Steven Slate Drums 3.5

[Sean in Silence]

How are you guys liking them?
What's your experience with them?
I'm still trying to get mine up and running:/
Having some issues with Kontakt, and the support team and Steven seem pretty busy so I haven't made much progress.
haha
So what do you guys think of the update?

P.S. If you haven't updated yet here is the link
http://www.stevenslatedrums.com/pc/index.php

 

[FIXXXER]

updated 2 days ago,
checked it with a few midi grooves, sounds OK but i
can't hear a big difference to 3.0 as most of the other users...
loading times are still a impertinence IMHO.

cheers
S.

 

[crosstalk]

Got the new Kontakt player registered and updated to SSD 3.5 trouble free.

Edit: Ignore all previous stupid comments, not sure what was wrong but I think it's good to go now.

For some reason when the snare loaded, it didn't correctly load all of the samples. So when it tried to play sample2, there would be no sound but when it was using sample1 and sample3 it was producing sound.

 

[Sean in Silence]

huh
The only thing I've been able to even experience from my update is that the load times are much much shorter
but that's about as far as I can get
haha

 

[LosingReality]

Any less CPU/VST meter usage ?

 

[Habsburgs]

Sounds the same to me

 

[Charles J]

It does *sound* the same, technically, but from what I can tell the playability on e-drum kits has been VASTLY improved. And, the new hybrid presets sound REALLY amazing.

The AMG mode seems pretty cool, but I haven't noticed a HUGE different as far as straight up MIDI programming goes. Still have to mess about with it a bit more.

Overall though, I quite like it! Definitely a move in the right direction.

 

[Ermz]

Is the NI player a cool alternative to sequencing from drumagog, if you're using MIDI to key the drums?

My big concern is that the player won't cut it for replacing and blending with real drums

 

[crosstalk]

Is the NI player a cool alternative to sequencing from drumagog, if you're using MIDI to key the drums?

My big concern is that the player won't cut it for replacing and blending with real drums

I like it. I take the midi out of Drumagog for the kick, snare, and toms and put them all in one midi file that is running Kontakt and SSD. Then use the player to route the kick, snare, and toms to their own channels which could also be receiving the original tracks in the case of blending.

In the end I have one instance of Kontakt running and zero instances of Drumagog running, saving on CPU and making it much faster to switch out the Slate samples.

Plus you get the AMG, Dynamics control and other features of the player that just aren't possible with Drumagog. Oh yeah, and my favorite thing is not having to have a separate instance of Drumagog to trigger the room samples. You don't have to have double the amount of Drumagog's running and you get the correct room sample triggered along with the main sample which doesn't always happen with Drumagog when there are different velocities.

 

[lolzgreg]

I still haven't figured out how to route this fucking thing. Slate says its automatic; I say its NOT.

 

[Sean in Silence]

I still haven't figured out how to route this fucking thing. Slate says its automatic; I say its NOT.

+1

 

[Sean in Silence]

Any less CPU/VST meter usage ?

I haven't gotten it running enough to answer this for sure
but apparently the update makes it to where SSD utilizes the samples more efficiently, therefore having to load less, and so I assume that would lower cpu usage.
But I don't know for sure

 

[lolzgreg]

I really find it irritating and counter-intuitive. There should be a setting "Multi-Channel Output" and voila: it outputs each individual drum to a separate track. There are options to route to different buses (2.1 3.1 5.1 stereo 2 whatever) but it's all poppycock to me. I will send $10.00 through paypal for the first person to make a "routing the impossible kontakt player tutorial."

 

[Sean in Silence]

Double Post
oops:/

 

[Sean in Silence]

Triple Post!
oops:/

 

[HandsOfDespair]

I have a couple of problems since I installed the 3.5 update. First, if I create a session, open kontakt, choose a kit, tweak the kit, save the session, quit cubase, open cubase, restart the same session, the kit doesn't load. I guess I'll have to save kontakt presets and open the preset each time.

Secondly, I just don't understand how to change an instrument in a kit -__-. With 3.0, I just had to click the arrow left of the instrument window, like if I wanted to change the snare I just had to click on arrow left to the name of the snare and choose a new snare, but now the menu doesn't appear ?? I'm really tired since its 4 am though haha, maybe I just missed it.

The loading times are the same too . It seems to use less ram fortunately.

 

[crosstalk]

I really find it irritating and counter-intuitive. There should be a setting "Multi-Channel Output" and voila: it outputs each individual drum to a separate track. There are options to route to different buses (2.1 3.1 5.1 stereo 2 whatever) but it's all poppycock to me. I will send $10.00 through paypal for the first person to make a "routing the impossible kontakt player tutorial."

