Abbey Road Modern Drums Manual English

Manual
Disclaimer
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not repre sent a commitment on the part of Native Instruments GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or record ed, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Native Instruments GmbH, herein after referred to as Native Instruments. "Native Instruments", "NI" and associated logos are (registered) trade marks of Native Instruments GmbH. "ABBEY ROAD" and the "ABBEY ROAD" logo are registered trade marks of EMI (IP) Limited, used under license. All other trade marks are the property of their respective owners and use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. Document authored by: Mirek Stiles, Paul Maurer Product Version: 1.0 (10/2010) Document version: 1.0 (10/2010) Special thanks to the Beta Test Team, who were invaluable not just in tracking down bugs, but in making this a better product.
Contact
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Native Instruments GmbH, 2010. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1 2 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 6 About Abbey Road Modern Drums ............................................................................... 8 2.1 The Studios ................................................................................................................................. 8 2.1.1 Studio Three .............................................................................................................. 8 2.1.2 Studio Two ................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 The Team .................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3 The Kits ...................................................................................................................................... 11 2.4 The Recording Equipment ........................................................................................................... 14 2.5 Microphones & Preamps ............................................................................................................. 15 2.5.1 Pearl Reference, Studio Three .................................................................................... 15 2.5.2 Drum Workshop Collector's, Studio Two ..................................................................... 17 Quickstart ................................................................................................................. 20 3.1 3.2 3.3 Basic Navigation ........................................................................................................................ 20 Altering the Kit Options .............................................................................................................. 20 Editing the Drums ...................................................................................................................... 20 3.3.1 Fine-controlling Individual Drums and Their Articulations ........................................ 20 3.3.2 Changing the Snare ................................................................................................... 22 3.4 Creating a Mix ............................................................................................................................ 22 3.5 Adding and Removing Drums ..................................................................................................... 24 The User Interface in Detail ....................................................................................... 25 4.1 4.2 4.3 Drum Page .................................................................................................................................. 25 Mixer Page .................................................................................................................................. 28 Options Page .............................................................................................................................. 30 4.3.1 Key Range Area .......................................................................................................... 30 4.3.2 Transpose Area .......................................................................................................... 31 4.3.3 Velocity Area .............................................................................................................. 31
Abbey Road Modern Drums - Manual - 4
Table of Contents
4.3.4 Snare Mic Bleed Area ................................................................................................. 31 4.3.5 Randomize Area ......................................................................................................... 31 4.4 Kit Selection ............................................................................................................................... 32 Drum Articulations ..................................................................................................... 34 5.1 5.2 Sparkle Kit .................................................................................................................................. 34 White Kit ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Credits ...................................................................................................................... 41
Introduction
Introduction
Abbey Road Studios, the worlds first dedicated recording studios, were opened on Novem ber 12 1931. The building is an iconic symbol of the international music industry. The studios have been at the heart of the UK music industry for more than 75 years and have been the location of countless landmark recordings and have pioneered new recording techniques and technology. Today, Abbey Road Studios is one of the most technically ad vanced recording, mixing and post-production complexes in the world. For many years, Abbey Road benefited from the talents of EMIs research and develop ment division, which custom-built mixing consoles and outboard gear to meet the de mands and ambitions of the studio engineers and the artists they worked with. Most of this equipment was only available to EMI studios and was never sold commercially. This equip ment, combined with the expertise of our engineers and the unique acoustic properties of the studios, enabled what has come to be known as the Abbey Road Sound. This sound can be heard on some of the most popular recordings of all time. Abbey Road and Native Instruments joined forces in 2009 to create outstanding musical instruments based on Abbey Roads legendary equipment, engineering expertise and stu dio acoustics. Combined with the development and design expertise of Native Instru ments, musicians can experience a new level of versatility and musicality. Manual Conventions This manual uses particular formatting to point out special facts and to warn you of poten tial issues. The icons introducing the following notes let you see what kind of information is to be expected:
Whenever this exclamation mark icon appears, you should read the corresponding note care fully and follow the instructions and hints given there if applicable. This lightbulb icon indicates that a note contains useful extra information. This information may often help you to solve a task more efficiently, but does not necessarily apply to the setup or operating system you are using; however, it's always worth a look.
Introduction
Furthermore, the following formatting is used: Text appearing in (drop-down) menus (such as Open, Save as etc.) and paths to lo cations on your hard drive or other storage devices is printed in italics. Text appearing elsewhere (labels of buttons, controls, text next to checkboxes etc.) is printed in light blue. Whenever you see this formatting applied, you will find the same text appearing somewhere on the screen. Important names and concepts are printed in bold. References to keys on your computer's keyboard you'll find put in square brackets (e.g., "Press [Shift] + [Return]"). Single instructions are introduced by this play button type arrow. Results of actions are introduced by this smaller arrow.
About Abbey Road Modern Drums

