# Slate SSD5 Verdict?



## jononotbono (Apr 10, 2019)

Just wondering what people think of Slate’s SSD5 drum library? I have SSD4 and thinking about upgrading to 5. Seems like a worthy upgrade (especially as there are sales on at the minute)!


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## Dewdman42 (Apr 10, 2019)

$99 to buy it outright is a slamming deal. I don't know what the upgrade price is. I am not overly impressed with SSD5 over SSD4. I paid kind of a lot for that because I have loved SSD4 and had high expectations, but honestly they really did not provide value for what the initial upgrade price was in the final analysis. Hence they are now flying it out there super cheap. The player in SSD5 barely got upgraded. A few tweaks, but honestly nothing major... Its WAY behind the times compared to SD4 and AD2. No built in FX, from a company that is now up to their eyeballs in awesome FX technology. Very disappointing. I feel they just slammed together a few improvements, way overdue and tried to generate some revenue.

The new drum samples it has are better sampled, but honestly, the reason I bought SSD3 and later SSD4, was because of the StevenSlate processing.. I keep preferring to use the SSD4 kits inside SSD5 player...because that was the whole selling point of StevenSlate drums and still is. They are still awesome, but honestly I didn't need to upgrade and didn't get much out of it. if the upgrade is less then $50 then why not, throw the guy a bone, but SS under impressed me with SSD5


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## keepitsimple (Apr 10, 2019)

I think Steven got rushed to release it, from all the ( rightfully justified) nagging on the infamous "Any news on SSD5 ?" thread on another forum.


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## jmauz (Apr 10, 2019)

As a drummer I've found all of Slate's drum samples sound artificial. The latest version is no different to my ears. 

I've been doing drum tracks with Superior Drummer for years. After dozens (maybe hundreds at this point) of satisfied customers later it's been worth every penny.


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## jononotbono (Apr 10, 2019)

Ok, so something I love about SD2 is the ability to be able to listen to particular kitt pieces, in a loop, and then be able to just drag that into my project window. So for example, I have a loop and in particular love the hi-hats but nothing else, I Solo just the hi-hats and then drag that into project and only the hi-hats are in the midi file. It’s a killer feature especially when using the midi data for other perc libraries so you can retain some human feel (providing the loops have been played live by someone and not just programmed)

Is that feature in SSD5?


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## Diablo IV (Apr 10, 2019)

Download SS5 Free, if you love it, then you can get the Platinum version (I know I did).


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## Dewdman42 (Apr 10, 2019)

SSD5 does not have much of anything related to programming drum parts. Its a drum sound sample player, just like SSD4.


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## labornvain (Apr 10, 2019)

jmauz said:


> As a drummer I've found all of Slate's drum samples sound artificial. The latest version is no different to my ears.
> 
> I've been doing drum tracks with Superior Drummer for years. After dozens (maybe hundreds at this point) of satisfied customers later it's been worth every penny.



As a mixing engineer, I disagree. Not that Superior drummer doesn't sound more like a real drum kit. Coincidentally, I was just discussing this with a friend a couple of weeks ago. We agreed that the SD3 libraies sound like drums recorded in a studio that we frequently receive from clients in a mix project.


What I disagree with is that that's necessarily a good thing. The thing I like about the Slate drums, especially ssd5, is they sound like a recorded drum kit that's already been mixed.

I have all the toontrack stuff. The soul library is my favorite library of all time. But I always have to tweak the hell out of their drums to get them to sit nicely in a mix.

Slate on the other hand is the most mix ready library I've ever owned. And it's extremely popular for that reason.

So I can see why st3 might be preferable to a drummer. But to a producer, it's a lot of unnecessary work. And for the simple task of replacing a snare or kick drum from a poorly recorded session, it absolutely sucks.

What both the Slate and Addictive Drums systems allow you to do is to scroll through different snare sounds from all libraries until you find one you like. Incredibly, toontrack doesn't let you do that. You have to load up a drum kit and then choose from the two or maybe three included snares from that kit. If you don't find what you're looking for, you have to load up another kit and start over.

