DaveR
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Best Drum Software for V-Drums
I have been using EZDrummer triggered from my Roland VDrums TD-12. The results are pretty good, but I'm looking for something new because:
1. The hi-hat sounds. None of the EZX I tried have "crisp" sounding closed hi-hats. They all sound "splotchy", as if the pedal is not quite depressed all the way. (I have confirmed the controller data accurately shows full closed vs. full open values.)
2. The flexibility. Initially I enjoyed the simplicity of EZD but I've outgrown its lack of customizability. For example I might like the sound of a particular kit except for the snare, which I want to take from a different kit.
3. More realistic performance capture from VDrums. I find that EZD does a very good job, but think it can be better. I'm looking for a nuanced performance that sounds like the live drummer who played it.
I've looked at Superior Drummer but it seems to go in the complete opposite direction, allowing very detailed control over everything. It seems great but might require more time than I'd like to spend dialing in the right drumkit. Also, I assume the samples are based on the same recordings as the EZD and still might lack the "crisp" closed HH I am looking for.
I would appreciate any opinion on which drum plug-in offers great sounding drumkits and captures a realistic live performance from Roland VDrums.
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cclarry
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/22 17:48:53
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Have you tried Addictive Drums 2? If you're looking for ease AND control,
at an affordable price then that is the way I'd go...
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Sidroe
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/22 18:56:29
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ANY drum software is going to have a somewhat steep learning curve. I have BFD, AD2, and Superior. I prefer Superior even though it does look very daunting when it comes to tweaks.
I would think that if you are on EZD, it would probably not take you much effort to learn Superior rather than going to a completely different instrument all together.
Superior looks more intimidating than it really is. And you can use your EZD kits in Superior as well. Jump ship and you have to start buying all new kits for whatever software you bought. And, besides, I would rather have more features now to learn than get something else that still isn't offering all those features that you wished you had that scared you off in the first place.
On the other hand, BFD and AD2 are very nice right out of the box. I will say that I have not been so impressed that I bought more kits for either one. I did buy a jazz brush kit for a stupid cheap price for BFD. That being said, I've not even used it on a project yet. I have never NOT had to tweak anything to get what I want to hear out of it. Just one guys opinion. I wish you luck in your search.
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gmon72
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/22 20:22:47
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If you like raw sounding cymbals, it's hard to beat BFD3. For general hihat tightness, I like BFD 3, SD2 the best. SSD 4 plays nice with vdrums too, but the sounds are more mix ready and may or may not be what you want. AD2 also plays great with vdrums, but to my ears at least, the cymbals and hats are it's weakest link. You mention EZD. Are you on v2? It plays much better with vdrums and you can easily swap kit pieces. There are a ton of expansion kits. Maybe one will come close to what you want.
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Leadfoot
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/22 23:48:41
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I'm really liking BFD3. They have a demo. Try it out! 
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cclarry
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/23 08:04:56
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Leadfoot
I'm really liking BFD3. They have a demo. Try it out!
Nothing compares right now to BFD 3 IMO...
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strikinglyhandsome1
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/23 08:56:26
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BFD is the best I've heard for vdrums and that was BFD 2. They've moved up a notch since then too.
I'm not a vdrummer but use Superior, which has lot of kits (purchased separately), and that has a number of artist presets packs (purchased separately) that do all the fiddling for you.
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twaddle
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/23 09:44:41
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Given that you already have EZdrummer then superior might seem the logical or most cost effective route to take. I agree that the kits in EZdrummer sound pretty much the same as they do in Superior so if you've fallen out of love with them you're probably not going to fall back in love with them by upgrading AD2 would be the next cost effective option and it's definitely a step up from EZdrummer and not being an edrummer I can't comment on hi-hat playability. If you can afford it then BFD3 is IMO the best sounding and full featured out there right now. It's actually not that hard to get to grips with and is really intuitively laid out so you don't really have to spend too long getting it up and running. Out of the box the kits sound better than any others I've heard, and I mean better in the sense that they sound natural and unprocessed which of course they they are. The hi-hats in particular are really good. You can of course get demo's of both and try them out for your self. One thing about the BFD3 demo that's understandably annoyed a lot of edrummers is that it comes with limited articulations which really isn't what you want when trying out the hat-hats but but you'll at least hear how they sound. I can't recommend BFD3 highly enough as anyone who's read my posts over the years will know, I'm a complete and utter out of the closet, fan boy It's not cheap but you really do get what you pay for. Steve
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cclarry
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/23 10:41:38
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I agree with Steve completely....on all counts...
