Empire Breaks drum instrument by Native Instruments Kontakt interface

Empire Breaks: Boom Bap Drum Instrument for Kontakt by Native Instruments

Empire Breaks is a Kontakt drum instrument from Native Instruments that offers golden-era boom bap drum sounds, including kicks, snares and hats, plus 480 editable groove patterns.

REQUIRESKontaktHost player sold separately

Kontakt

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

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01Overview

Empire Breaks is part of Native Instruments' Play Series and focuses on hip hop drums built from live drum breaks. The developer says the sounds were recorded from original drum breaks and then re-sampled to add 90s-style crunch and character. The instrument covers the core elements of a boom bap kit, from punchy kicks and solid snares to crispy hats. Producers can play beats live or use the included patterns as a starting point, and the presets are designed to be shaped in real time.

Best for

Boom bap drum programming
Golden-era hip hop beats
90s-style drum grit
Lo-fi hip hop production
MIDI groove patterns

Developer: Native Instruments
Category: Kontakt Instruments
Requires: Kontakt
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Boom bap drum sounds with punchy kicks, solid snares and crispy hats
Drums recorded from original live breaks and re-sampled for 90s-style crunch
480 groove patterns editable in any DAW via MIDI drag and drop
Play Series presets with real-time control and an intuitive interface
Runs as a Kontakt Instrument inside Kontakt or the free Kontakt Player

03In depth

Boom bap drum sounds and character

Native Instruments describes Empire Breaks as a collection of drums for golden-era hip hop production. The kit centers on punchy kicks, solid snares and crispy hats, with the 90s-style crunch coming from the re-sampling of live drum breaks.

Because the sounds are based on live breaks, the character leans toward raw, sample-based drums rather than clean synthetic percussion. This suits producers who want a gritty, vintage feel in their drum programming.

Groove patterns and workflow in Kontakt

Empire Breaks includes 480 groove patterns that can be edited in any DAW using MIDI drag and drop. This makes it simple to pull a pattern into your sequencer, adjust it to fit your track and keep working.

The instrument runs inside Kontakt and uses the Play Series interface, with presets and real-time controls for shaping the sound while you play or sequence.

04Specs