The Studios
In this chapter, you will find out about Studio Three and Studio Two, the team involved, the drum kits used, and the equipment employed to record Abbey Road Modern Drums.
2.1
The Studios
Fig. 2.1 Studio Three
2.1.1
Studio Three
Studio Three underwent a major re-development in 1988 overseen by legendary studio de signer Sam Toyoshima. Before its modernization, the studio had a small control room and larger recording area. The re-development gutted the original studio and started from scratch to include a large control room, medium sized main studio area (by Abbey Road standards), vocal and guitar cab isolation booths and a rather interesting room with mir rored walls and ceiling. In 2001 a 96 channel Solid State Logic 9000 J console was in stalled and is still at the heart of Studio Three today. Artists who have used Studio Three include: Radiohead, The Manic Street Preachers, The Foo Fighters, Gomez and Kanye West.

The Studios
Studio Statistics Height: 23ft 5in / 7.15m Width: 25ft / 7.62m Length: 22ft / 6.71m Floor area: 506 sq ft / 47 sq m Studio Reverberation Time: 0.7 - 1.0 sec (variable) Mirror Room Reverberation Time: 0.9 sec
Fig. 2.2 Studio Two
2.1.2
Studio Two
Studio Two, arguably the most famous studio in the world, has a unique design, acoustic, and an unparalleled history of recording. The thick solid wood floor, irregularly laid painted bricks, hanging quilts, bass traps and false dropped ceiling make Studio Two sound like no other. The studio is so good at handling any style of music, from rock and roll sessions through to mid sized orchestras, that the room has remained unchanged since the early 1960s. Artists who have recorded in Studio Two include: Kate Bush, The Beatles, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, David Gilmour, Dido, Green Day, Groove Armada, Idlewild, Muse, Oasis, Underworld, U2, Radiohead, Kanye West and a wealth of film scores.

The Team
Studio Statistics Height: 24ft/7.31m Width: 38ft 3in/11.65m Length: 60ft 2in/18.35m Floor area: 2131sq ft/198sq m Reverberation Time: 1.2 sec
2.2
The Team
Fig. 2.3 The Team in the Studio Three Live Room
Abbey Road Modern Drums was recorded by Mirek Stiles and executively produced by Ab bey Road's Director of Engineering, Peter Cobbin. Drumming duties were performed by Jerry Brown. Peter Cobbin is Abbey Road's Director of Engineering and is one of the world's top record ing engineers. He has been responsible for the remixing of The Beatles Yellow Submarine, Anthology and the John Lennon back catalogue. Other artists Peter has recorded/mixed in clude Air, Keane, U2, Panic at the Disco, Amy Winehouse and Kanye West. Peter also works with many of the film industry's celebrated directors and composers and has pro duced film scores such as Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Shrek the Third, Harry Potter (Order of Phoenix and Half-blood Prince), American Gangster, Hell Boy 2 and Terminator Salva

The Kits
tion. A keen user of vintage equipment, Peter is responsible for introducing some of Abbey Roads best loved equipment to the audio products community in the form of Abbey Road Plug-ins. Mirek joined Abbey Road Studios in 1997 and has worked as an engineer on a multitude of pop/rock sessions as well as many different film scores. Projects include: Fiona Apple, Jon Brion, The Beatles: Yellow Submarine Song Track, The Beatles Anthology 5.1 Remix, The Beatles Love, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Mick Jagger, John Lennon back cata logue remix albums (x5), Muse, Paul McCartney, Dave Stewart, Kanye West and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Drumming duties were performed by Jerry Brown, one of the most in-demand session mu sicians in London. Jerry has worked with the likes of Tina Turner, Dave Stewart, Courtney Pine, Ms Dynamite, Will Young and Girls Aloud to name but a few.
2.3
The Kits
Two modern classic kits were chosen for the Abbey Road Modern Drums project: The kit recorded in Studio Three was a Pearl Reference from the mid 00s. Pearl have been manufacturing drums in Japan since 1950 and since the advent of rock & roll music Pearls popularity increased world wide by the early 60s. The Reference series was a result of two and a half years of research to determine the optimum thickness, optimum wood composition, and optimum bearing edge for each drum in a drum kit. The Reference series debuted in 2005 and is still the highest quality non-custom made drums in Pearl's current range. The Pearl Kit sizes are: 24" kick, 8", 10" & 12" rack toms and 16" floor tom. The kit recorded in Studio Two was a Drum Workshop Collector's Series from the mid 90s. Since their first serious catalogue and appearance at a major international trade show back in January 1990, DW have become known for their exceptionally high standards and innovative direction in the art of making drums. The Collector's Series is the company's flagship line of custom made American drums. The DW kit sizes are: 22" kick, 12" & 13" rack toms and 16" & 18" floor toms. Snare drums used on this project include: Sonar Artist Bronze 14 x 6.5 Ayotte Custom Maple 14 x 5

