Comparison of Drum Synth REs... which one is your favorite?

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challism
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23 Nov 2021

I'm curious how the drum synths compare to each other. Which is your favorite and why? Feel free to discuss all the drum synth REs in this discussion (OchenK EDS06, Josh Levy 808, Rob Papen PunchBDRE, etc) but I am personally interested in hearing about Ekss DRUMSYN, Ekss SYNR and Noise Engineering Basimilus. (I've tried the Ekss drum synths, but it was a while ago and I can't compare them to Basimilus... looking to buy one of the three). I think I preferred DRUMSYN to SYNR... I don't remember why, though.... maybe I like sliders over knobs. It just seemed more intuitive for me to dial in the perfect sound on DRUMSYN.

Also... what drum synth RE (not sample player) did I not mention? I tried to search the shop, but the filters don't seem to be working properly anymore.

Thanks in advance for any comments! :)
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Skullture
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23 Nov 2021

Challism, are you hunting during black Friday 😏

Go for DRUMSYN for weirder perc noises, SYNR if you want to actually make drums.

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challism
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23 Nov 2021

Skullture wrote:
23 Nov 2021
Challism, are you hunting during black Friday 😏

Go for DRUMSYN for weirder perc noises, SYNR if you want to actually make drums.
ha ha, I certainly am guilty of that! Yeah maybe that's why I remember liking DRUMSYN better. I've already got tons of regular drum options. Weird is good. I'm thinking the NE drum synth might have a lot of strange stuff going on, too. I haven't tried that one yet. I'm was going to ask the RT community first, and if NE kept coming up, I would try it. Otherwise, I'll save the try for later. I like to save my trials. Thanks for the post.
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Billy+
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23 Nov 2021

I've got loads and honestly I couldn't recommend any of them.

Definitely won't be buying anymore ujam
Definitely won't be buying any new RS RE's if they release any more (I've got all current)
Haven't even tried any 3rd party RE's

My go to setup uses kong when I'm not using XO ;) if you're interested in XO and you don't want the full version light will be fine but you will probably be able to pick up XO full for about the same price as light during a sale at some point :thumbs_up:

The only downside to XO is it can't access refills but the last drum refills I brought was king of kong from jp.
I wish RS would release an unpacker for refills especially drum one shots

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challism
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23 Nov 2021

Billy+ wrote:
23 Nov 2021
I've got loads and honestly I couldn't recommend any of them.

Definitely won't be buying anymore ujam
Definitely won't be buying any new RS RE's if they release any more (I've got all current)
Haven't even tried any 3rd party RE's

My go to setup uses kong when I'm not using XO ;) if you're interested in XO and you don't want the full version light will be fine but you will probably be able to pick up XO full for about the same price as light during a sale at some point :thumbs_up:

The only downside to XO is it can't access refills but the last drum refills I brought was king of kong from jp.
I wish RS would release an unpacker for refills especially drum one shots
Googling "XO" ha ha
Yeah, a refill unpacker would be great! Too bad that will likely never happen, as it involves doing something/changing to something old. This company doesn't like looking back... only forward.... no matter how many bugs or issues the old stuff has.... just keep pumping out new REs! ha ha ha I would love to be able to easily unpack some of my refills. I mean, it can be done in a very slow and tedious method, but who wants that?
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DJMaytag
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23 Nov 2021

I’m still pretty happy with Kong, OctoRex, and Rytmik. Trying out the stand alone drum synth RE’s, like the one similar to the SY-1.

I sometimes pull out the D-16 drum boxes and Xfer’s Nerve drum machine VST’s. The latter is pretty damn amazing.

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Billy+
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23 Nov 2021

challism wrote:
23 Nov 2021
Billy+ wrote:
23 Nov 2021
I've got loads and honestly I couldn't recommend any of them.

Definitely won't be buying anymore ujam
Definitely won't be buying any new RS RE's if they release any more (I've got all current)
Haven't even tried any 3rd party RE's

My go to setup uses kong when I'm not using XO ;) if you're interested in XO and you don't want the full version light will be fine but you will probably be able to pick up XO full for about the same price as light during a sale at some point :thumbs_up:

The only downside to XO is it can't access refills but the last drum refills I brought was king of kong from jp.
I wish RS would release an unpacker for refills especially drum one shots
Googling "XO" ha ha
Yeah, a refill unpacker would be great! Too bad that will likely never happen, as it involves doing something/changing to something old. This company doesn't like looking back... only forward.... no matter how many bugs or issues the old stuff has.... just keep pumping out new REs! ha ha ha I would love to be able to easily unpack some of my refills. I mean, it can be done in a very slow and tedious method, but who wants that?
https://www.xlnaudio.com/products/xo

It's got massive discount at the moment :thumbs_up:
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Look at all the interface panels
Last edited by Billy+ on 23 Nov 2021, edited 2 times in total.

