Abbey Road 80s Drummer

With the power of STUDIO DRUMMER, ABBEY ROAD | 80s DRUMMER brings epic drums to life. Two premium 80s kits, meticulously recorded at Abbey Road Studios London, deliver definitive 80s sounds, from edgy new wave to big-budget power metal. Command your own session drummer in the form of a well-stocked, versatile Groove Library. And when you're ready, polish your sound with the detailed Mixer Section and class-A studio effects.

ABBEY ROAD | 80s 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.

The instruments used were bona fide 80s classics, and the room ambience here isn’t a simulation – it’s the real sound of Abbey Road’s Studio 2 and Studio 3. And all drums were recorded to 2” tape, using outboard gear typical for the period.

Drums were recorded in up to 27 velocity layers, with up to six alternative hits (round robins) per drum.

Kick: 24" Yamaha 9000 Kick

Snare 1: 14" x 6.5" Ludwig Hammered Brass Snare

Snare 2: 14" x 6.5" Gretsch Maple Snare

Hihat: 80s Sabian Vintage Hihat

Hi Rack Tom: 12" Yamaha 9000 Rack Tom

Mid Rack Tom: 13" Yamaha 9000 Rack Tom

Low Rack Tom: 14" Yamaha 9000 Rack Tom

Floor Tom: 18" Yamaha 9000 Floor Tom

Cymbals: 80s Zildjian High Crash, Low Crash, Ride, China and Splash

Kick: 24" Slingerland Magnum Kick

Snare 1: 14" x 5.5" Slingerland 2-1 Chrome Snare

Snare 2: 14" x 10" Ludwig Classic Deep Rock Wood Snare

Snare 3: 14" x 5" Pearl Maple Free Floating System Snare

Hihat: 80s Zildjian Vintage Hihat

Hi Rack Tom: 13" Slingerland Magnum Rack Tom

Low Rack Tom: 14" Slingerland Magnum Rack Tom

Hi Floor Tom: 15" Slingerland Magnum Floor Tom

Low Floor Tom: 16" Slingerland Magnum Floor Tom

Cymbals: 80s Sabian High Crash, Low Crash and Ride, Zildjian China and Splash

The drums were recorded using a mixture of Neve Air Montserratt and Neve 1081 pre-amps. For tracking the mono gated signal, Abbey Road’s technical department specially built a replica SSL E-Series Talk Back compressor from the original circuit diagrams. This extremely aggressive compressor was originally intended to let engineers communicate with all the musicians in the room using only one overhead talkback microphone. It became a favorite for drum tracks after one famous drummer was playing along to a drum machine in his headphones as the engineer opened up the talkback channel and he heard ‘the sound’.

Each kit was recorded with an array of microphones including classic Neumann, AKG, Sennheiser and Shure models as well as the infamous STC 4021 ‘Ball and Biscuit’ mic. The individual, direct and room microphone signals are all separately adjustable - giving you detailed control of the overall sound.

Recording equipment and microphone details

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 | 80s DRUMMER contains 1,000 grooves, divided into five genres: pop, heavy metal, new wave/indie, punk rock, and hardcore, 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.