# bestest-ish drum software 2022?



## thebeesknees22 (May 17, 2022)

Hey fellas!
So I have EZ drummer 2, and GGD, and I've pretty much just been using GGD exclusively for the last 2 years. I like it a lot, but I'm wondering what the next step up would be if there be one.

Superior drummer 3?
addictive drums?

Looking at sound quality/raw-ish samples more than anything.  

I haven't researched drum software in a while.


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## Crungy (May 17, 2022)

I'd be interested in knowing too! I'm mostly using Modern and Massive and OKW Fusion. Kinda thinking about Invasion or trying other stuff. 

I have read some folks aren't digging the new EZdrummer quite as much but it sounded like it was more about feature changes than sound quality.


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## Lorcan Ward (May 17, 2022)

Superior Drummer 3 will you give you the most options for editing the sound. There’s endless expansion packs being released every year. 

I got Mixwave Gojira. I liked it at first but Kontakt is a disaster on M1 Macs so I’ve leaned back into Toontrack with blending some of Mixwave pieces over it. It’s very similar to the GGD approach by having ready mixed drums. Interface has a lot of tweaking options and some of the mixed kits have third party samples layered over them which gives more tonal options than the GGD kits.


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## Empryrean (May 17, 2022)

I've used addictive drums and even have addictive 2 before I tried out GGD and I still go back to it every now and then specifically because I hate how kontankt seems to ruin my drum maps every time but that's probably on me. aside from that I find that if I want softer hits and a little more dynamic range that addictive is better for my needs. i've heard slate is awesome too if you wanna try a few others


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## thebeesknees22 (May 17, 2022)

yeah i have issues with kontakt cutting off samples which is one of the reasons why I'm looking for the next step. It's just a pain to debug and it's fairly random.


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## tedtan (May 17, 2022)

How much better can a new drum vsti be? It really comes down to personal preference. Check out Superior Drummer 3, Steven Slate Drums 5, BFD 3 and see what works best from you. The Abbey Road Drummer series is good, too, but its Kontakt, so if you have issues with running Kontakt on your system, you can avoid this one.


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## c7spheres (May 17, 2022)

If we could only control humans with midi or piano roll then we could have the best of both worlds. jk.


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## thebeesknees22 (May 17, 2022)

tedtan said:


> How much better can a new drum vsti be? It really comes down to personal preference. Check out Superior Drummer 3, Steven Slate Drums 5, BFD 3 and see what works best from you. The Abbey Road Drummer series is good, too, but its Kontakt, so if you have issues with running Kontakt on your system, you can avoid this one.


I suppose better is relative.  

The only thing i don't care for with GGD are the cymbal options ( and them cutting out every now and then thanks to kontakt being kontakt.) The snare/kick choices are fine. Toms good. The interface is good (other than having to deal with kontakt)

I had BFD3 ages ago, but I wasn't a huge fan. That had to be like back in 2014-2015 or so. It doesn't look like it's changed at all here in 2022. I could be wrong though. 

I do actually have the abby road series since it came with komplete ultimate, but eeehhhh....not a huge fan. I need an easy way to turn off all processing on the samples, but it's kind of a pain to do unless i'm missing something.




c7spheres said:


> If we could only control humans with midi or piano roll then we could have the best of both worlds. jk.



Just give it time! haha


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## c7spheres (May 17, 2022)

thebeesknees22 said:


> Just give it time! haha


 After the anomaly. heh. That'd be awesome to download midi tracks and hook yourself up to the real kit and it forces your body to play it. After a few moths of workng out and your muscles form, you (and everyone else) would be the best drummer ever. Then apply this tech to guitar. haha. Music would become extinct cause it'd all be as easy as breathing.


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## WarMachine (May 17, 2022)

Have you checked out Naughty Seal Perfect Drums? You don't get all the bells and whistles that you do with EZD/SD, but what you do get is a wicked sounding set of kits. IMO the drums sound a lot meaner and meatier than any EZX kits i've ever tried. Not to say they are bad by any means, but Perfect Drums fits my style better.