PhillipOrdonez
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23 Nov 2021

Would be nice to hear some more input on the matter. On the actual matter, devices that synthesize drums and percussion, not sample playback 🙄

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BumCuddle
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23 Nov 2021

I really wanted to like the EDS06 but the interface is just too damn fiddly and messy to get any prolonged input into the device, it is great for off the wall percussion if you can be dedicated enough to program the thing.
I know I've done the complete opposite of what you asked but that RE is so damn frustrating I felt I had to speak out! :lol:

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BRIGGS
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23 Nov 2021

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r11s

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moofi
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23 Nov 2021

I feel DRUMSYNTH appears to be more like an effect synth. While it certainly can produce drum sounds I find it truely unfolds by simply using it for additional shizzle.
challism wrote:
23 Nov 2021
Skullture wrote:
23 Nov 2021
Challism, are you hunting during black Friday 😏

Go for DRUMSYN for weirder perc noises, SYNR if you want to actually make drums.
ha ha, I certainly am guilty of that! Yeah maybe that's why I remember liking DRUMSYN better. I've already got tons of regular drum options. Weird is good. I'm thinking the NE drum synth might have a lot of strange stuff going on, too. I haven't tried that one yet. I'm was going to ask the RT community first, and if NE kept coming up, I would try it. Otherwise, I'll save the try for later. I like to save my trials. Thanks for the post.
Last edited by moofi on 23 Nov 2021, edited 1 time in total.

Bes
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23 Nov 2021

ive gotten a lot from the L1MDrum by Quadelectra and DRUMSYN by Ekss but i think i might go back to using kongs drum synth modules for a while
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DaveyG
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24 Nov 2021

Not an RE but a superb and much overlooked VST for synthetic drums is Sugar Bytes DrumComputer.
Simple enough to be used by impatient fools like me.
Deep enough to satisfy even the fussiest knob tweaker.

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reusenoise
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24 Nov 2021

Not Re but Microtonic it's the only drum synth you need,https://soniccharge.com/microtonic the patternariun thing it's quite funny and useful https://soniccharge.com/patternarium

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dvdrtldg
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24 Nov 2021

BumCuddle wrote:
23 Nov 2021
I really wanted to like the EDS06 but the interface is just too damn fiddly and messy to get any prolonged input into the device, it is great for off the wall percussion if you can be dedicated enough to program the thing.
I know I've done the complete opposite of what you asked but that RE is so damn frustrating I felt I had to speak out! :lol:
This is me too. It's a great synth, and every now & then I make the effort of programming drums with it, but yeah the GUI is a nightmare. A real shame, because the sounds are quality

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challism
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24 Nov 2021

reusenoise wrote:
24 Nov 2021
Not Re but Microtonic it's the only drum synth you need,https://soniccharge.com/microtonic the patternariun thing it's quite funny and useful https://soniccharge.com/patternarium
I absolutely LOVE Sonic Charge. Who doesn't? I wish they were still making REs. I would love to have SynPlant and Permut8 as REs. Ecvhobode and Bitspeak are both so great. I haven't tried Microtonic. Can't speak highly enough about Sonic Charge. For those who don't know, Sonic Charge is Magnus Lidström's (and his brother) company... the guy who made Malstrom! Cool interview:
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Popey
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24 Nov 2021

Billy+ wrote:
23 Nov 2021
challism wrote:
23 Nov 2021


Googling "XO" ha ha
Yeah, a refill unpacker would be great! Too bad that will likely never happen, as it involves doing something/changing to something old. This company doesn't like looking back... only forward.... no matter how many bugs or issues the old stuff has.... just keep pumping out new REs! ha ha ha I would love to be able to easily unpack some of my refills. I mean, it can be done in a very slow and tedious method, but who wants that?
https://www.xlnaudio.com/products/xo

It's got massive discount at the moment :thumbs_up:

IMG_2875.PNG
IMG_2876.PNG

Look at all the interface panels
Does xo give you key info of drums? Not going to have chance to trial it before deal expires and may just get it at that price if it does.

