Is there a plugin that is the "Sylenth1 of drums?"

[aumordia]

The topic is basically my question, but it's a little strange, so let me elaborate:

If you want to be able to dial in great sounds quickly and easily -- indeed, if you want a synth which can't be made to sound bad without great effort -- I know of nothing better than Sylenth1, and it's not even close. People bang on about the presets, and sure they're great and wonderful, but to me, the real selling point is the ease with which I can make my own sounds. Heck, you can even hit that randomize button and get some pretty cool results!

So I'm immensely satisfied with Sylenth1 for my synth desires. Drums, however, is another issue. I've tried a bunch of stuff here, none of it really satisfying in the way that Sylenth1 is. The closest I've come is creating kontakt scripts that help me manage my sample library (randomization, layering, envelopes, etc). But before I invest any more time on this front, I thought I'd ask the kvrians what they think.

So, with that explanation: can anyone recommend a "Sylenth1 of drums?"

EDIT: fixed thread title to be more clear.

[aumordia]

Btw I posted this here and not in the instruments forum because Sylenth1 for whatever reason seems to draw a lot of unwarranted ire from kvr, I figure this subforum would be more receptive. But Lennard, if this is inappropriate, I apologize, just let me know and I'll move the thread.

[ariston]

Any synth is capable of making good drum sounds. Fast envelopes are a plus, and if you want to move beyond basic vanilla subtractive-type drum sounds, you'll need ways to create interesting timbres by using FM/AM, f.e. Wavetables aren't a bad idea, and I find that a capable comb filter is a must for certain types of sounds.

*Deep breath*... Zebra is my go-to for synthesized drum sounds. It ticks all the boxes and then some. But there's a learning curve, even though that part gets exaggerated sometimes. Using Sylenth1 is like driving a car with automated transmission, and using Zebra is like operating a huge excavator by comparison. More difficult, but you can also dig much deeper. Heh.

You can also check out dedicated drum synths, though. There are a couple of "simple" ones that yield very fast results, such as the old and future king Microtonic, Ephemere (great for glitchy, futuristic sounds), and IL's Drumaxx, which uses physical modelling - good for quasi-acoustic sounds. Others, such as Tremor, are great but programming-intensive.

[aumordia]

Great perspective, although I did wind up selling off Zebra -- it's just more power than I wanted. If Sylenth1 can't hack it, I turn to Serum, and that combo hasn't disappointed me yet.

I've synthesized a bunch of drum sounds, but I've never actually thought about relying on that. I tend to use it as embellishment, or layered with processed acoustic samples. Synth drums always struck me as too fiddly to create and not weighty enough -- but then, maybe I'm not good at programming them and should strive to improve.

Now that I think about it, I seem to have always assumed that drums = samples. Even when I synthesize drums, I just bounce them out to samples and use those later. So my query was implicitly looking for a sample based solution. The closest I saw was Nerve, which is great, but it's better than my kontakt scripts in areas I don't care about, and not as good in my areas of interest.

This idea of just flat out synthesizing drums really throws me for a loop, and in a good way. In particular, with Serum's built in sample playback, I could perhaps learn to construct the kind of sounds I like (hybrid processed acoustic/synth sounds) on the fly.

You've really given me something to think about, thanks, I appreciate it. If you know of any reference material I drum synthesis that I should check out I'd be much obliged, I only know the standard subtractive tricks.

[Nielzie]

Drumatic 4 is the awesomeness. Try and you'll see for yourself.

[ariston]

I guess it all depends on what kind of sounds you prefer. I usually use samples for workhorse sounds (BD snares & Cymbals), and synthesis when I want something unique and playable - I love velocity sensitive modulation on drum sounds, and static samples just won't get you there.

If you have Reaktor, you might want to check on the Twisted Tools offerings. They're my favourite drum and loop sample manglers (Polyplex and Ultraloop, and, to some degree, S-Layer).

