The latest expansion for Toontrack’s Superior Drummer 3 software contains six drum kits and a collection of percussion instruments captured at Power Station New England by award-winning producer and mix engineer Frank Filipetti. Stories SDX covers a wide variety of sounds, reflecting a diverse catalogue of work that encompasses rock, pop, metal, Broadway musical cast recordings and more.
The Kits
The kits included in the expansion were selected to portray different eras and sounds, with Modern, Classic and Art Rock kits joined by Acoustic Songwriter, Vintage Pop and Musical Theatre variants. A selection of 34 percussion instruments ranging from timpanis to triangles complement the main kits, whilst a collection of additional kicks, snares and crash cymbals allow users to customise the included kit configurations.
Details of the kits included in the expansion are as follows:
- Modern Rock: 2000s DW Collector’s Series
- Classic Rock: 1960s Rogers Londoner 5
- Art Rock: 1970s Premier Elite
- Acoustic Songwriter: 1980s Gretsch Stop Sign Badge
- Vintage Pop: 1960s Lugwig Super Classic
- Musical Theatre: 1930s Slingerland Cloud Badge Radio King
Mics & Rooms
Detailed control of the overall sound is provided thanks to a wealth of microphone options, with individual close mics supplemented by room and ambient mics, and those working in surround formats are able to take advantage of a dedicated 5.0 setup. Different room sound options are provided, too, with all of the library’s content recorded in the studio’s main room as well as two isolation booths. The exact miking setup varies between the spaces, although all benefit from the 5.0 array.
Presets & MIDI
Over 60 presets created by Frank Filipetti and the Toontrack team are included, offering a comprehensive selection of mix-ready sounds that cover a wide variety of musical genres, with simple, stripped-back sounds joined by more elaborate saturated and compressed offerings. There are also unique MIDI grooves and fills for each kit which have been inspired by the artists and drummers behind some of the milestone recordings of Frank’s career.
SOS Review
To find out more about Superior Drummer 3, take a look at our in-depth review from SOS October 2017.
Compatibility
Stories SDX requires Superior Drummer 3.3.6 or higher, which is supported on PCs running Windows 7 or above, and Macs running macOS 10.6 and higher. Approximately 160GB of free disk space is required.
Pricing & Availability
Stories SDX is available now, priced at €179.
