Galaxy Drums

I am really picky when it comes to drum VSTs. I have used many different Drum VIs over time and I find each one has an area where it excels. Superior Drummer has an awesome User Interface and it's quite stable. On the other hand, I've always preferred the actual sound of the libraries available for BFD. For a while, the best compromise I found was using Evil Drums within Superior Drummer. For the longest time I wished Platinum Samples (PS) had continued to release libraries for Superior Drummer...

A year ago I found out that PS were building their own drum instrument. I had to try it so I bought Ocean Way Drums which shipped with their new player. My first impression of Accent was that it blends some of the best features of the two popular VIs I mentionned previously but also has features that are unique such as the ability to mix using your favourite plugins right within the instrument. CPU consumption is also the lowest of any drum VI I have ever used which is a plus for me as i like to track with very low buffer settings.

It wasn't until a year ago when Platinum Samples partnered with Space Cabin Audio to release Galaxy with a refined version of Accent that I really started using it in earnest. I decided to buy "Galaxy Drums" partly out of curiosity and mostly to have more drums for Accent, not really knowing what to expect from these guys. Usually drum libraries are aimed at a specific genre: metal, rock, indy, or a specific producer's sound. What I found when I loaded up the kits was simply amazingly detailed drums with just the right weight and character that sounded good in my mixes right away.

It was the first time I could load up a drum groove and just start playing guitar or bass and say, "this sounds like real drummer is playing along with me". The weight, the dynamics, the character just fits my sound (I like garage rock but it can fit any type of rock, pop or metal). I have never heard a hihat that I found this convincing. You could literally draw in a beat with each hit at the same velocity and you would not get the machine gun effect because of all the round robins included and the efficiency of the playback engine. Evil Drums finally has a contender and I do not say this lightly.

I reached out to Space Cabin Audio (SCA) to share my enthusiasm and was happy to hear that SCA & PS have BIG plans for Accent. Not just in terms of content, but features as well. I can't wait to see what they have in store.