The Rock Foundry SDX features a staggering 65 GB of raw, unprocessed drum sounds recorded by arguably the most notable, influential and sought-after engineer/producer of our time: Bob Rock.
The Rock Foundry SDX was recorded at Bob Rock’s choice studio The Warehouse in Vancouver, BC, and designed to give you the most flexible selection of drums, ambiences and options possible. It’s configured as two individual SDXs, one ‘Main’ and one ‘Mono.’ The ‘Main’ features six kits captured with a traditional multiple microphone technology wheres as the ‘Mono’ configuration was recorded using a minimal setup. In addition to the seven individual kits, a large selection of extra snares, kicks and cymbals are provided, making The Rock Foundry SDX an incredibly broad palette of raw material to use to craft drum mixes within the powerful framework of Superior Drummer 3.
If writing and performing a song is magic, the art of engineering and shaping sound is the alchemy that makes music transcend and become legendary. It’s how you position microphones right from the start, how you place drums in a room and how you ultimately process each individual piece to fit in a mix. The latter part is left up to you. Should you rather go for Bob Rock’s drum mixes as a starting point, we’ve included a selection of presets engineered by the man himself.
Please note: This product requires Superior Drummer 3.
Completed in 1886 and originally meant to serve as a supply warehouse, the two-story brick structure on the southeast corner of Powell and Columbia in downtown Vancouver, BC, once known as the Oppenheimer Building today hosts one of the world’s best and most advanced recording studios. The main hall, with its hard brick walls and dense wooden floors, is a marvel of acoustic engineering and the perfect ambience for recording loud, reverberant but still controlled and subtly detailed drums.
While Metallica’s groundbreaking “Black Album” may be one of the more commonly known works in his discography, Bob Rock’s engineering and producing credits stretch all the way back to the late ’70s and include some of the best selling acts in rock history: Survivor, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, Bryan Adams and many, many more. In all of his productions, a common denominator is phenomenally engineered and mixed drums. In fact, his work with Metallica and Mötley Crüe may very well have set a new standard as to how we mix drums to sit in a mix. Needless to say, his influence on the sound of hard rock and metal as we know it is monumental. We’re happy to present the first-ever sample library to bear his sonic seal.
Learn more about the product and listen to extensive audio examples in these videos.
This kit was specially requested by Bob Rock in the same sizes that were used on Metallica’s “Black Album”. The shells are made from a six-ply maple and gumwood combination and come from the revered period of Jasper manufacture. This is a true classic that transcends genres and has stood the test of time.
This kit was also sampled with snare wires off.
A high-end kit derived from Yamaha’s flagship PHX line of drums that launched back in the 1970s. It was designed to capture every nuance of performance, with a bright sound that is lively and almost has a “mix-ready” quality to its tone. Hybrid Maple shells consist of seven plies: paired maple plies inside and out, with a core triple sandwich of maple-wenge-maple. These drums are at the apex of engineering and quality.
1967 was the last year of Ludwig’s production of shells in three ply mahogany and poplar. The combination of shell construction and the baseball bat bearing edges give an extremely fat tone that typifies the drums of the 1950s through the early to mid 1960s.
Considered some of Ludwig’s best-ever shells and highly sought after. From 1968 through 1976, the three-ply shells changed to a maple poplar construction, resulting in a slightly more edgy timbre. The drums were damped during the session to create that classic early ‘70s sound.
As rock music got louder, Ludwig changed the construction of their drums to keep up. Shells produced from 1976 are six-ply construction with a 45 degree bearing edge, creating a brighter sound that cuts through better i all frequencies. Great for rock but also for big band jazz and, well, any genre. The toms partnered with the Gretsch kick drum create the classic Buddy Rich sound in Bob Rock’s jazz preset.
This kit was also sampled with snare wires off.
One of the most well known Canadian drum manufacturers. Shells are 100% hard rock maple and date from the earlier years of Ayotte drum production, widely considered as their best. Recorded with the giant 26″ ported Ludwig kick drum, it creates a formidable combination.
The mono kit. A classic British three-ply mahogany drum kit by the foremost British drum manufacturer famously endorsed by Keith Moon, Nicko McBrain, Mitch Mitchell and Phil Collins (to name a few).
Drum grooves and fills inspired by hard rock music of the past four decades.
