Key Features
Over 230 GB of raw, unprocessed sounds in 44.1 kHz/24 bi
6 Drum Kits and additional instruments
Recorded with an additional eleven separate room microphones set up in a surround configuration for a complete immersive experience
Playback in stereo or up to 11 channel surround systems
Engineered by George Massenburg
Integrated offline audio to MIDI conversion
Approx. 350 vintage and classic drum machine sounds
35 mixer effects
New and improved scalable interface with detachable windows
Edit Play Style, Tap2Find, Song Creator and Song Track features as well as improved workflow and search functionality
Built-in MIDI grid editor
DAW automation for built-in macro controls
Drag & drop and import for individual and third party samples
Support for keyboard shortcuts
The Drums – Immense and immersive, captured with layers of technology
The Superior Drummer 3 core sound library was recorded by award-winning engineer George Massenburg at probably the world’s most quiet and ideal location for sampling, the Galaxy Studios in Belgium. The library boasts in excess of 230 GB of raw sound material captured in extreme detail.
In additional to close microphones and several ambience positions, the Superior Drummer 3 setup also includes an additional eleven room microphones set up in a surround configuration, for use in anything from stereo to 5.1, 9.1 and all the way up to 11.1 systems. In combination with the large selection of extra instruments added for stacking and sound design purposes, the sounds of Superior Drummer 3 give you an incomparable palette of options to craft drum tones beyond your wildest imagination.
“Superior Drummer 3 takes music creation to a level of quality, flexibility and authenticity beyond the imagination.” - George Massenburg, Recording Engineer
Drum Features
Six (6) kits (Ayotte, Gretsch, Pearl, Premier, Ludwig, Yamaha)
Tom shell dimensions cover ranges from 6” to 20"
Optional tool selection available on select kits and instruments (sticks, brushes, rods, felt mallets)
Optional drum head selection available on select kits and instruments
Approx. 350 electronic drum sounds, sampled from vintage and classic drum machines
25 unique acoustic snares, 35 recorded configurations
16 unique acoustic kicks, 27 different recorded configurations
The Studio – Audio perfection in utter silence
The Superior Drummer 3 core sound library was recorded at Galaxy Studios in Belgium. With its 330-square meter room and eight meter ceiling height, it was the ideal location for capturing immersive audio of the utmost quality. In addition, the entire studio complex is built on springs to ensure that the outside interference is literally non-existent. In fact, with only 14 dBA of environmental noise, the main hall at Galaxy Studio is the most quiet recording space of this size in the world.
Perfect acoustics, balanced reverberation and second-to-none recording technology. Superior Drummer 3 called for a superior studio. We’d dare to say that this is the most nuanced and candidly captured sample library on the market.
George Massenburg – Superior engineer, audio pioneer, professor and inventor
George Massenburg’s contribution to the world of audio technology is hard to emphasize in words. Aside from having produced, mixed or engineered in excess of four hundred records, received almost any industry award thinkable, been inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame and received an honorary Doctorate of Music at the esteemed Berklee College, he is the inventor of an industry staple: the parametric equalizer. His attention to detail, accuracy and quality is second to none.
Superior Drummer 3 called for a superior engineer. These are his drum sounds – captured with layers of technology and a lifetime of experience to back it up.
Grooves – The heartbeat of your song
New and improved features for finding, customizing and working with MIDI. From quickly getting a custom beat going to diving deep into fine-tuning timing and velocity detail, Superior Drummer 3 has got you covered.
Groove Features
Multiple song tracks
Build full drum arrangements
Grid editor
Time and tempo editor integrated in Song Track
Edit Play Style, Tap2Find, Song Creator and Song Track with improved workflow and search functionality added
Integrated grooves and search browser
Text search
The MIDI Library
The Superior Drummer 3 MIDI library was designed to provide a wealth of fundamental groove and fill variations for mainstream pop, rock and singer-songwriter material. It also has a few dedicated sections for metal as well as an ‘Extras’ category with count-ins, snare rolls and MIDI files specifically designed for use with brushed samples. In total, the library encompasses in excess of 1,600 individually played fills, all categorized in common song structure parts.
