Logic Drummer vs Superior Drummer

[David MacNeill]

I rely on Logic Drummer for nearly everything we do and I have gone very deep into what it is capable of — Producer Kits, MIDI conversion, etc. Lots of you seem to use Superior Drummer so my question is what can it do for me that Logic Drummer cannot?

Related to this topic is for you all to elaborate on your workflow when you map a Logic Drummer track to a Superior Drummer track, and can the two co-exist on a project?

 

[danisalat]

It sounds better, I know the midi mapping, I can store the files wherever I want and it has a whole mixer built it. Plus you can can layer samples and control the routing very deeply.

And a lot of midi grooves, while logic is pretty random

 

[exoslime]

Superior Drummer comes with RAW Samples, so out of the box it sounds like good recorded, but RAW drums, plenty of mixer channels, you can get really creative with it how you mix those drums.
if you are looking for some easy mixready drums out of the box, there are presets supplied as well, but for me the fun is getting to the bone of the drums and mix them from scratch and chase the idea of how i do want them to sound like.

then, each instrument has a huge range of articulations, you can really deep dive into this stuff.

also the routing possibilities are near endless, you want to have separate Overhead channels for your shells and for your cymbals? no problem at all

downside: superior drummer does require alot of harddisc space, + a full kit with all articulations and bleed can easily eat up 6-10gb of your memory.

plus there are also lot of midi grooves, some comes shipped, but most of them are expansion packs you need to buy invidividually.

 

[LesBrown]

can the two co-exist on a project?

Yes. They are essentially just 2 different midi instruments.

 

[David MacNeill]

Hmmm. Looking good for $319 and those add-on packs are tempting. We just sold four songs to a film/TV music library this morning so there's money burning a hole in my pocket today!

 

[TheHipCola]

Haven't spent a tonne time with LD, but enough to know that it's great for roughing up drum parts quickly. I'm not partial to the drum kits that come with LD, so when I use it, I'll often use the midi to drive SD - who's sounds I much prefer. One co-writer I work with often can get LD to really shine in terms of parts, dynamics etc... I wish SD had some generative part creation tools - but once you get a decent MIDI groove library going - you can tap in a beat you're looking for and it will suggest things that come close from your library.

 

[Dan Maxe]

I think it’s fun to drag a superior file and convert it to a Logic drummer file and see whats comes up.

 

[LouisC]

I'm not a Superiorr Drummer user - but Logic's Drummer tracks are my usual starting point - especially the Percussion kits.

Before you pull the trigger on Superior Drummer it would be worth looking at MODO Drums by IK Multimedia - if you want to actually build the kit to suit the material.

 

[LesBrown]

Hmmm. Looking good for $319 and those add-on packs are tempting. We just sold four songs to a film/TV music library this morning so there's money burning a hole in my pocket today!

If you decide to buy expansion drum kit(s): The more expensive ones are newer and sound better (imho). The older expansions sound fine and occasionally go on sale. But if you only buy one or two expansion kits, go newer. On the other hand, don't hesitate to buy any kit that really fits your need. I haven't hit a lemon yet, and I have most of them.

 

[Bear-Faced Cow]

For me, using Superior Drummer alongside Logic Drummer is the best of both worlds. There doesn’t have to be an either or. The best part about this in 10.8 is that Drummer regions can be applied to any instrument track. Superior Drummer has a map that allows it to be used with Drummer. This for me is great because I can get song ideas down in a relatively short time. I can then bring it into Superior Drummer if I want to refine my drum tracks. I outlined my workflow in another post, and Drummer is a key part in it.

For me, it’s no secret that I like well recorded instruments and drums are no exception. I learned the importance of this in my years of working with BFD and especially Platinum Samples. Andy John’s library was my go to library because it just sounded great just applying it to a song. I quickly realized that when tried to get similar results with BFD’s libraries and it got worse when they “fractured” their libraries. I got hooked on Superior Drummer 3 not only for the features but because the drums were recorded by George Massenburg and I was already loving how they sounded. When the Bob Rock expansion came out, I was all in. The 1967 Ludwig kit in there is sheer magic. Now, there are so many great packs recorded by A-list producers. I’d suggest that if you decide to use Superior Drummer and get an expansion pack, find a producer that matches your musical style and then listen to the drums.

Of course this is all my opinion and along with $2, it is worth a coffee and a donut.

jord

 

[chrisharbin]

Don't write off EZD3. There are some things it has that it has the SD doesn't like the bandmate. I have SD and I don't like it because it's feature paralysis in many ways. I have SD and the Area 33 kit. Sounds great, but don't need it. BTW, area 33 is not really a metal kit, it's very versatile. I'd like to sell them but SD might be messy because there are upgrades involved.

