DRUMCORE FAQs/Q&A

• What is DrumCore and DrumCore Deluxe?
• What is DrumCore Free?
• How is DrumCore different from BFD, Battery, and Stylus RMX?
• How does DrumCore compare price-wise?
• What products can be used with DrumCore?
• How can you expand DrumCore's audio library?
• Who is the customer?
• What do you hope to accomplish with this product?
• What makes the DrumCore application different from other audio databases and loop libraries?
• How does DrumCore integrate with the applications?
• Once I have heard your MIDI grooves with the real/original drummers' samples using your software sampler, how do I use it like that (same samples, etc.) in my DAW?
• Can I just install the drummers and content I like?
• Can DrumCore be used with my content?
• I have a bunch of .WAV files. Can DrumCore export them as REX2 or Acid?
• Does your content export as REX2? How about Acid?
• Can I change the search criteria in DrumCore?
• Can I be a beta tester?

• What is the quality of the content?
• What kind of MIDI drumkits come with DrumCore?
• Can I use the content without the DrumCore application? Will I be able to just copy the files by themselves to different media and use them?
• Can I use the loops in my MIDI sampler (hardware or software)?
• Will it have more styles and/or drummers?
• What are DrummerPacks?
• Where were the samples recorded?
• What was used to record the performances?
• How were drummers selected for Drumcore?
• I am a well-known drummer, can I get involved with DrumCore?

DRUMCORE FAQs/Q&A

Q: What is DrumCore?
DrumCore is an audio loop collection and sampled drum kits in a AU/RTAS/VSTi plug-in. DrumCore offers pro drums to songwriters and composers.

DrumCore 3 includes an AU/RTAS/VSTi plug-in (Mac and PC) plus the DrumCore Toolkit. The DrumCore Toolkit is a standalone application for adding your own loop libraries (WAV/AIFF/REX2/ACID) and/or drum samples (WAV/AIFF) as well as for editing descriptive metadata (like "Style", "Shuffle", etc.) and deep editing of drum pad data (sample layers, velocity assignments, velocity crossfades, etc.).

Included are 24-bit stereo recordings of well known drummers as audio loops, plus MIDI versions of those performances and their multisampled drumkits. These are well-known players for their genre and you get to choose what's right for your drum part - the dead-on realism of a recording or the versatility of MIDI. Drummers include:

Jeff Anthony (Sheryl Crow, Jeff Trott)
John Bishop (Ernie Watts)
Terry Bozzio* (UK, Zappa, Missing Persons)
Tony Braunagel (Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal)
Matt Cameron* (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam)
Luis Conte* (Clapton, Pat Metheny, Sergio Mendes)
Ned Douglas (Dave Stewart)
Sly Dunbar* (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru)
Gregg Keplinger (Herb Ellis, Carter Jefferson)
Stephen Perkins* (Janes Addiction, Porno for Pyros)
Michael Shrieve (Santana, The Rolling Stones, Pete Townshend)
Ben Smith (Heart)
Matt Sorum* (Guns 'N Roses, Velvet Revolver)
DJ Syze-up (UltraNat)
John Tempesta* (Testament, Helmet)
Alan White* (Yes, John Lennon)
Lonnie Wilson* (Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts)
Zoro* (Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Brown)

* Get much more content from the drummers marked with an asterix in their add-on DrummerPacks.

You will need around 30GB of disk space to install DrumCore and all the DrummerPacks in DrumCore Deluxe.

There is a DrumCore and KitCore Product Matrix PDF to help you decide between those products. Also there is a Comparison Chart for DrumCore 3, DrumCore 3 Deluxe & DrummerPack Content.