None of this would be important to a drummer, I'm sure, but to a mix engineer it's really lame.

So it really depends on what you're looking for. Mix ready drum libraries save time during mixdown. If you're going for a performance thing, then that's another matter altogether.


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## amorphosynthesis (Apr 10, 2019)

labornvain said:


> Incredibly, toontrack doesn't let you do that. You have to load up a drum kit and then choose from the two or maybe three included snares from that kit. If you don't find what you're looking for, you have to load up another kit and start over.


I guess you are not talking about superior drummer 3(you can select any drum part you wish without loading a whole kit)
Even ezdrummer 2 allows that as well.


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## pderbidge (Apr 10, 2019)

labornvain said:


> What both the Slate and Addictive Drums systems allow you to do is to scroll through different snare sounds from all libraries until you find one you like. Incredibly, toontrack doesn't let you do that. You have to load up a drum kit and then choose from the two or maybe three included snares from that kit. If you don't find what you're looking for, you have to load up another kit and start over.


 EZD2 can do that and so can SD3. You must own the first EZD. I can see you being underwhelmed if that is your only experience with Toontrack. EZD2 and SD3 are leaps and bounds beyond that. In fact EZD2 and now SD3 has some pretty innovative tools for creating drum beats that no other drum sampler ,in this category, has yet to match. I own AD2 and love it but it's ability to find and create drum rhythms does not compare to EZD2 which is why at times I will use EZD2's midi out feature to take advantage of the kits and sound shaping tools in AD2 which is where IMO are much better than the mixer in EZD2. So having EZD2 and AD2 combined make for a more complete setup and probably the only reason I haven't upgraded to SD3. The Fairfax kit in AD2 is still one of the best kits out there. I do own SSD4 but honestly haven't given it the love it deserves due to owning AD2 and EZD2.

Oh yeah, back to SSD5. I tried the free version and it really doesn't bring anything close to what AD2, EZD2 and SSD3 bring to the table. Perhaps a little better sounding but you can get plenty of mix ready drums sounds out of all the ones I mentioned.

PS- The new XLN XO for non standard drum kits looks very enticing. I was underwhelmed at first glance but after watching some walk thru videos on youtube I'm really impressed.


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## Diablo IV (Apr 10, 2019)

I’ve tried A Drums and SD 3 and for me they were trash. SSD5 Free for me was great so I got the Full version. I guess we have different taste.


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## amorphosynthesis (Apr 10, 2019)

Diablo3 said:


> I’ve tried A Drums and SD 3 and for me they were trash



one man's trash is another man's treasure.
It depends on someone's needs actually.Need raw, unprocessed or mix ready?for the first go to sd3,bfd or ad2, for the latter steven slate or some ezexpansions or if I may say so perfect drums.


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## Diablo IV (Apr 10, 2019)

Yeah, for ME they didn't cut it at all. SD3 was for ME very weak no soul no mojo no nothing. I think I've tried them all libs/companies (ok not all, SFire has some drums). I am glad I spent only 99 on SSD5 and not 400 on SD3 base drumkit. And SSlate allows upgrade, whereas Toontrack doesn't. I wish I had EZdrummer 2, that thing had something going on for it.


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## VinRice (Apr 11, 2019)

SD3 is one of the best virtual instruments of all time. Nothing comes closer to having a multitrack session of meticulously recorded drums. The joy of it is that you need to mix and effect those drums just as you would with a real session - and there are plenty plug-ins in the package itself to allow that. SSD5 is different in that the drums are already 'produced' - and very well it has to be said. This can be great for speed and efficiency when just need a ready-to-go kit in a track or for beefing up an existing track. There's definitely room for both.


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## BezO (Apr 11, 2019)

Hard not to take a look for $100, but not the drum supplement I'm looking for.

If XLN would come out with some hybrid kits, I could stop looking. I'm considering EZD2 just because of the Action EZX.

