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Posted by: PosterBoy Jun 18 2012, 04:05 PM

I've only used Ez drummer in the past. Can anyone give a run down on the pros and cons of all the available ones?

Posted by: Zoot Jun 18 2012, 10:36 PM

I ended up settling on BFD 2 - tons of configurability, great effects and mixing chains, a good included groove library and internal sequencer for patterns. There's a demo available at www.fxpansion.com - check it out, (and the others too!).

One of the things I always look for is hi-hat articulations - particularly in the open and semi-open positions. Lots of things quickly turn into machine-gun muck playing repetitive stuff - a quick test to show the weaknesses in the library.

I'd also say you should consider Native Instrument's offerings - Abbey Road series etc.

Ciao,

Z.

Posted by: PosterBoy Jun 19 2012, 07:19 AM

I like the look of the new Steven Slate Drums 4 it does look good for the rock side of things but maybe not the Americana type stuff I'll possibly do as well (although the Jazz kit with the brushes may work)

Posted by: The Uncreator Jul 4 2012, 02:09 AM

SSD4EX for $99 is impossible to beat at that price, impossible. Nothing will come close.

However, if your drop $300 for SD2.0 and an expansion or two, the customization is insane, but WAY more time consuming. The samples are all unprocessed, so they need to be mixed quite a bit for your mix, SSD4 are processed samples, and are designed to be "mix-ready", and for the most part they are. Adjust levels, minor EQ and your good to go.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 4 2012, 04:48 AM

Here is a link to a post where I went in to some detail on the various Drum software options. I don't know if there is a wiki section for this but there should be It's a common question and an important decision. I noticed several replies made mention of various kits but provide no links, Bummer Here are some vids/links. You can always google everything, but it's always handy if folks put that stuff in as it adds more info to the thread and the person asking the question may not know what BFD, or SSD or various other acronyms even stand for.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=40504&view=findpost&p=540869

Here is a vid about BFD ECO (Less than $100 Euro)


Studio Drummer from Native Instruments (little more than $100 euro)


And of course the AWESOME unbeatable studio sampled goodness of STEVEN SLATE DRUMS (starter version EX a bit more than $100 Euro)




As you know by now hopefully, there is no such thing really as a "Best" anything. It's really what's "Best" for you. If you get a piece of software that's way over your head, even though it's awesome, that really won't help.

EZ Drummer is great for years 1-3 (very, very, very rough guideline and generalizing like crazy here, your mileage may vary) of your time as a "Recordist". There are killer expansion packs like Metalheadz and such and TONS of great midi packs. The number of avaialble MIDI packs is astounding. Full songs, parts of songs, grooves. And they are cheap.

It's really eazy to put drum bits together in to a song and get a decent drum sound with EZ and a couple of expansion packs.

Having said that, SSD has some of the most AWESOME drum samples you'll ever hear and you can stack several on top of each other which is pretty spiff. You can stack three snare drums for example to get one huge snare. It's also more complicated that EZ, has a wads more buttons/sliders because it's got more control, more effects, etc.

BFD ECO is complex too. (Though some folks I'm sure will chime in to say it's as simple as crayons )

I've got EZ Drummer, BFD ECO, SSD EX, and NI Studio Drummer. And for guitarists in their first year or few of recording, honestly EZ and some expansion packs, and midi packs is a good call. Easy, cheap, sounds good, BINGO!

Once you are ready to dig deeper and upgrade to something a tad more Pro, you might try the starter Steven Slate. I often create drum parts in EZ Drummer, then switch to SLATE just cause it sounds better.

Hope this helps: )

This really should be a wiki thread.

Posted by: Fran Jul 10 2012, 05:09 PM

Wikied!

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Drum_Software_Options

Posted by: Rammikin Jul 12 2012, 02:19 AM

Surprised nobody's mentioned it, so I will: I use Superior Drummer. Yes, it's more complex than EZDrummer, but it has streaming. I got tired of waiting for large kits to load in EZDrummer, so I upgraded to Superior to avoid that problem. And if you do use the advanced features, it's amazing. And, there's a lot of add-on kits available from Toontracks.