SEISMIC

>> Included with Pyro Audio annual subscription (just $9.99/year)

471 drum samples designed to oscillate your studio with heart-stopping rhythm 

Spanning 7 sonically-themed sub-kits, SEISMIC is a collection of percussion instruments born for disruption. 

FEATURES

• 471 all-new production-ready percussion instruments across 7 kits, all organized into part folders (kicks, snares, hats, etc) 

• Huge variety of timbres and tones from short & snappy to sustained & intricate

• Kick and snare samples feature an alternate, tape-saturated version for extra dimension and warm vibes—captured and recaptured with a real 1/8-inch hi-fi cassette tape deck

• Wide-ranging capture techniques and recording locations include binaural spatial recordings, natural outdoor reverberations/decays, mechanical articulations and of course a collection of rumbling acoustic drums

• Get inspired within each kit or mix & match samples to build new sonic combinations that have never been heard before

• Authored in the high-definition 24-bit domain for impressive dynamic range that pokes through your speakers

DETAILS

SEISMIC contains 7 sonically themed kits totalling over 450 original sounds captured and constructed from scratch. There aren’t drum machine rehashes or recycled material from past recordings—this sound pack was captured over the last 6 months in wildly varying locations like a remote mountain cabin in Vermont, world-class Sonalysts studios in Connecticut, used car parking lots, abandoned factories, and of course our own sound design studio. Each kit features textures and timbres with audible lineage to the core sounds within, letting you create with a cohesive set of percussion instruments or mix and match for unpredictable combinations and juxtapositions.

Capturing the woody “slap” of the acoustic guitar body in a live room at Powerstation New England

Even better, kick and snare samples are offered with an alternate cassette-tape saturated variant that brings the desirable noise artifacts and lax soundfield separation that makes them an instant fit in modern beat production. This is not cassette-tape simulation—it’s the real deal, captured to cassette then re-captured digitally to preserve the charm of ⅛-inch oxide tape. Here’s a breakdown:

• Birthday Quake - It’s the unofficial sequel to our room rattling Punch sound pack, bringing gut-kicking thrust and intricate transients that can make your eyes blink. Sub-bass kick samples push headphones and speakers to their brink.
• Dirty Blurred - This kit features big, slurry, rounded samples of real drums captured with a floor-mounted up-firing boundary mic. With it as the main acoustic aperture, you get rich sustain fused with an almost drunken heft in a topcoat of small-room ambiance. 
• El Salvador - A medium-sized kit with tightly focused percussion articulations, beefy low-end smack and an effortless natural reverberation that neither stands out nor gets lost in your mix.
• Lemon Grime - These samples are imparted with grit and a rude, full-bodied flavor. More discreet than Dirty Blurred but nastier than El Salvador, they make a great core for your project’s main groove. 
• Moonwater - A hybrid of nuanced articulations blended with sci-fi tonality that haunts. Futuristic “movements” and stark vibes provide a great jumpoff point for experimental song writing. 
• Retroasted - Get the character of 80’s drum synthesis (contrasting sustain, boxy sonic tails) with expanded sonic bandwidth that delivers full, mouth-watering low-end. These samples put nostalgia and the future together in the same blender. 
• Uppercrust - The output of an intricately layered sample and super-glue compression—each sample contains two previously-distinct components welded at the hip using Pyro Audio’s signature twist for a thick and singular sample that sounds unlike anything you’d find at the music store.

The recording techniques used in SEISMIC range from AMBEO and binaural workflows to against-the-grain spot-mic’ings in adjacent rooms. The core sounds range from acoustic guitar bodies to crumbling concrete-covered rebar. Of particular note are intricately layered samples of elevator chimes, toaster oven timers, emergency brake levers and animal claws on hardwood flooring.

Recording claps, stomps and wooden impacts in the remote Vermont wilderness, in 3D binaural audio (Sennheiser AMBEO)

Tuning drums is essential to a great capture. We spend a lot of time dialing in great tone

Getting set up for the El Salvador sub-kit; notice the wide variety of sticks and microphones set up to offer a wide range of sounds in one sitting. Tracking is generally a messy and chaotic (but fun) affair.

All of the samples in SEISMIC were initially captured and designed in the 96 kHz, 24-bit domain for dramatic dynamic range, then exported to 48 kHz while maintaining the extended bit depth. 

This sound pack is royalty-free and yours to use for as long as you possess it.

COMPATIBILITY

• Pyro Audio samples work with all popular DAWs and groove production software that supports .WAV files. This includes (but is not limited to): Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, MPC Software, Maschine, FL Studio, Pro Tools, Studio One, iPad apps, and so on. 
• Pyro Audio samples work with any hardware samplers that support 24-bit, 48 kHz .WAV files. Older samplers that do not support internal loading of 24-bit content will require that the samples be converted to 16-bit or lower. A number of free converter tools are available here so that if your requirements change, you can still use your Pyro collection.