My dream drum/percussion plugin would have traditional & hybrid kits with the audio routing & key mapping features of a traditional drum plugin; AD2/SD3/Cuba mixed with Evolve/Damage/DM-307. Toontrack seems to be the only one heading in that direction.


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## bbunker (Apr 11, 2019)

I think Slate Drums have been in the 'fashionable to diss" category for a little while - probably since the heady heights of SSD3, when every instrumental clip on YouTube featured a basketball-in-a-gymnasium kick drum and a big donk snare. Good times. And - the material isn't exactly pushing new boundaries, the interface is virtually identical - it's hard to tell what's improved about it, if you're coming from SSD3 or 4.

There's something unusual (in a good way) about the Slate Deluxe 5 samples that I'm not smart enough to explain, except that I notice it whenever I use it. Basically - they sound mixed no matter what you do to them. Throw them right in a track and they'll work. Throw an 1176 on your drum bus, and they'll sound great. Slam them with a limiter or a maximizer, and they'll sound great. Brighten or darken up the kick or the snare, and they'll probably work. Throw reverb on the snare, or layer 4 or 5 snares on there. Still works. And somehow it always sounds additive - which I never have the same experience in Superior or BFD. I add a layered snare there and I have to bring it out over the main snare to hear it, or it doesn't really add anything. Every SSD5 layering experience basically consists of "what would happen if I...oh, that's cool! What if I....oh, that's cool!".

The big difference I can hear between Slate Deluxe 4 and 5 is that 5's Deluxe samples integrate better. I always thought Slate 4's Deluxe kits were a stab at being a Superior Drummer kind of a library, relatively dry and unprocessed - and I'd always want to tweak those deluxe kits before layering with anything else, so you'd have to set up outs to accommodate that - and you've already switched to just using Superior long before that time, and SSD4 wouldn't get used. Slate 5's Deluxe kits are actually a huge improvement, because dry, they're relatively detailed (wouldn't use them on a sensitive singer-songwriter thing, but...well, duh...) but are dialed in for instant use, but are pretty clean and unaffected and take FX like EQ and dynamics like a champ. And take layering amazingly well.

Superior Drummer 3 is a fantastic library, and the SDX's are great, and full of character, and they're obviously highly recommended and recommendable. But if you're writing any rock tunes post-"Misery Business" then you're probably going to indulge in a bit of snare and kick layering, and SD3's never feels expansive and explosive, and SSD5's pretty much always does. So - that'd be my verdict. SD3 has all the detail and versatility you could ask for, but when you've got hard-panned stacks of Marshalls or Boogies to cut your snare and kick through, SSD5 owns that job like a T-Rex at a watering hole.

Speaking of Misery Business - that David Bendeth expansion is on sale (or was last I checked) for $49. The expansions for SSD are the real sleepers, because the initial response is usually something like "I paid $49 for a dozen snares and kicks that sound kind of the same?" - until you start layering them on the SSD5 deluxe kits, and things get stupid (in a good way) very fast. The Blackbird is amazing, too - but in an "I'm playing in SD3's yard" kind of way that complicates things a bit. I like them as subtle alternatives to the SSD5 for the bed to layer on top of. Ultimately at $49 I've gotten as much value, and usually quite a bit more if in a focused kind of way, then most EZX's I've picked up. Even the much-lamented CLA expansion - which, yes, does manage to make a dozen snares all sound virtually indistinguishable from each other - is superb for giving a bright sheen to a set of samples, because they're super-bright and super-punchy. Is it worth $50? Well - I've used those samples more than, say, Indiependent, which I spent more on, and which has generally been meh for me.

There's a lot missing from SSD generally - the grooves, their integration, effects or mixing, anything but the drums and layering them, really. It might not be a good general first-choice library, except for people working in specific genres and workflows. For new buyers $99 is awfully good for those who can accept its limitations, and for the upgrade - well, ultimately the use value of the samples is whether they'll end up on your finished products, and SSD5's Deluxe kits are far more likely to do that than SSD4's, so I'd definitely give the thumbs-up there.​


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## Diablo IV (Apr 11, 2019)

@bbunker and I read it all, lol. Good read.