 

[mixacias]

Hmmm. Looking good for $319 and those add-on packs are tempting. We just sold four songs to a film/TV music library this morning so there's money burning a hole in my pocket today!

You might want to wait until around Memorial Day to see if they add in any additional expansion packs during that time frame.

 

[exoslime]

if you are thinking about getting some toontrack expansion kits, either Superior Drummer or EZ Drummer, there is a bundle otion, you get 3 but only pay for 2.
and the newer SDX that were made for SD3 only, usually do not go on sale, only the older ones does.

 

[urizen2000]

How does Addictive Drums stack up to the mentioned drummers? I've also been looking into SD3

 

[flandybob]

For me, using Superior Drummer alongside Logic Drummer is the best of both worlds. There doesn’t have to be an either or. The best part about this in 10.8 is that Drummer regions can be applied to any instrument track. Superior Drummer has a map that allows it to be used with Drummer. This for me is great because I can get song ideas down in a relatively short time. I can then bring it into Superior Drummer if I want to refine my drum tracks. I outlined my workflow in another post, and Drummer is a key part in it.

For me, it’s no secret that I like well recorded instruments and drums are no exception. I learned the importance of this in my years of working with BFD and especially Platinum Samples. Andy John’s library was my go to library because it just sounded great just applying it to a song. I quickly realized that when tried to get similar results with BFD’s libraries and it got worse when they “fractured” their libraries. I got hooked on Superior Drummer 3 not only for the features but because the drums were recorded by George Massenburg and I was already loving how they sounded. When the Bob Rock expansion came out, I was all in. The 1967 Ludwig kit in there is sheer magic. Now, there are so many great packs recorded by A-list producers. I’d suggest that if you decide to use Superior Drummer and get an expansion pack, find a producer that matches your musical style and then listen to the drums.

Of course this is all my opinion and along with $2, it is worth a coffee and a donut.

jord

Could you link your workflow, I need to set that up for myself

 

[David MacNeill]

Could you link your workflow, I need to set that up for myself

Me too!

 

[flandybob]

By the way, I do really like Logic drummer ability to create grooves. I haven’t tried the latest stuff from toontrack in EZD3, but the way drummer works it can come up with things you hadn’t thought off which is great for a non drummer like myself. It’s not the same as looking for grooves in a library, but if you have a specific idea in mind it can be frustrating

 

[chrisso]

I don't know Logic Drummer at all, but the key benefits of Superior (and EZdrummer) to me is that they are made by well known producers, often well known drummers, in amazing sounding studios with great drum rooms.
So many other virtual drum products are anonymous, or are made by tech people with no experience in drumming or drum recording.

 

[sjgam]

I have two tracks in my Luna template - one for EZDrummer 3 and one for SD3. I create a scratch track with guitar/keyboard of new song idea and then export that clip and drop it into EZD3 Bandmate module and it generates suggested grooves. It offers different tempos and I always select the lowest one. I can browse the groove suggestions and filter through music styles - Pop, Blues etc. I can also put the selected groove into Songbuilder and review its suggestions for the different parts of the arrangements. When I am happy with the selection, I drag the midi file not into the EZD3 track but into the SD3 track to take advantage of its .. umm superior sound libraries. I use the export audio feature in SD3 to have my committed separate audio drum kits parts in their own track or if I really like the SD3 mix producer preset commit to it on a single bus drum track. I don't like using the mouse on SD3 internal mixer and I have Softube Console III and like the hands on of mixing control. Although I have all the UAD plugins I really like the core mixing suite that ships with Console III.

All my other tracks are audio inputs - sphere mic voice with UAD record insert chain (Apollo Central), UAD Dream pedal for guitar, bass with UAD Ampeg (Apollo Central) and Nord Stage audio out with its onboard effects. So very direct tactile immediate control with no analysis paralysis of a 1000 plugin choices which is useful for song creation process. And its more fun.

When and if SD3 (the more expensive program) gets the bandmate feature then I can do it all in SD3.

Keep thinking I will learn how to drum with a drum pad so everything is audio coming in, but focussing on finishing songs and learning keys for keyboard parts is more of a priority for this singer/guitarist. Drumming does not come natural to me and enjoy seeing what EZD3 bandmate suggests to me to take the song in a cool direction (just like I enjoyed Logic's drummer when I was on that platform).

 

[chrisharbin]

How does Addictive Drums stack up to the mentioned drummers? I've also been looking into SD3

It's been so long since I've used it. I'm pretty sure it hasn't had a real update in nearly in a decade. Maybe a point release did something significant.