1. FEEL - DrumCore concentrates on giving you the featured drummers' feel and the beats themselves. This is why DrumCore's audio content was recorded at so many BPMs, as drummers play differently based on tempo. These other products concentrate more on drum synthesis and processing techniques. Note that there are ways for the users of these other products to access DrumCore content (play our MIDI beats via BFD for example). So if you own these other products there are still good reasons to look at DrumCore. DrumCore is the fastest way to get the authentic grooves these drummers provide.
2. VERSATILITY - The audio content bundled with DrumCore embraces the featured drummers' sonic character and performance in their genre(s) where most other products' bundled content is for the most part more generic-sounding. NOTE: This applies to bundled content. Some products have add-on packs that emphasize a particular drummer's character. However, that adds more cost.
3. BOTH AUDIO and MIDI - The products above are very MIDI-oriented (even in the way they use loops) where DrumCore lets you approach drums using both MIDI and audio loops. While DrumCore has a MIDI synthesizer and you can create your own beats and drumkits using it, its not the only focus of the application. Often audio loops are faster and sound better for songs that need an authentic drummer feel. MIDI allows great control once you need to get more "surgical" with the parts. DrumCore lets you approach creating drum tracks both ways.
4. LIBRARIAN FUNCTIONS - DrumCore can act as a librarian for any midi, .wav, .aif or .sd2 file and lets you assign metadata (like shuffle feel, or musical styles) for easy retrieval and sorting, while those other products do not.
5. DAW INTEGRATION - DrumCore allows you to find the audio or MIDI content you want and then export it directly to a track within the host application. You would need to have DrumCore installed to play MIDI tracks using DrumCore's MIDI drum sounds, but you would not need to have DrumCore installed to play the audio loop content. The other products listed can export MIDI to a track in your DAW like DrumCore, but the assumption is that you would have their plug-in always installed to play back the content. DrumCore allows you to "own" the exported audio loop content and edit and manipulate it however you see fit within your DAW.
6. FILE EXPORT - DrumCore allows you to convert between different file formats and resolutions. For example, you could import a 96kHz, 24 bit, aiff loop and save it as a 44.1kHz, 16 bit, .WAV loop if necessary.
7. KIT CONSTRUCTION - DrumCore, Battery and Stylus allow you to use your own samples to create new drum kits, while BFD does not.

1. There is a huge amount of content at multiple tempos.

   Most other libraries are either one groove at one tempo, or they Acidized or REX loops to try and synthesize performances at multiple tempos. This offers mixed results. They do not sound as realistic as a real drummer playing at that tempo. Real drummers play differently at different tempos. Faster tempos are usually played more on top of the groove while slower tempos are more laid back and in the pocket. Even the way the drum is hit and sounds can vary depending on the tempo. DrumCore retains the realism by providing each groove at a variety of tempos.

2. This is a huge amount of content by legendary drummers in a multitude of styles.

   Other libraries may offer one well-known drummer and/or one style, but DrumCore cuts across many genres and techniques.

3. It works in common, realistic music industry scenarios.

   Most databases designed for browsing audio content are either:

   • Web-based and specific to a Web site's content (Sonomic, PowerFX, SoundsOnLine)
   • A "generic" database that must be customized for audio, and only has rudimentary playback of media (Filemaker, etc.)
   • An expensive "facility" oriented package that can easily cost $500-2000
   