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## bbunker (Apr 11, 2019)

Diablo3 said:


> @bbunker and I read it all, lol. Good read.



Lol thanks Diablo3! I got a drummer friend who's always ranting about his guitar samples, and I'm a guitarist - and he always jokes about how much I rant about drum samples. Especially snares. Don't get me started on snares again. :D


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## jononotbono (Apr 11, 2019)

bbunker said:


> I think Slate Drums have been in the 'fashionable to diss" category for a little while - probably since the heady heights of SSD3, when every instrumental clip on YouTube featured a basketball-in-a-gymnasium kick drum and a big donk snare. Good times. And - the material isn't exactly pushing new boundaries, the interface is virtually identical - it's hard to tell what's improved about it, if you're coming from SSD3 or 4.
> 
> There's something unusual (in a good way) about the Slate Deluxe 5 samples that I'm not smart enough to explain, except that I notice it whenever I use it. Basically - they sound mixed no matter what you do to them. Throw them right in a track and they'll work. Throw an 1176 on your drum bus, and they'll sound great. Slam them with a limiter or a maximizer, and they'll sound great. Brighten or darken up the kick or the snare, and they'll probably work. Throw reverb on the snare, or layer 4 or 5 snares on there. Still works. And somehow it always sounds additive - which I never have the same experience in Superior or BFD. I add a layered snare there and I have to bring it out over the main snare to hear it, or it doesn't really add anything. Every SSD5 layering experience basically consists of "what would happen if I...oh, that's cool! What if I....oh, that's cool!".
> 
> ...



Well. I think I’ll buy it then. Thanks!
Haha!


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## bbunker (Apr 11, 2019)

Have fun, man. It's a blast.

I'm all for the Terry Date and Bendeth expansions, too. Not game-changing, but they sure are fun. You want to hear what those sound like on a loud and nasty thing, let me know.


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## Diablo IV (Apr 11, 2019)

jononotbono said:


> Well. I think I’ll buy it then. Thanks!
> Haha!



Test free version. It's a kit only but super complete.


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## jononotbono (Apr 13, 2019)

I bought the upgrade from SSD4 Platinum to SSD5 and it was $49! So I also bought the blackbird expansion for $49 as well! Amazing!


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## artomatic (Apr 13, 2019)

I have SD3 and XLN. SSD5 is a great buy. It's definitely more processed but it's gonna be a time saver for me whenever I need a quick, ready to go drum kit.


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## bill45 (Apr 15, 2019)

How much disk space do we need for a full SSD5 install.
Can't find that info on the slate site.


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## Diablo IV (Apr 15, 2019)

14 Gb


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## Zoot_Rollo (Apr 15, 2019)

hmmm

i have SSD4 Platinum - SSD5 was a running joke for the longest time.

$49 - hmmm.

SD3, BFD3, AD2, SSD4

the question for the ages:

do i NEED SSD5?


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## constaneum (Apr 15, 2019)

how good is SSD5 actually ?


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## Diablo IV (Apr 15, 2019)

Guys why aren't you getting the free version? You can tell that way if it's any good for you.
Here are all the kits apparently: 

and here you will find some cons (with a fix)


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## constaneum (Apr 15, 2019)

Diablo3 said:


> Guys why aren't you getting the free version? You can tell that way if it's any good for you.
> Here are all the kits apparently:
> 
> and here you will find some cons (with a fix)




i prefer them having demo license to test out everything instead of getting just a free and settled with purchasing the complete kits and end up with possibility of dissatisfaction. Just my two cents. ahha


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## Mark Schmieder (Apr 15, 2019)

I did not do the upgrade, and I even deleted SSD4 after SSD5 came out, even though it can't be resold (I normally don't like the principle of deleting something that was never used vs. passing it on if I can). Perhaps the hyperbole was just insane by the time it finally came out, and I do notice a sonic improvement from SSD4 as well as a better interface, but I couldn't find any way to "unmix" the drums to make them usable.