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## thebeesknees22 (May 17, 2022)

WarMachine said:


> Have you checked out Naughty Seal Perfect Drums? You don't get all the bells and whistles that you do with EZD/SD, but what you do get is a wicked sounding set of kits. IMO the drums sound a lot meaner and meatier than any EZX kits i've ever tried. Not to say they are bad by any means, but Perfect Drums fits my style better.



oh cool! no i haven't heard of that. I'll check it out!

I'm thinking maybe if I don't find anything that strikes my fancy, i may just get the halpern packs since they have bigger kits than Modern & Massive. (i only have MM right now with GGD)


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## Grindspine (May 18, 2022)

Although EZ Drummer and Superior Drummer share some sample libraries, Superior drummer goes way deeper into customizing sounds. EZ Drummer is recording friendly while Superior Drummer gives you raw sounds, ambient mic samples, & more overall options. Using the raw sounds, the expectation is that you already have outboard gear or a plugin suite to really fine tune the raw sounds to how you want them to sound on your sessions.

I mostly use Superior Drummer for the MIDI integration options but use EZ Drummer libraries since they are a bit more recording-ready sounds.


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## MrWulf (May 18, 2022)

Ugritone if you want more raw, old school style samples with all of its imperfection and vibes. Drumforge Bergstrand is also something im looking at as well.


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## Rachmaninoff (May 18, 2022)

I used Superior Drummer for _years_, because its editing capabilities are endless. It's like mixing a real, well-recorded drumkit.

However...

At some point I realized I always had specific sounds in my head, and I was spending _way too much_ time tweaking those endless drumkit options.

So I installed EZDrummer, and to my surprise, with minimal tweaking (it still supports some tweaking) I found the sounds I hear in my head. Since then, Superior is collecting dust, while EZDrummer is being heavily used.

The Death Metal EZX sounds particularly good to my ears, and pretty much to everything (not only metal music).


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## thebeesknees22 (May 18, 2022)

thanks a ton dudes! 

It looks like I have a good amount of stuff to delve into


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (May 18, 2022)

SSD has fantastic samples, it’s just their GUI that leaves less to be desired, but with some counsel from them, I was able to expand the kit to more toms and percussion. There’s another thread about it with a YouTube link.


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## MiddleAgedDjentDad (May 18, 2022)

Just curious, does Kontakt work better (i.e. less crashing) if you have the full version? I'm thinking of getting GGD and I know you can run it with the free kontakt version but it sounds like that can be buggy... Obviously that costs money though


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## Crungy (May 18, 2022)

@thebeesknees22 when does the cymbal cutout happen with Kontakt? Do you run it in stereo or multi out for M&M? 

I'm curious and not to be a fanboi or defend Kontakt but I rarely have any issues with it on a mid/low midrange windows 7 pc. I have experienced some cymbal cutout (or the cymbal hit not triggering at all) but it's been pretty rare.


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## thebeesknees22 (May 18, 2022)

MiddleAgedDjentDad said:


> Just curious, does Kontakt work better (i.e. less crashing) if you have the full version? I'm thinking of getting GGD and I know you can run it with the free kontakt version but it sounds like that can be buggy... Obviously that costs money though


It was about the same tbh. I don't get crashing though. The main issues I have are sometimes hits being cut short and it doesn't seem to save presets with everything I've changed. i.e.) it won't actually save the output settings on the individual mics and i have to reset those every time I put down a new one. Perhaps that's user error on my part, or maybe that's just a limitation of kontakt.





Crungy said:


> @thebeesknees22 when does the cymbal cutout happen with Kontakt? Do you run it in stereo or multi out for M&M?
> 
> I'm curious and not to be a fanboi or defend Kontakt but I rarely have any issues with it on a mid/low midrange windows 7 pc. I have experienced some cymbal cutout (or the cymbal hit not triggering at all) but it's been pretty rare.


