Why I Switched From EZ Drummer 3 to Superior Drummer 3..

In this video, Taylor explains why they switched from EZ Drummer 3 to Superior Drummer 3 for their YouTube channel's demo songs. They highlight that EZ Drummer 3 is a great songwriting tool that provides mix-ready drum sounds with limited mixing options, making it easy to use without needing to delve into the intricacies of sound engineering. However, Taylor found themselves wanting to refine the drums further, which led to the adoption of Superior Drummer 3. This software offers extensive mixing options, allowing for the creation of a more personalized drum tone. Taylor demonstrates how to use both software for songwriting, including the use of grooves, mixer presets, and the ability to stack samples for a more nuanced sound. They also showcase the tracker program in Superior Drummer 3, which can replace or enhance poorly recorded drum tracks. The video concludes with Taylor's enthusiasm for the advanced features of Superior Drummer 3, especially for those interested in the production side of music creation.

Takeaways

• 🎶 The user upgraded from EZ Drummer 3 to Superior Drummer 3 for more advanced mixing capabilities and sound customization.
• 🚀 EZ Drummer 3 is considered a more straightforward tool for songwriting with less need for mixing, making it a 'mix-ready' solution.
• 🔍 Superior Drummer 3 offers extensive mixing options, which can be overwhelming for beginners but powerful for those looking to craft unique drum tones.
• 🛠️ EZ Drummer 3 has robust songwriting tools, including a grooves tab for organizing and filtering grooves, and the ability to favorite and refine drum beats.
• 🎵 Superior Drummer 3 allows for more detailed sound manipulation, including the use of mixer presets and the ability to adjust individual drum sounds.
• 🔊 The user appreciated the look and user interface of EZ Drummer 3, noting its ease of use and straightforward approach to songwriting.
• 📈 Superior Drummer 3 provides advanced features like a grid editor and humanize options to add more realism and variation to the MIDI groove.
• 🎚️ Both programs offer the ability to use expansions and groove packs to enhance the sound and variety of drum tracks.
• 🔧 Superior Drummer 3 includes a tracker program for replacing or enhancing recorded drum tracks with MIDI notes.
• 🧩 The stack feature in Superior Drummer 3 allows users to layer different samples to create a more complex and customizable drum sound.
• ⚙️ The user suggests starting with preset mixers in Superior Drummer 3 for those new to the software, to avoid being overwhelmed by the complexity of manual mixing.

Q & A

Why did Taylor switch from EZ Drummer 3 to Superior Drummer 3?

Taylor switched from EZ Drummer 3 to Superior Drummer 3 because they wanted to refine the drums and get more out of them, which Superior Drummer 3 allows with its advanced mixing options and customization.

What is the main difference between EZ Drummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 in terms of usability?

EZ Drummer 3 is more of a songwriting tool that comes pre-mixed and ready to use, with less need for mixing adjustments. Superior Drummer 3, on the other hand, offers more control over the sound and mixing, which is better for users who want to sculpt their own drum tones.

How does EZ Drummer 3 assist in songwriting?

EZ Drummer 3 assists in songwriting with its robust set of tools for crafting MIDI grooves. It allows users to filter and organize grooves, favorite specific beats, and has options for editing MIDI without manually adjusting velocities.

What feature does Superior Drummer 3 have that allows users to replace or enhance poorly recorded drum tracks?

Superior Drummer 3 has a tracker program that can retrace drum tracks with MIDI notes, allowing users to replace or enhance poorly recorded drums with high-quality samples.

How does Superior Drummer 3 allow users to customize their drum sound?

Superior Drummer 3 allows users to customize their drum sound through a comprehensive mixer with many options for adjusting individual drum components. It also features the ability to add stacks, which lets users layer different samples to create a unique drum tone.

What is the benefit of using the grooves section in EZ Drummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3?

The grooves section in both EZ Drummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 organizes all the grooves, making them easy to find based on certain criteria. It allows users to quickly filter through different grooves and select favorites, which can be used to build song structures efficiently.

How does the mixer in Superior Drummer 3 differ from EZ Drummer 3?

The mixer in Superior Drummer 3 is more advanced and offers more options for customization compared to EZ Drummer 3. It allows for detailed tweaking of each drum component's sound, including EQ, compression, and tape simulation.

What is the limitation when adding custom samples in Superior Drummer 3?

The limitation when adding custom samples in Superior Drummer 3 is that users can only add one-shot samples to the stack. There is no option to add sample banks that can be accessed randomly, which could enhance the versatility of the drum sounds.

How does the velocity layering work in Superior Drummer 3?

In Superior Drummer 3, velocity layering allows users to assign different samples to different velocity ranges of MIDI notes. This means that a harder hit will trigger a different sample than a softer hit, creating a more dynamic and realistic drum sound.

What is the purpose of the 'stacks' feature in Superior Drummer 3?

The 'stacks' feature in Superior Drummer 3 allows users to layer different samples on top of each other to create a more complex and rich drum sound. It adds versatility and allows for the customization of individual drum tones.

Why might a user choose to use both EZ Drummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3?

A user might choose to use both EZ Drummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 because they offer complementary strengths. EZ Drummer 3 is excellent for quick songwriting and comes with pre-mixed sounds, while Superior Drummer 3 provides more control for users who want to fine-tune their drum tracks and create custom drum tones.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Upgrade to Superior Drummer 3: Workflow and Sound Comparison

Taylor discusses the switch from Easy Drummer 3 to Superior Drummer 3 for demo song production on his YouTube channel. He highlights the differences between the two drum software, emphasizing Superior Drummer 3's advanced features and customization options. Taylor demonstrates the initial sound differences and explains why he prefers Superior Drummer for more refined and mix-ready drum sounds, despite Easy Drummer's ease of use and robust songwriting tools.

