Company: SampleTraxx
Product: WOOSH
Price: €29
Our Rating: 4.5/5
Earlier this month, SampleTraxx released a sound pack called WOOSH. A collection of 116 high energy sound effects that can be used for cinematic transitions, impacts, movements and of course, whooshes.
Opening Our Copy
When opening the review copy, it contained two main folders. One containing documentation, such as the licensing agreement PDF, sound list and the stunning cover images for the pack. Another containing all of the Kontakt instruments, resources and samples to work with.
All audio files within the Samples folder are 24 Bit 96kHz WAV, however all of the audio files within the IR samples folder in resources are 24 Bit 48kHz WAV.
Taking Control
What is immediately noticeable when listening to the sound effects in this pack, is that each sound has a strong yet tame balance of power and punch. The lower frequencies are balanced to be at their most effective without overpowering the mid and high frequencies, this also means that there is less EQ work that needs to be done in order to fit the sounds into a soundscape coherently.
Another thing we noticed is that most of the sounds are processed in a way that makes them easy to place into a soundtrack with little to no added processing needed. This is very useful when working with more time-sensitive projects as they allow for more time to be spent on other more complicated sounds.
This pack includes 5 Kontakt instruments and an additional INIT instrument that allows for the real time editing and manipulation of the samples in the pack, these instruments utilise SampleTraxx's Photosynthesis engine. The INIT instrument allows for the manipulation of the user's own samples.
Too Much To Handle
One small issue we had with this sound library was that their heavy processing limits the users capability to use the WOOShes for situations where you need a closer sound. We mostly used it to accentuate punchs and gunshots in an effects heavy film, and it blended there perfectly, adding some stereo width to sometimes more bland mono hits. This was clearly intentional from Sampletraxx, to ensure that the sounds are 'production ready'. Take a look at the FREE mini pack below, and we're sure it will wet your appetite.
The Bottom Line
We've been using WOOSH heavily on a feature film project to accentuate transitions, fight scenes, car effects and more. We are very happy with this product and we'd recommend it to anyone who works on films, trailers or composes epic music.