Oh i'm on a macbook pro 2019. I haven't tried it yet, but i'm wondering it it would be more consistent if I did a purge before printing.

edit: i'm running multi outs always. And I'm in Cubase fwiw (which my issues could be cubase related as well)


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## Rowboat (May 18, 2022)

thebeesknees22 said:


> Hey fellas!
> So I have EZ drummer 2, and GGD, and I've pretty much just been using GGD exclusively for the last 2 years. I like it a lot, but I'm wondering what the next step up would be if there be one.
> 
> Superior drummer 3?
> ...


Ye gourds, you'll laugh at me: I last used VSTi drums on Cubase VST circa 2004, and got a lot of mileage out of Battery. After an awfully long hiatus, I've scrambled together a decent hybrid rig - but I'm firmly stuck in the past. Proof: bought a bunch of antique discs just to get the serial # for Battery 3 (which apparently still runs on Cubase 9.5)!

I'll be watching your thread to find out how much I don't know


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## Crungy (May 18, 2022)

thebeesknees22 said:


> It was about the same tbh. I don't get crashing though. The main issues I have are sometimes hits being cut short and it doesn't seem to save presets with everything I've changed. i.e.) it won't actually save the output settings on the individual mics and i have to reset those every time I put down a new one. Perhaps that's user error on my part, or maybe that's just a limitation of kontakt.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Maybe it's an Apple/Cubase issue, or just a configuration thing? 

I use Reaper and render/bounce the whole session. I used to print stuff being a former Pro Tools user, because it couldn't handle having a moderate amount of plugins and VI's running and crashed frequently. I haven't had that problem since changing.


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## thebeesknees22 (May 18, 2022)

Crungy said:


> Maybe it's an Apple/Cubase issue, or just a configuration thing?
> 
> I use Reaper and render/bounce the whole session. I used to print stuff being a former Pro Tools user, because it couldn't handle having a moderate amount of plugins and VI's running and crashed frequently. I haven't had that problem since changing.


It very well could be. I don't remember having the issue on cubase 10, but it's definitely been there from 10.5 - 12. I'll have to do some more digging and see what might be optimized


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## Crungy (May 18, 2022)

Hopefully it's just that, but there's nothing wrong with trying new stuff!


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## tedtan (May 18, 2022)

I don’t have have issues with Kontakt on a last gen intel i9 based Macbook Pro, so the Kontakt issue may be related to the new M1 processor. Kontakt is supposed be compatible, but it is the only NI software they state is compatible with the new Apple processors and may still have some hiccups. Also, you may need to make sure your OS and Kontakt are up to date, as, _I think_, they have only been compatible as of the last couple of months.


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## thebeesknees22 (May 18, 2022)

tedtan said:


> I don’t have have issues with Kontakt on a last gen intel i9 based Macbook Pro, so the Kontakt issue may be related to the new M1 processor. Kontakt is supposed be compatible, but it is the only NI software they state is compatible with the new Apple processors and may still have some hiccups. Also, you may need to make sure your OS and Kontakt are up to date, as, _I think_, they have only been compatible as of the last couple of months.


oh yeah actually mine (for better or worse) was riiiiight before the M1's got released. So i'm not on that. Everything is up to date though. 

It's probably just some settings that I need to adjust in either cubase or kontakt.


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## Lorcan Ward (May 18, 2022)

I can run 10 tracks of amp sims, a bunch of Ample Sound Guitar and Toontrack Drums + bass plus lots of mixing plug-ins with barely using a few percent of CPU power, a Logic project loads in a few seconds but one instance of Kontakt bricks my M1 Mac. Audio stuttering, freezing, clicks, pops, lagging audio, CPU up at 90% etc

People are reporting other programs are doing the same with the M1 chips. I don't understand how Toontrack and many other programs work flawless without an update yet some other programs are unusable even with updates. The companies blame Apple but that doesn't explain how other companies have had no issues.


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## Masoo2 (May 18, 2022)

I'm really liking the bandmate feature of EZDrummer 3 - works much better than I anticipated, especially due to having a large MIDI library. I've never found EZDrummer to be "too" premixed though, it's just nowhere near as raw as Superior.

