Built-in Compressor and Transient Designers too spongy sound Not punchy enough

[MouseClickDrummer]

So i thought i would no longer have to use my compression in pro tools for tight and punchy kicks but it seems i have to go back to doing that. I would have much preferred to just get the drum mix done in S3 with its internal plug-ins but those plug-ins are just not pro sounding enough.

Does anybody notice that once again in S3 like in S2, the buil-in dynmics plug-ins just dont have that tight and punchy impact that other plug-ins in the daw have?  I cannot get the same punch out of any compressor or transient designer. The compressors sound whey too spongy  on the dynamics and the transient designer is too thin sounding.   dont even know what the point was for TT to include those plug-ins when it just doesnt give you that impact from a pro studio. I assume that using the built-in plug-ins are just for demo purposes.

With that being said if i need to use the built in EQs which i do like then I will be forced to use in the Daw Compression after EQ which is not exactly ideal.

Does anyone know how to get the built-in plugins to sound better?  I love the drum sounds but the dynamics simply do not come close to the SSL compressor plug-in i use from UAD  or BX and i dont understand what the point is in using it.

ive tried the presets in Death and Darkness but still no cigar.

You just won’t get those types of Impactful yet tight kicks like from Lamb of God or some of the Deftones  records.  At least I havent been able to.

• The post has been modified 3 times, last modified 2 years, 10 months ago by MouseClickDrummer.

Topic

[drumjack52]

I ran into the same thing as you – tried some of the presets and internal plugins in SD3 and they just don’t measure up to what I have available as external plugins like from Brainworx/Plugin Alliance, Fabfilter or other developers. Yeah some of the presets sound sorta ok but the individual plugins – nope. Take the internal 1176 emulation – acts like no other 1176 emu I have. The advantage I have is I don’t use the internal mixer as such but output each kit piece as individual tracks treating SD3 like I would a real physical drum kit. I might group the toms together on one channel and output that to my daw (PT) but that’s about it.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.3.2
Operating system: macOS High Sierra (10.13)

Jack
aka musicman691 on other forums
Superior Drummer 3.4.0
Area 33 1.0.0
Death and Darkness 1.0.1
PT 2021.6
OSX 10.13.6
3.46 GHz hex core 2012 MacPro 48 gig ram

[Bear-Faced Cow]

First of all, it doesn’t make sense to compare the compressors in SD3 to UAD. UA does extensive modelling of circuits where the ones in SD3 are an approximation. The Comp76 or 670 doesn’t hold a candle in any way to UA’s 1176 or Fairchild 670. I don’t know why you would stop using UAD if you have them. My drum bus usually has either a UAD 175B or DBX-160 (although the latest song I’m mixing is using the Fairchild 670) followed by a Studer A800.

Secondly, all compressors are spongy when misapplied. Compression in and of itself will not make any drum punchier. All you will wind up doing is squeezing the life out of your drums. Most of the punch characteristics come from harmonic saturation. UA extensively models circuits for their harmonic characteristics and their behaviour. SD3 not as much. I have added a bit of saturation at times, but it’s not the same.

That being said, yes, I have gotten good results with SD3’s compressors on the individual kit pieces or in parallel, but I will still use a UAD chain on the output bus for character. SD3’s compressors are great for controlling dynamics. Punch is added at the end.

jord

---

Jordan L. Chilcott

Web Site: https://jordanchilcottmusic.com/

• This post was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Bear-Faced Cow.

1

Thanked by: Chris Diablo

[Author]

Replies