Superior Drummer 3 CUSTOM Kit Build 2: SNARES

In this engaging video, Seamless continues to build upon the custom drum kit in Superior Drummer 3, focusing on crafting a snare sound. The video highlights the extensive variety of snare tones available, ensuring that users have the freedom to select any desired sound. Seamless shares his personal preference for the super-sensitive mid-70s snare option and demonstrates how to enhance it with an Easy X expansion pack, which provides synthetic support for kicks and snares. He also discusses the importance of the snare's tone, which is shaped through compression and EQ adjustments. Seamless emphasizes the kit's design for easy integration into a mix, requiring minimal post-treatment. The video concludes with a teaser for the next installment, where Seamless will assemble the toms and address the mixing process.

Takeaways

• 🎶 The video is a tutorial on building a snare drum sound in Superior Drummer 3, continuing from a previous kick drum setup.
• 🔍 The snare drum in the kit offers a wide range of tones and sounds, ensuring versatility for different musical styles.
• 📚 There are variations in snare sounds even within the same model, attributed to differences in recording techniques and engineer's touch.
• 🎵 The presenter's personal favorite snare is the super sensitive mid-70s option, which is used for impactful hits.
• 📦 An Easy X expansion pack is utilized to add synthetic reinforcement to the snare and kick, designed for ease of use.
• 🎚️ The snare's tone is further shaped with compression and EQ adjustments, with a focus on high-pass filtering to remove unwanted low frequencies.
• 🚀 The reinforcement effect is engaged at maximum velocity for a more powerful sound during hard hits.
• 🧩 Superior Drummer 3 provides the ability to route individual components of the drum kit to different buses for detailed mixing and processing.
• 🎹 The software includes a variety of pre-made grooves and patterns that can be used or modified to fit the user's needs.
• ⚙️ The presenter emphasizes the control and customization available in Superior Drummer 3, allowing for selective adjustments of individual hits within a pattern.
• 🔊 The final snare sound is designed to be robust and mix-ready, requiring minimal additional processing.
• 📈 The next steps in the series will involve assembling the toms and other metallic percussion, followed by a discussion on mixing the entire kit.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video titled 'Superior Drummer 3 CUSTOM Kit Build 2: SNARES'?

The main focus of the video is to demonstrate how to build and customize a snare drum setup within Superior Drummer 3, specifically adding to a kick drum setup previously created.

What are some key features of the snares in Superior Drummer 3 mentioned in the video?

The video highlights the extensive variety of snare tones available in Superior Drummer 3, emphasizing the differences in texture and position across different kits, and the detailed engineering that enhances the snare sounds.

What is the purpose of using EZX (Easy Drummer Expansion) packs with Superior Drummer 3 as described in the video?

EZX packs are used to provide additional synthetic support for kick and snare drums, simplifying the process of enhancing drum sounds that typically require extensive audio processing.

What specific snare does the presenter choose to focus on, and why?

The presenter chooses to focus on the 'super sensitive mid 70s' snare, which is his personal favorite. He opts for this snare due to its impact and the specific sound quality it provides.

How does the presenter plan to enhance the impact of the chosen snare in Superior Drummer 3?

The presenter enhances the snare's impact by adding to its rim shot for a more powerful hit, and by using a particular EZX pack for additional synthetic support.

What kind of control does the presenter mention regarding the snare’s output within the software?

The presenter mentions having control over the specific output of the snare through various bus assignments and routing options, allowing precise management of how the snare integrates with the overall drum kit.

What does the presenter mean by 'high passing' the snare?

High passing the snare refers to applying a high-pass filter to remove lower frequencies from the snare's sound, focusing on enhancing the higher frequencies and clarity.

How does the presenter utilize the grooves tab in Superior Drummer 3?

The grooves tab is used to select and apply pre-designed drum patterns, which can be integrated into the drum track without needing to manually program each beat, simplifying the composition process.

What does the presenter say about the flexibility of adjusting the snare’s sound?

The presenter notes that unlike physical drum kits, where adjusting individual drum hits in isolation isn't possible, Superior Drummer 3 allows for selective control over the volume and sound of each snare hit, providing unprecedented flexibility.

What future plans does the presenter outline at the end of the video?

At the end of the video, the presenter plans to next assemble the toms, discuss their unique requirements, and eventually complete the drum kit setup, including mixing adjustments in subsequent videos.

Outlines

00:00

🎚️ Customizing Snare in Superior Drummer 3

The speaker, Seamless, is in the process of enhancing a pre-existing kick drum within the Superior Drummer 3 setup. The focus now shifts to creating a snare drum using the same setup. The kit's snares are praised for their versatility, offering a wide range of tones and sounds. Even when the same snare is found in other kits, there are variations in texture and position, attributed to the engineers' techniques. Seamless prefers the 'Super Sensitive Mid 70s' snare option and plans to add a rim shot for impactful moments. An 'Easy X' expansion pack is mentioned for supporting kicks and snares with synthetic layers, which can be used without extensive audio surgery. The speaker goes on to discuss the selection of microphones and the importance of high-pass filtering to shape the snare's tone, emphasizing the reinforcement aspect and how it can be adjusted for different velocities. The paragraph concludes with the speaker's intention to create a snare sound that is mix-ready with minimal post-processing.

