RIFFS plug-ins...
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I think it would be fair to say that the Ladies and Gentlemen at Swedish drum sampling gurus, Toontrack have had a rather busy time of it recently, and the latest addition to the SDX range: Roots, does seem somewhat like a fitting culmination of this recent flourish of Scandinavian productivity! The Roots SDX is actually divided into two sections which are available to purchase separately, but bought together represent better value for money. Part one is called ‘Sticks’ whilst the second library is called ‘Brushes, Rods and Mallets’ it shouldn’t take Sherlock Holmes levels of investigative skills to work out which library does what!
The techie bit.
The original idea behind Roots was Toontrack’s plan to complete their own Superior 2 drum software with an exhaustive Jazz drum library and to that end they entered Blackbird Studios in Nashville with drummer Roy ‘Futureman’ Wooten. Blackbird has a reputation as one of the best studios in the world and its arsenal of microphones and fab vintage drum kits would be the envy of anyone. Upon recording the library it was quickly realised that this extensive Jazz library would also work well in other genres from Jazz to Blues and Hip-Hop to Rock. Proof if ever needed that as long as drums are well tuned and recorded properly they will just seem to work in any project.
Being an SDX Expansion it should be
reiterated that this library will only work in the latest 2.3 version of Toontrack’s Superior 2 software. The libraries themselves are large, weighing in at 36 GB for Sticks and 28 GB for Brushes, Rods and Mallets, before we even take a listen this should point towards the level of detail that is going to be on offer here.
In use Roots presents you with a set of mixer channels to represent all the microphones/channels on the kit, however this time the choice is huge! Twenty-three channels (7 stereo & 16 mono) are there for your mixing pleasure, in addition to the usual stereo overheads, snare, tom and kick drum mics etc there is a reverb chamber, classical style Decca Tree arrangement and
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www.playmusicpickup.co.uk SHOULD I BUY ONE?
When reviewing gear or software, I feel like I have failed if I can’t fi nd at least one thing to moan about, unfortunately this time I think I have failed. Roots has to be my favourite expansion for Superior Drums so far. For a self confessed knob twiddler like me Roots is top-notch. The sound shaping is outstanding and if you program your drums properly in the fi rst place you really feel like you are listening to a real drummer recorded in a great studio coming off a tape machine. The only problem I can see is where Toontrack can take the Superior drums concept from here as I really can’t see what’s left beyond maybe a classic drummer’s series, which would be my own personal want! (Hint hint!) You may or may not need the Brushes, Rods and Mallets set but I would say that for
any Superior 2 users the Roots Sticks library should be considered almost compulsory. For those that do not use Toontrack Superior yet now may just be the time to take that leap! Outstanding!
THE GOOD BITS: Superb sounds and fl exibility. is worth it, however.
even a so-called Trash mic! You will probably find it difficult to use them all at once but in theory the sonic pallet at your fingertips should be immense. All of these channels have be recorded with the aforementioned collection of classic mics through a Neve 8078 console or a selection of classic preamps including an old 1930’s RCA valve preamp. The collection of drums in the Sticks library is significantly more than adequate and although smaller, the collection in Brushes, Rods and Mallets is designed to work with the playing styles and articulations on offer.
On paper at least this package offers a lot, and in practise, Roots delivers too! The sounds themselves are sublime but the kits in Roots are a little difficult to describe, Toontrack have usually made sets that are obviously, Vintage, Metal, Country etc. But Roots doesn’t seem to fall into any category (despite its original modus operandi being Jazz), with all the mic’ing options on offer it’s easy to get anything from a small sounding Jazz kit to a trashy old blues kit.
Toontrack’s superb user-friendly interface puts Roots’ sonic palette at your fi ngertips
Bring in some of the ambience and you have a big classic rock kit, gate the ambience channels and crank the top end and you get an ‘80’s rock kit, bring the ambience back and add some reverb chamber and you go back more towards the 1960’s. The Brush, Rods and Mallets sounds by definition are more niche and so they lend themselves less to the same multitude of styles but the mixing choices are still there, and allow you to easily emulate Jazz through the ages admirably. PM
THE NOT SO GOOD BITS: Limited to Superior Drummer 2 (2.3) version, so you’ll need an upgrade to use this extension pace. It
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TOONTRACKS ROOTS SDX EXPANSION
Originally conceived as a sample library for jazz purists, Roots SDX expansion for Toontrack’s
Superior 2 is equally useful for multiple genres. Words: D.P. Wilson
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