Image Line releases Drumaxx - Physically Modelled Drum (intro offer: Pay what you think it's worth)

Image Line has announced the release of Drumaxx, a percussion modeling instrument that gives you total control over 16 physically modeled drum pads that can be routed to independent outputs for external effects processing. It was formerly announced as "Drumatrix".

Great, but why should you care when the internet is awash with drum samples? Image Line says: "In two words, expressive control. Once a drum sound is recorded, the performance and modulation options are limited to filtering, volume, or similar 1-dimensional effects. When a single drum sample is triggered in a roll, you get the familiar 'machine-gun' effect and it just sounds mechanical. Multi-sampled, multi-layered drums can overcome this limitation but need multi-megabyte or even Gigabyte! drum libraries. Even then, you are still limited to the sounds originally recorded."

Drumaxx is not based on samples or even commonly used 'synthesis' techniques, where oscillators are mixed and the result is always 'electronic'. Drumaxx uses modeling algorithms to create bass drums, hi-hats, snares, realistic and electronic sounds too. But what about the traditional 'Achilles' heel' of synthesis, cymbals? Drumaxx creates cymbals and metallic percussion also.

At the core of Drumaxx is a model where the vibrating membrane is represented as a mesh of interconnected points. Each point is given physical properties including mass, inertia, stiffness, damping, and all that good physics stuff. For the musician, this means Drumaxx gives you control over multiple parameters such as material, thickness, tension and shape. More importantly, the parameters can be modulated in real-time as a function of velocity or external controls. The drum body is also under user control too, including body material, size, vibration damping, and shape. All this gives you multi-dimensional performance options, a Matrix of variables providing nearly infinite possibilities.

Key features:

• 30 drumkits.
• 900 drum patches.
• 200 drum patterns.
• 16 Physically modeled drum pads.
• Multi-output for individual effects processing on each pad.
• Huge range of modeling possibilities covering sounds from cymbals to kettle-drums.
• Velocity modulation matrix for detailed expressiveness.
• Integrated Step-sequencer with trigger-key playback.
• Integrated effects.
• Single-pad version 'Drumpad' available for tight integration with FL Studio.

Pricing & Availability

Image Line is launching Drumaxx with the "pay what you think it's worth" system (minimum €9 [EUR] to cover costs). Also, Image-Line will donate $1 [USD] from each sale to support Haiti earthquake victims. This offer will run until the end of March, 2010.

Drumaxx is available now for Windows and Mac OS X in VST and AU instrument formats (and native FL Studio plug-in format too of course).