Addictive Drums has long been a recommended VST for e-drummers because of its small footprint, easy-to-use stand-alone player, wide variety of sounds and reasonable cost. However, the product was showing its age, especially with the major rivals all launching new versions since AD2’s 2014 debut.
The Swedish producer, XLN Audio, is attempting to catch up with and perhaps leap over some of its competitors with the recent addition of the v2.5 update – a free update to Addictive Drums 2.
Updating
The v2.5 update is executed via the XLN Online Installer app which automatically detects the new version, downloads what’s needed and guides you through the installation. It’s all very easy and intuitive.
When it’s done, you see a fresh, modern new look – much cleaner and more ‘business-like’ than the previous version.
The new-look Explore window makes it significantly easier to find the kit and preset you’re looking for – especially if you have a number of AdPaks. The packs appear as small icons on the left-hand side and as you click each one, it reveals all the presets in the pack. There’s also an “auditionable” kit image where you can tap each instrument to hear it – assuming you’re at the computer rather than at your kit.
The Kit window is virtually unchanged for v2 – each instrument is presented in a separate box with a volume slider. If you hit the wrench icon, you are taken into the Edit tab, which reveals some deeper editing options like EQ, gating and compression, as well as buzz for the snare and mic position for the kick.
This new Trig Gate control in this tab allows you to set different gates on each instrument, while the compressor gets a new Boost mode that easily enhances the attack.
The EQ control has also been improved, with a new clear display that’s easy to manipulate in real time.
The FX window has kit-wide delay, reverb, EQ and gating as well as some routing options – all presented in a clear, uncluttered display.
The final tab, Beats, is clearly aimed at MIDI users, so we’ll ignore that!
In action
Addictive Drums has always been one of the most user-friendly VSTs around and digitalDrummer often recommends it for novices because it is virtually plug and play – and sounds so much better than most drum modules.
Of course, compatibility for e-drummers starts with MIDI mapping and while the revised plug-in has presets for most of the current (and some very old) modules and drum samplers, there are some notable omissions like the mimicPRO and eDRUMin, although the MegaDRUM is still there.
The good news, however, is that the maps are highly editable, with a decent ‘learn’ function, so it’s not hard to tweak any of the stock presets to your module, no matter which one you’re using. And if you’re using a Roland kit, the ride and snare support positional sensing among the wide range of articulations.
It’s also good to know that the v2.5 update is fully backwards compatible, so all your AdPaks will work as before (if not better), while any saved presets, tweaks and mix settings will be retained.
If there’s an elephant in the room, it’s the sounds. There’s no mention anywhere of new recordings or new remixes of the stock kits and presets – so there probably is very little change on the sonic front. It’s hard to compare because the update overwrites the previous version, so I’m relying on memory. However, your ability to tweak the stock sounds is undoubtably improved.
There is a new AdPak, Vintage Dead, based on a 1968 Ludwig kit, with the toms converted to concert toms, and tweaked for “psychedelic indie pop”. This is a separate purchase.
There has been some nit-picking about AD sounds, but it is seriously difficult to fault most of the kits. In general, the stock kits consist of well-curated drums and cymbals, meticulously sampled using high-end mics and advanced mixing desks and an excellent algorithm for creating large numbers of hit variations using minimal computing power.
Best of all, where other VST suppliers might have tarted it up, added a few more mostly unnecessary bells and whistles, called it v3 and forced customers to splash out for the upgrade, XLN Audio has put this out as a totally free upgrade.
And it doesn’t stop there – the new version, like its predecessor, is available with a free trial so that you can try before you buy.
Well done, XLN – I’m sure for many users, this one will be just as ‘addictive’ as your previous efforts.