Recommended SDX packs

[bpjacobsen]

Been listening to some of the SDX demos and I’m just wondering what everyone thinks is the best SDX pack for rock/progressive/metal? So far, these are the ones I have jotted down as ones that I like:

Custom and Vintage
Fields of Rock
Death and Darkness
The Progressive Foundary
Legacy of Rock
Metal Machinery

That is about as far as I got in the list starting at the top.

I’m not a huge fan of a lot of reverb/ambience. I like more of a crisp sound but with maybe some compression and very little ambience. just enough to make it crack but not dominating in echo etc.

My acoustic to E converted kit is rather large and running 2 ED8 and 1 ed4 all split except for the cymbals. it’s got 5 toms, snare, kick w/ double tama pedal, 8 octobans, 3 rotos, 5 blocks, cowbell, 6 cymbals including ride, 3 crash, splash, and china. obviously hi hat.

• This post was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by bpjacobsen.

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[rcmrecords]

I don’t own any of these but I for one am deff interested in the legacy of rock sdx.

Operating system: Windows 10

• This post was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by rcmrecords.

[Shen G]

BEST ANSWER

I personally love Fields of Rock for modern rock.  Legacy of Rock for classic Led Zeppelin era rock.  For the progressive metal part I would recommend Death and Darkness.  I use it a lot for other stuff too eg. Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Tool.  The ping of the Dunnet cast iron snare *chef kiss*, plus all the bell brass’s.  Plenty of nice drums in that pack, seems like good “value”.

I’m particularly biased towards the SDX’s that have come after SD3, I think they sound a step above the couple I have from pre SD3 (Rock Warehouse and Prog Foundry).  But I’m a lazy amateur who doesn’t want to spend time working to get the best sound from things.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.3.6
Operating system: Windows 10

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Thanked by: AltRootz

[BlueMistral]

+1 for Fields of Rock, the Stormtrooper kit is just killer

[bpjacobsen]

So I’m wondering, is it really worth purchasing these SDX packs? I mean, are they really that much better than the stock library? Prob a silly question but I’m asking anyway. LOL

[Bear-Faced Cow]

It’s not a silly question. However, only you can answer that question. Each SDX is a different producer with their own different method of recording each kit piece. All you can do is listen to them and see if it appeals to you or not.

That being said, I have my own go to SDXs. So which may not be on your list:

The Rock Foundry

Legacy of Rock

Hitmaker

Roots

Indiependent

 

jord

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Jordan L. Chilcott

Web Site: https://jordanchilcottmusic.com/

[BlueMistral]

Since you’re playing E-Drums and you’re not a producer/song writer, I can tell you that some libraries sound great on the computer but are not so great when used with E-drums, like the Death & Darkness for instance, the stock library is also recorded very quietly, you can barely hear the cymbals whereas the Fields of Rock is just plug and play with edrums, you just need to modify the midi mapping but then you can blow your ears off very easily!

[Shen G]

BlueMistral wrote:

Since you’re playing E-Drums and you’re not a producer/song writer, I can tell you that some libraries sound great on the computer but are not so great when used with E-drums, like the Death & Darkness for instance, the stock library is also recorded very quietly, you can barely hear the cymbals whereas the Fields of Rock is just plug and play with edrums, you just need to modify the midi mapping but then you can blow your ears off very easily!

Yeah, so much this.  I know all my preferred SDX’s are mixed/levelled to have max velocity bashing to be closer to 0dB on the main outs.  Mainly what I mean when I say they sound better to me and I’m too lazy to volume/level match everything.  I get what you mean with D&D SDX, though I find Death OK, but Darkness a bit quiet.

Then are other strange decisions like many Tom Dalgety presets from Fields of Rock having velocity envelopes on the kick and snares that make them too quiet etc.  Perhaps this is a difference in  design choice for e-drums vs midi programming.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.3.6
Operating system: Windows 10

[pumpkinking]

For a “load and play” eDrum experience, I find that Legacy, Hansa, Fields and Hitmaker are the best.  Some of the presets sound good to me without tweaks.  I like the sound of the other post-SD3 SDXs but they take some fiddling when used with eDrums, to my ear anyway.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.3.6
Operating system: macOS Sonoma (14)

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