HARD ROCK GROOVES
KICK
14×26″ Ludwig ’70s 3-Ply Maple
(snare wires on and off)
SNARE
7×14″ Dunnett Cast Bronze
(snare wires on and off)
HI-HATS
15″ Sabian Artisan
RIDE
24″ Sabian HHX Legacy Ride
CYMBAL 2
20″ Sabian AAX Vault Crash
CYMBAL 5
20″ Sabian Artisan Brilliant Crash
RACK TOM 1
9×13″ Gretsch USA Custom Stop Sign Badge
(snare wires on and off)
RACK TOM 2
10×14″ Gretsch USA Custom Stop Sign Badge
(snare wires on and off)
FLOOR TOM 1
16×16″ Gretsch USA Custom Stop Sign Badge
(snare wires on and off)
FLOOR TOM 2
18×16″ Gretsch USA Custom Stop Sign Badge
(snare wires on and off)
EXTRA KICKS
14×26″ Ludwig ’70s 3-Ply Maple 2
14×24″ Ludwig Vistalite
(snare wires on and off)
14×24″ Dunnett Titanium
(snare wires on and off)
EXTRA SNARE
6.5×14″ Brady Sheoak
(snare wires on and off)
KICK
14×24″ Yamaha Absolute Maple Hybrid
SNARE
5.5×14″ Tama Bell Brass
SIDE SNARE
14×5″ Ludwig Vintage Acrolite
HI-HATS
16″ Sabian Artisan Light Hats
RIDE
22″ Sabian HHX Legacy Heavy Ride
CYMBAL 2
21″ Sabian HHX Legacy Crash
CYMBAL 3
6 and 8″ Stacked Sabian AAX Aero Splashes
CYMBAL 4
20″ Sabian HHX Legacy Crash
CYMBAL 5
18″ Sabian AAX Vault Crash
RACK TOM 1
8×12″ Yamaha Absolute Maple Hybrid
RACK TOM 2
9×13″ Yamaha Absolute Maple Hybrid
FLOOR TOM 1
15×16″ Yamaha Absolute Maple Hybrid
FLOOR TOM 2
18×16″ Yamaha Absolute Maple Hybrid
KICK
14×22″ Ludwig ’60s Mahogany/Poplar
SNARE
6.5×14″ Ludwig Black Beauty
HI-HATS
15″ Sabian Crescent Fat Hats
RIDE
24″ Sabian AA Bash Ride
CYMBAL 2
21″ Sabian HHX Evolution Crash
CYMBAL 4
18″ Sabian HHX Manhattan Crash
RACK TOM 1
9×13″ Ludwig Mahogany/Poplar
FLOOR TOM 1
16×16″ Ludwig Mahogany/Poplar
KICK
14×22″ Ludwig ’70s Maple/Poplar
SNARE
14×5″ Dunnett Maple Prototype with wood hoops
HI-HATS
14″ Zildjian 1970s Canadian K
RIDE
20″ Sabian Artisan Light Ride with Moongel
CYMBAL 1
18″ Sabian HH Dark Artisan Crash with Moongel
CYMBAL 3
18″ Sabian HH Dark Crash with Moongel
CYMBAL 4
18″ Sabian AAX Medium Crash with Moongel
RACK TOM 1
9×13″ Ludwig Maple/Poplar
FLOOR TOM 1
16×16″ Ludwig Maple/Poplar
KICK
14×24″ Gretsch USA Custom
(snare wires on and off)
SNARE
5×14″ George Way Dreamtime Blackwood
(snare wires on and off)
HI-HATS
14″ Zildjian 1960s K Istanbul
RIDE
24″ Sabian HHX Manhattan Ride
CYMBAL 2
22″ Sabian HHX Manhattan Ride
CYMBAL 4
20″ Sabian HHX Groove Ride
RACK TOM 1
9×13″ Ludwig Maple 6-Ply 1977
(snare wires on and off)
FLOOR TOM 1
16×16″ Ludwig Maple 6-Ply 1977
(snare wires on and off)
KICK
14×26″ Ludwig ’70s 3-Ply Maple Ported
SNARE
6.5×14″ Dunnett Titanium
HI-HATS
18″ Sabian HHX Crash Top with 18″ Sabian
HHX Manhattan Crash Bottom
CYMBAL 4
20″ Sabian AAX Aero Crash
RACK TOM 1
8×10″ Ayotte Maple 6-Ply
8×8″ Ayotte Maple 6-Ply
RACK TOM 2
9×12″ Ayotte Maple 6-Ply
FLOOR TOM 1
16×16″ Ayotte Maple 6-Ply
FLOOR TOM 2
18×16″ Ayotte Maple 6-Ply
EXTRA SNARES
8×14″ Dunnett “The Number 1” Stainless Steel
6×14″ Brady Solid Shell Jarrah Wood
6.5×14″ Flavio Cirillo Prototype Snare
6×12″ Brady Solid Shell Jarrah Wood
(snare wires on and off)
EXTRA CYMBALS
20″ Zildjian K Constantinople with rivets
Sabian stack with 21″ HHX Evolution Crash
20″ HHX O-Zone Crash/8″ AAX Aero Splash
KICK
14×20″ 1969 Premier 202 Outfit
SNARE
5×14″ 1973 Ludwig Acrolite
SNARE
5×14″ 1968 Ludwig COB Supraphonic
HATS
14″ 60s Zildjian K Istanbul
RIDE
20″ Zildjian K Constantinople Ride with three rivets
RACK TOM
8×12″ 1969 Premier 202 Outfit
FLOOR TOM
16×16″ 1969 Premier 202 Outfit
68 GB free hard disk space. 4 GB RAM (8 GB RAM or more recommended).
A working Superior Drummer 3.0 (or above) installation.
