Disclaimer: While I did have the opportunity to chat with the Soundsphat team about the pack, this review is not sponsored and the following is my honest opinion.
When GRAMMY-nominated producer Christian Beat Hirt unveiled Cyclopedia One in 2020, it almost instantly became one of the most highly regarded house sample packs ever. Not only were the drums and synths included of excellent sound quality, but there were also so many samples to choose from. It included over 10 gigabytes of samples and became a one-stop shop for any house producer’s needs – whether you made melodic chill house or dirty tech house, Cyclopedia One had everything you need.
I’m happy to report to you all that, four years later, Christian and the rest of the team at Soundsphat have done it again. Cyclopedia Two is finally here, and the guys have done the impossible: they’ve topped their first effort.
What’s In Cyclopedia Two?
The entire package is a staggering 23-gigabyte monstrosity full of over 7000 samples, over 300 vocal loops, and over 500 MIDI files. According to the creators, there was no AI used in the pack’s creation: everything in the pack was either made by Christian, Emmanuel Gonzalez of Sons of Maria, one of the 10 session musicians who provided live recordings of organic instruments (including saxophone, flutes, and percussion), or one of the four-session vocalists who lent their vocal talents.
The original Cyclopedia was all about variety and depth, and Two takes that up a notch. Take something as straightforward as a kick drum. Opening the kick folder, you’ll find twelve more folders, each dedicated to a specific kick style. Need a soft, analog kick? Check. Building an organic house groove or a tech-house banger? There’s a folder for that too. There’s even a ‘Kickdrums With Stuff’ section, with kicks layered over organic percussion elements. Running out of options or reusing the same kick here is impossible. Everything sounds pristine, with clarity that’s hard to match.
And it’s not just kicks. You’ve got claps, shakers, rims, toms—the works. The reso claps from Cyclopedia One, a personal favorite, are back and sound as good as ever, maybe even more refined. The pack also throws in hundreds of drum loops covering everything from full beats to top loops, Brazilian-style percussion, and Afro-house fills. Each loop hits the same high standard of quality that fans of the first pack expect.
On top of that, Cyclopedia Two includes hundreds of effects and textures to give your tracks an edge. We’re talking field recordings from around the world—rivers, train stations, beaches, restaurants, and countryside, from Moldova to Tennessee. Atmospheric pads, risers, fallers, brass hits—it’s all there, waiting to elevate your next production.
And let’s not overlook the melodic content. This pack has a serious range of melodic loops, from clean basslines and piano chords to strings and catchy vocal hooks. The vocal and instrumental loops are impressive; it’s like having the cellist or saxophonist with you.
This pack packs in so much that covering it in one article is nearly impossible. So, here’s a quick demo track made exclusively from Cyclopedia Two Loops. I only added sidechain compression and adjusted tempo and pitch to match C# minor at 124 BPM. This is just scratching the surface of what you can build with this colossal toolkit.
Buy Cyclopedia Two here
My Main Thoughts on Cyclopedia Two
What’s crazy is that this just scratches the surface for what is possible with Cyclopedia Two. As a producer myself, I use Cyclopedia One a lot – in fact, some of my most popular tracks (like this one for example, shameless plug) wouldn’t have been possible without the drums from it. My expectations were high when I heard a second installment was on the way. They were thoroughly shattered. They promised both quality and quantity, and absolutely delivered in both.
I won’t lie, the price tag is pretty steep. It sits at a sale price of 298 dollars, about $120 pricier than the first installment, but I fully believe that the price is worth it. Plus, if you buy it before the end of November, you’ll be able to get it for about half off. If you’re even considering getting the pack (which you should be), I’d take advantage of the deal. If you’re reading this and the deal has passed, It’s still something worth saving up for. This has the potential to be the last house sample pack that you ever need to buy – unless they make another one.
Exclusive Interview
As a little bonus, I had the opportunity to ask Christian Beat Hirt a few questions about the creation of Cyclopedia Two. Here’s what he had to say:
When did you realize that you wanted to make a sequel to Cyclopedia?
Pretty much right after the first issue. I found myself drawing samples from that first pack as well and, as it became my own go to pack for certain samples, I knew I would want to make another sample pack of that size and extent. Over the years I had many ideas of new folders and recording options for new samples, so it was soon clear to go for a follow up and I am very proud of the result. With all the guest musicians, it became a huge and very useful
toolkit for producers of all kinds of house music.
From planning, to securing session vocalists and instrumentalists, to recording, to
finalization – about how long did it take to compile Cyclopedia Two?
It was an intense journey over a period of over 2 years of recording, editing and filing. To find the right guest musicians that fit the vision of the pack and the music I wanted to represent in the track took a while too, but in the end, I partnered with a few of my favorite musicians that came up with very beautiful and useful samples.
You emphasize heavily that AI was not used at all in the process. Was this a ground rule
from day one, or did it come up during the creation process? When it comes to sample
curation and creation, what do you believe gives organic decision and creation an edge
over AI?
Yes, correct. The first pack was created before AI was a big thing, so it was clear to have the follow up pack done in the same way. And, on top of that, I want to release sample packs that have my signature sound, recording process and mixing techniques and reflect a manmade and lively sound.
Now that this is done, what’s next for you and the rest of the team at Soundsphat?
We have a bunch of great ideas for sample and preset packs, as well introducing our first few KONTAKT libraries with our new GUI’s. We also partnered up with a few of our favorite sample pack creators to produce collaboration sample and preset packs, which are coming along very well and sound very promising.
In terms of the sounds included in the pack, which are you the proudest of and why?
Hard to say. I am proud of the overall package and its balance of sounds, beats and effects. I don’t necessarily go for a certain sound, but more of an overall product and what it can be useful for if I would be a customer.
I’m very proud that we were able to gather a bigger group of musicians to work for the same goal and have this fantastic sample pack as a result. I’m also very proud that, again, we managed to have a sample pack that offers all aspects of beats, sounds and effects, and that you can make professional sounding and full tracks with only our Cyclopedia Two pack without needing any other samples and sounds.
Buy Cyclopedia Two here
The post Cyclopedia Two Is Finally Here – And It’s One Of The Best House Sample Packs of 2024 [+ A Q&A With the Creator] appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.