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NOTE: This
review is for a previous version of Drumagog. The current
version has many new features and improvements.
WAVEMACHINE
LABS
Drumagog 1.73 (DirectX)
By Zack Price
The DirectX plug-in Drumagog ($99) lets you replace recorded drum
tracks with a wide variety of drum samples from the included CD-ROM
collection.
To use Drumagog,
you first insert it on the proper channel/track or auxiliary bus
in your digital audio software. (Drumagog works as a mono or stereo
plug-in, depending on the type of track or bus insert to which it
is assigned.) Next, select the desired sound from the sample collection
and play the track. Drumagog plays the sampled sounds in real time,
using the original recordings to trigger them.
In Control
The process is easy, and no extra tweaking is required most of the
time. You can adjust the Sensitivity setting if Drumagog is not
properly triggered by the audio. In addition, the Resolution control
determines how quickly Drumagog re-triggers from the audio data.
With 256-note polyphony, the plug-in can faithfully reproduce any
drum pattern, such as fast rolls. Furthermore, it lets you tune
the drum sounds to the desired pitch by adjusting the sample pitch.
Another useful control is the Filter, which is an equalizer used
to filter incoming audio before triggering. For example, if other
sounds have bled onto your bass-drum track, you can remove the unwanted
audio from that track by selecting a filtering frequency and EQ
type (bandpass, highpass, or lowpass). You can select the Solo button
to audition the EQ while fine-tuning the settings.
In stealth Mode, all audio passes through unchanged until the sound
triggers Drumagog. This mode is useful for tracks that contain two
different sounds, such as snare drum and hi-hat. With Stealth Mode
engaged, you can replace the snare drum with the desired sample
while simultaneously playing back the original hi-hat sound.
Random Dynamics
The Dynamic and Random Multisamples options are useful for creating
realistic-sounding replacement tracks. When the Dynamic Multisamples
feature is engaged, Drumagog chooses among eight different samples
of the same instrument when replacing the audio. These samples were
recorded at different volume levels to capture the tonal characteristics
of the instrument at each level. The volume levels in the original
track determine which multisample is triggered. Lowering the Input
setting causes Drumagog to choose replacement sounds with lower
volume levels overall.
Likewise, when the Random Multisamples option is selected, Drumagog
randomly chooses from three related sets of drum samples, for a
total of 24 possible replacement sounds. The result is a very natural
sound when the replacement samples are triggered from the original
recorded material.
Fadeout
Drumagog does have a couple of minor drawbacks. First, it uses only
16-bit samples; it should have 24-bit capability by the time you
read this. Also, the sample collection contains no cymbals or ethnic/world
percussion. (On the other hand, you do get a wide variety of bass,
snare, and tom-tom sounds to choose from.) But, considering that
bass and snare drums are usually the only sounds replaced on recordings,
the lack of cymbals or other percussion is not a serious deficiency.
Overall, Drumagog works remarkably well. If you routinely replace
drum tracks with sampled drums, or you wish to play other samples
triggered by digital audio tracks, you should definitely check out
this plug-in package. I think you'll like how it works.
Overall EM
Rating (1 through 5): 4
WaveMachine
Labs tel. (877) 318-WAVE (9283) or (847) 514-5168; fax (847) 432-4657;
e-mail info@drumagog.com; Web www.drumagog.com
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