Review: Everything So Far Bundle by The Very Loud Indeed Co.

The Very Loud Indeed Co. have arrived! Or so they proclaim on their website! They promise to “provide exceptional-quality soundsets for composers worldwide.” From their almost tongue in cheek website presentation to killer demos, they certainly talk the talk. The Everything So Far bundle comprises of two soundsets for Omnisphere 2.6, one for Zebra and Dark Zebra with a final soundset for Knifonium. Will The Very Loud Indeed Co. wow us with their exceptional sound design and programming skills? Early impressions point to yes.

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Jump to the Demos of Everything so far bundle by The Very Loud Indeed Co.

Review: Everything So Far Bundle by The Very Loud Indeed Co.

The early impressions I speak of are from the demos that can be found on their website. They sound great. In fact, the website is so much fun to read around and understand more about the company. Each sentence is warm, inviting and humorous. I feel while the developer clearly takes his company and products very seriously, he does not come across like a corporate giant ready to take over the world. In fact I feel like I’ve known him for years, like old friends despite having never spoken to him, ever! Upon carrying out some research, the sound designer and company founder is Richie Nieto who has worked with some of Hollywood’s greatest composers and for some of the biggest game franchises in the world, A great company name, a warm welcome, superb demos and some exciting new products led by a seasoned industry veteran! What’s not to like?

Everything So Far Bundle sells for $99 from The Very Loud Indeed Co.

Thoughts

The bundle currently comprises of Irazu and Grafos for Omnisphere, Kuroshio for Zebra and Dark Zebra with Kuuma for Knifonium. I’m used to seeing soundsets frequently for Omnisphere and Zebra, yet Knifonium is a less obvious choice. For those not familiar with Knifonium, I really urge you to check out this wonderful, if ever so slightly Steampunk synth! For the purpose of the review, I will comment on each soundset individually.

Omnisphere Irazu contains 120 patches with 107 new soundsources. Instantly when I see an abundance of new soundsources, it instantly makes me feel I’m getting some bespoke sound design here. Irazu is firmly rooted in the cinematic genre citing influences such as Olafur Arnalds, Steve Barton and Hans Zimmer. I’m expecting tense moments, blockbuster sounds and a range of power and driving force. Not too much then, right?

The 120 presets are divided into Arps + Bpm, Hits and Bits, Hybrid Organic, Pads + Strings, Textures Soundscape and Transition effects. This tells me there is a specific focus rather than a general categorisation of sounds. I open the first Arp call “Atlas Workout” and draw my first conclusions. Firstly, despite using four layers, everything sounds crisp and clean. There is clever use of the modwheel introducing more layers and the whole aesthetic is pleasing to the ear. Of course, if you want less layers, simply deactivate them at your leisure. As I play through the 60 or so Arps+Sequences, the trend of clean sound design and utility out of the box becomes apparent. Each and every preset sounds as good as the previous one and they are very hybrid in nature. Some are synth bass, some, like “Ticklish Tick” can be used as percussion. All sound great. Continuing the hybrid trend are a series of three patches in the Hits and Bits section called “The Machine”. Each hit is crunchy, powerful yet still clean. The 18 Hybrid Organic presets are delightfully designed with some exquisite guitar sampling. Any one of these could lead a melody and there are some surprises in store when using the modwheel.

The Pads + Strings presets are the highlights for me. With around 20 presets, it would be more than possible to create an ambient album in its entirety. The pads are nothing short of spectacular and awe inspiring. There is a mixture of granular and standard presets with attention to layering and use of the modwheel in each one. To create instant atmospheres, these are perfect and they are not only limited to cinematic music. I could see these also in crime, tension and pop/edm contexts. The Texture Soundscapes continue the trend with more atonal and mysterious timbres. Final, the five transitions effects are delightful strange in almost in your face.

From the first soundset, it is clear that The Very Loud Indeed Co. know exactly what they are doing in terms of high-quality sound design and are true to their mission statement. These are quality sounds, top quality. Omnisphere Grafos contains 120 presets with this time 74 unique sound sources. This is in the cinematic realm also yet promises to be more tense, gritty and darker. Grafos is essentially more of the same top quality sound design with the welcome addition of a Keyboards category. “Behind The Mist” has been earmarked for my next Drama cue due to its haunting Nordic quality. There are 14 keyboards in this category and they are all melodic scene stealers! Both Omnisphere soundsets are exceptional and cover a wide range of underscore possibilities. Both are highly recommended.

This leads onto the 240 preset Zebra and Dark Zebra soundset, Kuroshio. This is designed to again be hybrid in nature yet range from noire to action adrenaline with ease. I can say right now, that it does. This time though, pads are not the highlight, it’s the incredible sequences and arpeggios. The bass sequences provide depth and energy while the sequences and arpeggios provide modern movement. The melodic content is outstanding through the leads and the sound design ranges from sublime and beautiful to dark and gritty. Included are a lot of percussive elements and sequences with cinematic hits and fx. Essentially, this is a powerhouse pack of incredible cinematic sound design.

Finally, we have Kuuma for Knif Audio Knifonium synth. Not your typical synth yet I urge you to head over to Plugin Alliance to check this one out. The Knifonium is a beast of a tube based synth and lends itself perfectly to cinematic works. The usual categories are here with arpeggios, bass, keyboards, leads, pads and textures all making an appearance. The best was possibly to describe it is cinematic analogue with a modern and updated sound. Again, awesome sound design and inspiring sounds make this a must have soundset.

In summary, this collection is some of the best cinematic sound design I have heard in these synths. They are all expertly crafted, inspirational and ready to be put in your next product right out of the box. The collection comes highly recommended and the The Very Loud Indeed Co. will become a top contender in the sound design market once word gets out!

Facts

580 presets across four soundsets for Omnisphere 2, Zebra, Dark Zebra and Knifonium.

Everything so far bundle sells for $99 from The Very Loud Indeed Co.

Demos of Everything so far bundle by The Very Loud Indeed Co.

Videos of Everything so far bundle by The Very Loud Indeed Co.

Contributor Pete Checkley reviews Everything so far bundle by The Very Loud Indeed Co.
“The Very Loud Indeed Co. have arrived! Or so they proclaim on their website! They promise to “provide exceptional-quality soundsets for composers worldwide.” From their almost tongue in cheek website presentation to killer demos, they certainly talk the talk. The Everything So Far bundle comprises of two soundsets for Omnisphere 2.6, one for Zebra and Dark Zebra with a final soundset for Knifonium. Will The Very Loud Indeed Co. wow us with their exceptional sound design and programming skills? Early impressions point to yes.”