Good virtual drums for jazz?

**jgraves** · 08-21-2006, 07:35 PM

I know there are several dfh/bfd custom/vintage VI's out there, but wasn't sure if anyone had any experience getting these kits to swing on an Intel Mac.

If so, how are the sounds? It's kind of like a girl can wear guys clothes but a guy can't wear girls clothes, right? You can play rock on a jazz kit, but jazz on a rock kit just sounds plain dumb. I'm just trying not to sound dumb!

Jason

**jeffn1** · 08-21-2006, 08:23 PM

I don't know if this is sufficient, but EZDrummer comes with a "cocktail" kit:

http://www.ezdrummer.com/prodinfo_ezd.asp

jeffn1

**FredProgGH** · 08-21-2006, 09:39 PM

Can't give you a definitive answer but I can tell you what I think of the Toontrack stuff:

Toontrack's Custom And Vintage package can be an excellent choice for certain types of jazz- it really depends what sound you're looking for. Its drums are completely unprocessed and undamped, and the main kit has a rather nice ring to it, which many jazz drummers like. You can compress and eq the thing to a pop sheen, but you don't have to. The cymbals tend toward the thin and bright side. There is one large sizzle ride in particular that makes a terrific jazz ride. brushes are available on several of the snares, but I'm not sure there are any stirs; just hits. But I find the Toontrack drums to be exceptionally responsive, and terrific at soft velocities, which is a major plus for most jazz. Even the original Superior package is worth looking into- it's really not just for metal like many think, unless you produce it that way. But, C&V has somewhat improved programming, cleaner cymbals and a better selection of snare sounds overall.

EZ is probably not the way you want to go. The current kits sound amazing but are preprocessed for a much more commercial sound than you probably want. The cocktail kit is just an oddity IMO- it has no real kick drum and sounds pretty strange. It works pretty well for samba beats though!

**mal7** · 08-21-2006, 10:19 PM

For brushes, try Brush Artistry (Big Fish)
For jazz/ swing try the bebop patch in Strike (Pro Tools)

Both excellent

**bmdaustin** · 08-22-2006, 05:52 PM

The drum kit in Garritan's Jazz Big Band library works really well. It blends into a rhythm section track and sounds quite authentic. There's a very expressive brush kit, too, that works well at all tempos.

**Haydn** · 08-22-2006, 05:55 PM

Here's a demo of Sometimes in Winter by Blood, Sweat and Tears using the Garritan Jazz and Big Band library. Check out the brush kit in this one: http://members.cox.net/teresaortner/Sometimes.mp3. All drums our JABB except for the high-hat which is from DFHS.

Jim

**FredProgGH** · 08-22-2006, 08:04 PM

That's great, Haydn! Love the flute! Vocals sound pretty authentic as well!

Here's a short fusion demo done with Superior, meant to be in the style of Mahavishnu Orchestra. I've posted it before, ages ago. The drums are lightly eq'ed and compressed, but still fairly raw.
http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=4349768&q=hi

**Haydn** · 08-22-2006, 11:54 PM

Fred,

Those are my beautiful vocals.

I couldn't quite do Steve Katz' fast vibrato. That guy has the fastest vibrato of any vocalist. The flute and bass are real instruments played by me. My flute is in major need of an overhaul as I hadn't played it in years. All other instruments were JABB except the high hat.

Jim

**FredProgGH** · 08-23-2006, 12:09 AM

Ha- good, I'm not going crazy! I thought the flute was pretty darn real for a sample- I wanted that library *lol* Great job all around! I need to go get some BS&T albums, they were really good...

**TJL** · 08-23-2006, 06:12 AM

I like Fxpansion Bfd for jazz drumming, but you have to work hard on velocities when you program ride cymbal.

Here's some free jazz recorded with Bfd, Trilogy, Atmosphere and a 1971 Selmer Mark VI tenor sax:

http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=674432&t=5146