Future Music
SDX The Lost New York Studios
When we reviewed Toontrack’s Superior Drummer 2.0 drum sampling software a few months ago we were seriously impressed with the flexibility it offered. The process all starts with the initial selection of drums to fill each of the slots in your virtual kit. S2.0 comes bundled with a fairly decent selection (known as the Avatar kit) but it’s also possible to install SDX expansion packs that allow you to choose from an even wider range of drums and cymbals. The first two SDX packs offer two quite different approaches.
The samples on The Lost New York Studios were recorded at two of New York’s most famous studios, both of which have now shut their doors for good. Between them, the Hit Factory and Allaire Studios have hosed sessions with big names like David Bowie and Paul Simon, and it’s that classic pop-rock sound that Toontrack have captured by recording these samples in their live rooms.
It’s a slight shame that different drums were recorded in each studio as it would be nice to be able to pick and choose which room sound you use, but the recording quality is top notch and the sounds are outstanding. From the Allaire sessions you can choose a variety of kick drums from Gretsch, Ludwig and Slingerland. Toms are from Ludwig, snares from Ludwig and Rogers. At the Hit Factory, kicks and toms are GMS while snares are Ludwig, GMS and Trick. Cymbals at both studios are Sabian.
My initial feeling was that £125 was expensive for an expansion pack. The SD software itself carried a price of over £200 so once you factor in either of these packages you’re looking at a big investment. However, after getting to grips with the packs I soon realised that the quality (and quantity) of the sounds included really justifies the price. When you consider that the price of each expansion pack is comparable with a couple of good sample DVDs it puts it into perspective, especially since I’m unaware of any sample DVD offering anything approaching this level offering anything approaching this level of flexibility.
Verdict
Stability: 10/10
Value: 9/10
Ease of Use: 10/10
Versatility: 9/10
Results: 10/10
Received the Future Music Platinum Award
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