Raptus review

Today we will be looking at the new release from SampleTraxx called “Raptus“. Since this is not a big SFX library (100+ samples) this review will also be a bit shorter than the rest. Let’s get started.

Raptus is a granular distortion impact library aimed toward film editors, film and game developers. It is also suitable for sound designers if they need samples to layer sounds together. The library is not big as mentioned but it still does contain plenty of granular galore to satisfy the needy. The samples were recorded/designed at 24 bit and 48 Khz and that is ok because the main target group are the people mentioned above. 48 Khz should still be enough to do some minor stretching and pitch shifting if you desire so.

The whole sample library is divided into four main groups: Distorted impacts, mutilated drums, synth shifter, and textures. Each group varies in design but is still similar to fit together in the final mix. I have to admit that the mix is pretty well done so there are almost no low end bleeds/mud sections and the high ends are nicely edited so you don’t get any ear fatigue while listening.

One thing I’d like to mention is that although there are four different groups the variation of samples is small. Still distinctive but small. For instance, in the distorted impacts group the sounds sound very similar (one thing is that the granular design in general might sound similar) but there are just enough variations to make them pleasant and not sound alike. Same goes for the rest of the groups.

I have particularly enjoyed the synth shifter group as it contained some of the nicest synthetically designed brass impacts or “bramms”. In terms of quality I could easily compare it to SoundMorph’s Sinematic library. In fact, they do sound very similar with the difference being that Raptus is distinctively more granular.

The one thing that bugged me is the naming of the files as it does not necessarily represent the sound but the developer included the metadata with the files. The metadata is ok and I cannot say it is on par with the big boys. It seems that it was a bit rushed. Of course this is just a personal view on the matter. For instance, in mutilated drums group there is a name of a hit/drum called “relight” and “griffs” which tells me nothing of the sound. The native metadata (track name, description, keywords) isn’t embedded, however the BWF metadata (discription, originator) is. Again, this is just to show the example.

Conclusion

The Raptus is a fine hybrid impact library and for just cca $20 dollars plus VAT it is something that cannot be ignored. The samples are nicely mixed, the quality of the sound is awesome and I am sure the time of the release is just right. That said, this is not a library for every occasion but it is for those looking for modern hybrid sounds.

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