Category: VST

Samples, VST

BFD 3.5 released

BFD has released an update of its drum VST, just dropping BFD 3.5. The new version introduces an enhanced engine and “best-in-class features designed to push realism and sonic customisation even further”. There’s a redesigned workflow, a range of new kits, mix-ready presets and advanced modelling technology for tom resonance and cymbal swells. The new version also boasts a new mixer and sound browser, Apple Silicon AAX support, cross-platform VST 3 compatibility and a new Microphone Inspector panel. The Core library features 51 kits and 60 mix-ready preset BFD kits, along with 48 high-quality audio effects and flexible multi-mic control. The update is a huge download, requiring 55 GB of free disk space. BFD 3.5 is a free update for […]

Samples, VST

Fusion EZX has tons of toms

  Toontrack’s latest expansion pack, the Fusion EZX, must have the most toms ever offered in a sample pack, with four seven-tom kits. Toontrack’s 67th individual EZX pack was recorded by engineer Stefano Civetta (Nile Rogers, Ed Sheeran and Earth, Wind and Fire) and drummer Pete Riley (Guthrie Govan, Keith Emerson and Ritchie Kotzen). “If you’re looking for big, resonant kits that can handle the entire dynamic range from the subtle to the explosive and offer tones covering the bright, crisp, earthy and warm, this EZX is for you,” the company boasts. The sampled kits are two Yamaha Recording Custom 9000 kits  – one from the ‘80s and one from the ‘90s, a Sakae Almighty and a Tama Star, recorded at […]

Samples, VST

Spectre Digital launches new library

E-drummers have another VST option thanks to Spectre Digital, which recently launched Icon Drums Classic Rock. Designed to run on Kontakt Player, the pack was sampled from a Pearl Music City Custom Reference Pure kit (26” kick, 10” and 16” toms; Ludwig Supraphonic and Black Beauty snares; and a range of cymbals). Spectre says the kit was recorded in a world-class studio with legendary equipment, including “industry-standard microphones and mic-pres you would expect of a serious drum recording”. They were recorded using the ‘Glyn Johns overhead microphone technique’ as heard on tracks from The Kinks and The Who, to Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. Every piece of Icon Drums Classic Rock is tweakable with variable EQ, compression, a transient […]

Samples, VST

Ugritone’s final offering

Finnish metal VST specialist Ugritone is releasing one final drum sample pack as it halts operations. In a message to customers, the company notes that it is closing its doors after seven years of “striving to push the boundaries of what could be achieved in the underground music scene”. “The harsh realities of life and the unforgiving nature of the free market have finally caught up with us. Despite our unwavering passion and relentless drive, the stark truth is that we’ve faced burnout after burnout, stretching ourselves thin, and simply lacking the resources to make the necessary moves to bring this project up to the speed it deserves,” the message continues. “The industry demands more than we can currently give, […]

Samples, VST

Addictive Drums 2 overhauled

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, […]

Samples, VST

Toontrack releases SDX by Elliot Scheiner

Producer Elliot Scheiner is the latest to collaborate with Toontrack, releasing a new expansion pack, State of the Art SDX by Elliot Scheiner. Scheiner has worked with some of the biggest artists ever, received almost every industry award imaginable and his credits include Steely Dan’s Aja, The Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over and the soundtrack for The Godfather. The latest Toontrack offering features seven vintage to modern kits, all handpicked to showcase a wide range of tones and timbres. Recorded at Elliot Scheiner’s choice studio, the famed Clubhouse in Upstate New York, it boasts three different room ambiences: the subtle, dry and tight Studio Iso; the warm and intimate-sounding Library; as well as the hard-hitting, but still acoustically perfect, Live Room. In […]

Samples, VST

DWe goes Metal

DW has added the Metal Legacy Expansion Pack to its Soundworks software for the DWe kit. The new collection features drum sounds crafted for heavier styles like metal, rock and punk. The samples are derived from Perfect Drums 2, which DW acquired and developed into the sound ecosystem for DWe. At the time of the acquisition, Perfect Drums said “all the original PD library and content (would) be available in Soundworks”. The new expansion pack, which is available as a free 9 GB download for existing Soundworks owners, adds 24 new presets, along with 130-plus instruments from Pearl, Tama, Sonor, SJC and Ludwig to augment the DW, Gretsch and Slingerland samples in Soundworks.

Samples, VST

Getting started with VST e-drumming

E-drum guru Martin Trommler has prepared a VST primer for those starting out.   Drummers tend to turn to VSTs (Virtual Studio Technology) in search of high-quality drum sounds – otherwise they’d just stick with module sounds which I can describe best as a caricature of acoustic drum sounds. But VST-e-drumming is unfortunately associated with latency (often around 10 milliseconds, which is significant compared to the 2 ms which an acoustic snare drum sound takes to reach the drummer’s ear). So, it doesn’t make much sense to go with the inferior onboard sound chip of your computer, poor audio driver emulations (like Asio4All) and low quality/unsuitable headphones or headphones connected to poor headphone units/amps. And it also makes no sense […]

Samples, VST

XLN’s new product revealed

Sweden’s XLN Audio has been teasing about the launch of a new product, and many were hoping to see a new version of Addictive Drums. Well. The cat is out of the bag, and the new offering is something totally different – an iOS- and Android-compatible app that enables users to record anything using their phone, instantly making it available in the new Life by XLN Audio plugin. The Life DAW Recorder enables recording in high fidelity from a DAW, utilising any instrument, microphone or outboard gear which is connected. Users can also import audio or video directly from their phone or computer, creating beats from selected moments. “The Life By XLN Audio plugin is the heart where all the […]

Samples, VST

DW Soundworks launched

Drum Workshop (DW) has launched the DW Soundworks VST and sample library powering its new DWE kit as a separate product. Soundworks is a comprehensive collection of drum sounds which cater to a wide array of musical styles and genres, initially using drums from DW, Gretsch and Slingerland. The core library features drum kit samples from the DW Collector’s Series line including DW Pure Maple, DW Maple Mahogany and limited-edition kits no longer in production including the DW 50th Anniversary and DW Pure Almond kits. Additionally, DW Soundworks includes a Gretsch USA Custom kit, and the personal 1958 Slingerland kit of DW founder Don Lombardi. The drums were sampled with 18 dynamic layers per sample and recorded at the DW […]