MIDI Features
Drum grooves and fills inspired by a broad range of styles
More than 1,600 individually played files
4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 12/8, 2/4 in straight and swing feel
Tempos ranging from 55 to 204 BPM
Song structure categorization (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, fills, etc.)
Mixer – Control and power, beyond the thinkable
The mixer introduces 35 low-footprint insert effects, making each channel strip a virtual sound processing powerhouse. Route, bus, send, saturate, blend and mix – the creative options are endless. With Superior Drummer 3, you are in control.
Mixer Features
35 mixer effects (EQ, delay, reverb, filters, dynamics, distortion, modulation)
A wide array of presets for all included kits
Individual mic bleed and mic control
Bus, route, send
The Presets
To help you get started or to let you peek “under the hood” of how other engineers tweak their drums, we’ve included a comprehensive collection of mix-ready presets for a wide range of genres that you can use either as quick one-click solutions to get a great mix up or as a starting point from where you can venture off into your own sonic landscape.
We have worked with a wide range of our favourite producers – from local talent to some of the industry’s top names, like Bob Rock, Andy Sneap, George Massenburg and Richard Devine. Each engineer was given a blank slate and could create from the ground up, involving anything from their own custom samples to brand new field recordings of foley, one shots and percussion.
Preset Features
A wide range of traditional acoustic presets for each kit
Presets for electronic, hip-hop, rock, metal and much more
Creative sound design and hybrid kit renditions
Presets by industry legends such as Bob Rock, Andy Sneap, George Massenburg and Richard Devine.
Tracker – A new breed of audio to midi conversion
The Tracker introduces the arguably most efficient and accurate drum audio to MIDI conversion software on the market. Built on a highly advanced instrument recognition neural network, the Tracker detects hits with an unequalled accuracy and speed. With the seamless integration with Superior Drummer 3, replacing or augmenting drums has never been more powerful than now.
Tracker Features
Drum recognition based on artificial intelligence (AI)
Machine learning based on over 1.4 million drum audio files
Offline audio to MIDI conversion
Track complex drum patterns faster than ever before
Unlimited control with Find Similar, Sound Recognition
Threshold and other specially designed features
Create tempo maps from audio with the Find Tempo feature
Reduce bleed between different microphones to avoid false triggers
Edit MIDI notes individually directly in the waveform
Seamless integration with Superior Drummer 3
Endless possibilities to replace or augment any drum performance
Get experimental – import any audio file to generate original percussive rhythms
Superior Drummer 3 & SDX Expansions
All Toontrack SDX expansions will display new custom graphics for all kits and instruments. Below are a few examples of how SDXs will be displayed after having been updated. Updates will be available after Superior Drummer 3 has been launched.
Available Configurations
The Superior Drummer 3 software and the full core sound library are delivered as downloads, available directly from the Toontrack Product Manager upon registration. At an additional cost, there is also an option of getting the full sound library pre-installed on a 256 GB solid-state drive (SSD). Note that this is a supplement intended for those that purchase a license and want the sound library conveniently pre-installed on a quality drive. This box comes with no software license – only sounds.
Download Configuration
Due to the size of the library and to ensure that each customer freely can decide in what capacity he or she wants to utilize the source material, the product is configured in six (6) convenient download packages. Start by installing the software and then add each package in sequence as you go.
Download 1: “Software” - The Superior Drummer 3 software. No sounds. Approx. download size: 230 MB
Download 2: “Basic Sound Library” - All instruments, all tools and all articulations in direct microphones as well as the OH Dyn and Amb Ribbon channels. Bleed available in Snare Bottom, OH Dyn and Amb Ribbon channels. Approx. download size: 40 GB
Download 3: “Room” - The rest of the room microphone channels (OH Cond, Amb Near and Amb Mid). Approx. download size: 46 GB
Download 4: “Surround 1” - Surround. Five channel microphone setup to achieve 5-channel surround. Approx. download size: 43 GB
Download 5: “Surround 2” - Height and width. Six channel microphone setup to achieve 11-channel surround (in combination with the “Surround 1” content). Approx. download size: 52 GB.
Download 6: “Bleed” - All remaining instrument bleed, meaning the sound picked up by microphones other than the one(s) directly intended for a specific instrument or ambience Approx. download size: 54 GB.
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