STEVEN SLATE DRUMS 5.5

When it comes to drum libraries, it would appear that more is better. These days, libraries are packed with more content than ever before, and at more affordable prices. Slate Drums 5 is no exception. With its massive collection of meticulously recorded drums and cymbals, Slate Drums 5 is one of the most comprehensive libraries on the market.

And its affordable price makes it a great value for money. But with so many libraries and so much content available, it’s becoming harder to impress customers. So how does Slate Drums 5 fair in that regard? Let’s take a closer look. First of all, the quality of the recordings is excellent.

The drums sound natural and realistic, and the cymbals have a beautiful shimmer. The library is also very easy to use, with a well-organized interface and an intuitive navigation system. And last but not least, the price is very reasonable. In conclusion, Slate Drums 5 is a top-notch drum library that offers great value for money.

Slate Trigger and Slate Drums

The latest installment of Slate Drums ships with all of the legacy content from Slate Drums 4 Platinum, plus a set of brand new kits and cymbals.

Steven Slate has been making a name for himself in the audio engineering world for quite some time now. His company, Slate Digital, offers a variety of plugins and software solutions that are widely used by mixers and mastering engineers.

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One of his most popular products is the Slate Trigger plugin, which is used by many producers for drum layering and replacement. Slate is also known for his work on the mixing and mastering side of things, and his plugins are some of the most popular in those fields.

In recent years, Slate has also ventured into the world of hardware, with the release of the Slate Raven touch-screen controller. Whether you’re looking for mixing, mastering, or drum plugins, Steven Slate is sure to have something that will meet your needs.

I recently had the chance to spend some time with Steven Slate Drums 5.5, and I have to say that I was impressed. This plugin has become popular for a reason: it’s attractive, easy to use, and packed with features.

The library of samples, one-shots, MIDI loops, and fills is huge, and the built-in sampler is a nice touch. The only downside is that there are no in-built effects, but that didn’t bother me at all.

STEVEN SLATE DRUMS 5.5 Review

Steven Slate Drums is an excellent Drum virtual instrument plugin with hundreds of drum and cymbal samples, thousands of MIDI grooves, and granular customization options. The plugin allows you to create realistic-sounding drum tracks quickly and easily, without the need for a real drum kit. The samples are high quality and provide a wide range of sounds, from classic acoustic drums to modern electronic drums.

You can also customize the sound of each individual drum and cymbal, using the built-in EQ, compression, and other effects. In addition, the plugin comes with a vast library of MIDI grooves, which can be used to quickly create realistic-sounding drum tracks.

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The Slate Drums library has always had a great sound for rock, pop, metal and industrial styles – it’s nice and punchy without being too overbearing. However, one downside is that it can sometimes be a bit too subtle for funk or softer styles.

Download Cory’s Preset here

While it’s certainly not the selling point of the Slate Drums library, the mapper is, unfortunately, a nightmare to work with. Thankfully, the rest of the library more than makes up for this one weak spot.

The sounds are top-notch, and with a separate mapping plugin, the mapper issue becomes almost a non-issue. In short, don’t let the mapper scare you away from an otherwise excellent drum library.

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The drums are provided with plenty of articulations and no less than 5 opening positions for the hats with both shank and tip variants, along with hard edge and medium shank hits for all the cymbals along with choke keys.

Each articulation’s volume can be tweaked, and the usual controls for shaping the velocity and decay are all there. The room mics are tops as well. The result is a very natural sound that doesn’t require much in the way of EQ or other processing, which is a huge plus in my book.

I’ve been very happy with the results I’ve been getting from this library, and I think it’s well worth the asking price. Highly recommended!

STEVEN SLATE DRUMS 5.5 User interface

At first glance, Steven Slate Drums 5 might not look like much. The graphical user interface is dated and doesn’t offer the same level of customization as some of its competitors. However, looks can be deceiving.

Despite its unassuming appearance, Steven Slate Drums 5 is a powerful and versatile drumming software that more than lives up to its name. The sound quality is excellent, and the editing functions are robust and easy to use.

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Plus, the overall functionality is rock-solid. In short, don’t let the dated GUI fool you – Steven Slate Drums 5 is a top-notch drumming software that any drummer would be proud to own.

The Anti-User-Friendly Re-Mapping System is the bane of this library’s existence. We’ve seen this problem firsthand with Slate Drums 4 – and it looks like Slate Drums 5 will have the same issue. We hope that the library will find a way to fix this problem soon because it’s making it very difficult for us to do our work. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

STEVEN SLATE DRUMS 5.5 – Edit Tab

The Edit tab in SSD 5.5 provides granular control over each individual drum or cymbal in your kit. Selecting a drum and opening the Instrument Master window gives you access to master volume, tuning, and phase controls.

