Three new sample packs have been released in recent weeks: Steven Slate has dropped its Patrick Carney Expansion Pack and Toontrack has added the Singer-Songwriter EZX while Drumforge has released a Savior sample pack.
Patrick Carney Expansion Pack
Slate’s new expansion pack for SSD and Trigger features the vintage collection of Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney.
This pack features two highly prized drum kits – the ’61 Round Badge Gretsch and a ‘70s Ludwig Vistalite.
The Gretsch was the go-to kit for jazz legends for decades, while the Vistalite is brighter and packs a serious punch with its acrylic shells.
Both kits feature a 1960s EMT 140 reverb plate recorded in stereo.
The pack sells for $79.
Toontrack Singer-Songwriter EZX
Toontrack is keeping ‘em coming, with the Singer-Songwriter EZX, a collection of drum kits tailored for acoustic pop, rock, indie, folk and any style associated with the singer-songwriter genre.
It includes five full drum kits sampled with sticks and another full kit configuration as well as several snares and cymbals sampled with brushes.
There’s also a hi-hat tambourine as well as three handheld tambos, three shakers, hand claps and more.
This one goes for €75.
Drumforge Savior
We’d never encountered Drumforge before and were tipped off by TRX, which supplied the cymbals sampled alongside the Savior Custom Drums kit.
This audio plugin runs on any DAW and has a very different look and feel to the “big name” VSTs.
The pack includes 12 kicks, 12 snares, eight sets of toms (two sets of three and six sets of two), four hi-hats, two crash/rides, two rides, seven crashes, three Chinas and six splashes.
What really stands out about Drumforge is the fully featured virtual mixing console and very deep mic editing capabilities.
This one is a bit of a learning curve and we’ll share a full review as soon as we master it.
The retail price on this pack is $149.