05:01

🎵 Easy Drummer 3: Songwriting and MIDI Groove Crafting

The paragraph delves into the features of Easy Drummer 3, focusing on its songwriting capabilities. Taylor showcases the grooves tab, mixer presets, and the straightforward user interface. He also demonstrates the grid editor and humanize feature, which allows for adjustments to velocity and dynamics to avoid a robotic sound. The paragraph highlights the tool's ability to craft MIDI grooves with precision and the convenience of not needing extensive mixing.

10:04

🔍 Superior Drummer 3: Advanced Mixing and Customization

Taylor explores the advanced features of Superior Drummer 3, including its extensive mixer options and the ability to sculpt personalized drum tones. He discusses the process of loading grooves and using the mixer presets to achieve specific drum sounds, such as metal or heavy rock. The paragraph also covers the use of the tracker program for replacing or enhancing recorded drum tracks with Superior Drummer 3 sounds, emphasizing the high sound quality and flexibility of the software.

15:05

🛠️ Superior Drummer 3: Mixers, Stacks, and Custom Samples

In this paragraph, Taylor explains how to use Superior Drummer 3's mixers and the concept of 'Stacks' for incorporating custom samples into drum tones. He demonstrates adding different velocity layers to a snare drum and adjusting velocity gates to control which samples play based on MIDI note velocity. Taylor also discusses the limitation of adding only one-shot samples and his hope for future improvements to allow for sample banks. The summary concludes with the versatility and customization options available in Superior Drummer 3.

Keywords

EZ Drummer 3

EZ Drummer 3 is a software drum module designed for songwriters and music producers, which offers a user-friendly interface and a variety of drum sounds. In the video, Taylor explains that it is a great tool for songwriting due to its mix-ready sounds and robust songwriting features, allowing users to create music without needing to delve into complex mixing.

Superior Drummer 3

Superior Drummer 3 is a more advanced and customizable drum software that provides extensive mixing options and a higher level of control over the sound. Taylor discusses upgrading to Superior Drummer 3 for the ability to refine and sculpt drum tones, suggesting it is better suited for those who want more control over the production aspect of their music.

Mixing

Mixing in music production refers to the process of balancing and adjusting the individual elements of a song to create a cohesive sound. The video emphasizes that EZ Drummer 3 offers less mixing control, making it easier for songwriters, while Superior Drummer 3 provides a more complex mixing environment, appealing to those who want to craft their own drum sounds.

Groove Packs

Groove Packs are pre-made drum patterns that can be used within drum software to quickly add a rhythmic foundation to a song. Taylor mentions using Groove Packs in EZ Drummer 3 to enhance the songwriting process, highlighting their utility in creating a variety of drum sounds and styles.

MIDI

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a protocol for communicating musical information between devices. In the context of the video, MIDI is used to control the drum software, allowing Taylor to edit drum patterns and velocities, and to create custom grooves for his songs.

Songwriting

Songwriting is the process of creating a new song, focusing on the music and lyrics. The video emphasizes the songwriting capabilities of EZ Drummer 3, which allows for quick and easy creation of drum patterns without the need for extensive mixing knowledge.

Mixer Presets

Mixer Presets are pre-configured settings within a mixing software that can be applied to quickly achieve a desired sound or style. Taylor discusses how Superior Drummer 3 offers various mixer presets, such as metal and heavy rock mixes, which can be used as a starting point for customizing drum sounds.

Sample Stacking

Sample Stacking is a technique where multiple samples are layered on top of each other to create a richer and more complex sound. In the video, Taylor demonstrates how Superior Drummer 3 allows users to stack samples to create a more versatile and unique drum sound.

Velocity

Velocity in MIDI refers to the force with which a note is played and is used to control the dynamics of a performance. Taylor shows how EZ Drummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 allow users to adjust velocity settings to create more realistic and expressive drum performances.

Humanize

Humanize is a feature in drum software that randomizes certain aspects of a MIDI performance to make it sound more like a real drummer. Taylor mentions using the humanize feature to adjust the velocity of MIDI notes, giving the drums a more natural and less robotic feel.

Expansions

Expansions are additional content or add-ons for software that can add new sounds, grooves, or features. Taylor discusses using expansions with both EZ Drummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 to enhance the available sounds and increase the creative possibilities within the software.

Highlights

Upgraded from EZ Drummer 3 to Superior Drummer 3 for more advanced features and sound quality.

EZ Drummer is more of a songwriting tool with pre-mixed and ready-to-use drum sounds.

Superior Drummer offers more control and customization options for drum sound mixing.

EZ Drummer is easy to use out of the box, with limitations in comparison to Superior Drummer.

Both programs have a grooves tab for organizing and finding drum patterns.

EZ Drummer includes robust songwriting tools for creating MIDI grooves.

Superior Drummer allows for more detailed crafting of MIDI grooves and drum sounds.

EZ Drummer has a grid editor and humanize feature for more natural sounding MIDI.

Superior Drummer provides a more complex mixer with a wide range of options for sound shaping.

The mixer presets in Superior Drummer can significantly alter the drum sound to fit various music styles.

Stacks feature in Superior Drummer allows for layering samples to create a custom drum sound.

The groove section in Superior Drummer retains much of the functionality from EZ Drummer.

Tracker program in Superior Drummer can replace or enhance poorly recorded drum tracks.

The ability to add custom samples to the drum stack for a personalized sound.

Limitation when adding custom samples as it only allows one-shot samples, not sample banks.

The video provides a detailed comparison between EZ Drummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3.

The presenter, Taylor, shares personal experiences and reasons for switching to Superior Drummer 3.

Viewers are encouraged to comment and like the video if they found it helpful.