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  • Steven Slate Drums - any recommendations? (p.2)
2015/11/13 19:21:16
icontakt
twaddle
For me there is only one drum VST I would seriously recommend and that's FXpansions BFD3.
If you want something simpler and easier to use and that sounds like none of the others then I would suggest BFD Eco which is superb value for money and very simple to use.

 
Interesting. A friend of mine and I both agreed that BFD Eco is an unusable piece of garbage when we tested its presets. They sounded very poor to our ears. So maybe I wouldn't like BFD3 so much. The ones I find very good sound-wise are SSD4 (EX), Abbeyroad Drummer series and Studio Drummer. But the kits take a long time to load and the interface isn't very good, so my current favorite is AD2. It doesn't sound as great as the other ones (but usable if edited/processed properly), but the interface is very easy to use and kits load fast.
2015/11/13 20:03:51
bapu
Let's see I have:
Steven Slate Drums 4.0 Platinum
    CLA Rock Drums
    Daivd Bendeth Drums
    Terry Date Drums
    Blackbird Drums
EZDrummer2 by Toontrack
    Americana EZX
    Claustrophobic EZX
    DFH EZX
    Electronic EZX
    Funk Masters EZX
    Jazz EZX
    Latin Percussion EZX
    Metal Heads EZX
    Metal Machine EZX
    Nashville EZX
    Pop!  EZX
    Rock Solid EZX
    The Classic EZX
    Twisted EZX
    Vintage Rock EZX
    Progressive EZX
 Superior Drummer 2.x by Toontrack
    Metal Machinery SDX
    Rock Warehouse SDX
    New York Studios Vol. 3 SDX
    New York Studios Vol. 2 SDX
    The Metal Foundry SDX
    Custom & Vintage SDX
    Music City SDX
    Roots Vol1 & Vol2
    Evil Drums SDX by Platinum Samples
BFD2/BFD3 by Fxpansion
    Sphere
    Imperial
    Oblivion
    Jex Expansion
    Rock Legends Quick Kit by Platinum Samples
    Alan Parsons Vintage 70s
    Alan Parsons Silver Sparkle
    Alan Parsons Black Oyster
    Schleisman Drums (and Snares)
    Heavy    Yamaha Oak    Yamaha Maple    Signature Snares Vol. 1 & 2
    Gen 16 Digital Vault Pack Vol. 1
    Gen 16 Digital Vault Pack Vol. 2
    Gen 16 Digital Vault Z-Pack
BFD Eco 1.5 by Fxpansion
Addictive Drums by XLN
    Retro Expansion Pack
    Jazz Bushes
    Jazz Sticks
    Funk
    Reel Machines
    Metal
    Indie
    Black Velvet
    Black Oyster
    Blue Oyster
    Fairfax Vol 1 & 2   
    Session Percussion
    Vintage Dry
    All Kit Pieces
     All The drums in NI's K10 Ultimate
   Jamstix 
 
And to this day I still never know what will be right for a song. Sometimes I guess immediately, sometimes I test and try and sometimes I do what twaddle does. Start with a basic set and twiddle until I get it right. 
 
What's really sad is I'm waiting to get TT's Progressive and Independent at 50% off.
2015/11/14 12:49:00
matt fresha
BFD3 is currently $99 at GuitarCenter.com.
 
I own SSD4 Plat and Superior Drummer 2 (w/ Rock Warehouse, Metal Foundry, Metal Machinery) and I use the Made of Metal EZX in SD2. I have very much preferred SD2 for it's overall capabilities. SSD4 is way too processed and has too much of what I would call THAT "Slate Sound". Good drum sounds, just too processed to have THAT sound.
 
I'm considering buying BFD3 at Guitar Center as I've heard lots of great things about it. I'm curious as to how long it's on sale for. Christmas time funds are uhhhh....yeah lol
2015/11/14 19:52:06
KingsMix
I have Superior, EZ and Addictive Drums 2 , I am a little OCD about my drum sounds. My suggestion based on reading your "want's and "need's", would be Addictive Drums 2. 
Considering, of course, it's all a matter of taste.
2015/11/15 13:29:42
twaddle
Vern C
BFD3 is currently $99 at GuitarCenter.com.
 
I'm considering buying BFD3 at Guitar Center as I've heard lots of great things about it. I'm curious as to how long it's on sale for. Christmas time funds are uhhhh....yeah lol




That's absurdly cheap, I just went and had to check it out and you're right.
I would check there's not a mistake on the site and that's actually the upgrade price as it's normally on sale for around  $349.
 
Unlike most of the other drum vst's you can actually download a demo of BFD3 from the fxpansion site and try before you buy.
 
Steve
2015/11/15 13:46:31
scook
I doubt it is a mistake. Musicians Friend (another GC Company) recently sold the full BFD3 boxed version $99. I believe they are eliminating their stock of boxes.
2015/11/15 15:18:46
twaddle
scook
I doubt it is a mistake. Musicians Friend (another GC Company) recently sold the full BFD3 boxed version $99. I believe they are eliminating their stock of boxes.




So that's $250 less than the RRP, that's a hell of a deal.
 
Steve
2015/11/15 15:22:11
konradh
Question about BFD.  I have a few drum options but am always open for something different or better in the acoustic drum world.
 
A fellow producer and friend uses BFD.  He likes it but says it is optimized for an ambient sound and it takes some work to get good, separate drum sounds.  Do you agree?
 
In the drum libraries I use (EZDrummer 2 is an example), I turn off all ambience, room, and bleed because my style is to go after separation in the drum kit pieces.  Nothing wrong with an ambient sound: just not my thing at the moment.
2015/11/15 15:22:17
scook
twaddle
scook
I doubt it is a mistake. Musicians Friend (another GC Company) recently sold the full BFD3 boxed version $99. I believe they are eliminating their stock of boxes.




So that's $250 less than the RRP, that's a hell of a deal.
 
Steve


That is why I bought it. It is the same price I paid for Superior Drummer 2 a few years ago. I have not considered the Slate plug-ins (although I am sure they are very nice).
2015/11/15 16:14:52
twaddle
konradh
Question about BFD.  I have a few drum options but am always open for something different or better in the acoustic drum world.
 
A fellow producer and friend uses BFD.  He likes it but says it is optimized for an ambient sound and it takes some work to get good, separate drum sounds.  Do you agree?
 
In the drum libraries I use (EZDrummer 2 is an example), I turn off all ambience, room, and bleed because my style is to go after separation in the drum kit pieces.  Nothing wrong with an ambient sound: just not my thing at the moment.




Some of the BFD2 kits were recorded in some big rooms so yes, they were big and roomy sounding.
There are 8 ambient channels in BFD3 although the main ones are Overhead, Room and far Room.
It's the far room ones that give you the most air. There are also 3 mono channels and 2 comp channels.
The comp channels are, as the name might suggest, channels that have been slightly compressed whilst retaining the kits natural feel. All these channels are fed through a master ambient channels so to remove all the ambients can be done in one go.
 
Th e BFD3 kits were recorded by platinum samples and are quite different from the ones that came with BFD2.
I happen to really like some of the BFD2 kits as I quite like a big roomy live sound for some things.
 
I don't know how long this deal will last for but you can always download the BFD3 demo from the fxpansion site.
It only gives you one kit with missing articulations from the snare and hi-hats but it should give you a good idea of what it can do.
 
 
Steve
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