The Kits
DW Collector's Stainless Steel 14 x 5.5 Pearl Sensitone Elite Brass 14 x 5 DW Edge 13 x 5.5 Pearl Sensitone Custom Alloy Steel 12 x 5 The snare drums recorded in Studio Three feature additional samples of a technique we called splash on snare. This involves placing a splash cymbal on the snare batter head. If you strike the exposed skin you get an incredibly dead processed sound. Alternative strikes were placed on the splash cymbal itself, which gives a trashy sound somewhat reminiscent of processed hand claps.
Fig. 2.4 "Splash On Snare" Technique
A set of three Sabian Choppers were recorded in both Studio Two and Studio Three. These effect cymbals give off a wonderfully trashy sound that might sound a little harsh on their own, but sing out in the context of a beat using them as an alternative to the ride or hihat.

The Kits
Whilst in Studio Two we also found time to sample a Zildjian Spiral Trash. This effect cymbal has unique overtones and wave-like timbre.
Fig. 2.5 Sabian Choppers (left) and Zildjian Spiral Trash (right)

The Recording Equipment
2.4
The Recording Equipment
Fig. 2.6 Neumann U 47
The idea behind Abbey Road Modern Drums was to use the best of old and new. Abbey Road has an impressive collection of microphones and outboard equipment spanning from over the history of recording. Classic modern microphones are mixed with vintage rarities. Super clean microphone preamps are complimented with colorful retro valve preamps. Contemporary microphone techniques are placed alongside trends from yesteryear.

Microphones & Preamps
Fig. 2.7 SSL 9k
Abbey Road Modern Drums could be considered to be the ultimate recording set up for the modern drum production. The below recorded channels will enable you to sculpt your dream drum sound.
2.5
2.5.1

Pearl Reference, Studio Three
Microphones and Preamps used for recording the Pearl kit: Stereo Overhead: Neumann KM 184 with SSL 9k Preamp The KM 184 microphones are the successors of the well proven KM 84, which has been used since the mid 60s worldwide with great success. It is a compact miniature condenser microphone with a cardioid polar pattern. The SSL 9k preamp found on the 9k desk has a very clean, punchy and smooth sound that is perfect for pop recordings. Kick Out: Microphone 1: Neumann U47 fet with SSL9k Preamp Although in no way limited to kick drum applications, this microphone is still one of the first choices for top engineers around the world for a deep & punchy bass drum sound. Microphone 2: Yamaha NS10 with SSL9k Preamp The Yamaha NS10 is in fact a monitor loud speaker introduced in 1978 for domestic use. It quickly found its way into studios as a

real world reference monitor. Its not in production anymore but can still be found in most professional recording studios around the world. Another popular use for the NS10 was to take the white bass cone out of the monitor enclosure and reverse the phase of the wiring. This would turn a loudspeaker into a microphone. Once dangled in front of a kick drum or bass cab the large surface area of the makeshift diaphragm would create larger than life sub bass. This technique has become so popular that Ya maha now make a dedicated product for this application. Kick In: AKG D 112 with SSL 9k Preamp The D 112 is one of the most recognized modern kick drum microphones in the world. It is a cardioid dynamic microphone ca pable of handling levels up to 160 dB SPL. Hihat: Shure SM58 with SSL 9k Preamp The SM58 is the secret weapon of some engineers. Its probably the worlds most famous microphone but often gets overlooked in the studio environment. Snare Top: Microphone 1: Shure SM57 with SSL 9k Preamp Introduced in 1967 the SM57 is still probably one of the world's biggest selling microphones. The SM57 is a dynamic cardioid microphone. This mic was used to provide the body of the snare drum. Microphone 2: KM84 with SSL 9k Preamp The KM84 microphone is a small capsule cardioid condenser introduced in the mid 60s. It was one of the world's first microphones made with 48v phantom power technology. This mic was strapped to the top of the SM57 and was used to provide a nice top end snap to compliment the SM57. Snare Bottom: Shure SM57 with SSL 9k Preamp. Toms: All rack and floor toms for this project were mic'ed from the top and from below. The signals were then mixed together to create a single tom channel. The idea behind this is the top microphone provides the attack and the bottom microphone provides the resonance of the shell. This technique can make a massive difference to the overall tom tone of a recording. Rack Toms: Top Microphone: Sennheiser MD 421 with SSL 9k Preamp Originally in troduced in 1960, this cardioid dynamic microphone has become a bit of a classic. The MD 421 II used on our sessions was and still is a popular choice for drums. Bot tom Microphone: Shure SM57 with SSL 9k Preamp. Floor Tom: Top Microphone: AKG D 112 with SSL 9k Preamp. Bottom Microphone: Neumann U 47 fet with SSL 9k Preamp.