What DAW are you using? It was easy in Reaper. The old player was a pain, but the new one is so easy. Use the 32 out versions of Kontakt. Open the Kontakt mixer. Hit "Add Channel". Name it. Hit "Config" on the channel, set it to use the next set of pins. Then on the instrument choose that output. NRG Room goes to Aux 1 and SSD room goes to Aux 2 I believe. Once you get it set the way you want, you can hit "make default."

I have a couple of problems since I installed the 3.5 update. First, if I create a session, open kontakt, choose a kit, tweak the kit, save the session, quit cubase, open cubase, restart the same session, the kit doesn't load. I guess I'll have to save kontakt presets and open the preset each time.

Secondly, I just don't understand how to change an instrument in a kit -__-. With 3.0, I just had to click the arrow left of the instrument window, like if I wanted to change the snare I just had to click on arrow left to the name of the snare and choose a new snare, but now the menu doesn't appear ?? I'm really tired since its 4 am though haha, maybe I just missed it.

The loading times are the same too . It seems to use less ram fortunately.

I just tried closing and opening a session and my kit and its settings were all intact upon reopening it.

I was also missing the drop down menu or the left and right arrows to change the instrument. Clicking the drop down arrow (on the opposite side of where the left and right arrows are) gives you "Set Instrument Quick-Load List." Clicking that brings up navigation on the left. Navigate to the SSD instruments folder. Check the box on the left for those that you want to appear in the quick load. You can choose the whole instrument folder, just a single instrument, or individual instruments if you like.

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

I really find it irritating and counter-intuitive. There should be a setting "Multi-Channel Output" and voila: it outputs each individual drum to a separate track. There are options to route to different buses (2.1 3.1 5.1 stereo 2 whatever) but it's all poppycock to me. I will send $10.00 through paypal for the first person to make a "routing the impossible kontakt player tutorial."

I can't speak for any other DAW, but in Cubase you just have to hit f11, click the little like arrow icon (I had never noticed it before, it's pretty tiny and not-obvious) and then click "activate all inputs"

It took me like 2 weeks to figure this out originally.

 

[Charles J]

Haha, funny, I never had any problems routing it at all. As long as you know your DAW well enough it should be rather easy. One thing to remember is that I think Kontakt defaults all of it's internal mixer thing to stereo tracks.

Open up the mixer in Kontakt, click the 'config' button on the bottom and set the outputs accordingly. In Cubase, it makes all the available tracks automatically for Kontakt, it just doesnt route them. All of the internal sounds in Kontakt default to the first stereo track.

I'm not sure how other DAWs work, unfortunately.

And Ermz, as far as drumagog and using MIDI w/it, I NEVER liked Drumagog much for replacing or MIDI, it just floats too fucking much.

I think you use Drum Tracker, so feeding those MIDI tracks to the Kontakt player should yield some great results.

I actually did just that on the EP I'm working on. I've got my regular drums, but then I've got SSD 3.5 augmenting that w/just Kick/Snare/Toms. Sounds amazing.

Cool thing about 3.5 is that you can stack samples, which is fucking incredible! For this EP I'm using I think 3 slate kicks and 3 slate snares all in the kontakt player. Of course, you've got to tailor the low-end on the kicks to get the correct blend and whatnot.

Oh, and to add a different snare, kick, toms or whatever, you actually just press the 'x' on say the snare in the main window to get rid of it, then on the left under the instruments column, just choose a new snare.

If you don't delete the old said snare, it'll just load another snare that will play along w/the original loaded snare, which is also very fucking cool as I've always liked to mix and match the slate stuff whether it be numerous snares or different snare/room combos.

Let me know if you guys have any other questions and I'll try to get them sorted! I was a beta tester for SSD before 1.0 was even released and even though I'm not hooked up w/Steven personally anymore, I've used the software enough to know how his stuff kind of operates, haha.

 

[Slate]

hi guys. Routing to multi outs is very easy.. the new manual explains how to do it in PT, Cubase, and Logic. I've been told Reaper is a no brainer as well. The common theme is the simple hitting of "make default" and then taking Kontakt off and then back on the instrument insert. Then you just hit reset whenever you load a kit and it has everything ready and named.

The sound quality upgrade from 3.0- 3.5 is massive.. The kits are smoother, more dynamic, less robotic, more responsive on keys and drum pads, and hi hats play way more like hi hats, snare drums are very natural and mix in with less tweaking.. If you were able to A/B from 3.0 to 3.5 you'd hear this. Most guys at the SSD forum are saying its a pretty dramatic improvement.. I've done the A/Bs and would have to agree.

if you have any problems, just let us know. Honestly the routing thing isn't hard, its just a bit goofy at first.

And your DAW should save the kits you use, if it isn't, email us. It certainly does in PT, Cubase, and Logic.

We have new video of Glenn playing the Hybrid Kits, they are pretty awesome.. You'll also be able to tell from his long snare work intro how much more realistic the drums respond from Vdrums.

The official 3.5 retail pack and 3.5 EX packs will be out this week.