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auto_da_fe
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/25 14:02:37
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I went through the experience with a very good drummer friend of mine who is a hi hat player in the mold of Copeland. He bought the TD 20 brain and a real expensive set e drum kit (the name of the kit escapes me...) Long story short, as long as he was playing the Roland drums sounds, everything triggered pretty nice, hi hat included. Once you start pumping midi out of the TD20 brain, into a PC, throgh the DAW and then trigger BFD2, things get really off. The snares and kicks and toms all trigger very well, the hi hat....well not so much. Things may have gotten better in the last little while with some Drum Vsti, but the overall issue is not the crisp layered sounds of the samples, instead it is with the triggering of the samples from the brain. We never got around to trying this, but this may be missing link in getting hi hat midi to trigger a drum vsti accurately. http://alesis.com/triggerioI would be interested to hear from anyone using this. Good Luck !
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Mesh
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2014/08/25 14:13:16
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D Deboom
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2017/11/12 15:59:44
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having the same problem with MIDI hi-hat tigger issues with TD 20. The hat is either open all the time or closed.
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bapu
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BobF
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2017/11/12 20:38:04
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EZD2 allows you to easily swap kit pieces between any of the kits you have installed.
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2017/11/12 21:06:26
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FWIW, If you're looking for all the nuance you can get from a real hi-hat, you may not be completely satisfied by any sample library.
If that's the case, consider recording acoustic cymbals using e-Drum pads for the drum sounds.
In this scenario, you can get by with a pair of well placed overheads.
A live example of this is TSO. Sounds very good live or recorded.
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cclarry
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2017/11/12 21:27:50
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☄ Helpfulby bapu 2017/11/12 21:44:11
bapu
cclarry
Leadfoot
I'm really liking BFD3. They have a demo. Try it out!
Nothing compares right now to BFD 3 IMO...
Still true?
No. The advent of SD3 makes this statement obsolete, in more ways than one.
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.
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2017/11/12 23:36:04
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bapu
cclarry
Nothing compares right now to BFD 3 IMO...
Still true?
IMO, most certainly is still true, I pretty much own them all, and I got Superior 3, but BFD3 still creams it IMO, sure SD3 has some nice stuff, but stuff like the drum replacement and the tap to find stuff like EZD2 had/has etc is of no interest to me, a few ' new' features have been available in BFD for 10 years, using own samples etc, BFD3 still has more built in FX ( not that I use them much), but the main thing is the sound, the available kits etc ( I have them all), but most importantly the sound, and for me BFD3 is still where it's at in that area, plus BFD3 is quite deep, a lot of people just skim the surface and miss a lot of what actually can be done, it takes time to learn it if you want to get the most out of it. For me Superior Drummer 3 is just sitting there on the hard drive collecting virtual dust just as SD2 did, I still await the day that something that eclipses BFD3, because that will be a great day.
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bapu
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Re: Best Drum Software for V-Drums
2017/11/13 19:04:06
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Matron Landslide
bapu
cclarry
Nothing compares right now to BFD 3 IMO...
Still true?
IMO, most certainly is still true, I pretty much own them all, and I got Superior 3, but BFD3 still creams it IMO, sure SD3 has some nice stuff, but stuff like the drum replacement and the tap to find stuff like EZD2 had/has etc is of no interest to me, a few 'new' features have been available in BFD for 10 years, using own samples etc, BFD3 still has more built in FX (not that I use them much), but the main thing is the sound, the available kits etc (I have them all), but most importantly the sound, and for me BFD3 is still where it's at in that area, plus BFD3 is quite deep, a lot of people just skim the surface and miss a lot of what actually can be done, it takes time to learn it if you want to get the most out of it. For me Superior Drummer 3 is just sitting there on the hard drive collecting virtual dust just as SD2 did, I still await the day that something that eclipses BFD3, because that will be a great day.
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