Description
Welcome to Bitscape95, the latest collaboration between Venus Theory and Dave Hilowitz of Decent Samples.
Bitscape95 is a treasure trove of lo-fi magic for Decent Sampler, meticulously crafted from the YakBak: a 90’s childhood staple. Combining a world of digitally crushed, nostalgic textures and characterful imperfections with all the grit and vibe you’d expect from a device about as lo-fi as lo-fi can get.
Sampling a collection of acoustic and synthetic sources, this library explores the novelty of a sampler never designed to be used as a sampler. With an eclectic sonic identity, this library fuses an unmistakably warped lo-fi quality with a truly unique collection of sounds and sonic texture. Featuring evolving, shifting pads, crunchy digital keys and pianos, and pulsing soundscapes and atmospheres tense with an uncanny nostalgia, there’s a world of interesting (and sometimes bizarre) spectral crackling goodness to explore.
Alongside the raw samples, the meticulously curated “Evo” collection of presets go beyond simple nostalgia taking the raw YakBak recordings and transforming them with a touch of modern sonic alchemy. Through the use of boutique pedals and custom processing techniques, these Evolutions offer a different type of sonic complexity with added depth and dimension.
Bitscape95 is perfect to inject instant character and charm into your productions. Whether you’re a producer yearning for those classic 90’s lo-fi vibes, a sound designer seeking authentic vintage textures, a composer in need of some character-packed nostalgic textures, or simply an artist looking to add a touch of playful imperfection, this new library delivers a versatile and easy to use toolkit to bring a bit of lo-fi digital battery powered spice to your projects. (batteries not included)
Rob Chesnick (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
It’s amazing what you do with these old instruments and how cool the sounds you produce!
Anonymous (verified owner) –
While I typically like experimenting with my own samples, I just had to buy this sample library. The 90s baby in me couldn’t pass it up. Thank you Venus Theory and David for all your efforts. These sounds are beautifully lofi and nostalgic!
Anonymous (verified owner) –
I’m using the plugin right now and I hope to release this track soon.
Overall, this plugin provides 82 synths, which are handy assets for music producers seeking new, authentic ambient sounds with a nostalgic flair. The textures are superb and cannot be easily replicated. There are also many very creative impactful pads. It also includes a function called ‘Drift.’ This function gives the sound an authentic retro sweep, as if it were recorded on an old recorder. I have no other plugin that can do this. The reverb sounds great too; there are volume and filter knobs to control the output of the sound. So, in the hands of a creative producer, these pads and synths can generate great, colorful, emotional sounds—something I was seeking.
However, there is currently one bug where the synth selection dropdown menu cannot be clicked again after a synth has been selected for a while. To fix this in FL Studio, I have to reset the plugin. It’s a slight workaround, which I hope they fix soon.
Lastly, I do not like every synth in the plugin and the balance lays a bit on the low to mid end of the spectrum. The synths may need a bit of a volume boost. Some synths lack creative depth. They may sound a bit FM, something that’s reproducible in most other synthesizers. For that, there is a favorite function, so you can later skip over these and curate your personal favorite synths. Unless you know what you can do with them, I tend to skip these.
Worth the price you get for 20 dollars. I would say it’s worth $30. Very powerfull for creative producers that know how to tweak there sounds.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Lots of fun! The interface is simple, yet efficient. The collection of sounds is nice. It’s a generous amount of samples for the price.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Really amazing sounds!
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Came for the pads, and stayed for the keys! Loving this!
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
A large chunk of the samples here are richest around G1-G3, where you’re generating a lot of low-mids. This is a library well-suited for atmosphere around cinematic vocals, or texture layers on an ambient or shoegaze track.
Despite having hints of “low bit” noise, different banks do pair surprisingly well together if played at the edges.
The addition of a Sub-Oscillator is great if you want to add a bit more range – e.g. if you’re transitioning out of a multi-layered arrangement and want the sample to stand on its own. Fading the sub in and out via automation is also useful for adding or removing interest in the texture.
Only caveat to Sub-Oscillator is I couldn’t find a direct timing control for it, or the Modulate effects. I could imagine some really interesting Fugue effects that would complement the library well.
Can you add a separate phaser yourself? Sure. Drift would be nice to control within the library though.
Similarly, there is a “Dynamic” switch that allows you to give some velocity control. It’s a great addition, but the success of it varies from bank to bank. e.g. “Braindance” doesn’t give you a wide range of emphasis to play with. There are other libraries by Venus Theory and DS that could arguably benefit more from this (e.g. Motorlab).
This isn’t entirely a texture library: there are a few notable leads, e.g. Shepard’s Uke, Square/Saw/Triangle.
Also don’t ignore that you’re getting what amounts to a mini orchestra in some of the later banks. Vaguely reminiscent of Aperture Cassette Symphony at 89% less cost. This alone is worth consideration.
Full honesty, I had a difficult time hearing what time delays were being modified by the E-FX controls in some banks. YMMV.