I have been using NI Battery 3 for several years now, and I am not sure that I am going to upgrade to Battery 4 because I'm not really liking the direction it's going. NI seems to have turned it into a software-only version of Maschine, which is great if you're into the genres that Maschine was created for...which, unfortunately for me, I'm not.
So I am now looking for an alternative to Battery that's in the same price range, but is more oriented towards people who just don't want to deal with a real drummer. So far, I'm looking at Studio Drummer, Abbey Road 80's Drums and EZDrummer, and I will probably end up getting all three. Are there any other alternatives I should consider? At one time I was thinking of BPM, but that also seems not to be oriented towards pop and rock production.
Pop/Rock-Oriented Alternative to NI Battery?
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sergevoluminous sergevoluminous https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=16005
- KVRian
- 533 posts since 8 Mar, 2004 from Southeastern Massachusetts
Steven Slate Drums 4
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- KVRAF
- 6272 posts since 25 Mar, 2004
Since drums are the only instrument that I really can't/won't play in my compositions, I own almost all of the major drum packages.
These days, I keep coming back to Studio Drummer. I'm surprised that more ink hasn't been spilled on the the quality of the drums in that package. The acoustic kits actually SOUND like real acoustic kits, and sit well in the mix. Plus, NI have really gone the distance and given some really nice processing presets to fit into various other genres (funk, metal, jazz, etc.). All of that is tweakable, of course. And then, there is the MIDI beat library which is, hands down, the best organized and most comprehensive of any other package out there. Highly recommended.
If you're short on cash, (and for what it is, I think SD is priced VERY cheap), I would skip the Abbey Road set. It IS different from SD, but SD covers the Abbey Road genre pretty effectively IMHO.
My next favorite package is the Steven Slate 4 set. Purists might have a problem with the Slate kits being pre-processed. I think this is a bonus--the point is that they are, out of the box, ready to slip into a mix, and engineering skills much greater than mine have done all the hard work. The kits are very flexible, although the bulk of the set is pop/rock oriented. The new SS4 player is a lot of fun to use and preview the included library of MIDI beats.
EZDrummer does not, IMHO, even come close to the above in terms of quality results. Unless you really need a scratch pad, go directly to their Superior Drummer product if you really want something usable. I personally don't like Superior Drummer, but others here swear by it.
As far as Battery 4 is concerned, your instinct is probably correct. I personally prefer it to Battery 3, but I wish they had included all the old kits. Bat 3 kits CAN be used in BAT 4, but they are in a different format and can't be accessed from the BAT 4 library. CM's current issue has a nice review of Battery 4 if you're interested (spoiler alert: 9/10). They confirm that the current emphasis is clearly on contemporary and urban style beats. I personally like all the new flavors, but YMMV.
Finally, if you're looking for variety and not yet into a x64 setup, I would highly recommend checking out KitCore. It is the MIDI drum version of DrumCore and is excellent. Tons of kits, tons of MIDI beats, easy interface, drag 'n drop, etc. Unfortunately, not 64 bit. A shame, really. 64 bit has been promised for a couple of years now, and prospects dim by the day. $50 gets you started with KitCore, and even with the platform limitation, this is still one of the best values in drum gear around.
Hope that helps.
Cheers
-B
These days, I keep coming back to Studio Drummer. I'm surprised that more ink hasn't been spilled on the the quality of the drums in that package. The acoustic kits actually SOUND like real acoustic kits, and sit well in the mix. Plus, NI have really gone the distance and given some really nice processing presets to fit into various other genres (funk, metal, jazz, etc.). All of that is tweakable, of course. And then, there is the MIDI beat library which is, hands down, the best organized and most comprehensive of any other package out there. Highly recommended.
If you're short on cash, (and for what it is, I think SD is priced VERY cheap), I would skip the Abbey Road set. It IS different from SD, but SD covers the Abbey Road genre pretty effectively IMHO.
My next favorite package is the Steven Slate 4 set. Purists might have a problem with the Slate kits being pre-processed. I think this is a bonus--the point is that they are, out of the box, ready to slip into a mix, and engineering skills much greater than mine have done all the hard work. The kits are very flexible, although the bulk of the set is pop/rock oriented. The new SS4 player is a lot of fun to use and preview the included library of MIDI beats.
EZDrummer does not, IMHO, even come close to the above in terms of quality results. Unless you really need a scratch pad, go directly to their Superior Drummer product if you really want something usable. I personally don't like Superior Drummer, but others here swear by it.
As far as Battery 4 is concerned, your instinct is probably correct. I personally prefer it to Battery 3, but I wish they had included all the old kits. Bat 3 kits CAN be used in BAT 4, but they are in a different format and can't be accessed from the BAT 4 library. CM's current issue has a nice review of Battery 4 if you're interested (spoiler alert: 9/10). They confirm that the current emphasis is clearly on contemporary and urban style beats. I personally like all the new flavors, but YMMV.
Finally, if you're looking for variety and not yet into a x64 setup, I would highly recommend checking out KitCore. It is the MIDI drum version of DrumCore and is excellent. Tons of kits, tons of MIDI beats, easy interface, drag 'n drop, etc. Unfortunately, not 64 bit. A shame, really. 64 bit has been promised for a couple of years now, and prospects dim by the day. $50 gets you started with KitCore, and even with the platform limitation, this is still one of the best values in drum gear around.
Hope that helps.
Cheers
-B
Berfab
So many plugins, so little time...
So many plugins, so little time...
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- KVRist
- 94 posts since 16 Oct, 2012
As BERFAB said, the NI stuff is really starting to come together nicely. Studio drummer does sound much better then ezdrummer IMO. Although i really dislike it being a kontakt instrument. The slate stuff (from what I heard) is nice, but I'd rather have quality dry samples to mix myself.
If you want to just track out some fast drums ezdrummer is the way to go. If you want something to turn into a pro mix, I'd have to say superior drummer.
If you want to just track out some fast drums ezdrummer is the way to go. If you want something to turn into a pro mix, I'd have to say superior drummer.
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- KVRAF
- 6272 posts since 25 Mar, 2004
I forgot to mention FXpansion's excellent BFD line. Long considered the one to beat of these programs, BFD 2 is now getting a bit long in the tooth. The sound is excellent, and the program offers a ton of sound-shaping options and editing possibilities. It's not in my primary rotation only because the method for auditioning and using the MIDI beat library is, for my workflow, unnecessarily clunky.
Oddly, I do find myself using the lite version of the program, BFD ECO. ECO has instant gratification kit presets and production environment FX presets all ready to go. MIDI implementation (for me, at least) is also much simpler. It's also very light on the pocketbook and sells anywhere from $29 to $99 depending on available sales discounts. I would highly recommend using this over any of the Toontrack products (EZ and Superior), especially if you get it for a good price.
cheers
-B
Oddly, I do find myself using the lite version of the program, BFD ECO. ECO has instant gratification kit presets and production environment FX presets all ready to go. MIDI implementation (for me, at least) is also much simpler. It's also very light on the pocketbook and sells anywhere from $29 to $99 depending on available sales discounts. I would highly recommend using this over any of the Toontrack products (EZ and Superior), especially if you get it for a good price.
cheers
-B
Berfab
So many plugins, so little time...
So many plugins, so little time...