I do mostly acoustic and non-metal non-hip-hop music in a GAZILLION genres as well as more vintage influenced material. But that doesn't mean I don't want my drums to have presence and depth. In fact, it's why my entire (almost complete!) fxpansion/BFD collection is for sale dirt cheap.

I just find that SD3 (which I ONLY use dry, and I remove the gimmicky channels as well), sits in the mix better and has a more dynamic sound as well as MUCH preferring the mic choices and overall timbre. And that's coming from someone who owns all but the latest two or three expansions, including most of the ones from third parties (which in general I prefer).

I love the Slate Digital products and own them all, but I never really got on with the drum philosophy (though I have found some use for Trigger 2). I got a good deal on SSD4 so figured I might as well, knowing SSD5 was coming "soon" (that was a few years ago!). But I don't even think I'd like it if it wasn't pre-baked, as I need a wide variety of drum sizes, tunings, etc., going back to 1920's traditions through more or less the 1990's (but not much later).


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## Diablo IV (Apr 16, 2019)

So you tested the free SSD5 version to see if you could unmix them?

I don't see your thread selling BFD in the Free section "sell ur stuff"


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## bill45 (Apr 16, 2019)

Diablo3 said:


> 14 Gb


That's all honestly?


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## Mark Schmieder (Apr 16, 2019)

Yes, I read the manual, and followed the threads, and did not see a way to "unbake" these samples. I realize that it's a case of different strokes, but I am moving to all-SSD storage (not to be confused with Steven Slate Drums ), and every GB counts at this point. That was a bigger factor than the easy $49 incentive.


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## Diablo IV (Apr 16, 2019)

bill45 said:


> That's all honestly?



Installed yes. If you have the Free V installed too then 16.


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## Diablo IV (Apr 16, 2019)

Mark Schmieder said:


> Yes, I read the manual, and followed the threads, and did not see a way to "unbake" these samples. I realize that it's a case of different strokes, but I am moving to all-SSD and every GB counts at this point. That was a bigger factor than the easy $49 incentive.
> 
> I did not place my fxpansion stuff for free, so you won't find it there; it's in the for sale section at a super-low price and flexible options, but I also got no takers or responses on the keyboard forum, which is why I am starting to think that there may just not be many people interested in BFD anymore. I even had a bit of trouble unloading AD!



No, I mean the FREE section, where you can SELL you're stuff (meaning they don't ask you to pay a fee for selling or posting your stuff there). Anyways, if you don't have it in that section, where do you have it listed for dirt cheap?

https://vi-control.net/community/forums/for-sale-music-gear-classifieds-free-service.66/


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## Diablo IV (Apr 16, 2019)

In my experience honestly SSD5 is my fave and that's why I bought it. OFC we can talk cons and pros about anything. Just for me SSD5 snare and kick wise have punch and body, sounds very very good (that too me is what a snare or kick drum are supposed to sound... THICK). Good tone.

SD3 for me sounds so weak I feel I have to fight it to sound any good.

SSD5 I just load it. Lol. If it's too much you can dumb it down.

GUI wise I honestly think it sucks ballz but I am not here for the GUI (I wish it looked like EZ Drummer, awesome drum kits pictures and underneath carpets), but the sound.

SD3 has the fireworks that's for sure.

SSD5 Rimshot button is a godsend.


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## bill45 (Apr 16, 2019)

Diablo3 said:


> In my experience honestly SSD5 is my fave and that's why I bought it. OFC we can talk cons and pros about anything. Just for me SSD5 snare and kick wise have punch and body, sounds very very good (that too me is what a snare or kick drum are supposed to sound... THICK). Good tone.
> 
> SD3 for me sounds so weak I feel I have to fight it to sound any good.
> 
> ...


