Abbey Road 70s Drummer

ABBEY ROAD | 70s DRUMMER brings classic drums to life, combining flawless sound with the powerful framework of STUDIO DRUMMER. Capture the decade's definitive sounds – from dry, up-close precision to heavy rock bombardment.

Two vintage kits, exquisitely recorded using period equipment and techniques at Abbey Road Studios. Plus your very own session drummer in the form of a well-stocked, versatile Groove Library and a detailed Mixer Section with class-A studio effects.

ABBEY ROAD | 70s DRUMMER runs in the free KONTAKT PLAYER and KONTAKT.

All drums were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, UK, using period equipment and recording techniques.

An iconic symbol of the music industry since 1931, Abbey Road has been the location of countless landmark recordings by artists such as The Beatles, U2, Kate Bush, Oasis, Kanye West and Radiohead, to name just a few.

Abbey Road has pioneered many studio techniques and technologies, and is widely recognized as one of the most advanced recording, mixing and post-production complexes in the world.

Create the perfect drum submix completely within the instrument! All ABBEY ROAD DRUMMER instruments feature a dedicated Mixer Section and a range of high-quality studio effects, including tape saturation, convolution reverb and three big-league effects: a top-quality studio EQ, a high-end studio compressor and the awe-inspiring TRANSIENT MASTER.

And if time is tight, Mixer and Effects Presets provide instant pro sound with precision mic levels, the perfect blend of close and room mics, and just the right effects to set it all off.

Recreating the sound of an era is not just a question of EQ or effects. Only by using the instruments, the recording equipment and the techniques of the period is it possible to capture the distinctive sound.

For example: The Glyn Johns mic setup. This technique was pioneered during the 70s and used extensively ever since. It’s provided here as part of the Open Kit — read more below.

Other snare articulations include center hits, halfway hits, rimshot, flam, roll and others. Drums were recorded in up to 34 velocity layers, with up to six alternative hits (round robins) per drum.

Recorded in Abbey Road Studio 2

Kick: Ludwig Vistalite Kick

Snare 1: 14" x 6.5" Ludwig Supra-Phonic 402 Chrome Snare

Snare 2: 14" x 5" Premier 2000 Snare

Hihat: 70s Paiste Vintage Hihat

Rack Tom: 14" Ludwig Vistalite Rack Tom

Hi Floor Tom: 16" Ludwig Vistalite Floor Tom

Low Floor Tom: 18" Ludwig Vistalite Tequila Sunrise Floor Tom

Cymbals: 70s Paiste 2002 High Crash, Mid Crash, Low Crash and Ride

Also recorded in Studio 2, but with acoustic panels set up around the kit for an up-close, precise sound.

Kick: 22" Premier Kick

Snare 1: 14" x 6.5" Ludwig Black Beauty Snare

Snare 2: 14" x 5" Maple Shell Snare

Hihat: 70s Zildjian Vintage Hihat

High Rack Tom: 13" Premier Rack Tom

Low Rack Tom: 14" Premier Rack Tom

Floor Tom: 16" Premier Floor Tom

Cymbals: 70s Zildjian High Crash, Low Crash, Pang, and Ride

Included with the Ludwig kit is an alternative mic set up pioneered and named after one of the great recording engineers, Glyn Johns. He has worked with a stellar array of artists, including the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Clash, Led Zeppelin and The Who; but is also famous for developing a simple yet highly effective drum micing technique.

Using just two overheads, one snare and one bass drum microphone, the Glyn Johns method achieves an open, live and realistic sound, which allows the character of the studio space to shine through.

The Mixer Section provides ultra-precise control over the mic levels on each drum, plus overheads, stereo room mics and any other specialist mics used during the recording process. The Mix Presets put pro sound just a click away, and provide a perfect starting point for detailed tweaking.

Each snare provides faders for top and bottom mic, plus adjustable bleed level. Here, ‘bleed’ refers to how the rest of the kit rattles the snare wires — raise the bleed level for more realism.

Each drum has its own effect chain with a selection of routing options. All the updated ABBEY ROAD DRUMMER instruments include a top-quality studio EQ – a uniquely musical 4-band EQ with switchable fixed-bell curves on the low and high bands, plus adjustable Q settings on the midrange.

Also available as a fully-fledged product in its own right, this powerful compressor adds presence and drive to your drums without blurring the detail. And it’s not just for bus compression – this studio compressor is available on each of the mixer tracks.

Another premium-grade effect, also available separately —TRANSIENT MASTER is an incredibly musical and versatile tool for re-shaping sounds. Emphasize attack to make a drum hit harder, or shorten the resonance tail of a drum that rings too long. Bring drums to the front of the mix or smooth out spiky drums without touching the levels.

Like all the others, this effect is provided on each individual mixer track. By simulating the natural, harmonic compression of analog tape, the Tape Saturator adds a pleasing warmth to your sound. And pushed a little harder, it delivers a smooth, organic overdrive.

The drums were recorded in perfect acoustic conditions, and the overhead and room mic options on the mixer provide tight control over the room sound. But the updated ABBEY ROAD DRUMMER instruments take things one step further, with an integrated Convolution Reverb — 30 high-end impulse responses ranging from small rooms to big halls, for extra space and depth on your drums.

The Groove Library gives you a personal session drummer — to play the drums of the era in the styles of the era.

ABBEY ROAD | 70s DRUMMER contains 1,000 grooves, divided into five genres: funk, hard rock, disco, progressive rock, and reggae/ska, with a choice of fills and variations for each groove.

Especially if you’re not a drummer, using grooves is a quick and efficient way to produce authentic-sounding drum tracks. Find a beat you like, then simply drag and drop grooves and fills into your host sequencer to create a new MIDI pattern.

All patterns were played live by pro drummers for organic, physical authenticity. This is important because if you’re after a natural sound, you have to be aware of the real-life physical constraints of real drummers. Hit the crash, snare and floor tom all at the same time? No way.

Played grooves also possess an inherent feel and character, which is difficult to recreate with a mouse and the computer keyboard.

You can adjust the grooves within the instrument. The Tightness control lets you tweak the feel of each groove in real time, from gridded precision to enigmatic slack. The Swing control adds swing, changing a straight rock beat into a loping shuffle at the twist of a dial.

Customizing the grooves themselves is simple. Once it’s in your sequencer, the groove shows up as a MIDI pattern, so you’re free to add beats, strip it down, shift and move about as required.