It’s that time of year again. I’m talking about Black Friday. A bunch of products are on sale, including plugins, loops, and all things VST. Whether you’re looking to expand your sonic arsenal, give a little something nice to that special homie, or perhaps you’re searching for a gift that will confuse your grandma, either way, now’s the time to spend some of those Spotify royalties and turn those dozens of dollars into a few more dozens of dollars. I’ll be covering plugins later this week once all the deals are out, but for now I need to talk sample packs. That’s right, these are some of the loops and one-shots you should check out, especially - but not exclusively - if you make lofi and trap.

ADSR

ADSR is running more than a few really interesting sales. I’ll tell you all about their plugin deals in my post about Black Friday VST, but in the meantime, the platform deserves a shoutout for its selection of loops.

More than a few really cool packs in there. Right now I’m working on lofi beats and the like, so I’ll be getting New Nation’s Baker’s Dozen Bundle, which includes a bunch of MIDI progressions, drum sequences, and whatever else.

I might also get a few packs by Future Samples, including the aptly titled Lo-Fi Hip Hop.

ADSR hooks you up with pretty cool discounts this holiday season, but that’s not all. They’ll also be giving you some loyalty points which you can exchange for EVEN MORE loops, as well as a free plugin by Yum Audio, which makes cool lofi plugins.

Roll over Santa, I mean…

Cymatics

Cymatics is the reference in terms of cutting-edge drum samples and loops of all sorts. This is mainly for hip hop producers, although a good drum sample could be used in any genre really. The good folks at Cymatics always give you the crazy deals and the free stuff. 2022 won’t be any different.

For my part, this year I’ll be getting their new lofi bundle, their 7$ Anniversary bundle, and probably a couple of 3$ packs. Good stuff.

Will I ever use all these samples I’m collecting? Probably not, but it feels good to contribute to this capitalist society, y’know? So what if I’m getting a second mortgage to buy loops? I don’t have a problem… [nervous laughter] Seriously… I can stop when I want guys!

No code needed. Just live your life bruh!

The Kount

I’m a big fan of The Kount, I’ve been for years. The guy makes some really inspiring vidz on TikTok, he produces awesome beats, plus he’s always there for you when you need loops.

His packs have been the secret weapon of many beatmakers in the industry, I’m talking dislocated percs, whacky drums, a lot of swing, and that dirty groove you need to bring your instrumentals to life.

Every year I wait for Black Friday to get The Kount’s stuff at a discount. I don’t know if he’ll bless us with a deal this year, but either way, get his loops or one of his free packs… You won’t regret it.

(Also, don’t live with regret… that shit will kill you.)

Splice

Love it or hate it, I don’t really give a rat’s fart. Splice is the leader in loops and one-shots. You’ve heard it on your favorite records, you’ve seen it on the hard drives of your friends. Now, it’s time to get serious and get yourself some stanky samples.

If you don’t know where to start, check out developers like Origin Sounds, Sample Magic, X10… or artists like Oliver and WondaGurl.

As artist-friendly as ever, Splice is offering a discount on their annual Sounds+ subscription.

Use code ANNUAL22 and get groovin’ baby.

The Drum Broker

I’ve been looking to venture outside Splice to find some cool samples. Don’t get me wrong, Splice is really cool and diverse, and an excellent platform for creators, but there’s something to be said about the indie developers, the guys, and gals who work outside of the machine.

Digging around the web can give you the feeling of going through some random vinyls. You never know what you’re going to find. One of the sites I’ve been coming back to is The Drum Broker, which offers loop packs and various sound goodies by a curated selection of luminaries.

For hip hop, lofi, and all that stuff, this is a treasure trove of mix-ready files with that swing we’re all chasing.

This year I’ll be getting some cool stuff from Beat Butcha, MSXii, and UNKWN Sounds.

Beat Butcha has a great bundle, which includes amazing boom bap and lofi drums.

MSXii has a lot of cool drums and instruments that sound straight out of an old magical vinyl you obtained for free from a witch. And you know it’s clearly cursed, but the music is too cool to pass. I’ll be getting their guitar bundle and their Sound Design Sampler packs that give you a little taste of everything they’re up to.

On top of some kick-ass files, UNKWN Sounds has all the dope presets I love. You guys know how much I love presets. My nipples are rock-hard right now. I’ll be getting the Analog Lab presets by Luis Yung. And you know Luis is cool because “Yung” is spelled with a “u”.

I’ll also be getting their RC-20 Vantage presets, because your boy is a little tired of “Vinyl 1” and “Phasing Fun” just saying.

I’m not getting an affiliate commission or any of that. I’m just sharing the good news out of the kindness of my own heart here, so you know it’s real.

I’ll probably report back with a review if those samples are as cool as they seemed in the demos. You can look forward to that.

Use code BF22 for a huge discount across the whole site.

Pretty much all the samples and plugins VST you can think of will be on sale at some point in the next few days. If you need some inspiration, check out my other posts about genre-specific music production tools!

PHOTO CREDIT: Akin Cakiner