Toontrack Stories

Toontrack and Frank Filipetti span a vast array of musical genres with the latest Superior Drummer expansion.

There is no doubt that sampled‑based drum instruments such as Toontrack’s EZdrummer and Superior Drummer have made world‑class drum sounds available to the music‑making masses. While the core sound libraries Toontrack supply with both of these products provide plenty of variety, a well‑chosen expansion (EZX or SDX) can be a welcome addition if you are looking for drum sounds to suit a specific niche style. However, Toontrack’s latest SDX, Stories, is perhaps less niche and more multi‑genre in nature. That’s a deliberate design decision and, in no small part, is down to a collaboration with recording veteran Frank Filipetti. So, if you are looking to develop your Superior Drummer sound options with an emphasis on broadening your palette rather than digging deep into a specific musical style, is Stories a good candidate?

The Story So Far

While he started his professional life as a drummer, it’s Frank’s credits from behind the recording desk that are most impressive. Indeed, they read like a Who’s Who of music greats from the 1980s onwards. From Foreigner, the Bangles, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Survivor, Kiss, Al Di Meola, Rod Stewart, Madonna, George Michael, Maria Carey, Korn, Pavarotti and, just for good measure, the Broadway cast recordings for Monty Python’s Spamalot, his work has spanned classic rock, pop, metal and singer‑songwriter genres, as well as musical theatre productions and film. The concept behind the Stories SDX was to create a library of drum and percussion sounds that capture the key elements of these different musical worlds.

That’s obviously a big ask, but the technical data suggest the Toontrack team have given it their best shot. The SDX was recorded at the undeniably epic Power Station New England studio, a recreation of New York’s original Power Station, and features six different full drum kits plus additional snares, kicks and cymbals, all overseen by highly regarded drum technician Artie Smith. For good measure, a substantial collection of percussion instruments is also included, from timpani to handheld shakers. The recordings were made in three different acoustic spaces using a Neve 8068 MkII console previously used on numerous classic recordings, with a world‑class collection of mics and outboard. It clocks in at 160GB if you install everything (and ‘everything’ includes full surround‑sound 5.0 miking options). This is reflected in some of the presets, which can get up into the 8GB range; usefully, more compact installations are also available if storage space and RAM supplies are an issue. That said, do the full installation if you can, because the sounds are worth it. The package also includes dozens of pre‑mixed presets spanning all the kit and room combinations, and an extensive MIDI library that contains a sperate section for the various percussion instruments. It looks extremely impressive on paper — so how does it sound in your speakers?

Pick A Kit To Fit

The SDX installs as four separate libraries within Superior Drummer, based upon the three rooms used in the recording process (Main, Iso A and Iso B) plus a separate entry for the percussion (also recorded in the Main room). The team have given the various underlying kits musically appropriate labels (Modern Rock, Classic Rock, Art Rock, Acoustic Songwriter, Vintage Pop and Musical Theatre), and the organisation of the various presets within each of the sub‑libraries is based around these. Clearly, what might be appropriate for a modern rock track is different from a musical theatre recording or a singer‑songwriter project, and the various presets aimed at these contrasting styles are suitably distinct. This is true both of the pre‑mixed presets and the various Clean Kit presets; the nuances of the different kits, different rooms and different feels they create come through very clearly. Yes, they are all acoustic drum kits (and mighty fine examples), so there is plenty of scope to cross musical boundaries with a specific kit, but each does provide its own unique starting point.

With an impressive array of microphone options, there is plenty of flexibility to customise the drum sounds.

However, over and above the different flavours provided by the nature of the three different rooms, what’s particularly impressive is just how much control you have to manipulate the sound of each kit, because of the generous microphone options used within the sampling process. You get an instant taste of this as you flip between presets. For example, if we take the Classic Rock kit recorded in the Main room, the microphone options (as shown in the SD3 Mixer screenshot) can include two kick mics, kick sub, kick room and kick ‘amp’ channels (the latter recorded from a miked‑up speaker cabinet in the room). The scope for tailoring the basic kick sound is huge, even before you get into the various overhead, ambient, and surround microphones, or SD3’s very capable effects options. The snare is equally customisable. This potential can be heard by switching between two of the presets (for example, Basic and The Grange) based around the same kit; the contrasting sound/vibe demonstrates the flexibility at hand.

The Musical Theatre kit recorded in Iso A is worth further comment. This was recorded with sticks and provides a perfectly useable (if quite ‘polite’, to suit the target application) standard acoustic drum kit. However, it’s also available in a ‘snares off’ version, plus versions where it was played with rods and mallets. Again, each of these brings a distinctly different flavour and, with similar microphone options available, the level of control is impressive.

The other very interesting inclusion here is the percussion instruments. A number of other SDXs include some percussion elements and there is, of course, the Orchestral Percussion SDX, but the 30+ percussion instruments included here, sat alongside the stellar acoustic kits, are a real bonus. They include various sizes of bongos and congas, four different cowbells, two gongs, a number of shakers, three tambourines, timpani, triangles and a selection of woodblocks. Whether it’s for ornamentation suitable for that musical theatre project, to add some percussive spice to a pop track, or for maximum cowbell on a classic rock song, Stories has you covered. Oh, and they sound great.

MIDI Matters

As with all the SDX and EZX products, the package is rounded out with a dedicated MIDI library. Despite occupying just a few MB of the 160GB total, these loops always prove a valuable part of every Toontrack expansion, especially for those with limited drumming skills. The MIDI collection here — played by Toontrack veteran Norman Garschke — seems pretty extensive. As with the drum kits, the MIDI collection is divided into four sections, one for each room and one for the percussion. The first three feature sub‑sections obviously played on each of the various kits but, as with any of Toontrack’s MIDI content, you can mix and match to suit your needs.

As befits the broad nature of the sounds, the MIDI spans a whole host of styles, from modern rock through to acoustic singer‑songwriter grooves. It’s also great to see dedicated sections for the musical theatre styles and an impressive selection of basic patterns and grooves dedicated to each of the percussion instruments. There is plenty here to dig into, and lots of cool grooves to explore and inspire.

The Stories SDX covers a massive amount of musical ground and the percussion selection makes for a brilliant addition.

Conclusions

The Stories SDX covers a massive amount of musical ground, and the percussion selection is a brilliant addition. As ever, the MIDI content is excellent, but these kits would also be a great sonic platform for almost any of Toontrack’s many genre‑specific MIDI expansion packs. Given the breadth of coverage, Stories would make a great first expansion for someone looking to expand upon the SD3 core library but without focusing of a specific musical niche. It doesn’t really get into the realms of modern metal or EDM but, otherwise, there is something for almost everyone here.

Stories also ticks the ‘classy’ box. If you can record drums in your own studio that sound better than what’s available here, then you are very lucky indeed. Toontrack and Frank Filipetti’s Stories SDX would grace even the most demanding of musical contexts. Stories is packed with top‑class sounds that can span the musical world of the last 40 years, and is an absolute joy to use.