As a seasoned drummer and soundware designer specializing in presets, loops, grooves, custom piano, and drum tracks, I’m constantly exploring new and intriguing drum kits. I’m very impressed by this boutique selection from Cult Drum Sounds known as the TAPE DRUM KONTAKT INSTRUMENT. I normally don’t go in for this type of drum vst, but for $30 it was a no-brainer (it has since gone up to $50; regular retail price is $119). Shop Pay is also available for those wishing to break their payments into four 0% interest-free payments of $12.50.
From Their Website:
The TAPE DRUM Kontakt Instrument is a dynamic, buildable drum kit featuring customizable drum sounds recorded and mixed through analog tape machines.
The TAPE DRUM Kontakt instrument puts creativity in your hands, and right in your DAW. Featuring 24 tape-processed drum sounds and 73 factory presets, TAPE DRUM drips with vibe and the unmistakable sound of vintage tape machines.
Looking for even more control over your sounds? Each TAPE DRUM sound comes with 4 microphone variations (Crisp, Natural, Room, and Warm), plus 6 round robins and 5 velocity layers. Tune your drums, choose from 3 tape models, and adjust the Drive, Wow, and Flutter for a sound that’s truly yours, all within the intuitive, built-in mixing interface and tape controls.
While not as intricate as Toontrack and other NI alternatives, this drum VST stands out for its ability to seamlessly integrate into a mix, adding significant flair to rhythm tracks. Playbility on my Drum-Tec Kit is near-perfect, with just a slight bit of “lag” on the tuned-down/larger hi-hats. Only the larger hats had this issue- everything else triggered perfectly. There are 73 included presets and all of them sound carefully crafted to showcase the built-in effects, and character settings like tape model, drive, wow, flutter as well as the vibe of the drum; crisp, natural, room, and warm.
Tape Drums, a compact trap kit, exhibits meticulous attention to detail, prompting curiosity about the absence of a mid tom. Nevertheless, the kit compensates with a rich assortment of alternative pieces and a generous cymbal setup featuring 2 crashes and a ride. The flexibility extends to mixing and matching kit components, as well as extensive control over tuning, tape effect application, and more. Kit components include:
Kicks:
- Black Kick
- Onyx Kick
- Vintage Kick
Snares:
- Beauty Snare
- Beauty Moon Snare
- Copper Snare
- Copper Moon Snare
- Dead Copper Snare
- Onyx Snare
- Dead Supra Snare
- Supra Snare
Hi Hats:
- 15-inch HH
- 16-inch HH
- 18-inch HH
Toms:
- Onyx Tom
- Onyx Moon Tom
- Dead Onyx Tom
Floor Toms:
- Onyx Floor Tom
- Onyx Moon Floor Tom
- Dead Onyx Floor Tom
Rides:
- 22-inch Ride
- 23-inch Ride
Crashes:
- 18-inch Crash
- 20-inch Crash
How Does It Sound?
The User Interface:
Tape Drums features a simple, uncluttered interface designed to keep you creative, not guessing. Customize any sound to suit your needs by:
- Adjust volume and tune drum samples
- Select drums to build your kit
- Choose from 4 microphone character variations to refine your sounds and suit your tracks
- Enjoy 3 tape models and easily accessible tape modifications
- Mix directly in the interface with built-in mixing tools for volume, panning, master, and room reverb
- Quickly and easily launch a session with our 73 included presets
- Build drum tracks from scratch to level-up a mix or create a base for songwriting
Tech Specs:
The TAPE DRUM Kontakt Instrument includes 24 tape-processed drum sounds, 73 factory presets, 4 microphone variations, 3 tape models, 6 round robins, and 5 velocity layers, plus a built-in mixing interface and tape mods for Drive, Wow, and Flutter utilizing over 3GB of samples.
- Not available for the free Kontakt Player (FULL VERSION REQUIRED)
- Requires Kontakt 6.6.1 or higher
- All samples are delivered at 44.1kHz/24-bit
Review ©2024 Drew Gold Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. *We are in no way affiliated with, related to, nor compensated by, in any manner, the companies making the hardware and software we use, and review.
THE BUDDHA RATS 