You can also adjust the settings for the individual articulations, like snare rimshot, center, rimshot edge, snare side, and sidestick. Finishing up along the top of the window is a Dynamics control for cleaning up MIDI input to dial in the right velocities. This allows you to get the perfect sound for your drums every time. Thanks to the Edit tab, you have complete control over your kit.

The individual microphone routing, volume, and pan controls for each mic that hears the drum selected are located at the bottom of the Edit tab. For example, the snare bottom, snare ring, overhead, and room mics can each be routed into one of 32 channels. In addition, the overheads, rooms, and SLR mics can be routed into any of the above.

The Steven Slate Drums 5.5 mic controls the amount of bleed from kick and toms into the snare bottom mic. This allows for a high degree of control over the sound of the drums. As a result, the drums can be made to sound very natural or they can be given a unique sound that is tailored to the style of music being played.

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Rounding out the controls is an ADSR envelope shaper, allowing you to pick the perfect attack, delay, sustain, and release for each drum, similar to a synth. The link feature allows adjustment of all the mic envelopes for a single drum at once. By turning the knob labeled “link”, you can adjust the ADSR parameters of all the mics on a single drum simultaneously.

This is extremely useful for fine-tuning the sound of a drum and can help you to get a deeper, richer sound from your drums. In addition, the ADSR envelope shaper can be used to create unique sounds that would not be possible with traditional methods. By experimenting with different settings, you can create a wide range of sounds that will add a new dimension to your music.

STEVEN SLATE DRUMS 5.5 – Mix Tab

The Mix tab in Steven Slate Drums 5.5 is a powerful tool for fine-tuning the sound of your drum kit. The Edit window provides control over the volume, solo, mute, pan, and phase of each drum, while the faders below it offer global control over the entire kit.

This allows you to sculpt the perfect sound for your drums, whether you’re looking for a tight, punchy sound or a wide, open sound. And if you need even more control, you can group multiple faders together by holding CTRL and clicking on them. This gives you complete control over your drum mix, making it easy to get the perfect sound for your tracks.

STEVEN SLATE DRUMS 5.5 – Grooves Tab

Steven Slate Drums 5.5 ships with over 2,400 MIDI grooves, arranged in various categories like Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, or Fills. Clicking on a Library, then a Category brings up a list of matching Grooves. The playhead with the Autoplay button at the bottom is handy for auditioning the grooves before dragging them into your host DAW for playback and tweaking your MIDI editor.

As any drummer knows, nailing the perfect groove is essential for giving a track that professional feel – and with Steven Slate Drums 5.5, it’s easy to find the perfect groove for your next song.

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The MIDI learn to function in the library is non-existent, so you are forced to drag on articulations inside a rather clunky-looking window. The two mapping functions (kit mapping and the core mapping function) remind me of those two talking door-knockers in the movie “Labyrinth”.

Neither of them seems to make sense, neither seems to get along, and what’s left is an exasperating puzzle.

The kit mapping affects the core mapping when grouping articulations onto a single key, then the core mapping, when changed, causes the kit mapping window to display incorrect articulations and so on. There is no way to copy an articulation to another key, so you must drag in multiple instances of kit pieces to achieve this – and most of them automatically map to the same keys as their counterparts no matter what preset you’ve loaded, saved or tweaked.

Consequently, it’s often necessary to go into the advanced page for each instrument and change the key range for every articulation manually. There are often dozens of articulations per instrument, so this is a time-consuming and tedious process. Surely there must be a better way?

Every musician knows the frustration of trying to create the perfect set-up, only to have it undone by a small detail. Whether it’s moving a pedal just an inch to the left, or finding the perfect balance of EQ settings, the process can often feel like taking one step forward and three steps back. This is especially true when working with virtual instruments, where even the smallest change can require reloading a whole kit or re-auditioning sounds.

However, this doesn’t mean that the search for the perfect set-up is futile. In fact, the satisfaction of finally achieving that goal can make all the frustration worth it. So next time you’re stuck in the cycle of trial and error, remember that the perfect set-up is out there somewhere – and it’s worth searching for.

STEVEN SLATE DRUMS 5.5 – Conclusion

SSD 5.5 is a great way to add more depth and realism to your electronic music. With its new subtractive synthesis engine, SSD 5.5 offers a wider range of sounds than ever before. Plus, the new intelligent Arpeggiator and NoteRepeat features make it easy to create complex musical passages with just a few button presses.