Mono Overhead: This could be considered the retro channel in the recording set up. This channel was also run via a Fairchild 660 valve limiter. AKG D 19 with REDD.47 Preamp and Fairchild 660 Limiter The EMI REDD.47 preamp was found on the REDD.51 mixing console and was used at Abbey Road from 1963 through to the early 70s. The dynamic AKG D 19 cardioid microphone was first brought into the Abbey Road Studios collection in 1963.The microphones are still in use today. At the time they were very cheap and considered at bit of a workhorse, being used on many appli cations from drums to piano and almost everything between. First put into service at Abbey Road Studios in 1964, The Fairchild 660 classic limiter has become one of the most sought after pieces of vintage recording equipment in history. Stereo Room: Brauner VM1 with SSL 9k Preamp The concept of this model was to build the perfect tube microphone. This German made microphone is considered a modern classic by most professional engineers. Its sensitivity and low noise floor make it perfect for capturing the tone of a room. Mono Room: This channel is a single microphone placed about five meters from the kick drum and placed very low to the floor. This microphone captures the reflections from the wood floor. The channel was also run through an Empirical Labs EL8 Distres sor compressor/limiter. Neumann U 47 with Summit Audio TPA 200B Preamp and EL8 Distressor Compressor/Limiter The legendary Abbey Road U47 has been in use at the studios since 1951. The U47 is probably the most sought after and recognizable microphone in the world. This valve condenser microphone has both omni and cardioid polar patterns. The TPA-200B is a dual channel preamplifier marrying a classic tube and transformer front end design with a more modern solid state output stage. This pre-amp has been part of the Abbey Road arsenal since the early 90s. The EL8 is a modern day classic that has found its way into many top recording studios.
2.5.2
Drum Workshop Collector's, Studio Two
Microphones and Preamps used for recording the Drum Workshop kit: Stereo Overhead: Neumann KM 184 with EMI TG12428 Preamp The EMI TG12428 is the first transistor microphone pre-amp found on the TG MKI mixing console. The TG MKI was introduced to Abbey Road in the late 60s.

Kick Out: Microphone 1: Neumann U47 fet with Neve 1081 Preamp Although de signed back in 1972 and released as part of the 8048 console in 1973, the 1081 has been the microphone pre amp of choice for many engineers over the last 3 decades. Its remarkable sensitivity and fast, musical response to transients makes it a particular fa vorite for drums and percussion. Microphone 2: Yamaha NS10 with Neve 1081 Pre amp. Kick In: AKG D 112 with Neve 1081 Preamp. Hihat: Shure SM58 with Germanium Preamp The Germanium transistor was at the heart of classic models from companies like Neve, EMI, Telefunken and Fairchild. This pre-amp has a fantastic vintage sound. Snare Top: Microphone 1: Shure SM57 with Neve 1081 Preamp. Microphone 2: KM84 with Neve 1081 Preamp. Snare Bottom: Shure SM57 with Neve 1081 Preamp. Toms: All rack and floor toms for this project were mic'ed from the top and from below. The signals were then mixed together to create a single tom channel. The idea behind this is the top microphone provides the attack and the bottom microphone provides the resonance of the shell. This technique can make a massive difference to the overall tom tone of a recording. Rack Toms: Top Microphone: Sennheiser MD 421 with Neve Montserrat Preamp The Air Montserrat mixing console was a slight departure from the 8048 console. Designed by Rupert Neve with input from Geoff Emerick and Sir George Martin, the Montserrat console preamps features different transformers and coupled with integrated circuits to allow a larger frequency response. Bottom Microphone: Shure SM57 with Neve Mon tserrat Preamp. Floor Tom: Top Microphone: AKG D 112 with Neve Montserrat Preamp. Bottom Micro phone: Neumann U 47 fet with Neve Montserrat Preamp. Mono Overhead: This could be considered the retro channel in the recording set up. This channel was also run via a Fairchild 660 valve limiter. AKG D 19 with REDD.47 Preamp and Fairchild 660 Limiter. Room: Brauner VM1 with Neve 1081 Preamp.

Mono Room: This channel is a single microphone placed about 5 meters from the kick drum and placed very low to the floor. This microphone captures the reflections from the wood floor. The channel was also run through an Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor compressor/limiter. Neumann U 47 with Summit Audio TPA 200B Preamp and EL8 Distressor Compressor/Limiter.
Quickstart
Basic Navigation
Quickstart
In this chapter, you will find a quick guide to navigating the controls of the Abbey Road Modern Drums, as well as step by step guides to certain functions.
3.1
Basic Navigation
The interface has three main areas of control. Upon opening any of the instruments, you will notice the three tabs at the bottom. These allow you to navigate the three control areas for the drum kits.
Fig. 3.1 The three navigation tabs for Abbey Road Modern Drums.
3.2
Altering the Kit Options
To alter general performance options for the entire kit, click on the Options tab. This will give you control over MIDI velocity curves, key range and randomization amounts, among other features.
3.3
3.3.1
Editing the Drums