Thanks. Again 14GB for a full SSD5 install.Not 140 GB?


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## Diablo IV (Apr 16, 2019)

bill45 said:


> Thanks. Again 14GB for a full SSD5 install.Not 140 GB?



Yep, I have it installed in a 120 Gb SSD, so it can't be 140 Gb.


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## sostenuto (Apr 16, 2019)

Trying to audition SSD5 Free. Have (2) Folders of 'slatepacks', but no clue how to access from SSD5 Free_Sampler. 
Halp!


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## webs (Apr 30, 2019)

sostenuto said:


> Trying to audition SSD5 Free. Have (2) Folders of 'slatepacks', but no clue how to access from SSD5 Free_Sampler.
> Halp!



Had same quandary, as I didn't want to download the slate installation manager software, thinking I could install it by itself, but it seems to require the installation manager. So if you download that, run it, you can then install the slatepacks. Here's the video to install them:



As diablo3 noted, there is a nice punchiness to them (that Superior Drummer 3 seems to lack, and I have a lot of the expansions).

I tried to make Superior Drummer 3 get that same punchiness, as I would prefer to use it for a variety of reasons, but haven't found the magical combo of eq, compression, limiting, saturation that matches the ssd5 punch. Suggestions welcome from all readers (as there are times I'd really like that level of punch for the rock/pop projects and my brain would really like to stay in one drum environment!)

I also wish more that one demo kit was included with ssd5. Or at least an alternate kick or snare, since the included kit sounds a little drum machine-y to me that I heard only while download/demo-ing and not so much in the videos. (I've learned to be wary of demo videos). It would be nice to see if that's just the demo kit, or overall.

In other notes for anyone that might be curious about interoperability between SD3 and SSD5, I dragged a midi file from the SD3 library into SSD5, and it _almost_ mapped perfectly. I only had to re-map the closed hat cc. So for those that own both, it looks like you can take advantage of that to some degree...


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## Dewdman42 (Apr 30, 2019)

Use a transient designer


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## webs (Apr 30, 2019)

Dewdman42 said:


> Use a transient designer



I tried playing with the transient emphasis per band in newfangled elevate, but perhaps I should explore that further. Any particular transient designers you recommend?


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## Dewdman42 (Apr 30, 2019)

SuperiorDrummer3 has one built in. Sometimes called "shaper" or "transient shaper".

Addictive Drums also has one built in

Here's some free ones

https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2018/08/17/couture-free-transient-shaper/
https://bedroomproducersblog.com/20...dio-best-free-transient-shaper-vstau-plugins/

I believe NI has one included with Komplete.. 

Melda has a free one

actually there are a lot of free ones out there..

Plugin Alliance has a free one and maybe a commercial one with more features.


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## webs (Apr 30, 2019)

Dewdman42 said:


> SuperiorDrummer3 has one built in. Sometimes called "shaper" or "transient shaper".
> 
> Addictive Drums also has one built in
> 
> ...



Perfect thanks. Let the transient shaping begin!


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## Diablo IV (Apr 30, 2019)

Apart from the video I posted where you can listen to all the kits available, maybe this one will help a bit more? 

It shows how using more of the same platinum library you can make it sound... even punchiER! Lol, ok ok, I know you said *machine like* was your issue, well, in the snare first section of the video, notice how he uses the *VELOCITY *knob to that added 2nd snare (watch the video) so it only surfaces full with high midi velocities whereas at certain threshold it will be more tamed or next to non existent? And maybe you can try this by adding a sample of your own (or any free on the web, or you can sample last hit of the phrase of the song the Mirror from Dream Theater - just a thought, here there are a zillion alternatives) and add it to SSD5 and experiment that as in the video (just like in SD3 where you can load samples of your own).

Edit: I wish I could buy an SSD5 expansion this day is the last day but I am so spent... I can't afford a nickel even, lol.


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## Diablo IV (Apr 30, 2019)

There are 2 exes, 2 library files (*.slatepack). Win installer, win install manager.


