I think I’ve been pretty open about my love for new sound design packages. Here, Here, here and well…I could go for a while. I mentioned ID_2 a while back and was very impressed. That’s mainly because I was one of the first in the states to use ID_1 (no proof, I just think I was) and I used it on a country station. So fast forward to today. I see the ID_2 Essentials released, I demand my samples so I could more sufficiently review it and I am again, giddy.
Ben Neidle is a producer in the UK and just in case you were not aware of him check out his site or check out our podcast from years back. BUT chances are you already are very familiar with his talents. Especially if you are reading this in Europe. When I was in Amsterdam/London if his name came up it was in a good way and his name came up a bunch.
To the package. ID_2 Essentials comes in 2 volumes plus an “Extra” set. You can buy all in one or piece by piece. Each part is divided up into – Beats + Groove Loops, FX and Impacts + Transitions. My favorite parts of Ben’s production is the way he processes each individual instrument in the drums. I don’t know what he is doing but the power behind the kicks and the sizzle in the high stuff like hats and cymbals is sick. He makes this stuff so thick and loud while leaving space for the VO and other elements to sit in the mix nicely. As for the FX and other elements its ALL OVER the place. I mean that in the best possible way. Like your favorite Band or author they usually have their sound or style and sit in their wheelhouse for the duration of their career. Ben has a style but the FX especially don’t seem to be locked into any specific area. He also doesn’t rely on crutches of any kind. Even packages I love are more narrow in scope. This is a high point for me but I know some people prefer the sounds to be similar. Just an FYI.
Naming/Organization: I also appreciate the simple organization of the package. I usually find myself dragging all cuts into one folder because I hate navigating around various folders and subfolders to find a sound I know I like. Because of this I break out Name Mangler and bulk rename (or chop off parts) all the files. While I’ll have to do a little editing for my own Neurosis with ID_2 its setup simple and clean.
Price: I have to mention price (people usually always care about this) and that when you compare this to other sound design packages its going to be on the high end. NOT the most expensive but certainly not your cheapest option. Example: Volume 2 is £349. Convert it to your currency. You pay for what you get and this is top level quality with a premium price tag.
Note: Ben does his buyout packages a bit differently than folks in the states might be used to. You are licensed for ONE STATION. So it acts more like a barter service licensing deal but you don’t get updates and don’t pay for it over and over every day for X years. Positive or negative? You gotta decide.
I think this is a LARGE step up from ID_1 which I LOVED. I haven’t been able to use that for a while so I forgot just how much I liked it. ID_2 is just better. In basically every way he has improved the variety, the utility and longevity.