Can anyone give me a review/rundown of Strike 2.0

[Che_Guitarra]

I loved Strike 1.x and if it wasn't for the fact I overhauled my system to PT11/AAX 64-bit i'd still be happily plugging away on this version.

I can't seem to find a single review of Strike V2.0 - i'm wondering if anyone can throw me a bone and give me their two cents on the VI since it's moved from Avid to AIR. All I can find is a few screen shots which seem to indicate the same plugin with a GUI refresh, but I don't want to buy based on assumption. Is it still the same program... I mean, does it still retain the exact same functionality?

I only found one user comment in regard to Strike 2.0 (that I can't prove/dis-prove) that user editing capability has been leaned back, and this would almost be a deal-breaker for me - i'd sincerely hope that I can drag the heavily customised and project specific presets I created in V1.x across to v2.0.


Can anyone fill me in on their impression of Strike 2.0?

[JFreak]

In my book, it is still the same plugin. Just new 64bit version of it.

[chrisdee]

Originally Posted by JFreak

In my book, it is still the same plugin. Just new 64bit version of it.

+1.

But to my ears Strike has some of the best and most expressive hihats I'v heard in a VI. I haven't tried Slate Drums or Addictive Drums yet thow.

[WernerF]

You might wanna try some of the Toontrack stuff. Superior Drummer is quite awesome. It all, though, comes down to your own personal preferences in drum sounds. The best case scenario is to own them all and use the one that suits the particular project at any given time. Sometimes virtual drum programs are just what the doctor ordered, sometimes they're not.

[mesaone]

I find that, even after owning Strike 1 for years and upgrading to Strike 2, I am still mystified by some of the mapping and MIDI channel stuff.

[nigelpry]

mesaone .... mystified? ;-)

I'm tempted to say RTFM, but am more curious to actually discover what you are struggling with.

I've found one or two issues with Strike that impact on my own workflow, but I managed to establish working workarounds for those problems.

The biggest issue for me related to generating midi note data to represent what strike patterns are playing. I like to do this to further individualise fills, note volumes etc, so that it sounds less like a few repeating patterns.

Two problems ...

1) you have to record the strike data as midi within strike in a (part of the) project that is fixed tempo ... if you don't, when you drag/drop the midi data it doesn't line up properly. This is true whether you use ticks or samples as the timebase for the midi track. Samples seems a bit closer, assuming the tempo changes are small, but still way out. I guess strike is recording at fixed tempo based on the tempo at the point you start recording.

If you create midi note 'triggers' to change patterns in strike at various places in the project (intro, verse, chorus, fills etc), that all works fine when strike is running in real time, including in projects with tempo changes. But if you record the midi data in strike and then drag/drop, it's totally out.

The workaround is to generate the midi data at a point in the project where the tempo remains fixed. I do it at the end of the project. In fact, all I do is copy the midi clip containing the note triggers to the end of the project, where it is a fixed (any) tempo and then run it through once to generate the midi data.

I then drag/drop the midi data from strike onto a midi track in the project. Everything lines up correctly bar/beat wise. Then, you can move that midi clip into it's proper place in the timeline, and the relative bar/beat positioning remains intact.

The other issue for me is that the midi stops being recorded in strike anytime to use a C1 trigger note. I understand why, because C1= stop, but that's a bit simplistic, because C1 is the ONLY way to get strike to stop continuously playing. It is what you have to use if you have a section in the song where you want the pattern to stop, temporarily.

The workaround is to stop playback everytime you go past a C1 note, and then drag/drop what has been recorded SO FAR into place. Then, start recording again (and so on). Or you could mute the C1 notes, leaving strike playing, so it plays throughout, then delate the midi notes you don't need after dropping the midi into place.

Other than that, I like strike for those occasions where a relatively straightforward arrangement is all that is needed. I prefer superior drummer for more complex stuff. Strike also has a very usable set of sounds, that are different to the palette available in superior drummer, so that's useful too. I sometimes will use drum patterns from superior drummer to trigger strike ... the basics work well just by transposing superior drummer patterns up 3 octaves, you just have to be careful as there are some notes that strike doesn't respond to.

[mesaone]

Originally Posted by nigelpry

I'm tempted to say RTFM

And you would be right to do so

Originally Posted by nigelpry

but am more curious to actually discover what you are struggling with.

In my case, it is probably a matter of spending more sustained time with it. Mainly my problem is never remembering (or having a tenuous grasp of) which channel needs to be used for which situation... And the actual workflow involved in using the "plain" channel versus the "full-range" channel (what is it, 1 and 15?). Also a bit of confusion on my part regarding GM with different layout modes (Channel 2 in kit mode?)

I'll crack the manual and educate myself, but I can't help but feel as though not everything is as easy to set up as it could be. Or it could be the fact that I'm admittedly a bit dense when it comes to virtual drum instruments that aren't Boom, Kong, or Ultrabeat.

[nigelpry]

There's no doubt, the more options and choices we're given, the more that's required to get our heads around it, and the less likely we are to make the effort.

Still, that's progress ;-)

I've gone from reading at least one novel/bio/factual book per week to reading at least one manual per week. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed the pleasure of reading a good book.

And the worst of it is ... It only takes a small amount of time between reading a manual and putting the concepts into practice for you to forget many of the subtleties.

[PatriotsBiker]

I've enjoyed the sounds from Strike. I very much like the swing knob as well as the consistent set up re-set patterns per, um, Pre-Set, as I think they call their highest level object.

There are more things to do and control in Strike than there are in EZD2. More access to mixer and effects, for example. I'm led to believe that the Superior gives what EZD2 does not in that regard. Time will tell.

There are some other nice hats and cymbals on the market. Some of the kits/Presets/Mixes on Strike had some nice ones.

I, too, have had some beyond latency issues with re-tracking say a kick of snare while leaving the rest of it alone. 1/16th to 1/8th off with no tempo changes.

The biggest issue I have with it, though, is what I think mesaone might be referring to. There are many things that can be done, and that does add to the messy GUI factor. But get a real life issue at hand, like a bit of a snap more than you'd like on the snare. Is it in the OHs, the kit-mics, the mix, the instrument controls each having those miserable faders. Maybe it's not there, though, maybe it's in the effects. Find your way through them and mayne or maybe not find the answer there. Why? Because you ended up not liking the sample.

So for a summary or a review? Sure, decent enough tones. Bring your patience as the GUI beyond the main window gets cumbersome. Really, it's not a bad product at all. I'm surprised we don't hear more about it around PT land and now beyond.

Having said that, I swear off it once a year. It just pisses me off sometimes. :/ An easy jump to Studio drummer or EZ and life is good.