DK+ Virtual Drums

I tried out DK+ on Thursday and bought it on Friday. I like the randomisation of sample selection the most - I have a few samples, particularly snares, where I have several samples of the same loudness but subtly different, with DK+ I can assign all these samples to the same velocity value and it will pick one at random, which really helps with a human feel. The compressor is quite reasonable sounding, too. I have yet to try out the sequencer section as I usually play pads straight into Tracktion to trigger it, but it looks much like any other drum grid I have ever seen.

The included kits are reasonable - not the greatest sample set you'll ever hear, but perfectly usable. Creating your own kits is simple. You can use the velocity sensitivity to adjust the filter cutoff of a sample - used sparingly this is actually quite effective.

The one thing I do miss is velocity crossfading, but I can live without it for the time being.

The user interface is unremarkable, but it's usable and doesn't get in the way.

I had been using RMIII, but it looks like my allegiance is going to change!

One thing to remember if you buy it - download the full installer and install it, and then download and install the 1.2 update otherwise you *will* have problems re-loading it.

I have been using DK+ for some time now, and it has become my main Drum Sampler due to its ease of use and the EXCELLENT pattern sequencer.

There are not alot of bells and whistles here (aside from the pattern sequencer), DK+ is a simple drum sampler with 24 pads, up to 6 outputs, and three compressors. However, this simplicity for me is a huge plus. Everything is easily accesible, and creating your own drum maps is truly a piece of cake. There is a growing set of drum maps for some of the great free drum kits avaiable on the net, check out the Dash Signature and NuSofting forum for more details.

The pattern sequencer is really great. So easy to use, steps are user definable from 1 to 128 steps. The extra sample packs available, such as the Ethno1234 which focusses on Middle Eastern and North African Drumming, make extensive use of the pattern sequencer, providing a great resource for complex rythms.

DK+ is skinnable, and I only use the excellent Branis skin. The default skins are in my opinion a bit...unique...

As for customer support and service, Liqih is one of the best, and in my opinion, most creative, developers in the VST market. He is always happy to help out by email with anything.

Value for money- this is truly a no brainer at the current pricing!

I use Tracktion now as my primary host, having moved off Reason. I like the Reason instruments but find Rewire clumsy to use compared to VST instruments, so have been carefully selecting "Reason alternatives" for Tracktion.

For the drum sampler, I recently purchased DK+. It was the right decision and at the current special price of $US 38, a bargain for the features.

As a drum sampler, it fits the bill perfectly.
I can't comment on the sequencer - I don't use it. I'd rather do my sequencing in Tracktion.
There is no drum synthesiser - but there are plenty of good free drum synths out there.

Pros: (i.e the features that were important to me)
- Very easy to use and very easy to set up custom kits
- Sample preview in the .wav file browser
- CPU friendly
- Excellent sound quality
- Built-in reverb (adjustable by drum pad - hurrah!!)
- Built-in compressor
- Small footprint. No bloatware here.

Cons:
- Included sound library is ok (some very nice vintage drum machine kits), but nowhere near as comprehensive as DR008, RMIV etc.
- Only supports it's own format and apparently LM4 for kits (at this stage).

I get the feeling that this product will improve substantially with new versions. The improvements from v1.04 to 1.1 are already quite significant. All the important basics are there now and I would highly recommend to musicians who are on a tight budget and have access to plenty of .wav drum samples.