Other than that, current favorites include:
- Prenc Audio Kinglake Drums - my preferred raw library. Check here for some examples of quick demos I've made with the library:

- Roomsound Kurt Ballou Drums - great library but a little bit different stylistically
- Perfect Drums - my preference for a drag-and-drop premixed library
- Ugritone Kvlt Drums II and Riot Drums II - great for rawer type mixes, used them in some grindcore/powerviolence-type demos

I've always had varied results with Getgood Drums, not sure why. Modern and Massive is my favorite of them, though I would like to check out the One Kit Wonder Metal and Architects packs.

_Really_ want to check out premixed packs from Mixwave, they seem fantastic.

Skimmed over the a bit thread and saw some mentions of Kontakt problems, so apologies if I through in too many libraries for you OP.


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## ElRay (May 18, 2022)

Lorcan Ward said:


> ...The companies blame Apple but that doesn't explain how other companies have had no issues.


I can't comment on the specifics for these programs, but often the blame is misplaced. For example, >90% of the software that stopped working on Catalina was due to the fact that Apple had been saying for over a decade: Don't write new 32-bit apps and port your 32-bit code to 64-bits. But, developers not only did not port their code, but wrote new 32-bit code.

With the M1 issues there are three basic areas for problems:
1) Use of depreciated APIs that just simply don't play nice in Monterey and/or Rosetta II (the Intel on M1 emulator)
2) Shortcuts, bad code and/or use of undocumented/unofficial APIs/internals that do not work well through Rosetta II
3) Shortcuts, bad code and/or use of undocumented/unofficial APIs/internals that do not work well even when compiled natively for the M1 Macs
4) APIs that have been depreciated without modern replacements and/or are buggy on Monterey/M1 Macs
5) Valid Intel code that just simply doesn't play nice in Rosetta II

Only the last two can be blamed on Apple. I would say the majority of issues with current hardware and/or macOS, falls into the first three categories. Then, add to the issues you have developers like Line 6, Razer, etc. that don't utilize the developers' releases, so they even start testing for compatibility until after the latest OS/hardware starts shipping.


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## Rowboat (May 18, 2022)

Can't see ever being able to throw money at a Mac. The Asus B550 rig I built has Thunderbolt 3 baked in, UA Apollo works fine (for what it's worth: a pricey paperweight to run a few plugins). I switched to Quantum 2626 because I got fed up with the Apollo's insufficient line ins/outs. No problems running Cubase, Mixbus 32c and Softube Console.


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## Riffage (May 19, 2022)

Ive only used EZ2 And SD3. I was getting pretty solid results out of EZ2, but the samples were processed, & the difficulty of editing midi using piano roll was a pain in the ass. 
Using SD3, the samples are raw, but they have presets, & editing midi is much easier. SD3 is more of a perfectionists/tweakers paradise, but the results leave MY listeners pretty much clueless as to whether it a real drummer or not.


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## MystycalFanfare (May 19, 2022)

Choose Toontrack and looking no further. AD2 is good also, their newest Fairfax and United is damn good but it has mapped differently, things you must have to consider. GGD is okay but sounds lil bit fake. I believe it's because lack of round robin numbers and dynamic layers, and you will sounds like thousands of djent guy on the internet.


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## PatientMental76 (May 19, 2022)

Get Superior Drummer & learn how to use it, i really havent seen anything better


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## JoeuJGM (May 19, 2022)

I've used AD2 for years, had SD before that, and I feel no need to try out GGD or anything else. The interface is intuitive and I don't need to do much to get it sounding good in a mix. The kits have good dynamic range and sound very natural to my ears. I've gotta be honest, they all sound the same to me (quality wise) when properly mixed. Between the top drum programs, it seems entirely a matter of picking one that suits your needs (kits, samples, integrated eq/mixing features, etc.).


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## thebeesknees22 (May 19, 2022)

Kind of annoying superior drummer 3 doesn't do a demo/trial version. It's kinda a lot of money to throw down to hope one likes the workflow


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## SCJR (May 21, 2022)

I use BFD which is not the most intuitive interface but much like the Fractal lineup, once you've gotten in there a bit it pretty much covers anything you'd need to do.


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