# Superior Drummer Live (in a concert setting)



## armanikane

Has anyone used Superior Drummer 2.0 live (on stage, not talking about a bedroom jam, here) with either a triggered acoustic kit or an e-drum kit? If so, what was your setup, what are the pros and cons, and how well does it translate sonically through the PA?


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## PirateMetalTroy

I heard a band called Ataxia play here one time. They use pre-recorded drums through the PA. Sounded pretty good, but I'm no really a technical death kind of guy. I guess is could work.


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## -Oracle-

Now that your studio tone can be 100% replicated live with the Axe Fx, it would be really awesome if the same thing could be applied on drums, but seems a bit unachievable on acoustic sets. I'm interested on that as well!


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## ZEBOV

I'm in the process of getting set up to do this. I'm about to buy an Alesis DM10 Studio, and later on a MACBook Pro with Logic and Superior Drummer. I won't have any results for at least a few months though.


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## McKay

With an electric drums + real cymbals it can sound awesome. Drummer has to be ubertight as you hear every mistake. You rely on the sound guys a LOT but what's new there?


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## ZEBOV

McKay said:


> With an electric drums + real cymbals it can sound awesome. Drummer has to be ubertight as you hear every mistake. You rely on the sound guys a LOT but what's new there?



It's easier for "sound guys" (sound engineers!) to mix electronic drums. I've been doing it for about 6 months now, and I still can't get live drums to sound good because of mic bleed and feedback from the monitor. No mics = no feedback. Just make sure he/she gives it a flat EQ.


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## georg_f

I think the only way is having a PC there, with some proper soundcard for low latency

Maybe the best way to do it would be having an acoustic set with triggers on kick, snare and toms that feed into the Sup 2.0 PC. For the cymbals, just use a usual overhead mic.
That way the audience get's to see a real drumset and gets to hear the tweaked awesomeness of your drum patch.
I think having some e-drumset on a e.g. metal show is a bit weird...


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## synrgy

I wish more people out there thought like this:



ZEBOV said:


> No mics = no feedback.





-Oracle- said:


> it would be really awesome if the same thing could be applied on drums





McKay said:


> With an electric drums + real cymbals it can sound awesome.



Instead of this, which I think is unfortunately far more common:



georg_f said:


> I think having some e-drumset on a e.g. metal show is a bit weird...



It should *always* be about what provides the best sound. Nothing else should matter.


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## Jogeta

synrgy said:


> It should *always* be about what provides the best sound. Nothing else should matter.



Agreement. And if the kit just happens to be smaller and lighter as well.....


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## georg_f

^^yes, sound is the most important thing, but it is nice to see guys playing cool looking guitars etc. same goes for a cool looking drumset
it's a bonus


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## Ckackley

Our drummer plays a Zendrum live now using a roland processor and is lookng into using Superior live. We use it for our albums already. The biggest hurdle we've had is trusting a laptop live. We've had some friends that use backing tracks/canned drums live and had complete disasters with a crashing PC.. Building a rackmount PC with a good interface as the soundcard seems to be the most reliable option right now.


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## Prydogga

georg_f said:


> ^^yes, sound is the most important thing, but it is nice to see guys playing cool looking guitars etc. same goes for a cool looking drumset
> it's a bonus



When I go to a show, it's about a great sound, getting as close to the sound as the record as possible, and a fantastic feel, stage presence etc, most of the time the drummer's barely visible anyway.

I can't wait until I see a band play Superior live.


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## ba55i5t

+1 to using e-kit live. 

I keep telling my drummer that since we use electric guitars and basses he should convert and join us. 


Yet he still has an acoustic.


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## B36arin

The best performance gives the best sound.

I'm no drummer, but playing an e-kit is very different from playing a real kit. Especially if you're playing really dynamic stuff. For some drummers that isn't a problem, but at the same time I can definitely understand if a drummer doesn't want to use anything but a real kit live.

Live drums won't ever sound like studio drums, but I don't see that as a problem. If you have a good drummer, a properly tuned kit and good cymbals it's not that difficult to get drums to sound great live. If one of those things are missing you're in trouble though, it's not as easy to setup as an e-kit.


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## synrgy

To clarify: I don't mean that e-drums _automatically_ equal better sound. That couldn't be further from the truth, as context is everything. I was just speaking to the point that it can go either way, and I get tired of people who write off one or the other for the wrong reasons. Sound is the only reason.


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## B36arin

Of course it can give great sound, and it shouldn't be discarded because it's not the most common way of doing it. At the same time I wouldn't want our drummer playing an E-kit.


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## AlexWadeWC

Tomas Haake uses Metal Foundry for his Kick sample live and it sounds UNGODLY. It's the most powerful crushing thing I have ever heard. We toured with them in Australia and I saw their Laptop rig which ran a DAW of some kind that ran the backing tracks as well as Tomas's DDrum trigger was ran into the computer somehow via an interface to trigger the kick sample on Metal Foundry, and then ran back out to Front of House. Then his kicks were miced as well so their sound guy was blending the trigger with his real kicks.

Their sound guy is a god among men. Seriously, they sounded so unreal every night my jaw dropped.

BUT as stated before.... one night their Laptop did crash before Future Breed Machine.... took like 10 minutes to get it up and running again... definitely killed the energy haha. So if you're gonna do it make sure you have a damn good computer is all I can say!


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## petereanima

Also one should keep in mind -lets face it: most of us (that excludes AlexWade haha) wont be playing stages as big as Meshuggah etc. do - read: mostly you will have to deal with shitty PA, shitty mixing desks, shitty montors, not enough monitors...if you want to HEAR your drummer, you will need an acoustic set most of the times.


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## Ckackley

petereanima said:


> Also one should keep in mind -lets face it: most of us (that excludes AlexWade haha) wont be playing stages as big as Meshuggah etc. do - read: mostly you will have to deal with shitty PA, shitty mixing desks, shitty montors, not enough monitors...if you want to HEAR your drummer, you will need an acoustic set most of the times.



OR, do what we do. Our drummer has a really good Hartke keyboard amp. He runs his Zendrum processor to the Hartke and takes two outs (left and right stereo)from the Hartke to the front of house. No mics, PLENTY of stage volume, and consistant sounds that are cake for even a noob sound person to mix. I could easily see the same set up with a laptop running Superior going to the Hartke. Or to a direct box then split the signal to the PA and then a stage amp. As an added bonus when we practice we can do so at a reasonable volume level because our drummer can turn down just like a guitar.


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