Late to message but maybe this will help someone. This message addresses what I feel is the hardest sound to get right in these drum samples on the market, the snare drum.
I have had a chance to check out Superior drums latest version, Addictive drums full version and the demo on Hertz drums as well as Ezdrums, GGD, Modo drums and Perfect drums.
A little on Room Sound Drums.
This is a perspective from an audio engineer. If you want to mix your own stuff or make it easier to be mixed, which might save you money, then this is my advice.
Addictive drums is totally unusable if you are looking to use it in rock via distorted guitars or metal/heavy guitar music.
Overall for any music they are thin sounding. This is because you need very good overheads to get a big sound.
Overheads are not just for cymbals.
People generally think they have to rid the snare sound out of the overheads to make it good. This is not the case.
This is why room mics are used as well, not just for depth.
Some metal has fake sounding snares so Addictive drums might work for that but big sounding snares no.
I am sorry if you bought this I have no intention to make you upset just my honest experience.
Superior drums is better but a bitch to get a decent sound and in my opinion for rock not as useable but I suppose it could work ok. I could only get a few sounds to be ok and I had to use the double up mode which you really shouldn't have to do.
The set should sound good on its own with all music tracks up. Then you use an extra snare sample or parallel compression to make it shine.
Now wait for it you nay sayers .
Yes I know they are unprocessed via Superior, and I am aware of this because I do mix.
It just doesn't work. Why? Many famous people recorded it and though toontrack claims you can use it for all rock music and other styles, you can't without using some other samples not made by toontrack.
The reason is communication between Toontrack and the recording engineer I am surmising.
Snares have to be tuned differently, as well as different mic positions to get a certain sound that will work in a certain style such as heavy guitar music.
Also the drummer has to hit it a certain way. Heavy guitar styles, if mic techniques are right, need a rimshot a lot of the times. However the harder it is hit the thinner the sound becomes.
So the drummer is also a factor in recording. Lots of rimshots in this software are thin.
Superior drums seems to be incredibly recorded but when I listen to it, it is like someone messed with them, I don't know maybe I'm crazy.
They also sound very digital, I don't recall if they said they put them to tape or not but it doesn't sound like it. Overall it makes me wonder if that is really the way it sounded in the session.
So for $400 I don't think it is worth it.
One amazing thing is the way it gets midi data from audio but I don't still think it is worth it unless you are a pro that is making money, I know that is redundant, then maybe you'll want that.
There are free methods of midi to audio that take more time if you are a bedroom producer that does it for pleasure and has time.
EZ drums Not had too much experience with ez drums but it is processed and should cut through a mix and I really didn't like them .
However I really can't give a fair review right now.
Didn't care for Modo drums either.
Perfect drums, like the ones above, I have extensive experience with them.
Perfect drums is processed.
They work for some music well and others no. No rhyme or reason just hit or miss probably because they are slightly over processed. Overheads are good unlike Addictive.
Hertz drums I am trying the demo. White drums is the demo.
It is processed and has different selections of snares to choose from like the others.
The samples do have decent overheads and works. They also have a metal software version of their drums that is unprocessed.
Be aware that unprocessed could be lightly processed which is ok as long as they are telling the truth.
It is completely normal to limit peaks and add a very little amount of eq in the recording to make it sound like it does when you listen to it in the actual room.
Also one may lightly eq to help you understand where they want the sound to go.
So I do recommend Hertz drums for the White pack has one snare drum tuned mid range that I like.
If you need a low mid tuned snares it has those also. If the other sets in the pack give you the same results then it would be a good one.
It probably is good for heavy guitars but I have not checked yet.
Listening to the demos it looks like that may be the case but listen for yourself and decide.
Get good drums Modern and Massive is excellent for processed drums. Be aware you cant eq these for the most part they are heavily squashed but sound great.
Here is a good tip. For the Yamaha drums use Slate's trigger. The overheads are way better and it sounds great.
Use trigger for the Q drum as well, be advised the Q Drum has a ring you will have to lower with eq but it sounds great.
The Kontakt version use the 14x6.5” Gretsch Bell Brass it sounds great.
Also use the snare velocity control to adjust. Between that and the midi velocity you will get a great sound.
Yes lots of work different from real drums tracks recorded live.
GGD Invasion is lightly processed so you can eq and compress.
I don't think they make it for trigger or maybe they do.
I have used it extensively in Kontakt and it sounds great. Remember you have to mix this version.
So you will need sometimes to use a second snare sample or parallel compression.
So I do recommend this.
However, remember that these drums in some lighter rock settings via not heavily distorted guitars, may not work.
Again mic positions and drummer how he/she hits it as far as velocity's.
Room sound drums . I have not check them out yet and they do not have a demo but I probably will purchase some sets from Room sound.
So check them out . Stayed tuned for me to check them out.
Feel free to reply here in a few months or more to ask me about them and Hertz.
Feel free to ask me about any other ones that come up after this message.
I'll check them out for you.
