches, sound effects, risers and wooshes, which can act as the glue for an EDM project, allowing for each section to flow from one to the next. There are 79 loops and 22 one-shots to play with, which will surely add extra sonic spice to your track, whichever area of EDM it falls in.
- Sounds like: Deadmau5, Kelly Lee Owens, Max Cooper
- Size: 221 MB
- Price: Free (with a BandLab subscription)
Find Electronic Ear Candy on BandLab Sounds.
[Editor’s note: BandLab and BandLab Sounds are part of Caldecott Music Group, the parent company of NME Networks and MusicTech.]
Samplestate – Code Red Techno 2
This sample pack is all about, you guessed it, techno. Driving, industrial, massive techno. It’s the second edition of this popular sample pack and is inspired by leading labels such as Drumcode and artists like Joseph Capriati.
What’s on offer here is 407 MB of essential techno elements. You’ve got thunderous drum loops, synth, effects, and pad loops, and loads more. If you’re looking to cause chaos in the techno warehouse rave, this sample pack could get you there.
- Sounds like: Joseph Capriati, Adam Beyer, Dense & Pika
- Size: 221 MB
- Price: $38/£30
Find it on Loopmasters.
BandLab Sounds – Orchestral Stabs & Textures
If you’re a composer for film or TV, this is a brilliant sample pack for building tension in big for cinematic scores or epic soundscapes. BandLab Sounds’ Orchestral Stabs & Textures has majestic string stabs, lush brass textures, and haunting harp plucks, which can either provide drama or add a sense of magic to your project.
The pack includes 85 loops, and 15 one-shots, covering various orchestral elements like strings, brass, percussion, and more.
- Sounds like: Ludwig Göransson, Hans Zimmer, Jóhann Jóhannsson
- Size: 208 MB
- Price: Free (with a BandLab subscription)
Find this sample pack on BandLab Sounds.
[Editor’s note: BandLab and BandLab Sounds are part of Caldecott Music Group, the parent company of NME Networks and MusicTech.]
