EZ Drummer 2 & Super Drummer 3: questions for users

[HungryGuitarStudent]

I'm a total drum programming and mixing noob. I'm currently shopping around for drum programming software. After looking at cuntless tutorial videos and scanning forum threads, the options I'm looking at are EZDrummer 2 or Superior Drummer 3. Tutorial videos and spec sheets are nice, but I'd like to have the opinion of actual users. I'm leaning towards SD3, but I'd like to validate some things before shelling that amount of cash.

Price

EZ2 is 179 USD but I'd end up buying probably 3-4 packs at 89 USD each. SD3 is 419 USD, but I have no idea if I have to buy packs for metal and prog drum kits. It seems like SD3 doesn't require those packs; am I wrong ? Also, would it be overkill to buy EZ2 + 3 metal packs + 1 prog pack ?

Sound

In this category, it clearly appears that SD3 is the better of the two. Are there exceptions to this (e.g. some drum kits sound better on EZ2) ?

Learning curve

SD3 seems harder to learn, yet it includes EZ2 user-friendly functionnalities like tap-to-play, etc. My main question here is, since I know nothing about drum programming or drum mixing, will I bite more than I can chew with SD3 ?

Limitations

I've read people complaining about EZ2 limitations, but I don't have a clear view on the topic.

My current DAW is Reaper. Do EZ2 and SD3 play nice with Reaper ? It appears they do from scanning forum threads, but have any actual users encountered problems EZ2/SD3 and Reaper ?

Thanks in advance for your help guys and gals

 

[ZombieLloyd]

Hi, I don't have SD3, but I can say that SD 2 and EZD2 work great with Reaper. You would still need the packs for those drum kits if you went with SD3, if they make you purchase something seperately, you're going to have to add that extra expense regardless of which version you go for.

 

[HungryGuitarStudent]

Thanks for sharing this info. I'm happy to hear I won't have to change DAW, with all the re-learning that comes with it. As far as default presets go, I've heard some great ones in Ola Englund's demo of SD3 or in the demo below. Maybe I'm mistaken, but there seem to be a lot more default metal presets built-in SD3 than EZ2.

 

[Drew]

I'm a Reaper and SD3 user, and have used the original EzDrummer in Reaper in the past. I vastly prefer 3, but with a couple caveats.

First, 3 is the better sounding sequencer, in my experience, and in particular the realism of the cymbals and ride are far and away better than SD2.3 or EzDrummer was... But, the SD3 kits are essentially unprocessed, whereas even the Avatar kit had some pretty clear pre-processing done to it (for example, there's no way that kick doesn't have some heavy EQ cuts in the midrange). With SD3, you either need to do a LOT of processing to the kit in the mix, or you need to rely on presets, whereas SD2 or EzDrummer you could use presets, but also if you just dropped the kit into the mix it would sound pretty decent with nothing done to it.

SD3 is a lot more user friendly than SD2 was... but, the real advantage of EzDrummer 2 was that "tap search" functionality, where you'd tap in the basics of a drum beat and it'd search your midi library for anything that was similar you could use. This makes it really fast to make decent-sounding drum beats. I tend to write and edit drums entirely by hand - create a loop for the verses, another for the choruses, bridges, whatever, and then start cutting it up and editing in fills with a mouse - so for me that's not really a loss, but EzDrummer 2 is definitely better at helping you create drum parts, while SD3 assumes you have midi, it just gives you the tools to translate that into really realistic-sounding drums.

Right now SD3 doesn't have expansion packs, but I'm sure they're coming. What it does have is seven or eight included drum kits that you can mix and match to create your own drums. And, as they're all pretty unprocessed, if you know your way around a mix you should be able to use them for a larger range of situations, whereas Metal Machine was going to struggle to cut it in a blues mix, for instance.

I guess ultimately it depends on your objectives. Are you looking to go WAY down the rabbit hole with drum production and get really, really good at mixing? Or are you looking for a songwriting tool, to quickly produce good-sounding drum parts for your songs? For me, I'm a control freak who enjoys having a ton of flexibility, I enjoy mixing, and I've been doing it long enough (in some form or other since 1999) that I'm at least decent at it. Superior 3 is a no brainer. My dad, meanwhile, doesn't give a shit about tracking and mixing audio, he just wants a way to write songs and produce good sounding recordings with as little hassle as possible. He uses EzDrummer 2 in Reaper, loves it, and while he thinks it's cool as hell some of the stuff I can do with Superior, his eyes always glaze over once I start getting beneith the hood and showing how I have everything routed into different channels in Reaper, the compressors and EQs and whatnot I have stacked up on the various tracks, my reverb sends, busses, etc. It's a matter of figuring out which sort of workflow you want, and if you're in the "I just want to make music as painlessly as possible" camp (which is a totally cool place to be) all the ways that S3 can theoretically sound better than EzDrummer 2 won't matter, because it's going to take way more work to make it sound good than you're going to want to put in.

