Music Tech Magazine
The Metal Foundry - Toontrack
Toontrack leads from the front in the multi-sampled drum kit world, and this latest expansion pack for Superior Drummer 2.0 is no exception. The five DVDs contain a total of seven drum kits that span 300,000 audio files of individual hits recorded from the various close and ambient mics. You get four install options, from a basic 3.5GB kit to the full 33.6GB library including all additional mics and bleed options. The range of kicks, snares, toms and cymbals far exceeds any of the other packs to date, reflecting modern metal drummers’ obsession with multi-piece kits. All these options mean you can create your own hybrid monster setup and fill the Superior interface with double kick drums and a mass of toms and cymbals.
Sound quality is faultless; although is may not have the subtleties of, say, the Jazz pack, you’re unlikely to notice when you’re flying through metal beats at 250BPM. A whole heap of presets are available compiled by a selection of pros, and most have an extremely close and tight sound that works well with insanely fast rhythms and fills. Custom MIDI files are also available as a download after product registration that really shows off the potential of the pack, with looks from Gene Hoglan and Dirk Verbeuren and further beats from Peter Fredlander.
This expansion pack is another astonishing achievement for the Toontrack team, proving that the platform is capable of reproducing even the most complex of setups and beats, while the sheer number of drum options available makes it extremely versatile.
Verdict: A huge library of expertly recorded drums and insanely heavy beats – a must for metal maestros.
Rating: 9/10
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