MPC-Samples “THE 60’S FUNK KIT” Review

What’s good, MM Heads! It’s your man BROADWAY here to review a little beauty of a drum kit from the good dudes over at MPC-SAMPLES called “The 60’s Funk Kit”. I will start by saying that this kit is what I would reference as a definitive live-drumming experience.

I have always been a fan of multisampled VST’s and drum kits, because I am a huge fan of making music that doesn’t sound like you programmed it in a computer, but rather as if you had live players in a studio setting putting in work. I like REAL sounding sounds, so to speak. That’s where multisampled VST’s and drum kits come in, where each instrument is recorded at multiple ranges of velocity and are then assigned to a VST or in this case an MPC, Maschine or drum machine in a way that will give you the feel of a realistic instrument response.

“The 60’s Funk Kit” is an absolute stand-out amongst the multi-sampled drum kits that I’ve had my hands on, due to a couple of reasons. One being the drum samples themselves. The samples were recorded, handled and processed in a very clear and concise way. The kicks thump, and the snares really SNAP. The hats and cymbals are crisp. And I love the toms. The toms sound great. They really captured a natural and authentic feeling to this kit. It has a sound dating back to the days of Motown and the drum sets of Benny Benjamin and Richard “Pistol” Allen (look them up, youngin’). Personally, I think some of the best drums in the history of music were recorded in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and this drum kit really captured that texture.

The second reason why this kit stands-out is the attention to detail in the programming and mapping of the kits into various MPC drum machines and the Maschine. I personally began my career in production on the MPC 1000, so I am forever an MPC head by default. However, I now own and utilize the Maschine (MKII) and luckily for me the thoughtful people at MPC-Samples were kind enough to include Maschine pre-programmed group kits as well. So last night, I loaded up the “Fingering Drumming Layout” kit, and I immediately grasped the AWESOMENESS of this kit. The response to the velocity of each instrument on each pad was very impressive. Each velocity responded with a different sample instance of the same instrument with a velocity appropriate response. TRANSLATION: this joint sounded like I was on a live drum set. The fact that they pre-programmed this for the consumer is a testament to their understanding of a producers need for a streamlined workflow, and also need for a realistic drumming experience.

To put this to the test, I created a beat using these drums, to see what kind of drum feel my track would get. The outcome was really terrific. I am a huge fan of ghost notes in music. The notes that transition beats and bars, and the ghost kicks and snares on this really made the difference in my beat and sealed the deal in my appreciation of this kit. The ghost kick just gave everything a LIVE feel, and that is the point of this kit, which I feel is a MUST have in your arsenal. 

Below is the beat I put together while using this kit for the first time. If you can, pay close attention to the drums and their feel. They were all programmed by me in the Maschine, in the box, but the feel has a sincere human groove to it. 

So, in conclusion, this is a definite BROADWAY seal of approval. Priced at $24.99 this is a real steal from MPC-Samples.

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Until next time, 100!

@BroadWizzAY