Spitfire Audio releases Vintage Drums as part of the FREE LABS collection.
Vintage Drums is the latest addition to one of my favorite free collections, LABS from Spitfire Audio.
One of the things that I like most about LABS instruments is that they usually come with an interesting story. It could be a rare instrument, location, or even just a great studio or musician; Spitfire Audio always makes an effort to create something a little different.
Vintage Drums continues that trend by featuring two stunning kits recorded in a world-class analog studio.
The featured kits are a 1975 Ludwig with a 26″ bass drum (a la Jon Bonham) and a 1940 Slingerland kit with calfskin heads. The studio in question is Kerwax Studio in Brittany, northwestern France.
Spitfire Audio recorded each kit with five dynamic layers and five round robins spread over two octaves.
As Kerwax Studio is one of the few fully-analog studios remaining, Vintage Drums was recorded using a blend of extremely rare microphones/gear and a handmade micing console. As well as perfectly restored vintage kits, and rare studio equipment, we get the sound of some unique spaces offered by Kerwax Studio.
It’s worth checking out the Kerwax website; it’s a remarkable studio.
Vintage Drums runs via the free and straightforward Spitfire Audio plugin. The plugin allows you to control expression and dynamics, blending a super tight sound and the more open “as recorded” sound highlighting the room/space.
You can adjust the reverb and grittiness from clean to a custom over-compressed sound.
You can easily achieve anything from a small combo sound to thunderous rock drums.
The cool thing about this LABS addition, for me, is that it’s immediately versatile. It’s an excellent addition for media composers and a fantastic kit for songwriters working on new material.
If you aren’t familiar with LABS yet, please check it out; the collection includes some of the best free cinematic instruments available.
Some of my recent favorites include Foghorn, Tape Piano, and Cello Moods.
The free Spitfire Audio plugin is available in AU, VST2, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS (10.13 – 11 – Intel/M1 supported) and Windows ( 7, 8, or 10).
Download: LABS Vintage Drums
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6 Comments
Ferenc Mosolyhozo
onAloha! Just a fun fact they came out on the same day when the free version of ML Drums. That was the FreeDrum’s Day. I’m just wondering why don’t have the 1975 kit at least one crash? From Labs Foghorn is my all time favorite. Since I have that beast I want to use it also for such projects which really don’t need that kind of monster. Absolutely love it. Came from nowhere sooo surprisingly.
James N
onGot to love the Foghorn!
Arseniy
onThe demo in the video is so much reverbed. Makes me not want to try it
Ferenc Mosolyhozó
onAloha! The ambience is controlable with ModWheel. And there is also a parameter for Reverb amount independent from the ambience. If you set both parameters to 0 you can have a tight sounding kit.
Ferenc Mosolyhozó
onFor some reason when I first tried the 1975 kit the cymbals were not loaded. Now it works fine. And here is the drum map for those like me who can’t recognise well the various Hihat articulations just by hearing the sound.
https://spitfireaudio.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6623423250717-LABS-Vintage-Drums-MIDI-Map
Altés
onHi, these drums sound really great (and I was a drummer in a previous life, so I know what I mean). Too bad the Plugin is not made for separate outputs, so you have to tweek things a bit to address differently the snare and the kick