PhillipOrdonez
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24 Nov 2021

And now I'm interested in echobode thanks to this thread 🤦‍♂️

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BumCuddle
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24 Nov 2021

PhillipOrdonez wrote:
24 Nov 2021
And now I'm interested in echobode thanks to this thread 🤦‍♂️
Echobode is my go to effect!! So versatile it is insane.
Trail it and you will fall in love :thumbup:

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Arpeg
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24 Nov 2021

reusenoise wrote:
24 Nov 2021
Not Re but Microtonic it's the only drum synth you need,https://soniccharge.com/microtonic the patternariun thing it's quite funny and useful https://soniccharge.com/patternarium
The patternarium is a pattern and sample randomizer/generator that is well built and creates quite astonishing variations.

As for the Drum Synth itself, it is highly recommended. Everything you need to make amazing beats and adjust/edit sounds on the fly with its built in sequencer, 12 pattern bay with chaining per preset, plus, A/B comparison. A lot of options to manipulate the sounds and edit files, presets etc.
Also, a handy MIDI drag and drop file of the preset you're using which is located on the front panel of the device can go straight to a selected Track.
The Sounds are brilliant in general, anyone will have fun with this for hours. It works fluently in Reason.

For the few folks that are not aware of who soniccharge is, he built Malstrom. Awesome

Mataya
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24 Nov 2021

Kong has some pretty good drum synthesis engine. Paired with a smart selected fx down the line, you can get a lot from it.

M

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Billy+
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24 Nov 2021

Popey wrote:
24 Nov 2021
Billy+ wrote:
23 Nov 2021


https://www.xlnaudio.com/products/xo

It's got massive discount at the moment :thumbs_up:

IMG_2875.PNG
IMG_2876.PNG

Look at all the interface panels
Does xo give you key info of drums? Not going to have chance to trial it before deal expires and may just get it at that price if it does.
When you say key information I'm assuming you are after the pitch ?

No you get very little information about the sound but the AI / Algorithm is supposed to group sounds that work well together or similar to each other making looking for sounds easy.
It way more easier looking for replacement sounds than scrolling through a sample folder

At it sale price I would just grab it I paid more
I wanted it after 30 minutes of running the trial and just brought it possible for £90
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moofi
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24 Nov 2021

I can recommed listening to Filterchain from Ekksperimental Sounds aswell. It offers a similar toolset without the integrated LFO and sidebands, though with a superb sounding reverb and a simple yet more complex echo (TapeEcho MKII´s little sibling) and sweet filters (including an envelope follower plus tube distortion), while comparably sounding quite improved quality-wise I find.

Here´s a quick jam on Filterchain put on a simple one bar rhythm from Boom 808 I already posted in the Filterchain thread (256 kbit/s to fit filesize), showing the similarities in outcome effectwise:
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snope.mp3
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BumCuddle wrote:
24 Nov 2021
PhillipOrdonez wrote:
24 Nov 2021
And now I'm interested in echobode thanks to this thread 🤦‍♂️
Echobode is my go to effect!! So versatile it is insane.
Trail it and you will fall in love :thumbup:

Popey
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Posts: 2062
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24 Nov 2021

Billy+ wrote:
24 Nov 2021
Popey wrote:
24 Nov 2021


Does xo give you key info of drums? Not going to have chance to trial it before deal expires and may just get it at that price if it does.
When you say key information I'm assuming you are after the pitch ?

No you get very little information about the sound but the AI / Algorithm is supposed to group sounds that work well together or similar to each other making looking for sounds easy.
It way more easier looking for replacement sounds than scrolling through a sample folder

At it sale price I would just grab it I paid more
I wanted it after 30 minutes of running the trial and just brought it possible for £90
IMG_2877.PNG
IMG_2878.PNG
Thanks Billy and yes I did mean pitch as I have a folder of kicks which has sub folders for each key. I wondered if it had this as I have tons of folders unsorted though. I have been looking at this for a while as I have samples on different drives but never justified the price tag at £130. Think I will get it at this price though.

PhillipOrdonez
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24 Nov 2021

Popey just put them on mimic and it will tell you the key?

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