Drummer Magazine
SDX: Custom & Vintage – Toontrack
Released as the third expansion pack for Superior Drummer 2.0, the Custom & Vintage SD delivers exactly what it says on the box and brings together a mouth-watering collection of rare and valuable drums and shoves ‘em onto your computer’s hard drive.
Load this pack into Superior Drummer and the first thing that really hits you is what a wide ranging collection of lust inducing drums you have at your fingertips (or mouse pointer). From the classic 1920s Ludwig Black Beauty or WFL 1930s Maple 14 x 6.5”, up to more modern rarities, like the Craviotto Timeless Timber, they are here. And that’s just the snare drums. A quick look down the complete kit list reveals a truly amazing collection of really stunning rare and collectible gear. You want a Slingerland Studio King? Check. A Gretsch round bade kit? No problem. How about a Nobel & Cooley Star Series or a Zildjian 1950s 22” ride? Nice.
Following on from the selection of drums on offer, the actual recording process was no slouch either. This pack was recorded at 2Khz studio in London on a classic mixing desk that used to reside in Abbey Road no less, using a raft of vintage microphones. Peter Henderson, the producer, has worked with George Martin, Rush and Frank Zappa amongst others, whilst Chris Whitten (Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, The Pretenders) got to hit these beauties.
Okay, so far so dreamy, how do these (in)famous drums sound? Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, pretty damn good. Everything is well recorded and the whole package has a pleasing (well, to my ears at least) natural, ‘British’ sounding quality to it; nothing is polished to death – a fair criticism that can be directed at some US productions on occasion.
If I have to dig for a negative it’s that straight out of the box, these drums sound less dynamic or instantly exciting than some of the other expansion packs I have reviewed. This is because the sole focus here is the drums themselves, not the sound of the room or any studio trickery. What you get is each drum meticulously recorded and ready for you to build your own (or someone else’s) sound around. So if you expect to load up the Gretsch round badge kit and instantly have it sounding like a vintage Charlie Watts recording, you’re not going to get it.
Don’t get me wrong, this pack is full of fantastically well recorded, very playable, extremely rare drums that you and I are probably never going to own or play but, exactly like finally meeting your childhood heroes, don’t expect too much from them.
Summary
Once again, it’s quite amazing how far we seem to have come in producing realistic, virtual drum programs in such a small space of time. All of these expansion packs are extremely well recorded and put together and would really compliment any computer-savvy drummers’ sonic armoury. Oh, and lets not forget just how much fun they are to play via a set of E-drums and a fast computer.
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