Abbey Road Vintage Drummer

All drums were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, UK.

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.

More about the Mixer Section

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: In contrast to modern drum kits where the wood used is young and grown specifically for the purpose, the timber used to make these vintage drums has matured over many years, giving an unparalleled tonal quality. Much as a concert violinist would use an instrument that is at least 60 or 70 years of age, discerning drummers are attracted to these rare vintage drums for their beautiful and unique tone.

Just about every articulation possible was played on each of the drums, including brush articulations for the first time in an ABBEY ROAD Series. Drums were recorded in up to 27 velocity layers and 4 round robins.

• Kick: 26” Leedy Kick - 1940
• Snare 1: 14” x 5” Ludwig Black Beauty Gut Snare - 1920s
• Snare 2: 14” x 6.5” Leedy Broadway - 1940s
• Snare 3: 14” x 5” George Lawrence Stone – 1920s
• Rack Tom: original calfskin 12” tom tom - late 1930s
• Floor Tom: original calfskin 16” tom tom - late 1930s
• Cymbals: Zildjian First Stamp - dating from 1929 to 1939

• Kick: 22“ Slingerland Radio King Kick - 1940s
• Snare 1: 14” x 4” Ludwig Black Beauty - 1920s
• Snare 2: 13” x 3” Ludwig Tango - 1920s
• Snare 3: 14” x 5.5” Slingerland Radio King - 1940s
• Rack Tom: 13” Slingerland Radio King original calfskin tom tom - 1940s
• Floor Tom: 16” Slingerland Radio King original calfskin tom tom - 1940s
• Cymbals: Zildjian Trans Stamp – manufactured in the 40s

Before the arrival of electrical recording in the mid 1920s, recordings were entirely mechanical – acoustic horns were used to simply ‘collect’ the vibrations in the air. The introduction of microphones and electrical recording completely revolutionized the sound recording industry. Abbey Road Studios were at the forefront of this new recording revolution.

Alan Blumlein, an unfamiliar name to most, was an EMI technical engineer responsible for many advances in recording techniques in the 20th century. Abbey Road Studios owns the very last examples of two legendary Blumlein-designed microphones from the 1930s. They were used on this project, along with state-of-the-art equipment, to provide a combination of authentic colour and modern tonal control.

ABBEY ROAD | VINTAGE DRUMMER was recorded by Mirek Stiles and assisted by Pete Hutchins of Abbey Road Studios. Drumming duties were performed by one of London’s most-requested musicians, Paul Clarvis. Native Instruments Sound Designers Julian Laping and Sebastian Müller were on hand to oversee the sessions.

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 | VINTAGE DRUMMER contains 600 grooves, divided into eight genres: Ragtime/marching band, New Orleans/dixieland, swing, blues, bebop/hard bop, Latin jazz, theatre/show tunes, as well as modern grooves with a choice of fills and variations for each. Users can also choose between modern and vintage mixer presets.

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.