Steven Slate Drums 4 ESSENTIAL No-Brainer

[politcat]

heads up y'all on this amazing kit...

only $20

http://t.co/g36GuV9s

[COAndy]

Wow, thanks man.

If I buy this, will I need anything else to record these samples into Reaper?

Another question...can I program my computer keyboard to "activate" different samples, so that I can essentially play a beat on my keyboard?

[DarkStar]

(a) no - it comes with its own Player

(b) yes, but you would be better off with the Reaper Virtual MIDI keyboard, or programming MIDI clips or an external MIDI keyboard or set of drum pads (e.g. padKontrol)

[COAndy]

Thanks so much! Can you provide me with some general instruction (or links) on how to configure the Reaper MIDI Virtual Keyboard with these drums? I've been recording audio for a long time, but I have NO experience with MIDI whatsoever.

Thanks again!

[ivansc]

I hate that Slate bloke... dangles his fancy drum rompler Mk4 in front of me for years... I buy it and the next thing you know he has come out with an upgrade from 4ex to platinum that I can't resist, then the swine has the nerve to publish a super econo version to suck even more innocent punters into his snare! (and toms and kick and cymbals - not enough cowbell though)

On the positive side, at least it is $20 I DONT have to spend (grin)

Thanks Steven!

Anyone who does not already own SSD4 should grab this with both hands AND their feet if necessary. There is bound to be a good upgrade path to the whole enchilada shortly.

[COAndy]

Ok, I bought the package, have it loaded up in Reaper, but where all my presets? I have the directories and everything set up, but when I go to "build kit", there are no presets! Can anyone help?!

[copacetic]

Do the bigger packages need dongles?

[sveinpetter]

Did just buy. Newer tried this kind before. I know what to do tonight

[ivansc]

Platinum and EX work without a dongle but Slates VTM does need an iLok2

Man seeking presets.
Did you follow the instruction on how to setup EXACTLY?

Since I don't own this version of SSD4 I can't really help you but that is why there is SS support and SSD forum.

You will find Steven himself is very active on many forums including this one and Gearslutz, too.

[Argle]

Will this offer an upgrade path to the full product? Just wondering.

edit: nevermind, I read the wall of text and it appears to be the case.

[JHA]

The demos sound a bit fake ala machine gun effect.

[Shm00ve]

Is this supposed to be a download or will they be shipping me the product?

I just purchased it, and I assumed I would be getting a key and a link to download it, but all I got was an e-mail thanking me for my purchase.

[Serenitynow]

Are there any specs as far as velocity layers, 16 or 24 bit etc?

[Lazz]

Can this be use with Superior Drummer 2.0?

[Stu]

To answer a few questions;

It's a download product, Audiomidi get swamped with orders with offers like these so give them a few hours to email the link, contact them if it's longer than a couple of days.

Slate has never specified how many velocity layers he uses, but claims these are the most detailed sample libraries EVER. If the deluxe samples included with trigger are anything to go by (these are samples that went into SSD4.0) then he is probably right.

These come with their own player and cannot be used with any other drum software.

[Ashley Smith]

Originally Posted by COAndy

Ok, I bought the package, have it loaded up in Reaper, but where all my presets? I have the directories and everything set up, but when I go to "build kit", there are no presets! Can anyone help?!

The presets are located in the SSD4Library/DrumKitPresets folder. If you do not have these you may have corrupt data. Thus, we'd recommend downloading again using Firefox browser to prevent corruption. Other browsers are prone to disconnections.

Please view installation video below (the same applies for Windows, though installer will have .exe extension):

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8r4zZWrL37k

Originally Posted by Shm00ve

Is this supposed to be a download or will they be shipping me the product?

I just purchased it, and I assumed I would be getting a key and a link to download it, but all I got was an e-mail thanking me for my purchase.

This is a download only product at this time. AudioMidi have informed us they will be sending out generated license information within 2 hours of purchase dependant on server load. Should you have any issues please contact AudioMidi as they will be supporting orders.

Originally Posted by Serenitynow

Are there any specs as far as velocity layers, 16 or 24 bit etc?

Up-to 127 velocity layers of 6 samples per velocity, multiple articulations.

[COAndy]

Ashley,

Thanks for the video, but I'm on a PC...do you have anything for me?

I use firefox and the download contained everything you mentioned, no corrupt files.

[Ashley Smith]

Originally Posted by COAndy

Ashley,

Thanks for the video, but I'm on a PC...do you have anything for me?

I use firefox and the download contained everything you mentioned, no corrupt files.

Exactly the same setup as in the Mac vid.

Extract the downloaded zip and library, place the .slc license file in the SSD4Library folder, install SSD Sampler 1.097, launch your host and instantiate SSD Sampler on a stereo instrument track, open the settings panel and set your license and data path.

Cheers,

[Tod]

Originally Posted by JHA

The demos sound a bit fake ala machine gun effect.

Originally Posted by Serenitynow

Are there any specs as far as velocity layers, 16 or 24 bit etc?

