Day: May 6, 2026

Samples

Addictive Drums 2 gets metal expansion

XLN Audio has released a new expansion for Addictive Drums 2, introducing the Progressive Metal ADpak, a collection designed to capture the nuance and power of modern progressive metal drumming. At the centre of the release is Waltteri Väyrynen of Opeth, whose playing drives the expansion. The ADpak was recorded using Väyrynen’s personal Pearl Reference Pure kit, delivering detailed articulations tailored for complex, expressive performances. According to XLN Audio, the pack features dual 22” kick drums for natural alternating patterns, multiple snare options (brass and steel), and a wide palette of Sabian HHX and AAX cymbals, ranging from shimmering crashes to aggressive chinas and articulate rides. The toms are designed for dynamic, melodic playing — a key characteristic of the […]

training

Stop practising, get a system

By Raul Rodrigues, founder of Upbeat Studio Two years ago, I started building the Drum Coach app because of something that had been bothering me. I’d watch drummers sitting in front of more material than any generation in history, and still feeling stuck. More videos didn’t fix it. More gear didn’t fix it. I had a hunch the problem wasn’t content. It was the absence of a system. Twenty thousand drummers later, I’m more convinced of that than when I started. The bottleneck moved. The hard part of learning drums used to be access: finding a teacher, finding the right book, finding someone who could show you a Tony Williams transcription. That problem is gone. Today, you can drown in […]