[fluffy_little_something]

Drums and percussion were one reason I bought it again.
Many other synths just don't deliver the punch because their attack is inconsistent due to missing retrigger and phase controls.
And in S1 I can waste an entire layer on the attack transient alone while the rest of the sound comes from the second layer.

Frankly, I don't even understand your opening post. There is a contradiction in my view. First you say how great S1 is, in the next paragraph, however, it sounds like that does not apply to drum sounds. I don't really get what you are asking about. In the thread title, too, something seems to be missing.

[aumordia]

There's a typo in the thread title, it should say "Is THERE a Sylenth1 of drums?" And by that I meant something as quick and enjoyable to use specifically for drums. It hadn't occurred to me that I could just use Sylenth1 for that, since I'm not very good at drum Synthesis -- I just assumed everybody used samples for drums and would propose some sort of sample-based drum plugin. Or, maybe a dedicated drum synth VST that is fast and non-fiddly.

However I've since played around a bit more with Sylenth1 for drums and it is indeed really good! I think I just need more practice understanding drum synthesis in order to get the most out of it.

[chk071]

I never really was satisfied with any drum synth. Usually, they're pretty restricted in terms of synthesis, and you're better off with workhorse synths, which do VA, FM, and have a noise generator. Most drum synths can do emulations of the 808, 909, and do those typical electronic drum sounds, but are not very suited for anything else. I think you're on the right track with Sylenth, and learning drum synthesis. Maybe a synth which features FM would be good as a complement, because, AFAIC, snare drum sounds are often done with FM synthesis. Dune 1 is actually pretty nice for drums, i got some really nice stuff out of that.

BTW, for some genres, i believe you're much better off just using samples, unless you want to get into the very tedious part of fine tuning every single sound you layer, and try to figure out what sounds good when layering and all that. For EDM e.g., there are so many quality drum sample packs that it hardly makes sense to make your own stuff, unless you want to spend a majority of your time on doing the percussions alone...

[sqigls]

Drumatic 4 is the awesomeness. Try and you'll see for yourself.

this

[sqigls]

BTW, for some genres, i believe you're much better off just using samples, unless you want to get into the very tedious part of fine tuning every single sound you layer, and try to figure out what sounds good when layering and all that. For EDM e.g., there are so many quality drum sample packs that it hardly makes sense to make your own stuff, unless you want to spend a majority of your time on doing the percussions alone...

i think the exact opposite.
why spend hours wading through samples when you can make a sound in a few minutes?
Drumatic 4 is VERY easy to use, especially if you can already use a synth.

I think (as per almost EVERY KVR thread) the OP needs to be a tad clearer...
GENRE? TIMBRE? NEED FX?? SEQUENCER? REAL SOUNDING DRUMS?
btw, i know a few peope who use Sylenth for all their drums too, so it's possible you could just roll up your sleeves and go elbow deep inside the borderline... as one obnoxious winemaker once said.

[fluffy_little_something]

There's a typo in the thread title, it should say "Is THERE a Sylenth1 of drums?" And by that I meant something as quick and enjoyable to use specifically for drums. It hadn't occurred to me that I could just use Sylenth1 for that, since I'm not very good at drum Synthesis -- I just assumed everybody used samples for drums and would propose some sort of sample-based drum plugin. Or, maybe a dedicated drum synth VST that is fast and non-fiddly.

However I've since played around a bit more with Sylenth1 for drums and it is indeed really good! I think I just need more practice understanding drum synthesis in order to get the most out of it.

Oh, I had totally misunderstood your thread Which by the way is in the wrong forum, you should have it moved to the Instruments forum.

With drums I still prefer samples, they deliver the punch and realism with unmatched ease.
Drum machine sounds are a bit different, but they are also rather recognizable, everyone knows typical Linn, Simmons or Roland drum sounds, so even those are available as authentic samples. Simmons sounds are a bit more complex, there is a great plugin by Aly James for those sounds.

(In case you are interested, I am selling my Psychic Modulation drum synth Construct. It is nice, but at the end of the day I never used it because I prefer the sound of real drums.)

[aumordia]

This thread was a mistake on so many levels. Locked.