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## Mark Schmieder (Apr 30, 2019)

Diablo3, I don't want to get this O.T. from SSD5, but I am surprised you don't see my ad. I even bumped it recently just in case that was an issue, and I am generally against the philosophy of bumping for attention and priority.

As for punchiness, I think we all mean something different by that. To me, punchy means there is large dynamic range and articulateness, which allows things to cut through the mix, or "punch" if you will. I have a feeling what a lot of people mean by "punch", is the equivalent to the volume wars, where there's no dynamic range at all, little articulateness, and thus to my ears "low energy" because energy after all is formed by contrast vs. by "loudness".


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## ionian (Apr 30, 2019)

I have SSD 4 but once I tried BFD, I haven't touched SSD 4 and I haven't updated to SSD 5. 

I do own almost every FXPansion expansion for BFD and a few 3rd party ones. To me, it's the holy grail - the punchiest, most natural, with the best dynamic range. 

Out of all those expansions, I only found one stinker - and it's not even FXPansion - it's a third party one... the Henry Hirsch Manic Love drum library from Platinum Samples. That library's got so much noise in the recordings, it's virtually unusable. I can't believe they weren't embarrassed to release that one considering the quality Platinum Samples is known for. 

But really, aside from that one expansion, BFD 3 is it for me. 

I have the expansions for SSD 4 - Bendeth, CLA, Blackbird, etc. They all kind of have that same SSD tone to them though so I found that frustrating, that the expansions really didn't sound that different from each other. And on top of it, the Blackbird expansion has those distorted toms that Slate never bothered to fix. The ones, where either Slate or John McBride (or both) screwed up on the recording and never checked the pres on the toms and on the hardest velocities, the tom samples are distorted. Nevertheless, it wasn't a good look for either of them. And every time that topic comes up on a forum, Slate just dances around it and never acknowledges it, so that was kind of a hit in any confidence I had in Slate products. Although he does have a history of releasing buggy stuff and never fixing it so I shouldn't be surprised.


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## Diablo IV (May 1, 2019)

If you have further trouble pm me if you want.


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## proggermusic (Jan 24, 2021)

Sorry to necro-bump this thread, but I've been waffling between Slate drums and Superior Drummer for a while. I'm curious what folks' opinions are at the dawn of 2021. Superior Drummer seems to be the winner overall, but I'm wondering if it's worth the considerably higher price tag vs Slate, which many folks still seem to love.

For what it's worth, I've been getting an obscene amount of mileage out of the NI Abbey Road kits, and I've made them work for lots of professional projects (TV, indie film, podcasts) but I'd really like to step it up to something a bit less limited. I think Slate and Superior would both accomplish this, but I really don't mind paying for quality, so if Superior is indeed vastly... um... superior, I'm curious how and why.

Genre-wise, I'm usually working in jazz, funk/soul/RnB, ambient/atmospheric electronic, and fusions of all those. But the occasional hip hop, metal/grunge/industrial, and "modern orchestral" vibes materialize from time to time.


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## Tremendouz (Jan 24, 2021)

proggermusic said:


> Superior Drummer seems to be the winner overall, but I'm wondering if it's worth the considerably higher price tag vs Slate, which many folks still seem to love.


As someone who has owned both, Superior Drummer 3 is far, far, FAR more flexible, customizable, deeper-sampled... but you really have to be ready to put in the work to mix the drums. Sure there are presets but they aren't always something that works in the mix.

Meanwhile with Slate I've often just picked a preset and then done some processing on the whole drum bus and it sounds pretty fine because the kits are already processed instead of being (relatively) raw like SD3.

