RealiTone has introduced RealiDrums – a new virtual instrument that is guaranteed to give you the drum sound that you want.
Here’s what developer Mike Greene has to say about it:
We believe this is the biggest (and I dare say, best sounding) drum collection you can buy. 42 different Snares, 7 different kicks, 11 hi hats, 24 rides, 33 crash cymbals, plus sidesticks and percussion elements.
When we say 42 snares, we don’t mean 42 snare mixes. These are actually different drums. And for each one, we give you mixes from close mic to “Beast” mode. So it really files like 4 x 42 = 168 snares. Same with kicks and all the other drums and cymbals.
If we don’t have the drum sound you’re looking for, then we’ll give you your money back.* Seriously. For any reason, in fact. Even if you just don’t like the menu font or the color choices on the GUI. There’s no risk. So if you’re skeptical, or if you’re on the fence, then take RealiDrums for a spin. It’s the closet to we can do to “try before you buy.”
For a limited time, you can get RealiDrums for Mac & PC (VST, AU, AAX, RTAS) for just $199 (Normally $299). See the RealiTone site for details.
I can appreciate that they are trying to simplify what they are presenting. But it is weird that there is literally no mention of “velocity” or “layer” in the manual or webpage. Not a crime. But it would be nice to know what they did in terms of soft, medium, and loud samples.
I think for some instruments, having at least 6 velocity layers seems at a bare minimum for playability– especially for expressive and dynamic playing. Not everyone just bangs on ’em.
Some developers just record samples at their native levels and map them accordingly. So if there are 6 velocity levels, there are just that many different loudnesses of hits. I don’t know if this is how this developer approached this issue– because they don’t mention anything about dynamics.
I strongly prefer to record all the dynamic ranges, then normalize all samples, then use velocity to both switch between samples and to render 127 different loudnesses. I’ve used this method for decades. It works VERY well. Makes the drums feel as responsive to your touch as they possibly can.
Velocity layers and round robbin is mentioned in the video
Thanks. I just now watched the whole vid. It’s a good overview of all the features. And I’m only basing this opinion on a careful listen to the examples in the video:
PROS:
*huge variety of instruments
*good GUI design
*careful attention to workflow
*groove generator section seems good
*money-back guarantee
CONS (or possibly cons?):
*might lack dynamics (based on demo)
*preset EQ bands (They picked the “right” frequencies? Doesn’t work that way.)
*demo geared toward “heavy handed” sounds, few light-touch examples
The things I look for in a drum sample set are full expression and dynamics, samples that hit the drums the way I would, and just the simplicity of sequencing the sounds without lots of complicating key switching. The trickiest part of all drum libraries is getting the hi-hat to feel right. That is no easy task.
Realitone is consistently doing some of the coolest virtual instruments out there.
The Realitone website is consistently being blocked by my ISP, stating that the website is harmful… – any others in here experiencing that?
At 199 the price seems high to me and at 299 it’s way out of order. Seems to me EZ drummer2 does much the same thing, you can load a midi file and use the edit page to change what individual drums play. Plus there are many add on drum kits and grooves you can buy at reasonable prices.