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*4@2
   TERRA SOUND LIBRARY - CD REVIEW
*3]5@3
            by Andy Gibson
*1]1@6
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@4

Those  of  you  that read my review of
the  EPIC  COLLECTION  CD may remember
that  I said I was waiting for my FREE
LUCKY DIP CD from Epic to arrive.
@1
Well,  after  waiting  a  few weeks, I
decided to phone Epic and ask them how
long  it  would  be  before my free CD
arrived.
@5
Ho hum ...  still not in stock!!!  :(
@4
So  I  asked  if  I  could  just  have
another CD instead.  No problemo :^)
@3I opted for the Terra Sound Library CD
and  what  a good choice it turned out
to be as you'll find out...

The  Terra Sound Library (TSL from now
on)  is  not a professionally compiled
CD that should sell for anymore than a
fiver!   Still,  it's free and I think
Epic wouldn't even dare sell it.  Why?
Well  it  is  of  real poor quality at
first glance.
@5
For starters, it's German!
@4
However,  I  decided  to  look  at the
files on the CD and this is when I was
amazed  at  the  actual  quality of it
all.
@3
Inside  the  modules  directory  I was
very   surprised   to   find   a  full
directory  containing  over  230  .abk
Amos  Music  Banks.   Yip, over 230 of
the  buggers.   (236  actually) Now, I
have not listened to them all (as if),
but the quality is fine as far as .abk
mods  go.  (limited commands available
in this format as most Amos users will
no doubt know)
@5
So  any  Amos user has just been saved
from  converting loads of modules into
.abk  files.   (Although  I  never use
.abk  files  as  I prefer Tracker Mods
played  via  the  CRAFT  Extension!  -
Still,  it's  nice  to see over 236 of
these  type of mods on one CD that can
be got at quickly.)
@1
Next  up  is  a directory full of .exe
modules.   What  use  these will be to
anyone,  I've  no  idea, but I suppose
somebody will need one some day!  NOT!
Anyway, there are 17 of these files to
listen to.
@4
Then  we  come into the Maxi directory
which  contains  about  12  maxi mods!
(what  the  firk  are Maxi mods?) Just
normal  mods but a bit larger than yer
average  samples  are used.  (don't ya
just hate that Haddaway song - What Is
Love?   -  It's  on  this  CD twice!!!
Arrgghh!)
@4
Now  we  find  the  Med Mods Directory
which  contains 96 Med Mods in 4 and 8
track  modes.   Some  very  nice toons
too.
@3
Wow, even more mods to come...
*3@5
Action/Danger Mods -
                   199 of the buggers.
Compmusic -
              46 modules to listen to.
Fantasy/Dreamy -
                         98 nice mods.
Guitar Songs -
     16 riff types and accoustic. Etc.
Jazz/Pop/Dance -
            278 various types of mods.
*3More Mods -
            317 various types of mods.
*1@1
As  if  that  wasn't  enough to get on


with,  you'll also find some more mods
in the form of .s3m file type!  (Don't
ask me what these are like coz I don't
BLOODY  know!   But  there  are 173 of
them in all.)
@4
Then  we  come  to  THE TOPS Directory
containing 118 modules.
@3[4
That's  a  lot of modules and I'm sure
some  of them appear more than once in
some  directories, but who's counting?
Far  too many to listen to in one week
I'm sure!
@5
Right, now imagine all the samples you
can  get  from  all the modules above.
You'll  never  have  to  buy  any more
sample disks ever again!
@4
I  can't  begin  to  imagine  how many
samples  there  are in all the modules
on  this CD.  More than a few anyway -
hahahaha.
@3
However,    the   CD   also   contains
directories  filled  to  the brim with
hundreds, if not thousands of samples.
@5
I'm  not  gonna  even  count  how many
there are (Using DOpus Copy is the way
I do it just in case you all thought I
counted each file by hand!!!)
@1
Honestly,  there  are too many samples
to  listen  to.   From  instruments to
special  fx  to  drum  riffs,  to acid
stabs   to  funny  samples  etc.   All
you'll ever need are on this CD.
@4
There  are even some Radio Jingles for
budding DJ's out there (ahem).
@3
Bugger  me,  there  are  thousands  of
samples  to  listen  to and use.  Good
luck if you wanna count them all.
@5
There  are  also  MIDI files (loads of
them)  and  MIDI  Utils  to look at if
you're into that sort of thing.
@1
There  are  also  loads of trackers on
this  CD which are pretty old hat now,
such as PTracker and the likes.
@4
Nothing  to write home about as far as
they go.  You've seen them all before.
Still, it's nice to have them on CD to
use rather than from floppy or HD.
@3
So you may think that's all the TSL CD
has  to  offer,  but wait, what's this
other  directory?   A  Demos Directory
filled with .dms files!  Oh bugger it,
I'll  unpack  a  few and load them up.
Ahem,  would  you believe it if I were
to  tell  you  that they are all music
demos?
@5
Some   nice   tunes  on  the  demos  I
unpacked  and I was impressed with the
sound  quality  and even the coding of
some  of the demos.  They are a couple
of  years old, but I'd never seen them
before.
@1
There's  even  an  Amos Coded/Compiled
music  demo, but I couldn't get at the
files  coz  they are all crunched with
Krypton  Force Delta Decoding Cruncher
V1!!!   I've tried to unpack the files
using  all  the  DeCrunchers  I have -
even  XFD  Decrunchers!  Nothing seems
to  recognise  this  file  type!   Can
anyone  out  there  help me out?  I've
NEVER   heard  of  the  above  Krypton
packer,  so  if you have it, let me at
it please.
@4
So  that's  about it.  It may not be a
stunning  CD,  but  it  is filled with
plenty  of  music related files and it
is FREE! @4 (#4FREE@4 only if you spend over
г25 of course.)
@3
If  you're looking for more up-to-date
modules,  stick  to Aminet.  If you're
maybe  just learning Med and need some
samples  or  indeed a few hundred mods
to listen to, this CD is for you.
@5
(Although,  by the time you read this,
the   OctaMed  Pro  V6  CD  should  be
available.  I think it's got plenty of
Med Mods and samples too.)

@7
         TERRA SOUND LIBRARY
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*2@3
Overall Rating:              #1      90%@1
Coz  it's kind of free and has so many
files.
*1
@4
Losing  marks because it's a couple of
years  old  and  is  very  cheaply put
together.  It's a German CD, but don't
think  for a minute that everything on
it is German related!  Some great mods
and samples are yours for the taking.
@4
For more info, contact:
@1]5
Epic  Marketing on#1 FREE @1Phone 0500 131
486  and  tell  them  Andy  sent  you!
hehehe :-)
]1
@4
Oh yeah, if anyone ever gets a copy of
the  Lucky Dip Vol.  @4#@42 CD, please let
me  know  what  I'm  missing  out  on.
Tarra...