I actually sold my SD3 and I'm now using Slate cause I'm lazy and I just want a polished sound with less effort but for someone who is serious about mixing and producing, SD3 is the ultimate powerhouse (with some great expansions if the core content isn't enough for you or you want something specific from the SDX expansions)


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## bbunker (Jan 24, 2021)

proggermusic said:


> Sorry to necro-bump this thread, but I've been waffling between Slate drums and Superior Drummer for a while. I'm curious what folks' opinions are at the dawn of 2021. Superior Drummer seems to be the winner overall, but I'm wondering if it's worth the considerably higher price tag vs Slate, which many folks still seem to love.
> 
> For what it's worth, I've been getting an obscene amount of mileage out of the NI Abbey Road kits, and I've made them work for lots of professional projects (TV, indie film, podcasts) but I'd really like to step it up to something a bit less limited. I think Slate and Superior would both accomplish this, but I really don't mind paying for quality, so if Superior is indeed vastly... um... superior, I'm curious how and why.
> 
> Genre-wise, I'm usually working in jazz, funk/soul/RnB, ambient/atmospheric electronic, and fusions of all those. But the occasional hip hop, metal/grunge/industrial, and "modern orchestral" vibes materialize from time to time.


My first thought was - if you're making NI kits work, then you want something that doesn't require quite so much 'massaging' to get good stuff out of, and SSD would be kind of a winner in that category, because you just do a little compressing and tape or EQ on the summed drums and they're ready to rock. But - Jazz, Funk/Soul, Atmospheric stuff? Not really SSD's bag - especially for what makes it good, i.e., just compressing the mixbus.

From my experience, one of the killer things about Superior Drummer is that just the stock kitpieces can be treated pretty much how you'd treat actual drums. You can slam the room and OH's into 1176's and get an absurd Stoner Rock thing, or do the same while treating the direct mics for a modern arena rock thing, or run just the directs with or without a plate on the snare, and you get workable stuff every time. You can sort of - sometimes - do that with SSD, but it's kind of like asking if you can get a good country sound out of the modern Channel 3 of a Triple Rectifier: Yeah, you probably could, but not without asking yourself a lot of existential questions and looking longingly at that Dr. Z in the corner.

For what you've mentioned, if it were me? I'd get SD3, try to grab the Roots SDX (most underrated of everything Toontrack's ever done, in my book...) and maybe a few EZX kits, and you'll be like a pig in excrement.

SD3's ace in the hole is that last bit: the EZX kits. They're the secret weapon in the SDX universe. I like EZDrummer expansions for being easy to use and simple, but where I looooove them is basically as super-one-shots to layer on top of SD3 kits. Especially because the transient designer is really good in SD3 - so you can, if you're me and insane, dial in a Bell Brass Snare, then layer in one of the Rock Solid snares that's all Sustain and a Pop Punk snare that's all attack.

I love SSD, and if you want to cut through guitars, you'll love it, but if you want versatility, SD3 is really the way to go.


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## proggermusic (Jan 24, 2021)

Thank you both very much! Those are extremely helpful takes. Sounds like holding out for SD3 is probably gonna be my cup of tea. (Speaking of which... does it EVER go on sale? I checked all through Black Friday, Christmas, and the new year, and... nothing! Spectrasonics-style.)

I would honestly prefer starting with the best-quality raw sounds since I don't mind spending a lot of time tweaking things to taste. I enjoy mix-ready presets as much as the next guy, but honestly the only reason I've been able to make the Abbey Road drums work is because of exactly that. I completely change all the tunings, decay, and mixer settings, and also run them through all my favorite toys like Brainworx SSL channels or NEOLD V76U73. Those help a lot, but I'd rather start with better raw materials and go from there.

Still, I have little doubt that I'd enjoy both Slate and Superior. Looks like Superior is still in the lead for my taste, though.


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## Mark Schmieder (Jan 24, 2021)

I could kick myself for having spent money on anything other than SD3, but of course it didn't exist yet when I bought the others (including SSD).

Primarily, I use Decades for almost everything, in any genre, and barely have to do anything to sit it in the mix. It cuts through WAY better than other SDX packs or the core kits, as well as other products, and I would think it a far better match for you as you like the NI Abbey Road stuff and it has some similarities except for not providing a dedicated drum-style workflow (or as much depth).


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