When TuneMedia recently announced that it would ship a second volume of its successfull Tune-Up for GarageBand product, we had high expectations. Those expectations were exceeded when we received our review copy of the Tune-Up Vol. 2 Apple loops collection. Tune-Up 2 is a collection of over 500 Apple format loops in a variety of styles. In this in-depth analysis, we'll show you what the package includes, and give you our take on the hundreds of loops included. Bottom line: this package is the best yet from TuneMedia, and is not to be missed.

The Tune-Up 2 collection, like its forebearer, contains a healthy variety of styles and instruments. More so than the first collection, this volume includes an excellent assortment of Guitar, vocal, brass, and other acoustic sounds.

Once again, the TuneUp series is marked by very appealing, unique loops that feature a lot of attention to detail, including panning or other stereo effects. We found that many loops from this collection made it quickly to our favorites area. As with many loop collections, the TuneUp Vol. 2 product contains a healthy number of electronic beats, basses, synth melodies, and sound effects. Our favorites, however, were the great Guitar loops, strings, and vocal loops. The new "Asian," "soundscape," and brass loops are also excellent and innovative. The Piano Riffs were great loops of the sort we haven't heard elsewhere, but which are common in hip hop music and useful in many other styles. Even though we had our favorites, there are great loops in each of the various categories available, so it's likely you'll find many things of interest no matter which style of music you favor.

All in all, we think the TuneUp Vol. 2 collection is a great series of loops that would add some excellent spice to most any kind of music. If you create dance, pop, hip-hop, rock, or any related genre, TuneUp Vol. 2 will fit nicely in your bag of tricks. At $34.99 U.S. with free shipping, these loops are also a great bargain.