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[thedrumdoctor]

I wonder how much of the Toontrack customer base are e-drummers seeking more realism? I imagine they will put their R&D into the higher number users which I will hazard a guess are not us.

I will also guess the majority of e-drummers will be triggering via proprietary modules – which focuses the module preset settings to the industry standards and are of zero use to me. SD + a range of standard module settings is the obvious safety shot for a stable release candiate. The problem with the eDRUMin controller is, it will always expose the limitations of a sample library – very quickly. On the other hand, it will always extract the ultimate capabilities from a sample library. I can remember how mind blowing it was to move from the limited MIDI info sent from a TD-20 and hearing SD’s samples reborn under the influence of the eDRUMin and my custom trigger settings.

Perhaps the big spenders are the sound engineer/producer people? I imagine from a sound engineer’s point of view, they are more interested in drum replacement or layering on top of acoustic drums. These guys like lots of different toys to play with, whereas we spend our time trying to get one kit sounding as real as possible! It is a high quality studio tool at the end of the day. Then there’s the songwriter market looking for fast out-of-the box realism for demos. Both SD and EZ will tick their boxes giving them a range of studio drum sounds for any genre. Perhaps we are a smaller part of the SD market…

thedrumdoctor

• This post was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by thedrumdoctor.

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Thanked by: Shen G

[thedrumdoctor]

Linux support! Ok, now for the most likely request…

I use SD3 for home recording on a converted acoustic kit. I don’t use proprietary modules to send MIDI information, I use the eDRUMin controller system.

The only thing which still doesn’t quite make the mark for me, is the hi-hat transition sounds. I now use an optical hi-hat controller on a real hi-hat stand, with 2 cymbals, which delivers CC info from 0-127. My physical playing experience is very, very realistic and SD3 is receiving the full gamut of CC information.

Modules, if I remember correctly from my own Roland TD plus VH hi-hat experiences, seemed to deliberately limit the amount of CC information generated in order to suit their own hi-hat controller and hi-hat sound libraries. I also remember watching the CC information sent to the computer from modules and it was very limited and inconsistent.

It seems to me, VST sound libraries have been created to work with the limited CC information sent by third party modules. However, once you break out of those limitations, the realism possibilities change to a new level. It’s almost like the CC info I send from the eDRUMin outmatches the available articulations/transitions in SD3. Believe me, I’ve been through the hi-hat transition page to try different permutations and tried all of the possibilities in the eDRUMin hi-hat controller to find a compromise of sorts. In fact, in my opinion, the eDRUMin controller is a work of genius and offers way more MIDI note manipulation than any proprietary module on the market. I know you R&D with the most popular e-drum brands, but please spare a thought for those of us who are prepared to invest in your software who go beyond the confines of standard drum modules.

Also (though I’m sure you are already aware), hi-hat cymbals have a slight delay to them when playing closed-to-loose-to-open and vice-versa. The sound travels with the air coming out of the cymbals, creating a slight delay in how the brain processes the sound. When I play a hi-hat ‘bark’ from fully open to fully closed in SD3, it sounds like the notes cut off abruptly. In real life, the air moves and throws the sound. I have attempted to ‘fix’ this by adding a far room mic to the hi-hat mix with only a hi-hat room sound. It’s only milliseconds but it’s an integral part of the human hi-hat playing experience. I would like to see your next release confront directly this unresolved frontier of VST hi-hat realism.

Now, it is worth me saying for the record, I am only using the stock SD3 sounds, which are incredible if you are prepared to spend the time on tuning them. Perhaps I am missing out from a better hi-hat experience because I don’t have any other SDX packs? I don’t know. Perhaps there are more advanced sample articulations which would reflect better the CC information sent by more realistic electronic hi-hat setups?

Thank you for listening.

thedrumdoctor

[thedrumdoctor]

I’ll throw my tuppence in for Linux, but it won’t happen. I use Affinity Design Suite and you should see the multiple threads in the user forums demanding/begging/screaming for a Linux version. No one’s expecting a free version either. Everyone is prepared to pay for a Linux version but it’s not going to happen. I doubt Toontrack have Linux in their future projects like Affinity don’t. I’ve accepted a move to Apple because I’m not buying into Windows 11. But I’ll live in hope for a change of heart.

thedrumdoctor

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Thanked by: wannabee

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