05:03

🎶 Snare Reinforcement and Dynamic Control

Seamless continues to discuss the reinforcement of the snare sound, highlighting that it will only engage at maximum velocity, similar to the kick drum. This ensures that there is no overpowering reinforcement during lower velocity hits. The speaker then moves on to talk about the EQ settings, focusing on the high end of the snare and the importance of testing the sound. The paragraph emphasizes the durability of the snare sound when 'pushed' and how it's designed to fit into a mix with minimal additional processing. Seamless also mentions adding effects and adjusting levels, showing appreciation for the 'Turbo Kit'. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on the dynamic control of the snare within the mix, allowing for adjustments to the volume of individual hits without affecting the cymbals, providing a level of control that isn't physically possible with traditional drum kit microphone setups.

10:05

🔊 Effects and Future Plans for the Drum Kit

The speaker talks about adding effects to the kick and providing effects routing, appreciating the ease of routing due to the naming convention of buses in the software. Seamless praises the user interface of Superior Drummer 3, comparing it favorably to using a DAW and noting its thoughtful design. The paragraph continues with the speaker's plans to assemble the toms in the next video, which will be less complex due to fewer requirements. After the toms, the metals will be addressed, and the entire drum kit will be brought together. There's a mention of a potential separate video for actual mixing techniques. Seamless invites questions from the audience and encourages likes, comments, and subscriptions before signing off with well wishes.

Keywords

Superior Drummer 3

Superior Drummer 3 is a digital drum production software developed by Toontrack. It allows users to create realistic drum tracks in a virtual environment, providing extensive options for customizing drum sounds and patterns. In the video, the narrator discusses building a custom drum kit in Superior Drummer 3, focusing on integrating a snare sound to complement a previously designed kick.

Snare

A snare refers to a type of drum known for its sharp, distinctive sound, produced by the vibration of wires or strings stretched across the bottom of the drum. In the script, the narrator explores various snare options within Superior Drummer 3 to achieve the desired tone, highlighting the variety and customization available in the software.

Texture

In the context of sound and music production, texture refers to the quality and layers of sounds. The video mentions differences in texture among snares, suggesting variations in the sound quality and how it is perceived. This term is crucial for understanding how different snare sounds can influence the overall drum kit's feel within the software.

EZdrummer Expansion

EZdrummer Expansion, referred to as EZX, are additional sound libraries for EZdrummer and Superior Drummer software, providing users with more instrument sounds and presets. In the video, the narrator uses an EZX to enhance the snare sound with additional synthetic elements, demonstrating how expansions can broaden the sound palette.

Routing

Routing in audio production involves the direction of audio signals within a mixing or recording setup to different outputs or processors. The video discusses routing snare sounds through various buses in Superior Drummer 3, aiming to control the sound's output and effects comprehensively.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement in music production refers to the technique of enhancing certain elements of a sound to make them more prominent or to support other sounds. The narrator uses reinforcement to highlight the snare drum's impact in the mix, using synthetic aids to achieve the desired effect.

Compression

Compression is a process used in audio production to reduce the dynamic range of a sound, making quiet sounds louder and loud sounds quieter to achieve a more consistent volume level. The video explains how compression is applied to the snare to ensure it fits well within the overall mix without overpowering other elements.

High Pass

A high pass filter is an audio processing tool that eliminates frequencies below a certain threshold, allowing higher frequencies to pass through. The narrator mentions using a high pass filter on the snare to shape its sound by removing lower frequencies that are not needed for the desired snare tone in the mix.

Side Chain

Side chaining is a technique used in audio production where the signal level of one sound modulates the effect applied to another sound. It's commonly used to duck the volume of music tracks in response to a kick drum. The video discusses setting up side chain configurations for the snare, which allows the snare to dynamically interact with other elements like melodic components.

Tone

In the context of music and sound production, tone refers to the character or quality of a sound. The narrator's focus on finding the right snare tone involves selecting the appropriate sound attributes that will blend well with other drum elements and the overall kit in the video tutorial.

Highlights

Building onto the kick in Superior Drummer 3 setup with a focus on creating a snare drum.

The snare drum in the kit offers a variety of tones and sounds to suit different musical needs.

Even with the same snare drum in other kits, there are noticeable differences in texture and position.

The collection of snares allows for a wide range of tonal options.

The presenter's personal favorite snare is the super sensitive mid 70s option.

Adding a rim shot for impactful hits using an Easy X expansion pack.

Easy Drummer expansions can be used within Superior Drummer for added support to kicks and snares.

The reinforcement provided by the expansion pack is designed to enhance the snare's synthetic sound.

Route instrument microphones are used to view and select various snare options.

The actual pieces of the snare can be manipulated for different sounds, except for the kick level sub.

The presenter chooses to use a specific reinforcement piece for added support.

Snare tone is shaped through compression and equalization techniques.

High-pass filtering is used to remove unwanted fundamental frequencies from the snare sound.

Routing the snare sound to a specific bus allows for creative control in a mix.

The Grooves tab provides a variety of drum patterns and ideas for users to explore.

The presenter discusses the importance of reinforcement engaging at maximum velocity for a natural sound.

Multi-band and normal compression techniques are applied to the snare sound.

EQ is used to enhance the high-end of the snare while maintaining a solid low-end.

The final snare sound is designed to be mixed easily without extensive post-processing.

The presenter plans to assemble the toms and metals in the next video, followed by mixing techniques.