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I’ll admit that I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I loaded up Slate Drums 5.5. I’d heard good things about Steven Slate’s drum plugins, but I wasn’t sure if they would live up to the hype. While it’s not perfect, I’m happy to report that Slate Drums 5.5 is a great plugin with a lot to offer. The sound is fantastic, and the interface is very user-friendly.

My only complaint is that only five kits are included, which feels a bit limited. However, even with that small drawback, Slate Drums 5 is still a great plugin that I highly recommend.

You can’t go wrong with Steven Slate Drums 5.5. It’s an amazing value at this price point and comes with many features and customization options. The acoustic and electronic drums sound great, and the MIDI mapping is a definite plus. If you’re looking for a drum plugin that offers great value for the money, this is the one you want.

Steven Slate Drums 5.5 FREE

SSD5.5 is the latest and greatest drum sampler from Steven Slate Drums. With its advanced audio engine, SSD5.5 can produce incredibly realistic drum sounds. And because it’s a Steven Slate Drums product, you know that it’s packed with features designed to make your life easier.

The free demo gives you access to three of Steven’s favorite kit presets, so you can get a taste of what SSD5.5 can do. Plus, the demo never expires, so you can keep using it even after you buy the full version. So why wait? Download the free SSD5.5 demo now and see how it can take your drums to the next level.

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Rating: Four out of five stars

In terms of drum quality, Slate Drums 5.5 is very good. The new drums are particularly tasty, and the legacy library is large and varied. The price is also very reasonable, especially considering the quality of the product. I would definitely recommend Slate Drums 5 to anyone looking for a quality drum library.

Steven Slate Drums 5.5 is hard to beat when it comes to value. You get hundreds of kicks and snares to choose from, paired with tons of customization parameters for the price point.

This makes it a great value for the money. Additionally, the sampler feature and extensive MIDI mapping are definite bonuses in value. Overall, I believe that Steven Slate Drums 5.5 is a great value for the money and would recommend it to anyone in the market for a drum plugin.

Steven Slate Drums 5.5 Review

SSD 5.5 is a great way to add more depth and realism to your electronic music. With its new subtractive synthesis engine, SSD 5.5 offers a wider range of sounds than ever before. The new intelligent Arpeggiator and NoteRepeat features make it easy to create complex musical passages with just a few button presses.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I first loaded up Slate Drums 5.5. I’d heard good things about Steven Slate’s drum plugins, but I wasn’t sure if they would live up to the hype. I’m happy to report that, while it’s not perfect, Slate Drums 5.5 is a great plugin with a lot to offer. The sound is fantastic, and the interface is very user-friendly.
My only complaint is that there are only five kits included, which feels a bit limited. However, even with that small drawback, Slate Drums 5 is still a great plugin that I highly recommend.
You can’t go wrong with Steven Slate Drums 5.5. It’s an amazing value at this price point, and it comes with a ton of features and customization options. The acoustic and electronic drums sound great, and the MIDI mapping is a definite plus. If you’re looking for a drum plugin that offers great value for the money, this is the one you want.

Thorsten

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Summary

In terms of drum quality, Slate Drums 5.5 is very good. The new drums are particularly tasty, and the legacy library is large and varied. The price is also very reasonable, especially considering the quality of the product. I would definitely recommend Slate Drums 5 to anyone looking for a quality drum library.
When it comes to value, Steven Slate Drums 5.5 is hard to beat. You get hundreds of kicks and snares to choose from, paired with tons of customization parameters for the price point.
This makes it a great value for the money. Additionally, the sampler feature and extensive MIDI mapping are definite bonuses in terms of value. Overall, I believe that Steven Slate Drums 5.5 is a great value for the money and would recommend it to anyone in the market for a drum plugin.

4

Steven Slate Drums 5 Review

Yet another drum library hits the shelves. It would appear drum libraries are being packed with more and more content these days at more affordable prices – and Slate Drums 5 is no exception. But with more libraries and content, it’s becoming harder to impress customers. Let’s see how Slate Drums 5 fairs in that regard.

Steven Slate has been around for some time now, offering both mixing and mastering plugins as well as the widely used Slate Trigger plugin for drum layering and replacement.

Slate Drums was made as the playable VST plugin version of Trigger for those who prefer to use programs like EZDrummer or BFD for example. The latest instalment of Slate Drums ships with all of the legacy content from Slate Drums 4 Platinum, plus a set of brand new kits and cymbals.