Originally Posted by Ashley Smith

Up-to 127 velocity layers of 6 samples per velocity, multiple articulations.

Hi Ashley, I'm a bit confused, "up to 127 velocity layers of 6 samples per velocity" don't make much sense.

What about the bit-rate?

I kind of agree with JHA, I thought the demos were pretty machine gunny.

[Ashley Smith]

Hi Tod,

Each velocity layer has 6 samples in the pool which the Sample Engine chooses from for a dynamic feel/sound. The samples are 24-bit.

Thanks,

[Tod]

Originally Posted by Ashley Smith

Hi Tod,

Each velocity layer has 6 samples in the pool which the Sample Engine chooses from for a dynamic feel/sound. The samples are 24-bit.

Thanks,

Thanks Ashley, still a little confused. Do you mean there are 6 velocity layers per key/note or do you mean there are 6 round robins? Based on the demos I'm thinking 6 velocity layers per key/note and probably no round robins.

[Ashley Smith]

Originally Posted by Tod

Thanks Ashley, still a little confused. Do you mean there are 6 velocity layers per key/note or do you mean there are 6 round robins? Based on the demos I'm thinking 6 velocity layers per key/note and probably no round robins.

I mean the latter. We use a mathematical algorithm in the sampler plug-in to scale all the samples across the 0-127 MIDI range.

[Stu]

Tod, the demos do sound quite machine gun like but I think that must be down to the way they are programmed, I've been playing with this all afternoon and it sounds very natural as long as you're using velocities properly ie: a real drummer doesn't play a roll with all hits at the same velocity. I can upload a little test mp3 for you if you'd like to hear how dynamic they are?

[Tod]

Originally Posted by Ashley Smith

I mean the latter. We use a mathematical algorithm in the sampler plug-in to scale all the samples across the 0-127 MIDI range.

Okay thanks Ashley, I'm assuming a filter or other EQ of some kind.

Originally Posted by Stu

Tod, the demos do sound quite machine gun like but I think that must be down to the way they are programmed, I've been playing with this all afternoon and it sounds very natural as long as you're using velocities properly ie: a real drummer doesn't play a roll with all hits at the same velocity. I can upload a little test mp3 for you if you'd like to hear how dynamic they are?

Sure Stu, in all honesty I kind of put getting these drums aside based on the demos. Heh heh, I need another drum library like I need a hole in the head. However, as popular as Steven Slate Drums are I wouldn't mind checking them out for myself.

[Shm00ve]

I checked back after a couple hours and my download link and key were there. Downloading now. I can't wait to check this out...

[zeekat]

Even if it machineguns a bit it still looks like a great deal - well, much pricier BFD Eco machineguns like mad if you aren't careful and is still good fun.

And demos sound cool for me. Looks like an amazing value.

[politcat]

it machine guns real bad like this one:

MACHINE GUN

[Serenitynow]

Originally Posted by zeekat

Even if it machineguns a bit it still looks like a great deal - well, much pricier BFD Eco machineguns like mad if you aren't careful and is still good fun.

And demos sound cool for me. Looks like an amazing value.

BFD ECO, what I have, is 24 velocity layers, at 16-bit resolution. So basically more layers (4X's)of lesser quality sound. Is the difference from 16 bit to 24 bit definitely noticable?

I don't want to buy it due to just GAS but it might be a good "other flavor" to add to the arsenal. Especially if you guys talk me into it!

How does it compare to that other $20 no-brainer they had out before? Were the specs similar (layers, bit...) were there more kits?

Thanks for all the help!

[zeekat]

Originally Posted by Serenitynow

BFD ECO, what I have, is 24 velocity layers, at 16-bit resolution. So basically more layers (4X's)of lesser quality sound. Is the difference from 16 bit to 24 bit definitely noticable?

From what Ashley wrote I understood it's 6 round-robin samples per layer, not velocity layers, so not that bad? Eco has only one sample per velocity, its anti-machinegun option just plays neighboring velocities randomly.

[Serenitynow]

Originally Posted by zeekat

From what Ashley wrote I understood it's 6 round-robin samples per layer, not velocity layers, so not that bad? Eco has only one sample per velocity, its anti-machinegun option just plays neighboring velocities randomly.

Hmmm, that's not how I read her response. I thought there wasn't round robins w/ the new program.

[Stu]

I'll try to post a good demo at some point tonight or tomorrow showing how dynamic the kit is. I've got NI Abbey road modern and Studio Drummer, Analogue drums Kingpin, and Steven Slate Drums 3.5 Platinum here to compare it to. I wouldn't say this is better than Studio Drummer or Abbey Road but it's just as dynamic, and there are plenty of velocity layers to make this sound natural. Don't judge this from the machine gun effect in the demos, if you program everyting at the same velocity it wouldn't matter which drum software you used or how many round robins they had, a real drummer hitting everything at the same velocity sounds like a machine gun too

[HugoRibeiroDotCom]

hmmmm... this might be awesome for sketching my drum sessions...

