Steven Slate Drums 5 - Finally! Was Due for Release Mid 2014

  • One complaint. They all sound the sameish. I mean with SDX for Toontrack and different people making the SDX's you get something different but with Slates drums you don't.

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • Thanks. Not at my computer right now but as I remember there is no way to see which preset is loaded in ssd4.

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  • I have to say I'm underwhelmed by SSD 5.

    I mean, we have 2018, but operating SSD 5 still feels like 2010 with zero possibility to alter midi drum files (Superior Drummer 3 is terrific in this regard).

    Yes, it may sound great, but in no way better than Toontracks efforts.

    The upgrade price for SSD 4 users like me is reasonable but ATM I'm not tempted to do it.

    Hey Ingy, you can drag grooves into DAW MIDI tracks. I'd prefer to move them around and edit them this way anyway 'cause there's more MIDI-editing power in DP, but that's just me.


    Another reason why I'd prefer this is that if the plugin stops working for any reason or you load an older project and it won't load / isn't compatible, at least you still have the MIDI parts in tracks, ready to trigger another VI or sound module / drum machine. I'd recommend always moving SD3's MIDI data, even before you've finished tweaking it, to DAW tracks lest you lose all your work as described.


    IMHO SD has always sounded a little "sterile" when compared to Slate. Accurate, yes, but lacking a little mojo / vibe. This makes sense 'cause the Slate philosophy has always been to bake the "right kind" of analogue goodness into the samples, and it's a fact that many folks have found that it's far quicker and easier to bring the kits to the point at which they're 100% satisfied for mixing due to this. BFD has traditionally been at the other end of the scale, where it often takes a Helluva lot of work to bring them to readiness. This makes sense too 'cause its aim has been to give us what we'd traditionally have to work with if we mic'd a kit up ourselves - plenty of gating, compressing and EQ'ing to transform a raw kit into what a mix typically needs.


    IOW, I rate BFD as requiring the most "work", SD as a good starting point (clean "Slate"?) for adding your own flavours, and SSD as being the most mix-ready.


    Just MHO's, of course, and your esteemed mileage may vary, brother.

  • This makes sense 'cause the Slate philosophy has always been to bake the "right kind" of analogue goodness into the samples, and it's a fact that many folks have found that it's far quicker and easier to bring the kits to the point at which they're 100% satisfied for mixing due to this.

    It seems the new Deluxe 2 kits will not have much processing on them, though :)

  • Correct weight, Michael.


    Not as much, but I'm guessing there'll still be some...


    One complaint. They all sound the sameish. I mean with SDX for Toontrack and different people making the SDX's you get something different but with Slates drums you don't.

    Have you auditioned all the kits and 76 snares or whatever, GJ?


    The vibe over at GS is that the factories alone provide a huge amount of variety and sound fantastic. One dude said today that he can't see the need for any expansions thanks to this.


    Last I checked (a long time ago) you only got a handful of kits with SD3, so not only would you have to pay twice (or more) the price and use many times the disk space, but expansion packs would theoretically be much-more-necessary.


    Just trying to address your "complaint", mate. I think I understand where you might be coming from with the "sameish" thing - all those snares and so on would have been recorded under similar conditions, but that IMHO is a good thing, and for a couple 'o reasons. Firstly, there's something to be said for consistency. You know what you're getting, and swapping out kits or kit pieces would be made easier in terms of the processing adjustments necessary. Secondly, comparisons can be made between alternate kits and components more-accurately-and-quicky.


    I'm not trying to sell the plugin to anyone, although it feels like it sometimes; just trying to give it a fair "hearing". God knows I've waited long enough for it and I can tell you that once I've bought and installed it, if I were to be disappointed after firing it up, I'd be loudest complainant here!

  • I have SD3 and love it but I still would like to have SSD5.


    Same as I have the KPA and love it but still would like to have an Axe-Fx III.


    And money for retirement so I can spend time with it all. :)


    Cheers,


    Mats N

  • SD 3 is very comprehensive but also very easy to work with.

    Its graphical interface allows you to alter midi drum data without shuffeling notes in an editor (still a great drum editor comparable to the one in Cubase is included).


    I also want to add that in general the samples in SD3 need treatment but OTOH therefore have a nearly infinite amount of flexibility (which you don’t have with treated samples like in SSD or EZD).

    Still there are so many stock presets that already contain treated samples (because SD has an enormous and powerful FX arsenal built in) that you simply choose one and go from there.


    IMO Superior Drummer has been delivering from day one, and SD3 is a very mature and sophisticated effort.

    SSD never could catch up for, neither Addictive Drums.

  • I have always found drum software challenging. What is the easiest one to work with?

    I was going to ask the same question. also are people using triggers or just manual inputting the drum patterns? I am used to a separate drum machine and I have a Yamaha drum kit with midi output but never used these drum programs/plugins...

  • I upgraded to SSD5 today. First impressions are that it's more of the same, albeit with a much sturdier engine (SSD4 crashed Logic quite frequently on my machine). A lot of the kits are recycled from SSD4s standard kits, that I was never so thrilled with in the first place. I much prefer the deluxe kits and the Blackbird expansion pack; much more organic-sounding and tweakable. The number of grooves is underwhelming, compared to the sales blurb. As in SSD4, they are split into genre and then by song sections. What I would consider as one groove with parts variations (e.g. ROCK genre at 120 bpm , with intro, choruses, verses and fills) is apparently 24 different grooves in sales speak. Sigh...