Fine-controlling Individual Drums and Their Articulations
To change the individual drums' sound settings and articulations: 1. Click on the Drums tab. 2. To edit the settings for a certain drum, just click on its picture. Percussion is selected from a sub-menu of buttons after clicking on the main percussion image in the kit. 3. To alter the tuning and overhead and room amount for each drum, turn the corre sponding TUNE, OVERHEAD and ROOM controls, located at the top right of the interface.
Quickstart
Editing the Drums
Fig. 3.2 A typical drums control panel.
The separate articulations for the drums are selected from the dropdown menu located be low the tuning and overhead controls. Please note that this does not alter the drum map ping, but only selects the articulation for editing. To alter mapping, use the controls below the volume AHD envelope. If Select by MIDI (located to the top right of the drum kit image) is turned on, it is possible to select an articulation just by playing its respective MIDI note.
Quickstart
Editing the Drums
3.3.2
Changing the Snare
Each kit in Abbey Road Modern Drums has alternate snares to choose from. To change the snare: 1. Go to the Drums page and click on the picture of the snare. 2. Click on the grayed out number in the top right-hand corner.
Fig. 3.3 The Snare control panel, where you can select the snare drum for the kit.
Both the image and the drum name will change depending on which snare is currently loaded.
3.4
Creating a Mix
To make a mix of the kit, click on the Mixer tab. This will give you a virtual mixing con sole with each of the main channels for the drums and percussion. Here you can control the volume, pan, mute, and solo of the tracks you want, in order to get the drum sound you need. Fine-tuning a Mix To fine-tune the mix, you can adjust overhead and room levels of individual drums on the Drums page. For the kicks and snares, you can also adjust the in/out and top/bottom microphone mixes respectively.
Quickstart
Creating a Mix
Fig. 3.4 The Kick Drum control panel with IN/OUT microphone balance control (MIC BALANCE).
For extra realism, there is a SNARE MIC BLEED control in the Options page. It allows you to include the sound from the kick, hi-hat, and toms to "bleed" into the snare microphone. This will add more snare rattle with these hits, as well as subtly colouring the sound.
Fig. 3.5 The SNARE MIC BLEED control from the Options page.
Quickstart
Adding and Removing Drums
3.5
To 1. 2. 3.
Adding and Removing Drums
add or remove drums from a kit: Click on the Drums tab. Select the drum you want to add or remove. Click on the Load/Unload button located next to the drum name (see screenshot be low). When a drum is unloaded, it will appear as a darkened version of the drum in the kit.
Fig. 3.3 Loading and unloading drums on the Drums page.
The User Interface in Detail

Drum Page
This chapter describes the Abbey Road Modern Drums user interface. Learn about its three control pages, the knobs, buttons, and sliders, and how to use them.
4.1
Drum Page
The Drum page has a view of the drum kit where you can select each drum and adjust: the tuning the volume envelope the overhead and room microphone mixes for each drum You can also assign each articulation of each drum to your own custom MIDI mapping.
Fig. 4.1 The White Kits Drum page.

Drum Page
Each drum can be selected by clicking on it with the mouse. This will also play the sound of that drum, giving you a quick preview of the sound. After selecting a drum, the name and controls for that drum will appear in the panels on the right. The upper control panel (with the TUNE knob) holds the controls for all of the sounds of a selected drum. The lower control panel holds controls for separate articulations of a selected drum.
If the SELECT BY MIDI function (top right of the instrument graphic) is activated, the drums will be selected depending on the notes played with your MIDI input device.
The Upper Control Panel The upper control panel shows the name of the selected drum. If the snare drum is select ed, you can choose between three different snares using the 1, 2, and 3 buttons next to its name in the upper control panel. This will also change the graphic for the snare drum. The 1, 2, and 3 buttons light up red when selected. You can add or remove the selected drum using the Load/Unload button to the right of a drum's name. A drum that has been re moved turns dark after it has been unloaded. Each drum has a TUNE knob, which can shift the pitch of that drum and all associated mi crophones for that drum up or down. There are also OVERHEAD and ROOM knobs to control the volume level in the overhead mix and the room mix, allowing you to adjust the relative volume of each drum in those microphones. The kick drum, snare drum, and percussion have additional controls in the top panel: When the kick drum is selected, a fader appears, which allows you to adjust the bal ance between the microphones inside and outside of the kick drum. When the snare drum is selected, you can adjust the balance between the snare top and snare bottom microphones. When the percussion is selected (represented by a cowbell in the drum kit view), five icons appear, allowing you to choose the various percussion elements in the kits. The Lower Control Panel The lower control panel (with the ATTACK knob) allows you to select each articulation for the selected drum. For example, selecting the snare drum will give an articulation menu show ing the different types of snare hits, such as center, halfway, rimshot, flam, roll etc. (see chapter 5, Drum Articulations for a list of all drums and articulations). Each articulation has its own volume envelope, with knobs for ATTACK, HOLD, and DECAY.

