Rhythmic Robot have released DP50 Drums, available at the intro price €4.00, increasing to €6.00 after the promotion.
A rare, largely-forgotten slab of 80s-vintage sampling hardware, the Technics PCM DP50 was a strange beast aimed half at the pro studio market, half at the home organist. As a result of this identity crisis it missed its mark with both, but found a home in the arsenal of early Hip Hop producers (seduced, perhaps, by the Technics logo… or the knock-down clearance prices once the machine went under).
Samples are of course brief and crusty. Standouts, to Rhythmic Robots ears, are the ride and the hats – which are crisp and pleasingly shiny – and the meaty toms. Kick and snare do a good job, albeit in a midrangey, quite in-your-face fashion: this can work nicely for some styles but there isn’t the bottom-end thud you might want from a kick. (If you’re after that, you could always layer in something analogue from our collection…) You also get a decent little tambourine thrown in, and while the claps are so-so, the congas are a nice addition.
All in all there’s a lot to like here, but it really should have come in a much smaller, neater, package. Perhaps needless to say, the DP50 failed to make a serious impression on the studios of the 80s, which means they’re actually rather rare now; but its sound is thoroughly of its era. An odd one, but if early digital is your bag, definitely worth checking out.
DP50 Drums requires a full version of Kontakt v4.2.3 or later.
For more information on DP50 Drums, click here:
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