X3 Users: Session Drummer 3 vs. the Addictive Drums - your verdict?

Keni
What makes AD "sound better"? Is it the drum kits included? I don't believe any one software sounds better than another simply playing back audio clips these days...
 
I've been using a hybrid Slate drum kit in SD3 for quite a while and while I think it sounds great, there are a few features that might make the kits feel more natural such as bleed.... One drum creating a tiny bit of sound when a connected or nearby drum is struck... I'm curious to hear that implemented...
 
But what else is there to make AD special? I believe I can get most of the high end drum kits in SD3 format if I so chose...
 
Please clue me in...
 
Keni
 

I'm a drum whore Kenni, so I'll give you my take. LOL! To me, the difference is in how the programs handle the samples. For example, if I route into SD3 with my V-Drums, it sounds like I'm playing through a drum machine. It has limited options for pad control. I use two spots on my hi-hats. The edge and the middle. The two sounds don't appear using SD3. Also, the hats are either all the way open or all the way closed. On other drum modules, I get 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full. This is huge for me.
 
Roboticism: This is my main complaint with SD3. It's a great starter module, but program a fast tom fill in and it resamples. The sounds are not very pro sounding either no matter what package you buy. It's just a module that is too limited to keep up with programs like BFD 3, Superior and *some* elements of AD. AD to me is the next step up from SD3. It has some really nice sounds but even there, there seems to be a retriggering situation that makes the toms seem synthetic to me. Try doing the same thing with BFD 3 some of the NI kits or Superior 2....night and day difference to where you cannot tell you are using a drum module.
 
But I like AD because the sounds are really good. They just aren't so great when you play super fast. But for 90% of the stuff I throw at them, they respond rather well just by using the stock TD-10 or TD-20 mapping right out of the box. So in all actuality, it depends what type of drum style you play. You can make basic beats and simple fills sound good on SD3...but to me it's STILL not a pro sounding drum module. A great starter piece into the world of drum programs, but definitely (sorry Cakewalk) at the bottom of the list for me when you compare the drum kits I use here. For the record....here's my list in order from worst to best and why.
 
SD3: Again, great starter module...some decent sounds, some good upgrade sounds but it just lacks realism, amount of samples per velocity per drum and multi-sample blend abilities.
 
Steven Slate Drums 4: Too much hype and price for too little realism. Kicks and snares are cool.....roboticising is not as bad as SD3, yet is VERY blatant. Toms are some of the worst sounding toms of all time hands down. Cymbals are mediocre at best and have their moments.
 
Addictive Drums: Yeah, would you believe I like them better than Slate? Realism is there, roboticism happens a bit less than Slate and the drums sound pretty darned good. Take the effects off of Slate drums and listen...then do the same with these. Which sounds more like a real drum sitting on your lap? At times...neither. LOL! But I prefer the sound and realism of AD. If only it had more sounds and abilities like Slate's does. But for sound and realism only, this wins.
 
EzDrummer: What can be said about this little gem? It's probably been used on more recordings than any drum program in existence. Why? It works and it's pretty impressive considering the price. It's real, it doesn't roboticise and what you see is what you get. Still a bit fake sounding when you take all the roomy stuff off....but this kit just sounds incredible whether you program it or play it in real time. Velocities on this work wonders.
 
Superior Drummer 2: Sickness! EzDrummer on roids! More combinations and realism than you can shake a stick at. Loads of uses, incredible drum packs, super simple midi learning and set-up, by far one of the best drum modules ever made. Never robotic.
 
NI Drums: Some of their drums are horrendous, but when you find a few kits that really work well, they are so realistic you'll think you mic'd up a real kit. NEVER robotic when you have the right kit. Some of the Abbey stuff is cool....some is lame to me. You'll know when you have the right kit....it will sound better than a real kit. LOL! Midi learn is incredible, realism is great. The only drawback, I absolutely hate Kontakt with every ounce of my being and pray each night that something else takes its place that is easier to use and is also more intuitive.
 
BFD 2/BFD 3: This is the bomb of drum kits, hands down. However, you may not think that when you first fire it up. Why? It's too real. Yes, too real. It sounds like you mic'd a drum set in your room. You'll need to compress it, process it, eq it, effect it and treat is EXACTLY the way you would treat a real drum set in all ways. When you get it where you want it, nothing tops it. It's never robotic...the sounds are incredible...and when you kill all the room stuff, it sounds like a drum on your lap. The cymbals are the best around...the abilities of rim shots and other goodies are just so real, it's scary. The down side is the work it takes to make this monster sound like a processed kit in 2013.
 
It is not Superior or one of those drum programs that will sound like a million bucks right out of the box all processed and compressed. This is the kit that teaches you how to deal with post production drums in a studio environment. The one that YOU make sound like a processed kit. The interface in BFD 2 is a bear, but this is where BFD 3 comes in. It's been streamlined and was built more intuitive. The new stock sound library is REALLY strong. Though to me a lot of these drums sound more like classic rock drums (the way they were mic'd and weren't dampened and mic placed the way I would have done them) you can make them more modern with a little elbow grease and of course the Deluxe pack can help a bit. But these are so real, they make the hair on your arms stand. You just have to work them hard and most people do not have the time for this.
 
Anyway...that's my take as I have lived it. :) Hope some people get a little something out of it.
 
-Danny