Does this need an iLok usb key???

cheers

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Serenitynow

Hmmm, that's not how I read her response. I thought there wasn't round robins w/ the new program.

I assure you, there are several round robins for each velocity layer, just like Ashley said. The difference is that they aren't technically 'round robins' because all that term means is that it automatically cycles different samples in a given layer. Slate software uses a different approach (anti-machine gun it's called) to accomplish the same thing.

[Tod]

Originally Posted by Stu

I assure you, there are several round robins for each velocity layer, just like Ashley said. The difference is that they aren't technically 'round robins' because all that term means is that it automatically cycles different samples in a given layer. Slate software uses a different approach (anti-machine gun it's called) to accomplish the same thing.

Hi Stu, actually based on what Ashley said (the way I understand it) is that instead of round robins they're using either filters and/or possibly envelopes to get differences. It's really hard to say. If you play 8 to 12 snare hits fairly rapidly that are all exactly the same velocity and you can't tell the difference then there are no RRs. However it is possible to have it set up with a filter system that can sound different, regardless of whether there are any RRs or not. I know that with Kontakt scripting this can be done.

Of course non of this is important if the library sounds really good and it indeed has good dynamics. If you get a chance go ahead and post something.

[Ashley Smith]

SSD has no filtering or EQ, NO! All the data is unprocessed, raw, as captured during tracking.

Each velocity layer of a maximum of 127 has 6 samples in a pool to choose from, which are then splayed out across the Midi 0-127 range by an algorithm in SSD Sampler. It sets a range for each velocity layer and then uses a sample from within that layer.

Sorry if I'm confusing anyone.

[xphen0m]

I STRONGLY recommend SSD4 for anyone looking for a drum library. Easily one of my best music related purchases. Apparently, they are working on the cymbal chokes for a future update.

[Toddcu]

I know this is a great deal. But I currently have SD 2 and AD with a few ex. packs each. Would I gain I lot and just add too many option to my music making decision process currently?

I picked up BFD ECO when it was on sale and regret that buy!!!

[Wolffman]

Originally Posted by Toddcu

I know this is a great deal. But I currently have SD 2 and AD with a few ex. packs each. Would I gain I lot and just add too many option to my music making decision process currently?

I picked up BFD ECO when it was on sale and regret that buy!!!

I ask myself this same question every time one of these damn drum vsti go on sale, i'm a real sucker for them and i'm not even a drummer ?

I think you can cover everything with what you already have, i know i can with my drum vsti.
But if it helps with inspiration to write new songs than its more than worth it !!

I find it interesting how people like different drum packages, its really personal taste as i think they are all very usable, and just one drum pacage, SD2.0 or AD or whatever would cover most, if not all the senarios you could throw at them.

Cheers

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Ashley Smith

SSD has no filtering or EQ, NO! All the data is unprocessed, raw, as captured during tracking.

Each velocity layer of a maximum of 127 has 6 samples in a pool to choose from, which are then splayed out across the Midi 0-127 range by an algorithm in SSD Sampler. It sets a range for each velocity layer and then uses a sample from within that layer.

Sorry if I'm confusing anyone.

I think what is confusing folks is that you mention 127 velocity layers, MIDI can recognise 127 velocity layers but it is highly unlikely that anyone would actually record samples at 127 different velocities! Abbey Road Drums for example is recorded at 27 velocity layers (which are then scaled across 127 MIDI velocities) with up to 6 alternate samples per velocity layer (round robins as people refer to them). What people I think would like to know is, at how many velocities were the samples actually recorded BEFORE they are scaled by the software?

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Tod

Hi Stu, actually based on what Ashley said (the way I understand it) is that instead of round robins they're using either filters and/or possibly envelopes to get differences. It's really hard to say. If you play 8 to 12 snare hits fairly rapidly that are all exactly the same velocity and you can't tell the difference then there are no RRs. However it is possible to have it set up with a filter system that can sound different, regardless of whether there are any RRs or not. I know that with Kontakt scripting this can be done.

Of course non of this is important if the library sounds really good and it indeed has good dynamics. If you get a chance go ahead and post something.

Hey Tod, whipped up a quick sample for you. I can deffinitely hear alternate samples if I program 12 hits in quick succession at the same velocity, all I was trying to say is that even with 100 round robins it wouldn't sound natural because drummers don't play like that. I'm sure you know this anyway though Anyway, the sample:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10584067/Sl...ics%20test.mp3

There are some rolls on cymbals, toms etc and then some very dynamic playing from a friend of mine, I captured the MIDI from his performance on an acoustic kit and tweaked some of the velocities to better suit SSD4.0. The sound you hear is the 'natural rock' preset, no processing at all.

Worth mentioning is how large the sample library is, this kit consumes around 1.3GB of ram so that should give an idea of the volume of samples involved. To use it on my 32bit system I have to load it in it's own project and render the wav files, trying to use it in a project with other VSTi or recorded tracks means I cannot load the full kit, although there are options to lower the amount of velocities/robins to reduce the ram footprint if you don't mind the reduction in detail.