Owners of Superior Drummer 3 could be forgiven for thinking that the instrument has everything, but Toontrack thinks not with its latest expansion. Offering some of the most recognisable drum sounds on record, three experts give their verdict…
Drum Production - An Extremely Brief History
Once upon a time, drum production involved two or three mics and a drummer. With both technology and engineer pushing the other to make things better, the 1970s were arguably the period where recognisably modern drum production techniques emerged. In a period of around 15 years, engineers had gone from a handful channels and tracks, to multiple inputs and automated mixdowns. Later, engineers started to emerge as producers. The best of these had cut their teeth being the person who knew how to make embryonic studio tech of the 70s and early 80s work for older producers. By the 1980s, these people were themselves in the creative driving seat. The results were impressive.
In the sphere of western recorded music, the 1980s have certainly earned their place as being the period producing some of the sounds most recognisable even to the casual listener. Not many drum fills have a lexicographical equal, but “DIH-DIH___DAH-DAH___DUH-DUH___DOR-DOR___KA_KA” certainly does…
Overview - Toontrack Hitmaker SDX
Increasingly, there are few things in audio technology that haven’t been revisited or recreated in some way. That said, Toontrack have come up with something not done before in their Hitmaker SDX expansion for the Superior Drummer 3 instrument. This library brings together some of the most totemic drum sounds out there, from one of the biggest names in production: Hugh Padgham.
As the person responsible for the sound on the aforementioned drum fill, Hugh Padgham grew up with, and embraced advancements in both equipment and technique. As well as perhaps his most famous creation, Phil Collins’ gated-ambience drum sound, he is also known for layering electronic machine sounds with acoustic ones at a time when the studio computer was nowhere to be seen.
Toontrack Hitmaker SDX Features
Recorded by four-time Grammy Award-winning producer/mixer/engineer Hugh Padgham (Phil Collins, Genesis, Sting, The Police)
6 acoustic drum kits with upwards of 400 classic drum machine sounds across 11 machines. Acoustic drum kits and machines re-amped, and captured in the same ambience in keeping with Hugh’s classic layering technique.
Centre Stage Kit - inspired by Phil Collins
New World Kit - inspired by Manu Katché (Sting, Various)
Red Hot Session Kit - Yamaha 9000 Recording Custom - one of the most ubiquitous studio kits of the era
Red Hot Concert Kit - Yamaha 9000 Recording Custom Concert - single-headed ‘concert’ tom version
Storyteller kit - inspired by Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Various)
Reggae Rock Kit - inspired by Stewart Copeland
Drum machines of the 1980s including Roland TR series, Simmons, Oberheim, Linn and more.
Recorded to analogue tape making use of four legendary vintage consoles
Extra selections of acoustic kicks, snares and cymbals
Inspired by some of the most defining works in Hugh’s discography
Captured at British Grove Studios in London, England
Presets
• Presets for each acoustic kit, engineered by Hugh Padgham
• Use for a mix-ready sound or as a starting point for your own mixes
• Includes electronic-only presets inspired by Padgham’s discography
• Acoustic and electronic presets designed to work seamlessly together
Included MIDI
• Drum MIDI inspired by some of the milestones in Hugh’s discography
• One dedicated selection of grooves/fills for each acoustic kit
• One section of MIDI devoted solely to the “Machines” portion of the sounds
• Acoustic and electronic grooves designed to work seamlessly together
• Mix and match to create your own variations
E-Drum Support
For those playing in MIDI on e-drum kits, 13 ‘clean’ presets based on the acoustic kits are provided, designed to serve as balanced starting points. Each kit has a basic e-drum-centric preset as well as one that loads an alternative snare. These presets also by default load optimal settings for e-drum use, for example extra hi-hat and cymbal articulations.
Expert Panel - Hit or Miss?
In every Expert review we ask three of our team of contributors to give their first impressions of the product. We ask them to give the product a hit or miss, based on factors such as originality, innovation, usefulness, quality and value for money. For each hit the products gets an Expert Award. One hit and it gets our bronze award, two hits gets silver and for a hit from all three of the panel it gets a coveted gold award. Of course if there’s three misses, there’s no award.
Ronan Macdonald On Toontrack Hitmaker SDX
As a player back in the day, I was massively influenced by the drummers and drum sounds that Hitmaker SDX encapsulates, so this is like a substantial number of my percussive Christmases coming at once.
The ‘Phil Collins’ Premier kit squarely hits the mark with its big, barking toms and organic sounding kick, while the ‘Manu Katché’ Yamaha 8000 and ‘Stewart Copeland’ Tama Imperialstar are equally evocative of their Padgham-powered deployments – splash cymbals and Octabans FTW! And while there are plenty of Yamaha 9000 libraries on the market, the two included here are on another level, with the concert toms (14” all the way down to a bonkers 6”) kit offering an intriguing take on that fabulous 9000 sound that I don’t think has ever been sampled before. Rather unexpectedly, though, it’s the ‘Vinnie Colaiuta’ Yamaha Maple Custom that’s really grabbed me by the sticks – warm, classy and an almost transcendental pleasure to play.
Stunningly produced, exquisitely detailed, and vast in its mixing and matching potential, this is an epic, historic treat for Superior users. And I’ve not even had a chance to get fully into the wealth of drum machines and Simmons kits yet! HIT.
Luke Goddard On Toontrack Hitmaker SDX
For a long time, drum virtual instruments (in the eyes of drummers and engineers at least) presented more of a curiosity whose strength lay in quick placeholder parts, or for intervention in an emergency. Certainly sounds that could stand up to scrutiny in any mix were still the preserve of those from acoustic kits, or overtly programmed machine sounds.
Things have changed. As computers and instruments have advanced, engineers, composers, producers, and drummers themselves have access to sounds can easily portray the nuances and qualities of real acoustic drum recordings. Moreover, this gradual rebirth of virtual instruments has produced tools that frequently surpass the quality of the spaces and instruments that many musicians find themselves working in.
Hitmaker SDX distils the trinity of ingredients needed for any exemplary drum sound, those being, great playing (when using its MIDI), great drums, great room. Take those and fire them into some of the most sought after signal paths in the industry, and the user is left with a truly formidable tool. Coupled with Toontrack’s SD3 platform, Hitmaker SDX would be hard to beat even if all the gear in the same place were right there to use in its absence, thanks to the minds of those at the helm. That’s how good it is. HIT.
Russ Hughes On Toontrack Hitmaker SDX
When someone offers you the drum sounds of most of the songs that played through your formative years, then what’s not to like? Hugh Padham produced some of the most iconic tracks from bands like The Police and Genesis, plus many more. The sounds, and in some cases, the MIDI parts, are contained in this SDX. Given that, it could be easy to see this as a glorified nostalgic karaoke drum player, to think that would be a mistake. It’s far more and in one way in a totally surprising way.
Yes there are a fantastic collection of drum kits, all matiuclously sampled and then processed to give you a terrific array of drum sounds. But, here is the surprise, while I was impressed by the real drums, the real winner here is the drum machine sounds from the likes of Simmons, Roland 808 and the usual line-up of drum synths and machines from the era. What makes them so special is the sound selection, sampling and processing puts them on a different level to the usual run-of-the-mill samples of drum machines from the era. One could say, you’ve heard one drum machine sample and you’ve heard them all… not so, check the drum machine samples in this SDX.
I was expecting to love this SDX, partly for the reasons outlined in my opening comments, however I was surprised by how much more I loved it. Toontrack have the ability to make me smile when I hear their stuff, with this SDX the smile was even wider. A must have SDX. HIT
Toontrack Hitmaker SDX gets an Experts Gold Award.