Have a look at Linplug RMV - nice price (check KVR - it often goes for well under $100 USD), HUGE library of sounds and grooves, each pad can use either samples or its onboard drum synth to create your own sounds, no onboard sequencer, sample preview - it's a very underrated plugin.

That said, despite its complexity and onboard sequencer, I would really recommend giving the Geist demo a go - it's a beast. Yes, it's very feature-laden, but there's nothing terribly difficult to understand. The sampling capabilities are stellar (yes, it actually samples). You can program your own patterns in its own sequencer (which is actually very nicely implemented and has some great humanization/groove features) and you can drag those patterns into your host as MIDI for further editing/arranging. Or, you can just turn off the sequencer and do all your sequencing in your host. The library that it comes with is actually pretty limited, because it focuses on features, rather than being a preset machine - that shouldn't be an issue if you rely mostly on your own sample libraries. Personally, I do the same thing, so I tend to see most drum plugins' libraries as just an added bonus/HD hog.

MOTU BPM is decent and also has an onboard sequencer. I don't recall offhand if it has in-place sample preview, but I'm pretty sure that it does. When I owned it (prior to version 1.5), the library was very heavily tilted toward hip-hop sounds, but the 1.5 update provided some classic drum machine and electronica sounds, as I understand it. I never really cared much for it, so I sold it, but a lot of EDM guys love it. Requires iLok.

Maschine - you guys are probably sick of hearing me go on about it, so I'll just say, go buy it and prepare to have a blast. Works great with your own sample libraries (Kore-based library mapping), hands-on fun, excellent library, and now VST support.

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Buy ableton and use drum racks.

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Battery 3 but also don't overlook the simple but quite useful iDrum.

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quote:

Originally posted by Magnus Battery 3

Definitely. Still one of the best IMO, especially if you want to have advanced layering capabilities on lots of pads.

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Thanks guys, does anyone know if in Cubase 5 there is a way to browse samples IN THE PROJECT WINDOW, without having to import them first? I've read manual cover to cover to no avail.

At the mo, lets say I want a kick, I do this>

open media bay

choose lets say 10 kicks from a sample pack and import

then once imported drag one at a time to the pad inside Groove Agent that is playing the midi note.

Massivley inefficient as I have to GUESS how each sound will sit in the actual project.

I must be doing this wrong - for example I saw someone using FL and just rapidly firing thru every kick WHILE the project was playing and the kick was being triggered.

I try the Steinberg forum but find it to be a cold unfreindly place.

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quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Have a look at Linplug RMV -

You know it shocks me just how bad so many software houses are. All I want is a quick audio demo before I decide to bother downloading the demo version - can I find audio demos, nope! I often find myself thinking these people don;t step back and imagine trying to be a customer.

Another big problem is they don't show the price on each product - you have to go to the shop and all sorts - imagine a supermarket with no prices, where to get the prices you had to go around the houses!

Anyway - I'll download the demo - thanks for the advice - but it is amazing in this recessionary world that so many slap dash companies exist - shall we set up our own and make it 100% perfect!

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spend on Maschine

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quote:

Originally posted by Richard Butler Another big problem is they don't show the price on each product

No kidding, don't get me started on that - I f#%^ing hate it when developers play "hide-the-price" or, worse yet, make me add the product to a cart to see the price. It's usually no surprise that the products that don't show me the price are often the only ones that ever give me sticker shock - it's like, if they're worried that the price will scare me off, then that's probably because it's over-priced and/or the product description did a poor job of showing me why it's worth that price [/rant]

That aside, RMV is a pretty cool plugin and has been around long enough to be stable. It's like Battery 3 on steroids.

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Get battery 3 - I was in the same position a year ago, and looked at all the other drum software, and had to concede that Battery (which i was already using) was the simplest and best option.

It lets you preview the samples in it's browser and drag them to pads which are keyed. You can also load loops in and the onboard ADSR and FX are really quite handy.

I just can't understand why drum software has to be so complicated - it's like the developers want you to stop using the functions already provided in your daw and use their functions instead (like Guru with the built in sequencer).

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Maschine - you guys are probably sick of hearing me go on about it, so I'll just say, go buy it and prepare to have a blast. Works great with your own sample libraries (Kore-based library mapping), hands-on fun, excellent library, and now VST support.

Maschine is awesome, does exactly what your looking for, plus it can even be fun to make full tracks with Maschine alone. And pretty much everything Cryo said

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quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN Get battery 3 - I was in the same position a year ago, and looked at all the other drum software, and had to concede that Battery (which i was already using) was the simplest and best option. It lets you preview the samples in it's browser and drag them to pads which are keyed. You can also load loops in and the onboard ADSR and FX are really quite handy. I just can't understand why drum software has to be so complicated - it's like the developers want you to stop using the functions already provided in your daw and use their functions instead (like Guru with the built in sequencer).

I'll check out Battery - thx.
Can you record a note, then leave it going round on a 4 bar loop whilst auditioning one kick / snare after another? This is vital for me. Do they bring out new samples regularly?

I so agree on the drum software propensity to be vastly over complex. I've come to a point where I don't have days in my life to give over to learning a single product, aside from a DAW that is. I've been quietly avoiding Omnisphere as people say it's very complex.

DAVE, RULZ and LUCIDITY - I had not considered macshine as I thought (from memory) it was v expensive, like £500, which I cannot spend on just drums as my missus would find out! Plus is that not going to give me the usual hardware latency problem, which I don;t mind too much with synths, but with drums - when timing is vital, I thought it would be a pain. HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THIS - DO YOU HAVE TO CONVERT THE MIDI TRIGGERING THE MASCHINE, INTO AUDIO AND MAKE A COMMITMENT AS IT WERE?


In case anyone else is interested, on another forum someone recommended NERVE by XFER, which I'm also trialing.

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