Every now and then Zero-G offers up one of their older discount titles as a freebie.
http://www.zero-g.co.uk/store/reggae-connection-wav-acid-rex-p378.php
 
discount code SKANK
not bad stuff to use as placeholder material.  Also includes some oneshots.  includes REX files too
 
Does require newsletter signup but no strings otherwise.
 
For thiose who want a glance, here is the cd booklet with table of contents: http://www.zero-g.name/CD...Connection_CD_Book.pdf

I downloaded it, as I never pass up a freebie, dumped it in with all the other Zero-G freebies I've accumulated. There it will likely sit, like all the others.
 
Maybe I don't have the right mind-set, but I can't for the life of me think of anything useful to do with them. I'd love to hear from anybody who actually does use them, or better yet, hear song they've used them in.

i downloaded but have not listened.  I think sample libraries of this type are far ,more useful for remixers and those into heavy manipulation of samples.
 
Bitflipper, based on seeing some of your musical preferences expressed on the forum I'm not sure you would have any use for them but you never know. Out the box they kind of serve a similar role as using the patterns in something like studio instruments patterns.   Any producer that actually used these for anything beyond scratchpad material is likely mangling them beyond recognition. Or even something as simple as taking the individual notes of a bassline and making an entirely new bass line.

I have some pretty off-the-wall sample libraries, but I've managed to find uses for nearly all of them at one time or another. "Found" percussion, warped guitars, synthetic strings, toy instruments, cheesy organs - they've all found a place in at least one song. But what does one do with a 1-measure drum phrase or a single guitar chord?

Are you familiar with the genre " drum and bass"? Literally thousands of songs have been made using the Amen break alone. They range from songs that admittedly sound similar to songs one would have no idea the drum source was derived from the Amen. In various genres a one loop drum phrase is sometimes chopped up to create drum hits . One of cakewalk's audiosnap tutorials demonstrates this. As far as a single guitar chord, there are several options. In reggae there's are lots of songs that use simple chords in an almost percussive manner, dropping a chord hit on the one repeatedly. With something like melodyne there are even more options to play with.

Bitflipper, I think you kind of answered your own question when you mentioned your mindset. That's not a bad thing. I just suspect that the music you create does not employ any of the techniques that would make such samples useful. Most sample based genres that go beyond the stereotype of simply repeating a loop tend to use samples much in the way that a synth uses wav cycles, as more of an element than an end product. One might ask " why use just the kick and snare from a loop?" or " why chop up and resequence a bass loop ?" Answers may vary but they include things like the fact that getting the exact sound of that kick or snare is next to impossible or too expensive or time consuming. The variables like quality of how the bass is struck may create a desirable tone the user may find useful even if the melody itself is useless. I know guys who literally take individual notes from a loop and arrange them on timeline like one would midi data in prv. Tons of work but it creates a unique quality that some find desirable.

You're probably right. I don't care for jigsaw puzzles, either.
 
I watched the Groove3 video on beat-slicing, and while it was impressive and creative in its own right, I kept thinking "sheesh, I'd have programmed the whole drum track by now".
 
Now, I'm not going to cop some smug "original creation" attitude - my bass and drum tracks aren't any more original than when the Beatles stole them from their predecessors in 1963. But my aim is to end up with something that pleases my ear, and the fastest, most direct route to that gratification is via fingers on keys and strings. As an added bonus, I can subsequently perform those things live without a computer.
 
Still, there was a time when I didn't associate record-making with MIDI, either.

bitflipper..i kind of assumed that is where you were coming from and  I get it. I'm not saying every application of sampling is this ultra original art thing, but there are particular sounds and styles that are only achievable via sampling. I watched a techno producer use an 808 kick sample to make every element of a song.  he created an entire drum kit, derived bass parts  and even hi-hat like sounds.  Seems like there was an easier way to do that but I had to concede to him that the bassline he created would likely not sound the same done another way.  i also had a friend that used to use cool edit and lay out drum patterns in a way that would be hard for a drummer to play because it was so offbeat that it would likely clash with the drummer's natural sense of timing.  His work was interesting.  Not my cup of tea but I could dig the concept.
 
In any case, not trying to sell you on the idea of doing a bunch of extra work. I doubt you are looking to be the next Boxcutter.  Just trying to give you a bit of explanation as to why something that on the surface seems useless could be utilized.  The nice part about freebies is if they are useless you lost nothing but the minute it took to download.
 
I do find it interesting that there are a number of musicians creating acoustic arrangements of songs that were originally constructed via samples.  Hearing a jazz band cover Old Dirty Bastard is quite amusing.
 
 

bitflipper
I have some pretty off-the-wall sample libraries, but I've managed to find uses for nearly all of them at one time or another. "Found" percussion, warped guitars, synthetic strings, toy instruments, cheesy organs - they've all found a place in at least one song. But what does one do with a 1-measure drum phrase or a single guitar chord?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPoKiGQzbSQ
that tabla loop at the beginning is 90% sure off another zero g lib.. "$pices of india" and thats only 1-2 bars at most.
 
there is re-sampling , where you take a chord of a synth or a few sounds joined and muck around with it.  a lot of the time, with stuff back in the 90's it was a case of shifting things a few cents etc... to get it to sit with other things.
 
classic example is early rave/h-core.. the bassline was made out of a 808 kickdrum shifted down a few octaves in a sampler.
 
as for the reggae samples.. hmm not really that good, I come from an area well known for it.. it's really a lot about fx as well... they sound too dry and have no groove/swing as such.
 

Finally got around to listening to these samples.  I can't imagine having much use for them.  I was hoping for a few decent horn riffs but they blow.  Oh well, it was worth the price I paid .  Maybe a couple worth keeping