Perhaps one of the trickiest parts about simulating a real instrument in a digital context is the development of high-quality sound settings and of course, a great emulation of the interpretation as well. It is true that when it comes to Rock music (especially heavy music styles), the dynamics of the songs tend to be flatter in comparison to other genres, so we can use this as an advantage in order to achieve convincing results when playing a virtual instrument for rock music. The fact that this type of music is less varied in terms of dynamics does not mean it deserves less than other music genres. There are great virtual tools that can achieve outstanding results not only for this type of music but also for almost any kind of rhythm.
Today I would like to talk about two of these remarkable virtual tools, looking forward to mentioning their most relevant features and the possibilities that both instruments offer in order to approach the simulation of a drum kit. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Steven Slate Drums 4 platinum library and, Superior Drummer by Toontrack.
The main reason why I included Slate Drums 4 in the list, is its sound quality and its massive variety of drum parts. I have to say that this library is one of my favorites when it comes to triggering* snares or kicks, whether I am doing it under simulation conditions or even under real Drum recording in the Studio. If you are looking for the characteristic punchy sound of metal music, these snares and kicks are a great starting point.
“All in all, it’s a powerful package that can cover any drum sound in any musical style. Highly recommended.” Mitch Gallagher.
Superior drummer is a virtual instrument that has not only given us the opportunity of controlling a real drum kit through specific individual recordings of every single drum and cymbal (including their interpretation techniques) but also it is the perfect signal-routing software that allows the music producer to work in different modes through its stand-alone version and of course its instrument “insert” for your DAW as VST or Au for Logic Pro users.
Toontrack has recorded each part of the drum set in many different strength levels in order to play the instrument by using the 127 midi notes we have available for MIDI velocity values. One of my favorite features is the articulation tool, this amazing characteristic allows the musician to choose different spots to hit within each drum and cymbal and also brings different articulation modes. This is what makes Superior Drummer one of the best Drums simulation tools. SD allows the user to achieve truly realistic groves as well as precise control on what you want to play and how you want to play it; not to mention the huge variety of libraries (from different music genres) that are offered by this unstoppable firm that is currently releasing its third version for this incredible virtual instrument.
*a sound replacement technique.