Image Line Drum Synths: Do They Deliver?

When you think of Image Line, what exactly comes to your head

? If you answered like me, your answer would be Fruity Loops. Wait a minute... except it's not called that anymore, is it? It's now FL Studio. I think we're up to version 9. Anyway, Image Line have been busy bees, releasing a batch of processors and plugins that are not only compatible with the FL Studio program but every VST host out there.

It is no surprise that their recent drum synths offering, then, has gotten a lot of attention. With the existing user base as big as it is, it wasn't hard to find guinea pigs to test drive the new system. I have had the pleasure of testing the new drum synth Drumaxx for a few days now. Truth be told right here: it's not the greatest thing in the world, but it does deliver what it promises.

One of the most interesting aspects of Drumaxx is the 16 modelled drum pads it offers, where you can load up various drum sounds and samples for triggering. On that note, you can trigger the actual sounds with your mouse, external equipment (connected via MIDI or USB) and also via the in-sequencer MIDI tracks that you can compose in FL Studio, Cubase or whatever other host you are using.

Several parameters are included for easy modification, such as thickness, material, tension and shaping. These all shape the sounds in different ways, and you can experiment in real time thanks to its real-time modulation engine which allows for this.

One way that modification has been made interesting is the velocity triggering capability. This means that you do not need to twist knobs as you go about programming a nice pattern; no, you simply hit each note naturally and depending on the velocity with which the sound was triggered, altering and dynamic levels of tension and thickness (for example) are applied. A combination of these effects can make a sound indistinguishable from its source. You can certainly have some fun here...

So if you are on the fence about these products, I would say download a demo version of the package. I didn't like a few of the things about it, and found about 20% of the sounds very weak or unimaginative which was unexpected coming from this veteran player in the audio game. One thing that made me warm to their marketing efforts was the promise of one donation to Haiti from every sale, as well as a pay-how-much-you-think-it's-worth pricing system that will stay in effect for a little while longer.

by: George McLomb

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