Drummer Magazine
SDX: The Metal Foundry – Toontrack
No prizes for guessing the flavour of our next Superior Drummer 2.0 expansion pack. Yup, it’s all about hard rock and metal.
Recorded at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm and name checking Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake amongst others, Toontrack have taken their rawk responsibilities very seriously. This becomes instantly apparent in the size of the sound library: it’s a bit of a porker. The full install containing all the kit pieces and mic bleed weighs in at a pretty substantial 35GB spread over 5 DVDs. Of course there are options to install various cut down versions, starting at a more manageable 3.5GB, but for the full effect, a fast computer and lashings of ram/hard drive space are recommended.
Kit wise it’s a case of yet more desirable drums sorted into seven kits that vary from modest classic rock style set-ups to much bigger double kick drum and cymbal laden metal kits. Full kits include a Ludwig Silver sparkle and Amber Vistalite, whilst the individual pieces include some high tuned snares like the Pearl Ian Paice 14 x 6.5” and the lower, rockier Pearl Reference Low Pitched. Cymbal wise we are spoilt for choice with five sets of hats, four rides and a crate full of crashes, splashes, Chinas etc. I also liked some of the more unusual drums available, like the WFL Marching Snare and 6 and 8” Tama Imperial Star toms that make a nice alternative to the more standard kit pieces. If this is all far too much choice, there are some great kit presets to use as a starting point as well as some well put together midi files to download (once the pack has been registered) that really show off what the kits can do.
From a sound point of view, this pack hits its target full on, with well recorded kits that sound tight and focused, great for all those high speed beats and fills, but still retaining some great sonic character. In fact the whole pack has a great sounding vibe to it that makes it fun to use whether pounding out 150BPM blast beats or something funkier with a slower groove.
The Metal Foundry is yet another well recorded and expertly put together set of drum sounds that goes well beyond its intended genre to be useable in a wide range of styles.
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