SD3 advanced e-drum features

[Thorsten Sonnemann]

Could you please specify the advanced e-drum Features of SD3?

Topic

[Thorsten]

Yes, please dear Toontrack team.

Explain fast as possible this new advanced e-drum features of SD3. Like a real drummer I’ve been waiting for this point since more than 6-8 years from Toontrack! Noticing to this until now the e-drum functionality from SD2 is far away from capabilities other manufacturers like FXpansion and XLN Audio for so long time. Hopefully Toontrack did take advantage to wait so many years for a good solution in new e-drum features of SD3. Of course a good sounding drum library is very important. But for modern real drummers it is much more important how a modern VST drum system will reacting if hitting a (e-) drumset with less latency settings as possible. It seems the new SD3 version comes with a own stand-alone application. Hopefully this is a much better solution than the old and IMHO unfinished “Solo” application at all. Thank you very much with best regards.

Trommeltotti

[John]

Hi,

the SD3 standalone application does not by itself dictate the latency when you are playing but rather the audio interface you’re using and its drivers.
There is a new MIDI In/E-Drums settings tab.
In the MIDI Mapping overview you can, of course select different manufacturers’ modules and Input transform accordingly.
Each note is listed clearly with its triggered articulation and if it will be adjusted or not.
There is a real-time input Analyzer, so you can see exactly what MIDI hits the app/plugin, notes and CC messages.
If you select a note in the MIDI Mapping overview, you have an adjoining window part; Edit MIDI Mapping and Response that makes it easy to remap the note to something else and if you are using a CC sensitive 2- or 3-zone pad, you can select and map them and then Learn the CC. IOW, it’s not locked to specific positions but rather depends on which trigger pad you are using.
In the same window you can see a large box that lets you edit the Velocity curve for each note by clicking and dragging points.
You can also set the CC threshold for each open state of the HH in this window, e.g. you want the Open 5 stage to happen at CC 56 instead of 60 – click and drag.

Is it something specific you wish to know? What are the capabilities of other manufacturers that you wish SD3 has?

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Andreas Walfridsson]

Options to adjust the response from one instrument or an entire instrument class like ‘All Toms’ or ‘All Cymbals’ at once will be available as well.

Andreas Walfridsson - Toontrack
UX Designer

[Thorsten]

@John said:

Is it something specific you wish to know? What are the capabilities of other manufacturers that you wish SD3 has?

BR,
John  

If you meaning my person: My wishes to Toontrack are even more than you probably would aspect. I like to see from Toontrack – perhaps together with a suitable hardware manufacturer – a complete new trigger technologies without primitive piezo triggering and without the old midi format together with one new trigger to computer module with many inputs. Modern drummers are so tired of 80th old school drum synthesizer modules with plastic and rubber pads. The problem is: E-drummers which are using the Toontrack products don’t really need a drumsound module. They need just a good converter. Toontrack: It is time to think about this. Because this gear is not available on market. And this is so bad.

OK back to present age:
In the world of the awfully midi format it is important to see on the same graphical GUI which articulation is reacting when moving a HiHat CC controller slider or moving the points of the velocity curve inside SD3. Also for CC data for snaredrum. (Positional sensing) I’m disappointed about the three moveable points in the velocity curve on SD2. You can move them but you never know the exact values (position) from each point and also you will not see clearly what velocity articulations right now are changing if you move a curve point when you are hitting the drum/cymbal. Also just three moveable points from 0-127 should probably not enough. Compare SD2 to other companies they make those e-drum settings more meaningful and clearly on display. Hopefully SD3 will be in this case a game changer. Thanks

Trommeltotti

[Thorsten]

@John said:
Hi,

the SD3 standalone application does not by itself dictate the latency when you are playing but rather the audio interface you’re using and its drivers.

BR,
John  

Fine! If I’m right the older Toontrack SOLO VST-hoster does not allow sample buffer size settings below 64 samples. I’m using RME gear for this and never go over 32 samples on the ASIO driver dialogue inside my audio-interface. VST drummers are fighting for every millisecond less if possible.

[Author]

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