KVR Audio

cyanogen · Post by **cyanogen** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 7:31 pm

I'd like to hear some early Crue drums, like Too Fast for Love, Shout at the Devil, etc.

Also, do you have any plans for heavily-effected drums, e.g. Killing Joke's Brighter Than a Thousand Suns or Peter Gabriel's early work (Intruder, for example)? I believe Intruder used something called "reverse gating".

Slate · Post by **Slate** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 7:33 pm

2.0 Layers will have from 4 - 6 velocity layers. You really don't need 100 velocities to sound real, at that point you are just taking up space and making the kits take forever to load. With good recording technique, proper hitting and tweaking, and good mapping, 6 velocities on a snare can do a lot. Many of these sampler libraries with 20 + velocities have very little sound change from, say velocity 15- 17.. Really the difference is not in the sound of the hit, its the output level. So we confined our layering to only that which made a difference in sound. The result will save your RAM and harddrive space, and allow better sounding drums. Check out this huge buildup using only 5 layers of snare:

www.stevenslatedrums.com/demo/stevenslate16.mp3

Overall, the kits will be very playable and very 3D and realistic. They will also sound HUGE, as I hope you have heard from listening to the four teasers thus far. Another thing we have is real one handed rolls... no more fake sounding rolls....

dimitar · Post by **dimitar** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:02 pm

http://www.stevenslatedrums.com/demo/stevenslate16.mp3
from which library is this and what snare and kick?

Thanks!

Slate · Post by **Slate** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:05 pm

Dimitar, in that demo I think its Snare2A and Kick1A. You'll hear in that demo as the drum gets harder you hear more of the punch of the rim.

Also, I think I'm going to do Crue's Kickstart Your Heart as a reference to the Crue Kit.

Also, a heavily effected 80's series of kits would probably be an expansion pack later on. For now its just classic sounding rock and metal kits.

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:07 pm

Slate wrote:Also, I think I'm going to do Crue's Kickstart Your Heart as a reference to the Crue Kit.

Are you gonna get that snare during the break, where it has 12,000 pounds of reverb, and it sounds like they laid a sample of a crowd over it?

dimitar · Post by **dimitar** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:11 pm

Thanks Steven! I've heard that ring of the snare!
I'm just working on my next album and Elite Mixer samples is my new love

Slate · Post by **Slate** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:14 pm

ha bduffy! just heard that... for sure I'll have to model the reverb since like the Metallica inspired kit, its far from a natural room reverb.

Dimitar I'm really glad you're digging the Elite Collection, all the signature kits will be in Drumgagog GOG and WAV format too btw!

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:18 pm

Good luck with that! Hey, if you ever talk to Bob Rock, ask him if he actually used a crowd-sample for that, k?

Man, it's going to be so easy to get the gigantic drum sound that I have in my head with these samples...it's like you guys knew I was pleading for it, in vain...

PaulG · Post by **PaulG** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:29 pm

Will the 1.5 stuff be available in the 2.0 or is the 2.0 just going to be the "Sounds Like Teen Spirit...and Crue...and Peppers"...?

I'd still love to tweak things at least a LITTLE...you know? (Gotta leave SOME room for our own sounds...)

PaulG · Post by **PaulG** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:33 pm

And if you're going to do Crue's "Kickstart", do the chorus, please. The verse part has that funny multi-snare layering thing going on in place (or along with) the hi-hats).

paveloso · Post by **paveloso** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:39 pm

Slate wrote:2.0 Layers will have from 4 - 6 velocity layers. You really don't need 100 velocities to sound real, at that point you are just taking up space and making the kits take forever to load. With good recording technique, proper hitting and tweaking, and good mapping, 6 velocities on a snare can do a lot. Many of these sampler libraries with 20 + velocities have very little sound change from, say velocity 15- 17.. Really the difference is not in the sound of the hit, its the output level. So we confined our layering to only that which made a difference in sound. The result will save your RAM and harddrive space, and allow better sounding drums. Check out this huge buildup using only 5 layers of snare:

www.stevenslatedrums.com/demo/stevenslate16.mp3

Overall, the kits will be very playable and very 3D and realistic. They will also sound HUGE, as I hope you have heard from listening to the four teasers thus far. Another thing we have is real one handed rolls... no more fake sounding rolls....

Alright! Yeah, sounds like six layers will do it for me, Steve!

Also... Don't mean to be a pain in the back side, but I've re-listened to the sounds of the suggested songs, and... Errrr... Did you take a really, really good look at the drum sound in "Primal Scream"?

I think that's Tommy's more modern sound (as in not-so-completely-80s), and it's similar to his sound in the "Motley Crue" album (check out "Hooligan's Holyday") and his solo records.

Modeling that sound would make the kit a bit more universal and contemporary, outside "80's stadium rock". Anyway, just an idea!

What do you think?

Slate · Post by **Slate** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:33 pm

Its a tough one.. one camp will WANT that classic 80s Kickstart My Heart sound... the other will want the more modern... maybe, I could listen and do a morph of both.. BTW the whole approach for Signature Drumkits will be a slightly more modern approach then the actual drum sounds on the albums... Having said that, I've since done a better more authentic snare based on Metallica's BLACK ALBUM, I'll post it tomorrow in that same mix.

paveloso · Post by **paveloso** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:56 pm

Slate wrote:Its a tough one.. one camp will WANT that classic 80s Kickstart My Heart sound... the other will want the more modern... maybe, I could listen and do a morph of both.. BTW the whole approach for Signature Drumkits will be a slightly more modern approach then the actual drum sounds on the albums...

Uhmmmmm, cast your votes, people?

Mine goes for the "Primal Scream" / "Hooligan's Holiday" sound: Contemporary, slammin', definitely very Tommy Lee and, very importantly, very useful in a wide range of rock/metal applications.

If the approach is more modern... Well, there you go, the choice is clear, Dave!

Seriously, though, whatever you decide, just having the sound of huge 26- or 32-inch bass drums, equally large toms and cymbals, all being hit as hard as humanly possible will go a long way in nailing his signature sound (I know it's not that simple, but hey, it's a start!).

paveloso · Post by **paveloso** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:13 am

Steve,

In case you haven't, you may find some useful info in the website of Tommy's drum tech, Steve "Steevo" Morrison:

http://www.elsteevo.com

And in this forum (also with Steevo), which includes details on Lee's drumheads, snare strands, bass drum beaters, etc:

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/show ... php?t=6987

Hope that helps!

Slate · Post by **Slate** » Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:30 pm

hey thanks man! I start out my modeling by assessing the sound and making assumptions based on my knowledge of drums and sound... but this little snippet of info allows me to combine that with real world facts and it will surely help me get close to the original sound. Much appreciated!

Steven Slate 2.0: Signature Drumkits.. Drum MODELING??