Installation

After purchase, you are given a special login code where you can download the files along with the Slate Drums 5 plugin installer, a sample installer and a license file. After extracting the samples to your folder of choice, you must run the Slate Drums 5 plugin installer, followed by the sample installer, after which you’re ready to go.

Sound

The Slate Drums library has always sounded great in its own way – while not exactly subtle enough to handle softer styles or funk, it’s great for rock, pop, metal and industrial – where it slices through with Steven Slate’s signature drum sound.

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The legacy content (Classic Signature, Classics 1 & 2 and Deluxe 1) is all present here so anyone new to the library will be getting a ton of kicks, snares, toms and crisp cymbals to play with from square one.

The bonus for the previous user of Slate Drums is that through the magic of tone shaping algorithms, all of the old kits feel more responsive and more dynamic. They still have a coldness or “detached” feel about them due to not having controllable snare bleed for the kicks and toms, but they work just as well now in louder genres than they did initially.

The new kits, however (Deluxe 2) will be the most attractive reason for upgrading or buying a new copy. These kits do have a snare bleed channel for the kicks and toms, and it brings in that classic warmth and realism of a live drum sound. That, coupled with a nifty snare ring channel (which really emphasizes the snare overtones for a great ‘ping!’ sound) and more detail in the sampling, makes these kits perfect for blues, funk, jazz, indie and more.

This really pushes past the limitations Slate Drums once had, and the drums feel great to play. The drums are of course where this library truly excels, but there is an offset…

Those who like to custom map should steer well clear of this function and instead use the free NoteMapper plugin by CodeFN42 (it’s for Windows only though) to circumvent this problem and have everything working smoothly once more. The video below covers this workaround along with showcasing the library’s sounds, and includes links to the NoteMapper plugin and some logical presets to get you started:

Download Cory’s Preset here

Of course, it may seem like a deal breaker after reading about Slate Drums’ mapper-from-hell, but truth be told this is simply a great library with an awful mapper. Everything else is just fine, and with a separate mapping plugin this becomes almost a moot point in the end.

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The drums are provided with plenty of articulations and no less than 5 opening positions for the hats with both shank and tip variants, along with hard edge and medium shank hits for all the cymbals (I personally love these) along with choke keys. Each articulation’s volume can be tweaked, and the usual controls for shaping the velocity and decay are all there. The room mics are tops as well.

User interface & Usability

Steven Slate Drums 5 has a dated looking GUI it doesn’t get in the way of the sound, the editing functions, and the overall functionality.

The curse that plagues this library is the anti-user-friendly re-mapping system. Slate Drums 4 had it pretty bad – and Slate Drums 5 has it pretty bad too. There is no MIDI learn to function in the library, so you are forced to drag on articulations inside a rather clunky looking window – up, down, up, down and so on – which is bad enough in itself, but the two mapping functions (kit mapping and the core mapping function) reminded me of those two talking door-knockers in the movie “Labyrinth”. Neither of them seem to make sense, and neither of them seem to get along, and what’s left is an exasperating puzzle.

The kit mapping affects the core mapping when grouping articulations onto a single key, then the core mapping when changed causes the kit mapping window to display incorrect articulations and so on. There is no way to copy an articulation to another key, so you must drag in multiple instances of kit pieces to achieve this – and most of them automatically map to the same keys as their counterparts no matter what preset you’ve loaded, saved or tweaked.

Attempting to create a custom map or simply moving something somewhere else for convenience, then trying to audition kit pieces, or worse – loading whole kits – results in a one step forward, three steps back dance.

Saving and loading different mapping presets with different kits is like hitting a randomising button, and the only way to be sure a custom map will work is if you save the kit after mapping it… Every time you want to load new kit pieces or make a new kit.

I highly doubt Steven Slate was the madhatter behind this mapping script, but whoever is shouldn’t ever be making mapping scripts for any library (Steven, if you’re out there, please hire someone else to remake a mapping system for Slate Drums!).

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Rating:  Four out of five stars

After all of that, I still think Slate Drums 5 is a quality product (drum-wise) with a large legacy library and a tasty set of new drums that is priced well below what many others would (and do) charge.

Slate Drums 5 by STEVEN SLATE DRUMS doesn’t exactly knock it out of the park, but I wholeheartedly recommend upgrading or buying a copy, because at the end of the day it’s value for money with a great sound. If you’re interested in an in-depth look at the latest version, be sure to check out the latest ‘steven slate drums 5.5 review‘ to see all the new features and improvements. The company has a strong track record of consistently improving their products, so I have high hopes for the next update. Overall, I’m confident that Steven Slate Drums 5 will continue to be a solid choice for musicians and producers.