Drum Page
You can also assign each articulation to any MIDI note, allowing you to customize your kit mapping. This is very useful for adjusting the mapping to the way that suits you best when playing the drums with a MIDI keyboard, or for adjusting the mapping to a custom elec tronic drum setup. You can assign the MIDI notes manually by entering the notes in the NOTE field and clicking on the APPLY button next to it. You can also assign the notes by se lecting the LEARN button and then playing the MIDI note for which you want to assign that articulation. Using this method, it is fast and easy to create your own custom drum map. To keep this drum map, you must save the NKI (the KONTAKT Instrument) after making the mapping changes. There is also an additional MAP menu, which has a selection of presets that work with pop ular software and electronic drum setups. Entries in this menu include General MIDI, VDrums, DrumIt Five, EZplayer, BFD, iMap, and Addictive Drums. If you were to prefer one of the drum maps in this menu, you should select it from the list and save the NKI, so that it will be the same when you open the kit again. If you select one of these presets and then make a mapping change, the menu will jump to the Custom entry, preventing any changes to the original mapping presets.
This will overwrite the preset currently stored in the Custom entry.

Mixer Page
4.2
Mixer Page
The Mixer page is where you can control the levels of the microphones, with the same kind of level controls that you would use if using a real mixing board. You can also set the pan ning or stereo field of the mics, solo/mute the tracks, and change the output routing for each channel. The lighter coloured channels on the left side of the mixer represent the di rect microphones while the darker coloured channels on the right side represent the over head and room microphones.
Fig. 4.2 The Mixer page.
Each of the faders controls the volume level of the various microphones. The levels of each drum within the overhead and room mixes can be adjusted separately, but this is done on the Drums page (see chapter 3.1, Basic Navigation). The faders on the Mixer page are the standard real life level controls that you would have on an actual mixer.

Mixer Page
The direct microphone channels have their own PAN control. The stereo overhead (OH) and room microphone (ROOM) channels have width controls, which determine the spread of the stereo field for those microphone pairs. STEREO is the standard setting, where the right and left channels are independent on the left and right side. MONO combines the two stereo channels into a single central sound source, and WIDE uses the KONTAKT stereo modeling to perceptually go beyond the stereo field. Each track can be soloed with the little black button to the right of the S (solo) and multi ple tracks can be soloed together. Tracks can also be muted with the little black button to the left of the M (mute). Each track can also be routed to several outputs using the drop-down menu below each fader, depending on your soundcard and your output settings in KONTAKT. This is useful for applying your own separate effects on each track, such as compression or equalization. There is also an option in this drop-down menu to disable the track. This will purge the samples used for that track from your computers memory, which is very useful if you are not going to use certain microphones in your production. If you decide to add the samples back later, simply reroute the track to an output (keep in mind that you will have to wait for the samples to load again for that track). The buttons DRUMS 1, DRUMS 2 and PERCUSSION at the top-right of the Mixer page switch the direct mic controls from the regular drums (kick, snare, hihat and toms) to the additional percussion instruments (cowbells, tambourine, claps, stick hits, choppers, and spirals). The overhead and room controls remain on the right side in each view.

Options Page
4.3
Options Page
The Options page includes various parameters, which apply to the entire drum kit. On this page, you can randomize several parameters of the drum output and adjust the volume of the bleed from the snare bottom microphone. You can also make adjustments to the MIDI velocity curves and playing ranges.
Fig. 4.3 The Options page.
4.3.1
Key Range Area
The KEY RANGE area dictates the range of MIDI notes in which the KONTAKT instrument will allow input. The default range is the full range from C-2 to G8. With the LEARN button se lected, you can select the range of the MIDI input by playing the lowest and highest value.

Options Page
4.3.2
Transpose Area
In the TRANSPOSE area, you can transpose all incoming MIDI notes up or down by both sem itones (SEMI) and octaves (OCTAVE).
4.3.3
Velocity Area
In the VELOCITY control area, you can select the general velocity curve of the incoming MIDI notes with the buttons above the relevant label. The default is a linear curve, but many MIDI input devices have different levels of sensitivity, making a convex or concave curve more appropriate. There is also an option to select a constant velocity (represented by a horizontal line). You can customize the relationship between velocity and volume with the VEL -> VOL knob. The higher the knob value, the more the velocity will relate to the volume of the played sound. Finally, you can change the lowest and highest velocity values with the fields above RANGE. This is useful for preventing the quietest and/or the loudest sounds from playing, and instead be limited to the specified minimum and maximum. Adjusting the VELOCITY settings can really affect the way the kit sounds when you play it. Different MIDI input devices, such as MIDI keyboards and electronic drum kits, will also need different velocity setting adjustments to match your playing style. Adjust these con trols until you find settings that are right for you.
4.3.4
Snare Mic Bleed Area
The SNARE MIC BLEED knob controls the overall level of the bleed from the snare bottom mi crophone. Snare mic bleed is a common sound in acoustic drum recordings, but some times it can add additional unwanted sound. With this control, you can adjust the volume of the bleed, as well as turn these snare bleed samples off if not desired (thus purging the samples from your computers memory).
4.3.5
Randomize Area
The controls in the RANDOMIZE area add custom levels of humanization and variation in the sound output. The higher the value of a knob, the higher the range of randomization for the relevant control. The randomized parameters are: VOLUME: The volume level of the played drum increases or decreases by a random amount with each hit.

