Best Pad Controller and Drum Software Combo?

[Cutlerbri]

Hey guys,
In your estimation, what is the best combination of drum software and pad controller? A salesman at the music store suggested one of the Korg pad controllers because it maps very easily with the Toon Tracks drum software and its expansion packs.
Any thoughts?

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Cutlerbri

Hey guys,
In your estimation, what is the best combination of drum software and pad controller? A salesman at the music store suggested one of the Korg pad controllers because it maps very easily with the Toon Tracks drum software and its expansion packs.
Any thoughts?

I wouldn't trust anything a salesdroid says at a Guitar Center They are probably pushing something they have a deal on and need to sell.

But the answer depends on what you want to do. For simple beat making anything with a 4x4 pad layout will work; what you really should look at is how durable something is as those pads are going to take a beating and then some. If you want more than just the 4x4 deal the Roland HPD Handsonic pads are pretty good and can trigger a lot more sounds at one time. You may have to roll your own mapping with whatever drum software you want to use. That's not difficult as the drum vi will usually have both premade maps and also the ability to do MIDI learn.

For my setup I use a Yamaha DTXM12 and BFD3. I did up a couple of custom maps in BFD to trigger the sounds I want as the DTX only has 12 pads. Nice thing with the DTX is I can use fingers, hands and even drum sticks. The bad thing with the DTX (or any Yamaha hardware) is the programming and setup if you want or need to go beyond what's provided from the factory. The most convoluted way of doing things I've ever seen.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some of these pad controllers also have pots and sliders that can be used in one's daw.

[albee1952]

Just my 2 cents;
Re pad controllers:
Probably any pad controller is going to be fine once you get used to it, and learn how to program the pads(and you DO want to learn how). The Trigger Finger(original) works great with Toontrack stuff. I would bet the newer "Pro" version is even nicer(but I have since moved on to real drums here). One killer trick(which should be possible on any controller) is to setup a scene/page of pads with 2 pads assigned to each for snare, and each tom. The reason for this is for doing fills. Its near impossible to tap a decent drum fill with a single pad for each drum, but once you have pairs for each, you will be able to tap out really good(and realistic) drum fills.

Re drum software:
These days, they all sound really good. EZdrummer is certainly a good choice. Superior Drummer is even better if you can afford it(because it not only runs all the SD and SDX kits, but also can run all the EZX kits. And, it allows you to bring in pieces from other kits(EZDrummer can't do this). Addictive Drums is also very good and somewhat easier to use. But again, all are really capable(including BFD and Slate). Not sure its fair to say any is "best" so check out each one on youtube and choose which is "best" for you

[Cutlerbri]

Thanks Jack and Albee1952,
One major thing on my list is to be able to get a good brush sound. The last drum VI I had was BFD Eco. The sound was okay, but I had a hard time making it work for me, and there was NO brush sound anywhere near it.

With a pressure-sensitive pad controller and the right VI, I'd like to be able to do some swing/jazz brushes and a good country/bluegrass "train" groove.

Would I have to go up into the higher priced drum VIs for that?

[Marsdy]

Originally Posted by Cutlerbri

Thanks Jack and Albee1952,
One major thing on my list is to be able to get a good brush sound. The last drum VI I had was BFD Eco. The sound was okay, but I had a hard time making it work for me, and there was NO brush sound anywhere near it.

With a pressure-sensitive pad controller and the right VI, I'd like to be able to do some swing/jazz brushes and a good country/bluegrass "train" groove.

Would I have to go up into the higher priced drum VIs for that?

The BFD 3 expansion pack Jazz & Funk has a LOT of brush and hot rod sounds.

Pad wise, I've had quite a few over the years and my favourite is Maschine. I know that's a lot more than just a drum pad but the pads feel really nice and responsive with a wide dynamic range.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Marsdy

The BFD 3 expansion pack Jazz & Funk has a LOT of brush and hot rod sounds.

Pad wise, I've had quite a few over the years and my favourite is Maschine. I know that's a lot more than just a drum pad but the pads feel really nice and responsive with a wide dynamic range.

I would have mentioned Maschine but it's expensive ($799 US) for the top of the line one and the operating system requirements are steep El Crapitan or Sierra for Macs; Windows is easier as anything from Win 7 is okay.