Sticking With Software

Aug 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Marty Cutler

           
 

FIVE VIRTUAL DRUMMERS THAT PUT THE GROOVE IN YOUR TRACKS

Over the years, software drum machines have evolved into extremely sophisticated instruments. The art of software drumming has brought about new ways to deal with sample data, including slicing entire rhythm performances to help adapt them to changes in tempo, feel and even meter.

Bonus Material

Mix Article on Virtual Drums

There are plenty of software drum machines, libraries and groove-creation programs available. But this time, we'll focus on five: FXpansion Guru 1.6, Linplug RMV 5.0.4, MOTU BPM 1.02, Spectrasonics Stylus RMX 1.8 and Submersible Music DrumCore 3.

The selected instruments provide good operational contrast, so it's more fruitful to give an overview of their distinctive qualities rather than full reviews or shoot-outs. We'll look at our lineup from the perspective of user interface, workflow, sounds and any special features.

FXpansion Guru 1.6

FXpansion's Guru resembles an Akai MPC-type rhythm programmer: You click on the drum machine-style pads while recording to enter data. You can also sequence parts from the QWERTY keyboard or by clicking in the pattern grid or — most fun of all — by playing from a controller. However, Guru has features that only a software instrument can offer, lurking only a click or two away.

FIG. 1: One of FXpansion Guru’s several Graph windows. For illustrative purposes, I’ve drawn a slightly exaggerated line above and below the perfectly quantized placement of hi-hat notes in the Shift graph. Pull up to rush, down to lag.

Running from left to right are buttons for the pattern-editing section, a Graph section hosting various DSP functions, a sample editor and a mixer — all framed by a generous, visually elegant central display. The Graph windows provide unique plots of the data for editing. For example, the Shift window shows each event's deviation above and below a horizontal line representing a spot-on note placement. Pull upward and you're rushing; drag down and you're lagging (see Fig. 1). Users can easily induce humanizing and minor variations, and a similar graph handles velocity. Repeat graphs allow painting anything from stutters to granular, buzzing tones (see Web Clip 1). All editing — including DSP — happens in real time; it's always a plus to make major timbral and temporal adjustments in an active, musical context.

The familiar, drum machine-like aspect of Guru's basic workflow invites immediacy and ease of use. However, creating a rhythm track in Guru is a multidimensional process. Each of the 16 pads can hold up to eight layers, which can include sequenced drum patterns or sliced audio loops. (Guru has eight individual Engines with 16 pads in each.) You can drop files directly from the Finder onto the pads or use the browser on the instrument's left-hand side to load patterns, full kits, loops or individual samples.

Guru's playback of time-sliced grooves is vastly improved, now providing a significantly expanded library of loops, kits and hits, with many from well-known programmers. In addition to standard acoustic and drum machine fare, loops and kits include a generous assortment of unique ethnic, glitchy and circuit-bent sounds.

There's plenty of room for personalizing with Guru. In addition to importing your own samples, Guru offers a hefty array of effects, including bit crushers, distortion, delays, filters and more.

Linplug RMV 5.0.4

In contrast to Guru, Linplug's RMV favors a multiple-page interface — a sensible choice for an instrument that provides several unique drum synthesizer modules; a huge supply of sampled kits, patterns and loops; 48 pads (each with a generous modulation matrix); six loop players; and a library of MIDI file patterns. Due to RMV's complexity, navigation can be counterintuitive at times. For example, arranging MIDI files in tracks requires you to first load the pattern, then click and drag a button (marked “D” for drag) to the track. The few extra steps proved tedious and slowed down the process of assembling a track. On the other hand, the Loop window is a model of smooth workflow, with a generous waveform display and an editable overview of loop slices just below.

RMV is strictly a plug-in with no built-in sequencing. Still, it is considerably more than a passive sound source. You arrange grooves by dragging them to your host's MIDI tracks. And to keep its enormous library of kits, hits, loops and patterns orderly, the RMV Browser hosts a sophisticated search engine. For instance, it's easy to set searches for loops by the number of bars, bit depth and original tempo; patterns by style; or drum kits by sampled or synthesized engines.