Kit Selection
VELOCITY: The velocity of the played drum will increase or decrease slightly, which can trigger different samples above or below the one at the original velocity. TIME: This will add a slight random amount of delay to each hit. PITCH: The pitch of the played drum will be higher or lower by a slight amount with each hit. EQ: This will slightly change the frequency curve of each hit. Different drums have dif ferent frequency ranges, specific to the sound of each drum. The EXCLUDE DIRECT MICS option allows the samples of the direct mics to be excluded from / included with the Volume, Pitch and EQ randomization parameters. Randomizing the sound of direct mics is often more obvious than randomizing the sound of overhead or room mics, so it can be desirable to exclude them, while still applying randomization to other mics.
A good way to add even more subtle variation to the sounds in the kit is to change the ran domization parameters just slightly, especially the Pitch, EQ and Volume knobs. For all knobs, turning them a maximum of a quarter of the way up will allow the effect to remain subtle. Turning these knobs up to a high value can be used for a more experimental sound.
4.4
Kit Selection
There are a total of eight main instrument NKIs included with Abbey Road Modern Drums: Abbey Road Modern Sparkle Kit Full: This is the full version of the Sparkle Kit with all samples and microphones included. Abbey Road Modern White Kit Full: This is the full version of the White Kit with all samples and microphones included. Abbey Road Modern Sparkle Kit Lite: This is a version of the Sparkle Kit that includes all velocity layers, but has no sound variations for same velocity hits. This kit has a smaller memory footprint as well as a faster loading time than the full kit. Abbey Road Modern White Kit Lite: This is a version of the White Kit that includes all velocity layers, but has no sound variations for same velocity hits. This kit has a small er memory footprint as well as a faster loading time than the full kit. Abbey Road Modern Sparkle Kit Essential: This is a version of the Sparkle Kit that in cludes only the most common drum articulations, and removes the additional separate right and left hand key mappings and separated open hihat mappings.