 

[synrgy]

Great software, but, FWIW, I've personally had back luck with the way the company handles the licensing. Basically, any/every time one of your machines dies, and/or you have to re-install a fresh operating system, be prepared to fight them for another round of unlocks. "Yes, it's still the same computer.. No, I'm not a pirate, here's my receipt.."

 

[Sollipsist]

I have no experience with Superior Drummer, but EZ Drummer and Reaper are a great match. Seriously, with no DAW experience you can launch Reaper, tap in the tempo, drag and drop some groove variations and you have a quality sounding track in minutes. You can spend as much or as little time as you want tweaking the results.

If I'd had something like this when I got started, I probably wouldn't have had to learn so much about the details of digital audio & drum programming... but I would have made a lot more music with a lot fewer frustrations. Now my only headache is setting up a track that mixes a bunch of odd meters... and even that is 13/8 times easier now

 

[Sogradde]

I used to use Superior Drummer 2. SD is usually pretty raw and offers you loads of options, whereas EZD is rather streamlined for people who don't want to tinker alot and just want it to sound good. It's two different approaches to the same problem, pick whatever you like.

Personally I would recommend Perfect Drums though. I haven't tried SD3 yet but ever since I switched I don't feel the need tbh. It's rather inexpensive, intuitive and easy to use and the samples sound pretty damn good, especially the crashes.

 

[karjim]

Depends of your skills of mixing drums...if you re noob, stay away from SD2 or 3 unless you have in mind to self teach yourself with youtube...it s unprocessed and you need to learn how to use equa compress limit tape paralel comp room etc...it s a lot of work but you ll end up with your sound.Btw Nail the mix is not the best first step but there is a shil load of other usefull vids...If you wanna just have a good drum for record some demos and solos trip go with ggdrum or ez2. SD is the real shit and it recquires some real implication

 

[HungryGuitarStudent]

Thanks a lot for your comments and suggestions. They really help me get a clearer picture. Since I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of drum mixing, I think I'll go with the pre-processed sounds of EZ2.

Any thoughts on the different metal packages for EZ2 ?

 

[ZombieLloyd]

Thanks a lot for your comments and suggestions. They really help me get a clearer picture. Since I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of drum mixing, I think I'll go with the pre-processed sounds of EZ2.

Any thoughts on the different metal packages for EZ2 ?

I've got the Metal Machine and Progressive EZXs and they're both really good. I prefer the Progressive pack for the music I write now, but if you can, I'd get both just for the variety in the beats, if you don't want to make beats yourself.

 

[chuggalug]

what about get good drums from nolly and the crew?

 

[HungryGuitarStudent]

what about get good drums from nolly and the crew?

I've heard good things about GGD but my sample size of user opinions is rather small. I have no idea how it compares to EZD2 or SD3 in terms of sound, user friendliness or functionalities.

 

[Grindspine]

Right now SD3 doesn't have expansion packs, but I'm sure they're coming. What it does have is seven or eight included drum kits that you can mix and match to create your own drums. And, as they're all pretty unprocessed, if you know your way around a mix you should be able to use them for a larger range of situations, whereas Metal Machine was going to struggle to cut it in a blues mix, for instance.

Superior Drummer 3 has multiple SDX packs, thirteen (13)!
https://www.toontrack.com/product-category/superiorline/sdx/

I was using EZ Drummer 2 today with the Drumkit from Hell and Metal! EZX expansion packs. Plugging in my Akai MPD218 drum pad, loading StudioOne 3, and dropping EZ Drummer 2 into a track as a virtual instrument plugin allowed easy access to triggering recording ready drum beats to the DAW.

I would suggest starting with EZ Drummer 2. When you find that you want more flexibility in fine tuning drum timbre, mic placement, and post-processing of the sound, then it is time to upgrade to Superior Drummer 3 so that you have more access to unaltered sound samples.

 

[Drew]

Huh, when did that happen? I may need to update my SDX installs, I grabbed the Indiependent kit for a project and while it's possible it's in there in my 3.1 install and I just never noticed it, I don't recall seeing the options there as a kit.

 

[Jacksonluvr636]

Seems like you have already made your choice but I would vote SD3.

I have EZ1 and SD3. I use Reaper and I am a noob as well but I find SD3 FAR, FAR superior to EZ Drummer and IMO it sounds way better. Night and day.

When you look at saying ok I will just get these pre processed drums ala EZ2 --- How do you know those specific processes are going to work well with your recording?

 

[DeathbyDesign]

I am currently using EZ2 with Reaper with 4 add on packs. I find it really easy to use and get some good drum sounds out of it. I had SD1 or 2 at one point but didn't have the patience to figure it out before my computer died. EZ2 is a good bang for your buck IMO.