The Best New Splice Sample Packs in the Spring of 2023
Every month, I try to keep up with the abundance of great loops and samples populating the web these days. At the top of my list is Splice, of course. If you’re not familiar, well first let me ask you how were your last few years living under a rock? Good? And then let me explain that it’s a website that lets you exchange credits against royalty free loops. There, you’re all caught up. While I’m at it, I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite packs of the month, just in case they might be your favorite packs too.
need u - future rnb love
Origin Sound
I’ve been making a lot of R&B beats lately, so this might be reflected in some of the packs I’ve chosen to showcase this month. Origin Sound’s need u is the pack of the month for me this time around.
I was in it for the trippy, left-field synth parts, but there are your typical guitar lines and edgy drum patterns as well as vocal samples reminiscent of Rihanna.
This pack doesn’t include MIDI files, which is a shame. But if you like Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller and you’re after that Toronto OVO sauce, this one is worth your time!
Lofi Moods
LEX Sounds
An interesting pack from Lex Sounds. This one focuses mostly on wistful rhodes arpeggios, although you have your usual lot of swing-infused drum grooves as well.
The force of this pack is that it focuses mostly on a few things and gets them right, rather than going all over the place.
For all your melancholic key needs, look no further than this collection.
Lofi Discovery
Komorebi Audio
For this pack, the star of the show is clearly all the great warm and heartfelt acoustic guitar parts that should cut through your mixes while also having plenty of lofi charm.
Judging by its title, this pack is aimed at lofi producers, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some of those loops emerge on R&B tracks. Guitar is having kind of a moment right now, with chanteuses like SZA and H.E.R.
Jump on this pack before your favorite producer does.
Elemynts 7 - A Lo fi Story
AudeoBox
We’re already at the 7th instalment of AudeoBox’s Elemynts series. It seems like just yesterday I was downloading loops from Elemynts 1. Were we ever so young?
This pack features a mix of atmospheric loops at the junction of lofi and chill out. If you dig beyond the most popular loops (so far) you’ll find some minimal and - dare I say - achingly beautiful melodies.
The whole pack is wonderfully mixed, and the drum loops are especially on point if you like them lofi beats.
Dark Blossom: Alt Drill & Trap Melodies
X10
Drill continues to have the moment, and if you’re into artists such as Ice Spice, you better munch on this pack, folks (get it?)
Every month, there are a few new drill collections that pop up on Splice, and they generally are pretty much on the money, but this new X10 proposition is one of the best examples of that NYC left-field drill sound.
Gloss Chill Trap V2
Samplestar
Hmm… Samplestar put this pack under the banner of future soul, and the title says something about chill trap. In reality, it sounds like the love child of R&B and hyperpop.
All kinds of synths compressed within an inch of their life are at the center of this one, as well as some definitely usable drum loops. All around a pretty sick pack that would’ve been made better by the inclusion of MIDI files!
Why no MIDI files!?
Breaks & Beats 3
Sample Magic
This one is all about vintage seventies vibes. All kinds of wonderful live drums tweaked to perfection, as well as some pretty cool soul samples.
I could use some of these loops on throwback boom bap tracks, but they could also be at the heart of some Childish Gambino type beats.
Either way, nothing makes a good drum machine rhythm come to life quite as well as a layer of break drums. And with the money you save on sample clearance, maybe you buy me something nice, uh?
How about that? Something nice for daddy, would that be so wrong?
The Sauce Kit
Origin Sound
I haven’t been producing as many trap beats lately, but if I was to download some trap samples, I’d probably go for The Sauce Kit by the good folks at Origin Sound.
I also wanted to include this pack just in case you're new to music production. Origin Sound is one of the most professional labels on Splice, and their stuff is consistently on point. This pack is no exception, especially for drum one-shots.
You don’t need to download that many samples to get started in music production, you just need a few good sounds, and this is a great place to get started.
Crate - Hip Hop & Lofi
Zenhiser
Closing up our round-up this month, this pack from Zenhiser oozes with organic grooves and melodies. For fans of left-field beats à la Flying Lotus, this is manna from heaven.
And even if you make normal hip hop, a few of those loops blended in with other elements of your tracks probably wouldn’t hurt.
When you’re making a beat, there can never be too much freakiness. That’s what I say.