Any users of Slate SSD4 & Superior Drummer in DP 8

[stevenew]

I have been a BFD2 user for many years, for writing and recording my own music. Basically I feel like a change, I have been looking at both Slate SSD4 & Superior 2.2 for some time now and think I have read about most of the pros & cons. I would be interested in experiences of using either of these in DP 8.

Thanks

[Guitar Gaz]

Superior Drummer works great for me - EZ Drummer 2 is also good. Sounds are good, but the best thing is for auditioning the MIDI drum loops (which are great), and then dragging from the Drummer browser into a MIDI track. Superior Drummer has more customisation possibilities - probably due an update in line with some of the new EZDrummer2 functions.

[stevenew]

Good to know Superior working OK in DP8, I do like the fact that they list DP as supported. Despite using most of Slate's other software the fact that DP is not officially supported makes slightly hesitant about SSD4.

[tntgraham]

SSD Works great for me

[James Steele]

I have SSD4 also and it works fine in DP8.

[billf]

Superior Drummer works great in DP 8. It can make use of all the EZ2 libraries, but does not have the newer song construction features that Toontrack introduced with EZ2. But to me that is not a showstopper.

[BobK]

I use SD2 in DP 8 - works fine. Great drum sounds - I use them for straight-eighths jazz. I've found their MIDI loops to be very useful too, usually with a little editing to fit the song. Over the years through various sales, I've bought several SDX expansions, a couple of EZX expansions, and a MIDI expansion pack or two.

I wish they'd update SD2 with the some of the groove-variation features in EZ Drummer 2, but also not a deal-breaker for me.

[stevenew]

Thanks guys, good to know both SSD4 & SD2 are working fine in DP. Now I just have to decide which to go for, I had more or less decided on SD2 but as SSD4 is on offer at the moment and I really like the new Blackbird exp I'm very tempted. I think going for both would be overkill and a big distraction, not to mention making all those drum maps for the DP drum editor, if I can remember how to do it!

[billf]

I've found their MIDI loops to be very useful too, usually with a little editing to fit the song. Over the years through various sales, I've bought several SDX expansions, a couple of EZX expansions, and a MIDI expansion pack or two.

Groove Monkey also makes MIDI packs that are compatible with Superior (and EZ2). I picked up a few last weekend during their sale, and like what I hear so far.

[James Steele]

Thanks guys, good to know both SSD4 & SD2 are working fine in DP. Now I just have to decide which to go for, I had more or less decided on SD2 but as SSD4 is on offer at the moment and I really like the new Blackbird exp I'm very tempted. I think going for both would be overkill and a big distraction, not to mention making all those drum maps for the DP drum editor, if I can remember how to do it!

Not to throw a monkey wrench into things, and I get no renumeration from the company, but have you checked out Addictive Drums? The XLN Audio plugs are 50% off during their birthday sale. I scored full version of Addictive Drums 2, including three kits last night for $79.20 out the door through JRRshop.com. (It says $99 but the final price appears after you are registered at their site and you add it to your cart.)

https://www.jrrshop.com/xln-audio-addictive-drums-2

I'm going through the kits right now and many of them are very good. I'm feeling like I might be going to this more often than either SSD4 or SD2.

[dewdman42]

hmm. I don't really need it but I might have to grab AD2 at that price. I have both SSD4 and SD2. I really am in love with the sound of SSD4 and actually removed SD2 from my machine to make space. I bought the Chris Lord expansion for SSD4 too. SD2 is more unprocessed and is more compabable to BFD in that respect, more like a raw mic'd drum kit. SSD4 is heavily processed, but in the right way by a guru. By heavily processed I don't mean reverb. I mean compression, wave shaping, EQ, stuff like that. Its got that produced sound and sounds really freaking awesome at what it is. While SD2 is more like very unprocessed and its up to you to mix the tracks how you want.

AD2 I haven't spent a lot of time with, but I think its probably a little on the processed side, but but not by the guru Steven Slate, but having its own unique sound quality and a cool plugin interface for processing the sound.

really all of these things are great products, I think that price for AD2 is pretty sweet, but if I had to choose it would be SSD4

[James Steele]

They might have some demos. I was pleasantly surprised by AD2. They have a lot of presets that are already dialed in with compression, reverb, etc. and it was recorded in a great room. Comes with three kits: Fairfax 1, Fairfax 2 and Black Velvet. I think they may have a demo. Give it a try. You have till the 7th to try it out. And I agree with you about RAW kits. I really don't want to have to do that much work, and truth is I'm just not a good at making something great out of raw unprocessed drum sounds.

[Guitar Gaz]

The Addictive Drums interface is certainly nice and easy to work with including the browsing function - Superior Drummer needs an update to match some of the increased functionality of EZDrummer2 - tempted to get it as an addition to Superior and EZDrummer as I enjoyed working with it a few years ago.

[stevenew]

Not to throw a monkey wrench into things, and I get no renumeration from the company, but have you checked out Addictive Drums? The XLN Audio plugs are 50% off during their birthday sale. I scored full version of Addictive Drums 2, including three kits last night for $79.20 out the door through JRRshop.com. (It says $99 but the final price appears after you are registered at their site and you add it to your cart.)

I'm going through the kits right now and many of them are very good. I'm feeling like I might be going to this more often than either SSD4 or SD2.

Thanks for that James:-)

I had originally ruled out AD2 as I gathered the drums are more processed than SD2, I can see this is not going to be as easy as I thought! Maybe I should just buy all three and be done with it.

[dewdman42]

James, which three kits did you get with AD2 and how do you compare the sound to SSD4?