Digital drum units come filled with tons of of sounds, however should you’ve owned your digital equipment for some time, it is perhaps the case that you just’re searching for some new sounds to encourage your taking part in, or just one thing that isn’t contained inside your module.
After all, your first step when you possibly can’t discover the precise sound you’re searching for inside your module might be to edit an current sound and see how shut you will get. Or you can strive importing samples to mix together with your equipment to create your personal customized equipment. Lastly, you can take a look at one of many many multi-sampled software program options and set off them through your pc.
However there’s a slight drawback with the entire above – not everybody enjoys spending hours modifying sounds and scrolling by parameters. Likewise, you may not need to be tethering your equipment to a pc – notably should you intend on utilizing the equipment reside and don’t need to must take your laptop computer to the pub.
(Picture credit score: Future)
There may be one other answer, nonetheless, and it’s one which means you’ll must do little to no modifying of sounds, solely entails a pc for transferring a few recordsdata, and can can help you preserve your digital drum set completely self contained. The reply? Purchase some enlargement packs tailor-made particularly to your digital drum set or module!
For probably the most half, the idea with ‘native’ enlargement packs depends in your module being able to importing extra .wav samples. These samples are then mixed with those already housed inside your drum module inside pre-made customized kits to create dynamic, authentic-sounding patches you can save into the module and scroll to simply as should you’d made it your self.
The profit is, all you must do is buy the equipment presets, obtain and set up them into the module.
The profit is, all you must do is buy the equipment presets, obtain and set up them into the module. Every part will likely be mapped to your pads for you and it’s a hassle-free strategy to get extra variation and probably even an enchancment on the manufacturing facility sounds which might be programmed into your module.
Now, we stated ‘for probably the most half’ however should you’re utilizing a module that doesn’t assist imported wav recordsdata, doesn’t imply you must miss out on the enjoyable. There are many manufacturers on the market making enlargement packs for digital drum modules with out this functionality, as a substitute providing straight presets that may nonetheless work in your module.
Right here, we’re going to try a few of our favourites from the extra well-known firms.
1. V Expressions Specs Suitable with: Roland (TD-7, TD-11, TD-15, TD-17, TD-20, TD-20X, TD-25, TD-27, TD-30, TD-50, TD-50X), Pearl Mimic Professional At the moment’s Greatest Offers View at V Expressions (opens in new tab)
V Expressions have been within the sport a very long time – since 1998, to be exact, and because the identify would possibly point out its merchandise are largely aimed toward Roland customers apart from its Pearl Mimic Professional expansions.
As a result of firm’s pedigree, {the catalogue} additionally features a lengthy listing of expansions for present and up to date modules, however the legacy part additionally goes way back to the Roland TD-8 and TD-6, plus there are 6 kits designed to be used with the Yamaha DTXtreme III and DTX900.
In relation to present Roland modules, the TD-50X, TD-27, TD-17 and TD-07 are all catered for. The TD-50, TD-27 and TD-17 expansions have choices for a diverse assortment (Stability, MAXX and Designer respectively) and there are additionally extra genre-specific expansions obtainable. The TD-07 ‘enlargement’ works barely in another way because the module doesn’t even have any method of loading kits in digitally, so as a substitute V Expression’s Core add-on provides you entry to a handbook filled with settings which you’ll then have to enter into your module – probably tedious, however at the very least Roland’s widespread reasonably priced module hasn’t been excluded, and it may additionally function a fantastic studying device should you’re but to actually get beneath the hood of the TD-07.
V Expressions affords numerous buy choices too with costs starting from round $30 for the TD-17 expansions, and rising from right here. It’s price noting that the choices, pricing and titles are all completely different relying on which module you’re increasing – these are bespoke for every module fairly than being replicated throughout the vary. Nonetheless, the method of shopping for and putting in the kits – as with the opposite merchandise right here – is simple, and V Expressions offers detailed directions.
2. E-Drum Workshop Specs Suitable with: Roland (TD-17, TD-27, TD-50 and TD-50X), Pearl Mimic Professional. eLement packs suitable with any module with stereo wav pattern import At the moment’s Greatest Offers View on the eDrum Workshop (opens in new tab)
The E-Drum Workshop was born off the again of founder Luke Hesketh’s YouTube channel by the identical identify, and has developed into an ever-growing providing of customised kits for Roland (TD-17, TD-27, TD-50 and TD-50X,) and the Pearl MimicPro. E-Drum Workshop kits comprise bespoke one-shot samples (recorded by Luke)that are then blended with module sounds to create some extremely realistic-sounding preset kits. What’s extra, these are designed particularly for the module you buy them for, making use of the module’s extra processing (EQ, compression and results and many others.). There’s a number of variation on supply from the Well-known Vol 1 and a couple of packs – that includes kits primarily based on Bonham, Chad Smith, Simon Phillips, Travis Barker, Neil Peart, Danny Carey and extra – to up to date pop punk and steel (Highly effective & Punchy), to genre-neutral kits derived from a Yamaha Recording Customized and the Slated Room assortment – captured in a slate-clad drum room. Single kits begin at simply £5, and multi-kit packs are priced between £18 and £24.
In addition to the kits, E-Drum Workshop sells its snare and kick eLements packs, which is able to work with any module that may import and assign a 16-bit, 44.kHZ stereo wav file (together with the Alesis Strike). These sounds are designed to enhance your module’s current sounds by including ‘parts’ that you just is perhaps lacking equivalent to snare overtones, assault, wire buzz or weight, or within the case of your bass drum, assault, sub frequencies, atmosphere and beef.
There are complete tutorial movies exhibiting you methods to obtain and set up the kits and eLement packs into your module, and we love the truth that these are an reasonably priced strategy to get some really killer sounds with out resorting to hooking your equipment as much as a pc.
3. Drum-Tec Specs Suitable with: Roland TD-9, TD-11, TD-15, TD-17, TD-20, TD-25, TD-27, TD-30, TD-50, TD-50X, Pearl e/Merge, Mimic Professional, Alesis Strike, Crimson II, Yamaha DTX-Professional At the moment’s Greatest Offers View at Drum-tec (opens in new tab)
European e-drum retailer, Drum-tec sells nearly each model of digital drum set you possibly can consider, and should you purchase a equipment from them, they’ll bundle their Stay Sound Version sound enlargement with it. The excellent news is that should you already personal a equipment, you should purchase Drum-tec’s intensive vary of add-on packs and cargo it into your module.
Drum-tec affords an array of enlargement packs for various genres and functions, and the variety of choices adjustments relying in your module. It’s nice to see some assist for out-of-production kits equivalent to Roland’s TD-9, 11, 25 and 30, and alongside this, Drum-tec additionally caters for the Yamaha DTX-Professional plus the Alesis Crimson II and Strike modules.
As with the opposite firms providing e-kit expansions right here, there are demos of every permitting you to listen to what the kits sound like before you purchase. The Stay Sound and Actual Acoustics collections are a fantastic start line should you’re simply searching for ‘extra and completely different’ to what got here in your module, reeling off a menu of basic shells from Ludwig, Pearl, Yamaha, Gretsch, Tama and extra.
From right here, Drum-Tec affords all the pieces from In Type Of (primarily based on iconic drummers) to genre-based packs starting from basic rock to steel, and there’s additionally some digital/hybrid packs obtainable within the Past Acoustics vary.
Not each pack is accessible for each module, however you possibly can filter the search to solely present packs that may work together with your module and as soon as once more there are foolproof directions on downloading them and getting them into your equipment.