Drum VI recommendations

[Phil O'Keefe]

I just tried to get the latest version of AIR Strike installed, but apparently it is a no-go on the Mac Studio and/or Monterey. So I’m looking for recommendations please. I liked the “variability” of Strike, and the various styles and grooves. The sounds were okay for the most part - I’m generally more interested in rock, jazz, country, etc. - more acoustic-oriented as opposed to electronic sounds.

So…what works for you for drums, and what do you recommend?



PS Yes, I have a real drum kit, and I can play on a basic level, but I need something I can use for writing and demoing things that would be difficult for me to play with my limited skills.

[Darryl Ramm]

I like Toontrack EZ Drummer or Superior Drummer for my simple needs, but others do a lot with them. Toontrack seems better than most with compatibility, updates etc. The new version EZ Drummer 3 is coming out in May, which you'll qualify for if purchasing now.

[albee1952]

My 2 cents, but I think Strike got passed by many years ago. EZDrummer2 and Addictive Drums 2 are both really good, and both quite easy to build performances with(BTW, Toontrack just announced EZDrummer3). Superior Drummer 3 takes it to a whole other level. Not only does it do everything EZDrummer does(and then some), it can play all the EZX kits and can act as one of the best drum replacement tools available(sorry Slate and Drumagog) Well worth the extra money if your budget allows

[TimothyJohn]

Originally Posted by albee1952

My 2 cents, but I think Strike got passed by many years ago. EZDrummer2 and Addictive Drums 2 are both really good, and both quite easy to build performances with(BTW, Toontrack just announced EZDrummer3). Superior Drummer 3 takes it to a whole other level. Not only does it do everything EZDrummer does(and then some), it can play all the EZX kits and can act as one of the best drum replacement tools available(sorry Slate and Drumagog) Well worth the extra money if your budget allows

I agree w/Albee and Darryl. I very much enjoy using EZ Drummer. It's good. It just works! But I sympathize about Strike. Very, very cool, especially how it used the keyboard to lay out the intro, vs, chorus, fills, etc. As I would work with a particular kit and genre (of which there were MANY), I'd soon learn the sound of each, and build tracks on the fly. EX Drummer's layout is more for pre-planning and arranging. I also LOVE DrumCore. But like EZ Drummer, lends itself to auditioning and preplanning. Strike was so much fun to use on the fly, and sad to see it in oblivion for now. Also, EZ Drummer was "Johnny on the Spot" in terms of native compatibility for Apple Silicon. Cheeezus H.!!! Makes you wonder why everyone else is having such a hard time. Drumcore still doesn't work with Monterey. Bummer.

Another vote for EZ Drummer soon to be 3.

[Stephen Bond]

Big fan of Strike here. Sounds are not great out of the box. Poorly/over mixed kits in for my taste but great selection of patterns and features. Using it with Big Sur and the M1 better than ever before!

NI Drummers get a lot of use. Need some tweaking to the sounds again but a good selection of patterns to get you started and edit and sounds are good.

Use Slate SSD a good bit too. Some nice sounds but overcooked in the recording department for my taste which leaves you boxed in with their sound, which is generally rock centric. I have the Blackbird expansion too which gets more use but still over (pre) cooked for my taste. Some good patterns, some quite complex and others too basic but in general too few patterns and styles compared to Strike and NI drummers. Stop making free sample packs Steven and enhancing the products you sell!

I bought EZDrummers 2 fairly recently as I had a demo song it sounded good on but I haven't used it really yet. Felt short changed in the patterns department. Too few for sure and probably a ruse to get you to buy their endless expansions. Sounds are good but not incredible. I'll probably upgrade to V3 and hopefully this will turn out to be true?!

"NEW MIDI LIBRARY
A massive library covering all major music genres (pop, rock, electronic, hip-hop, reggae and much more)."

Can't see a list on the website yet though

Stephen

[musicman691]

Toontrack is coming out with a EZ Drummer 3 in May. If you buy EX Drummer 2 now you get the new one free when it drops. Supposedly a whole slew of changes in the new version. Current price $179.


Do stay away from BFD. The program is okay but there are authorization issues with it. You have to stay logged in to their license manager but you don't have to be online. Also you can/will lose authorization because it has to see the license server every few months. It's supposed to be like 6 months but good luck with that. I have it and the only reason I haven't moved to Superior Drummer is the cost. I'd go EZ Drummer but there's no MIDI remapping in it - only the big dog has it.


Then there's NI's Battery 4. It's ok if you need a GM compatible drumkit but that's it.

[noiseboyuk]

Another vote for Superior Drummer / EZ Drummer 3. Sounds great and features like Tap 2 Find and Song Creator are stunningly good. Since SD3 I’ve got zero interest in any other acoustic drum program. The expansions can be great but have got more expensive of late, wait for the bigger sales there.

[albee1952]

Okay, 3 cents with all of these options, the sounds are okay right out of the box. But its actually quite easy to split them out to individual tracks and treat them like a multi-tracked kit(once you have the midi/loops all arranged). Quick example: I almost never use the ambience mics on any. Instead, I feed the tracks to my own favorite room simulation. I also will EQ pretty much everything and often will gate floor toms as they can ring out much too long(they sound great when solo'd, but not in a mix)

[Benoni]

As others have said, Superior Drummer 3 if you want EVERYTHING in a drum VI with tons of expansions available - AND it integrates with EZkeys and EZbass very well. SD3 is unrivaled in what a drum VI can do. PRICE: $399

I use to use and recommend BFD3, but they were sold to inMusic which doesn't have a great track record of updating things. If BFD4 ever comes out, my opinion may change.

EZdrummer, if you want something that is super easy, with pre-mixed sounds and not a lot of controls. PRICE: $179 You'll also get EZ3 when it comes out.

If you have Kontakt, there are plenty of drum libraries for it that sound great, of course the whole DRUMMER series from NI to a library I reviewed a few weeks ago called Red Pack Drums DS Drum RCS Essentials which has production ready sounds.


If you are into black/death metal, then there's KVLT DRUMS 2 from Ugritone. If you go this route use code BENONI to get 20% off.

If you want more electronic drums then Battery 4, AIR Drum Synth 500, and a bunch of libraries that run in Kontakt or Reaktor like Polyplex, and of course there is Maschine

If you go the Kontakt or REAKTOR route, its usually much cheaper to just get the whole KOMPLETE bundle.

There's also IK MODO Drum which I haven't used, but heard it sounds good. If you have any IK product worth $99 or more get the crossgrade for $182 here

It all comes down to how you like to work. Do you want to program or play in your MIDI into the DAW? Or do you want a drum VI that has a sequencer built-in to program drum hits? Or do you want to drag in MIDI loops?

[Eric Lambert]

Superior Drummer 3 or EZ Drummer 3.