iDrum is now out for Windows. For what it does, which is quick beat sketching, it's a solid product with good VFM.
The GUI is friendly and easy to work with. Beats can be "drawn" in with easy velocity shading. A selector at the top of the interface lets you pick from one 16th pattern bar, 2 32nd bars, and three 64th bars - be aware these bars are layered, which is not obvious out of the gate.
There are plenty of sounds available in the demo, and once the free content is downloaded (from your iZotope account after purchase), the number of sounds available increases dramatically. I have yet to hear a clunker in any kit so far.
The number of features available are too numerous to list here, and good, but there are noticeable gaps. While a pattern can be exported to MIDI via simple drag and drop, pattern import is impossible. Forget your MIDI grooves - they ain't happenin here. :(
Documentation is clearly geared towards the original Mac version, and although a node has been given to the new Windows release, there are errors, such as the location to place alternative skins (and I still haven't found the proper location for them). The builtin help file also shows Mac menus, not Windows, and some Mac menu options aren't present in the Windows menu version.
Presets are really there to illustrate the various kits. While they are good, there are not a lot of them.
Customer support is limited to the help file mentioned previously and an online FAQ at iZotope's site, plus email support. I have had no crashes in the standalone or VST, but I'm lumping this in with documentation in my rating. Given the price point, I can't complain more than I already have.
If you want to sketch out a drum part manually in a lightweight app, iDrum will do the job just fine.Read Review
I can't believe there are no reviews for this yet! Maybe it is because it is Mac OSX only (But not for long, I hear it may be ported to Windows soon!) This is a truly easy to use and useful Beat maker!!! Just like the drum machines of old. Think MPC60 etc... Nice Clean GUI! Chunky Swing!!!!! I love the Swing!!!!! Easy step recording!!! It makes phat beats with no fuss!!!
What the iDrum lacks in bells and whisles it makes up for in user friendlyness.
I like to work fast and ideas get lost when tech is to complicated. Not so with iDrum. I think of a beat, I find the samples, I write the beat, bang, done! Having a stand alone version is very cool too. Sometime I just want to write a beat. Not having to open Logic to use iDrum sure saves time!
Multi outs are on the way in the next version! Plus a few other improvements. This is why I haven't given this plug a full 10. I may well edit this when the new version arrives.
Thanks Art! I loved Phatmatik Pro and I LOOOVE iDrum!
PS I just did a remix for a band using iDrum. After listening to it they assumed I'd used my MPC60!!!Read Review