Kit Selection
Abbey Road Modern White Kit Essential: This is a version of the White Kit that includes only the most common drum articulations, and removes the additional separate right and left hand key mappings and separated open hihat mappings. Abbey Road Modern Sparkle Kit Template: This is a version of the Sparkle Kit with all drums unloaded from memory. You can load the drums you need within that kit by us ing the Load/Unload button at the top right of the Drum page. Abbey Road Modern White Kit Template: This is a version of the White Kit with all drums unloaded from memory. You can load the drums you need within that kit by us ing the Load/Unload button at the top right of the Drum page.
For the default drum mapping of both kits, please refer to the separate documents "The Spar kle Kit - Default Mapping" and "The White Kit - Default Mapping", included with the Abbey Road Modern Drums documentation (via the Info button of the Instrument's Library tab in KONTAKT).
In addition to the standard kits above, there is also a selection of preset kits, each with a unique sound for various styles of production. These presets can be found in the Preset Kits folder within the main instruments folder.
Drum Articulations
Sparkle Kit
Drum Articulations
For the default drum mapping of both kits, please refer to the separate documents "The Spar kle Kit - Default Mapping" and "The White Kit - Default Mapping", included with the Abbey Road Modern Drums documentation (via the Info button of the Instrument's Library tab in KONTAKT).
Here is a comprehensive list of all drums and articulations included with each kit.
5.1
Drum
Sparkle Kit
Articulation Dampened Half Open Open Center Left Hand Center Right Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Halfway Left Hand Halfway Right Hand Halfway Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Sidestick Flam Roll Wires Off Rim Only Splash On Splash Off Splash Rim
Kick Drum
Snare Drum 1, 2 & 3
Drum Articulations
Sparkle Kit
Drum Hihat
Articulation Closed Tight Tip Right Hand Closed Tight Tip Left Hand Closed Tight Tip Right/Left Alternating * Closed Tip Right Hand Closed Tip Left Hand Closed Tip Right/Left Alternating* Closed Shank Right Hand Closed Shank Left Hand Closed Shank Right/Left Alternating * Closed Pedal Open Pedal Open Quarter Open Half Open Three-Quarters Open Loose Open Full Open Controller** Center Right Hand Center Left Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Rim Only Center Right Hand Center Left Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Rim Only Center Right Hand Center Left Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Rim Only
High Rack Tom
Mid Rack Tom
Low Rack Tom
Drum Articulations
Sparkle Kit
Drum Floor Tom
Articulation Center Right Hand Center Left Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Rim Only Edge Tip Bell Choke *** Edge Tip Bell Choke *** Tip Bell Edge Choke *** Edge Tip Choke *** Edge Choke *** Tap Shake Solo Multi Hit Hit Hit Hit
High Crash
Low Crash
Ride
China
Splash Tambourine Clap Stick Hit High Chopper Mid Chopper Low Chopper
Drum Articulations
White Kit
Drum High Cowbell Low Cowbell
Articulation Open Muted Open Muted
5.2
Drum
White Kit
Articulation Dampened Half Open Open Center Left Hand Center Right Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Halfway Left Hand Halfway Right Hand Halfway Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Sidestick Flam Roll Wires Off Rim Only
Kick Drum
Snare Drum 1, 2 & 3
Drum Articulations
White Kit
Drum Hihat
Articulation Closed Tight Tip Right Hand Closed Tight Tip Left Hand Closed Tight Tip Right/Left Alternating * Closed Tip Right Hand Closed Tip Left Hand Closed Tip Right/Left Alternating * Closed Shank Right Hand Closed Shank Left Hand Closed Shank Right/Left Alternating * Closed Pedal Open Pedal Open Quarter Open Half Open Three-Quarters Open Loose Open Full Open Controller ** Center Right Hand Center Left Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Rim Only Center Right Hand Center Left Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Rim Only Center Right Hand Center Left Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Rim Only
High Rack Tom
Low Rack Tom
High Floor Tom
Drum Articulations
White Kit
Drum Low Floor Tom
Articulation Center Right Hand Center Left Hand Center Right/Left Alternating * Rimshot Rim Only Edge Tip Bell Choke *** Edge Tip Bell Choke *** Tip Bell Edge Choke *** Edge Tip Choke *** Edge Choke *** Stick Mallet Solo Multi Hit Hit Hit Hit
High Crash
Low Crash
Ride
China
Splash Spiral Clap Stick Hit High Chopper Mid Chopper Low Chopper
Drum Articulations
White Kit
Drum High Cowbell Low Cowbell
Articulation Open Muted Open Muted
* There is a separate note assignment that alternates between the left and right hand sam ples of the center and halfway snare, center tom, and closed hi-hat articulations when playing faster than a certain speed. This adds a realistic sound to faster playing, as a drummer would also switch to using both hands at fast speeds. ** There is a separate note assignment for the open hihat that controls the amount of hi hat openness depending on the position of the Modwheel controller (CC1) or a hi-hat foot controller (CC4). At the 0 position of the controller, the open hihat control key plays the fully open hihat. As the controller sends higher values, playing the open hihat control key will trigger hihat samples that gradually become more closed. *** Cymbal choke samples are triggered by specific note assignments which play release samples. When playing a cymbal sound, triggering the choke sample will play the sound of a choked cymbal which relates to the current volume of the played cymbal. If no cymbal sound is currently active, then the cymbal choke notes will do nothing. Choke samples can also be triggered with electronic drum pads which support the choking feature, as well as with keyboard aftertouch.
Credits
Credits
Product Design: Paul Maurer, Frank Elting Sound Design: Paul Maurer, Adam Hanley, Dinos Vallianatos, Ema Jolly Graphic Design: Efflam Lebivic, Gsta Wellmer, Philipp Roller, Cameron Wakal Kontakt Scripting: Dinos Vallianatos, Adam Hanley, Nicki Marinic Abbey Road Executive Producer: Peter Cobbin Abbey Road Engineer and Project Management: Mirek Stiles Abbey Road Assistant Engineers: Pete Hutchings Drummer: Jerry Brown Drum Tech: Simon Jayes Marketing and GUI Photography: Alexis Chabala Session Photography: Athena Anastasiou
All Drums Provided by: London Drum Company: http://www.londondrumcompany.com/ John Henry's: http://www.johnhenrys.com/

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Abbey Road Modern Drums - Manual - 4

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

About Abbey Road Modern Drums

Fig. 2.1 Studio Three

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

Fig. 2.2 Studio Two

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

Fig. 2.3 The Team in the Studio Three Live Room

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

Fig. 2.4 "Splash On Snare" Technique

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

The Recording Equipment

Fig. 2.6 Neumann U 47

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

Fig. 2.7 SSL 9k

Microphones & Preamps

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

Abbey Road Modern Drums - Manual - 16

About Abbey Road Modern Drums

Drum Workshop Collector's, Studio Two

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

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About Abbey Road Modern Drums

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Altering the Kit Options

Editing the Drums

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Fig. 3.2 A typical drums control panel.

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Changing the Snare

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Adding and Removing Drums

Fig. 3.3 Loading and unloading drums on the Drums page.

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The User Interface in Detail

The User Interface in Detail

Fig. 4.1 The White Kits Drum page.

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The User Interface in Detail

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The User Interface in Detail

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The User Interface in Detail

Fig. 4.2 The Mixer page.

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The User Interface in Detail