   DrumCore is more tuned to a producer/composers' use model as:
   • It does not require an internet connection to let you browse and work with the content. This is an advantage in highly-mobile, and often secluded studio scenarios. DrumCore can let you work finding loops and other content while on a plane in-transit between studios or projects. Also all content is provided royalty free!
   • A large number of studios prefer that their production computer not be connected to the internet to discourage installation of software updates, viruses and other items that destabilize the environment.
   • DrumCore is extremely affordable.
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   Q: How does DrumCore integrate with the applications?
   DrumCore currently supports:
   • "Drag export" to audio and MIDI tracks in applications that support drag-and-drop functionality. These include Acid, Audition, Cubase/Nuendo, Digital Performer, Logic, Pro Tools and Sonar.
   • "Audio bin export" to Adobe Audition, Digidesign Pro Tools, Steinberg Cubase/Nuendo, Apple Logic, and MOTU Digital Performer.
   • "Folder export" which exports content to a folder on a hard disk.
   • "Track and timeline insert/spotting support" in Pro Tools. Choose a location on a track in Pro Tools, then set-up the appropriate export preferences in DrumCore. Now every time you select a loop or fill in DrumCore and select "Export" it exports that content directly to the selected track in Pro Tools in sequence, with each exported loop/fill after the previous one.
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   Q: Once I have heard your MIDI grooves with the real/original drummers' samples using your software sampler, how do I use it like that (same samples, etc.) in my DAW?
   First the MIDI file must be exported from DrumCore and imported into your MIDI authoring application (via drag and drop or through folder export).
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   Q: Can I just install the drummers and content I like?
   Yes, but you still need to purchase and install the whole DrumCore library and then remove the content you don't want.
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   Q: Can DrumCore be used with my content?
   Yes. You can import your content into DrumCore to allow fast access to your current drum libraries.
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   Q: I have a bunch of .WAV files. Can DrumCore export them as REX2 or Acid?
   No, It can't export any user-imported audio files as REX2 unless it was a REX2 to start with. Same with Acid. It can export imported REX2 and Acid as WAV and AIFF though. There are restrictions to writing new REX files as a developer where you are not allowed to create a new REX file.
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   Q: Does your content export as REX2? How about Acid?
   All of the DrumCore content (and the DrummerPacks we sell) export as REX2. They do not export as Acid, but you can export as .WAV into Acid. Once in the Acid application it will convert the .WAV into an Acid file.
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   Q: Can I change the search criteria in DrumCore?
   Yes! You can add info to the "Comments" field associated with the audio file and use that as searchable criteria.
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   Q: Can I be a beta tester?
   Possibly. Send an e-mail to support@drumcore.com and tell us what your system is, the work you do (producer, songwriter, DJ, etc.). Also tell us about any previous beta experience you might have.
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   DRUMCORE CONTENT

   Q: What is the quality of the content?
   All the sessions are at least 48k/24bit, and some are down-sampled from 96 and 192. All analog-to-digital and digital processing was done with extra care and used distributed sync and the best converters available.

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   Q: What kind of MIDI drumkits come with DrumCore?
   Unlike other drum software that only provide acoustic drums, DrumCore comes with a selection of acoustic, electronic *and* Latin sounds without requiring add-on packs. It features the varied and unique kits of the drummers featured in DrumCore.

   This Comparison Chart for DrumCore 3, DrumCore Deluxe & DrummerPack Content shows the wide variety of content available. It is a huge an unwieldy list that continues to expand - luckily DrumCore includes a searchable database of metadata that helps organize the huge amount of content and easily find the exact groove you need.

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   Q: Can I use the content without the DrumCore application? Will I be able to just copy the files by themselves to different media and use them?
   No. You cannot use the audio files without first exporting it out of DrumCore. To use the data you must have DrumCore.
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   Q: Can I use the loops in my MIDI sampler (hardware or software)?
   Yes, but you first must export them from DrumCore into a file format that the sampler can read. Also you may have to add loop markers to the file with your audio editor.
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   Q: Will it have more styles and/or drummers?
   We are constantly evaluating more content and it is easy to add content to the DrumCore database. This might manifest itself in DrumCore or in a DrummerPack product. What styles would you suggest? Send to suggestions@drumcore.com.
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   Q: What are DrummerPacks?
   DrummerPacks are expansion packs for DrumCore. After installation, the content shows-up like the rest of your DrumCore content, with metadata and arranged into GrooveSets.
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   Q: Where were the samples recorded?
   At professionally designed private recording studios.
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   Q: What was used to record the performances?
   A mixture of the latest state-of-the-art digital and analog equipment in addition to a large amount of vintage equipment (microphones, compressors, mic pres, etc.).

   A partial list of equipment used on sessions includes:

   • SSL 9000 consoles
   • ProTools HD
   • Vintage and new mic preamps by Focusrite, API, Neve, and Millenia
   • Compression by Empirical Labs, Urei, Teletronix, Manley, DBX and Fairchild
   • EQ by Pultec (EQP1A) and others
   • Numerous vintage Neumanns (M50, U47 FET and tube), Coles, and AKG C24
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   Q: How were drummers selected for Drumcore?
   The drummers featured in DrumCore were selected for their amazing skill, their diversity of sounds and styles, and their own excitement for and interest in making a new kind of drum software tool for other music professionals.
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   Q: I am a well-known drummer, can I get involved with DrumCore?
   Send an e-mail to suggestions@drumcore.com and send us a bio. If it looks like a fit, then someone will contact you from there.
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