    Anyway, it's still a world-class drum instrument and is able to be extremely convincing in the sound department, given the right kit and programming. For my use, it's fine, as I tend to quickly edit drum parts and patterns using Logic's Drummer, before converting the regions to midi, dragging them on to a SSD track and tweaking as necessary from there. Got to keep the creativity flowing!

  • Anybody know if the upgraded version will replace my existing version so all existing projects just use the upgraded version?

    It won't and doesn't. As Nicky (MM) pointed out, they can run side-by-side. You can even use SSD4 and SSD5 in the same project, should you wish to.

  • Thanks for the feedback sambrox as that is exactly what I don't get on with in SSD4. I also prefer the Logic Drummer as I can then get grooves going really quickly to write songs with. I kind of want something that works a bit like that but with better sounds. I may try your approach of converting to midi then using SSD4 before thinking of upgrading to 5, makes sense but not something I've really done for some strange reason.


    If this still isn't great I'll hope for a BF deal on SD3;)

  • SSD5 is like a Les Paul and S3 is like a Tele. They do different things well even though they function the same.

    SSD5 is great for Pop, Rock, modern country and anything where the drums need to compete with a wall of guitars. The Blackbird refill is exceptional especially for Kick and snares.

    SSD5 smokes SSD4. They haven’t added a ton of new features but the interface is more refined and the new thing they’re doing to replace the round Robin concept is next level good. The new deluxe SSD5 kits are less processed, more natural and neutral sounding but still have that Slate punchiness.


    S3 has a MUCH wider variety of tones available, way more processing, tons of great midi grooves and just more features overall. It’s better for Alternative, Americana, Jazz, Funk, Folk AND electronic and hip hop as it has a great palette of electronic sounds. Also Metal if that’s your thing, S3 has so many Metal kits you’ll have a hard time choosing.


    Toontrack has a huge library of midi grooves they sell separately too. Logic’s Drummer has the easiest interface for adding grooves to s song.


    Personally I say start with Logic Pro X. You get so much bang for the buck and the drum sounds are totally useable. For me, I’d grab SSD5 next then S3 as Logic can cover a lot of the lighter sounding styles.

    These profiles go to 11!

  • I'm glad I went with Superior Drummer 3. It also has its own mixer and effects, so you can tweak your drums within the software if you wish.


    Some of the biggest kits I found in SD3 were around 3GB, so it is very RAM hungry. But the kits are gorgeous, playing them on my e-drums, it feels like I'm playing some monstrous kit. Very detailed, and a hell of a lot of velocity layers. You also can layer drums in this iteration.


    Personally, I'm not a fan of the inbuilt groove editor. The one in BFD3 is so much better.


    BFD3 also has one super cool kit based on the Black Album. The expansion costs a bomb, but I'd say really worth it. BFD3 also has more convincing cymbal sounds than SD3.


    Do your homework, guys, and don't buy into any of the hype from any company. Lots of options to choose from.

  • I dunno, I use SD3, and love it, but the more I read, the more I think I'll be adding SSD5 to the stable. I'm still really really new to all of this, and I would not at all mind having a much more mix-ready sound so I can focus on things like composition, arrangement, and learning how to run the f**king DAW. :D


    Not having an editor is kind of an oversight to me, I speak partly from ignorance since I've never tried to edit the MIDI files within Studio One, but I think that's going to be a slight hit to the workflow. The editor within SD3 is really fantastic, if someone with my experience can fumble his way through it, it's pretty user friendly and a huge advantage as opposed to having to exit the vst and go into the DAW editor.


    But it sounds great, it's CHEAP, and if it will make it easier for me to get a solid mix, I am probably sold on this one. I doubt the editor within S1 is too terrible, I bet it'll be fine. And I absolutely LOVE Slate's comp/limiter/virtual mix rack plugins. So probably count me in on another purchase I definitely don't need. :D



    SSD5 is great for Pop, Rock, modern country and anything where the drums need to compete with a wall of guitars. The Blackbird refill is exceptional especially for Kick and snares.

    Nail in the coffin. It shall be mine.

    Disclaimer: When I post demo clips for profiles, there will be some minimal post-processing, unless stated otherwise. I normally double-track hard L/R, and add to the main buss a small amount of EQ and a limiter/comp set pretty light as well. Sometimes I get test profiles in advance of release, though 90% of my clips will be from packs I have purchased.

  • No I havn't bought it. Just listened to the two videos and that was enough for me to judge if I was going to upgrade or not. What others say at GS I don't give a damn. Would the views there be a measure of how good a thing is or not? Sorry but I don't see the point why you point out what the opnions are on GS? :huh: No I'm not trying to be harsh or attack you so please don't get it wrong MM mkey? ;) One thing that's good when you get older. You care less and less about others opnions. If I don't like something enough then I don't no matter if the the whole world say something else.:)


    If you prefer the sameish thing, well good for you. Each to his own taste.

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau