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Back in the early days of MIDI, the drum sound on every song where a partic-ular drum machine was used would be identical. Man, those toms sound great!Let’s use them again! As we all know, the Phil Collins gated snare sound was anattempt to break through that wall and deliver a unique timbre to a specifictrack. The vortex immediately sucked it in and it became ubiquitous.

Today, a multitude of drum machines—hardware and software—are avail-able (see Darwin Grosse’s overview on page 26), and the variety of approach-es they represent would have been hard to conceive of a few decades ago.Sonoma Wire Works recently released DrumCore 4, which offers a combina-tion of audio loops, MIDI performances that replicate the audio content, drumkits, and effects. It’s an approach that allows the user to interact with some of thefinest drummers in the world. Let’s take a look.

Delivery and versionsDrumCore 4 comes in three different versions; the Ultra version, which I

worked with, is delivered on a 120 GB USB3 Solid State Drive. That means thatthe 50 GB of content which it ships with won’t take up space on one of yoursystem’s internal drives. The Ultra version doesn’t ship with all of the contentthat’s available for DrumCore 4; the extra 70 GBs allow you to purchase addi-tional audio and MIDI files which will be sent directly to this drive (providing youhave it attached to a USB port on your computer).

The lighter versions (Lite, with 4 GB of content, or Prime, with 20 GB) can bedelivered on flash drives or downloaded via the web. The same delivery proce-dure applies; if you bought a flash drive and choose to add more material, itwill be installed onto that medium.

DrumCore 4 works with all of the major DAW platforms. Cubase 8 had noproblem recognizing the plug-in; I simply added an instrument track within aproject and began working.

Grooves and GrooveSetsGrooveSets are the point of entry into this plug-in. I couldn’t find “GrooveSets”

anywhere on the GUI, so I was initially confused as to what they were, but it’sactually quite simple. If you scroll down to the Funk category in the Browser, forexample, you’ll see a list of drummers who have contributed to this style (a com-plete list is available on the Sonoma website). Click on the photo of one of thedrummers you will be partnering with and you’ll see a list of GrooveSets that hehas created. Under Ben Smith’s pretty face, for example, there’s a list of five. BSOil tops the list, and when you click on it, then choose either Audio or MIDI,you’ll have access to a set of grooves that work together easily. Voilà, yourGrooveSet. Nothing keeps you from assembling a track that combines materialfrom different GrooveSets, however, so have at it!

The fundamental aspect of DrumCore 4 that you won’t find anywhere else isthis: you can build rhythm arrangements on the plug-in’s Timeline (which we’lldiscuss in a moment) using only the Audio or MIDI loops, or you can combinethe two. If you choose to combine audio and MIDI, your performances will com-plement the audio created by these mondo talented sticksters.

Parenthetically, another option is to drag a bunch of MIDI loops directly toyour DAW’s sequencer and modify them, bypassing the Timeline entirely. Theaudio loops were recorded multiple times, at different tempos. DrumCore4 rec-ognizes the tempo of your sequencer and selects the audio that was recordedmost closely to it.

Question: if you’re combining audio recorded in astudio with MIDI kits you’re processing in your envi-ronment, how does the sound match up between thetwo? I was surprised that the application does notclearly indicate the kits used to record the audio. Forexample, if you go to the Prog Rock category,choose Terry Bozzio, and then load up the menu ofgrooves labelled TBZ 5/4, which of the multiple TerryBozzio kits should you load if you want to integrateyour own sterling performances along with his? Icouldn’t tell. On the other hand, when I chose AlanWhite under the Funk category and loaded up theSix Gun GrooveSet, a drum kit with that label waswaiting for me.

As it turns out, this inconsistency is due to the factthat the DrumKits were created over a number ofyears by Submersible Music. According to Sonoma,Submersible refined its process as they created thecollection, modifying and improving things over time.That’s fine, but if you’re a purist looking to replicatethe audio with kits to match, be aware that it won’talways be possible without a fair bit of auditioningdifferent kits.

RECORDING JANUARY 201746

B Y G A R Y E S K O W

Sonoma Wire Works DrumCore 4Depth and breadth combine in this powerful rhythm creation software

REC_01_17__ REC mag 04/05 11/23/16 1:43 PM Page 46

Excerpted from the January edition of Recording Magazine 2017©2017 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119 For Subscription Information, call: 1-954-653-3927 or www.recordingmag.com

I really enjoyed pushing elements aroundwithin the MIDI files and seeing exactlywhere the feel began to change from thegroove that the drummer laid down by com-paring an altered MIDI track and the origi-nal audio loop. For example, in theAlternative category I called up Ben Smith’sBS Oil track and set my sequencer to 120BPM. The audio is stretchable, but for thistest I felt it was best to stick to the originaltempo. I started out by taking the snare sit-ting on two and four and pushing it back intime to give a slightly more laid back feel.How interesting! At about 20–25 MIDI ticks,the difference in feel began to be apparent.Quite a useful lesson there.

The MIDI files weren’t derived from theaudio loops, however. They were createdby Gary Thompson, who tried to match thefeel and timing of the recorded material.According to Sonoma, Thompson didn’thard quantize the MIDI files, but did adjustthe timing of his MIDI performances. A lot ofthe parts are suspiciously within a tick ortwo of the nearest 16th note, but thegrooves kick!

How much time you spend buildingrhythm arrangements using the Timelinedepends on your workflow. You may simplywant to drag a couple of audio or MIDIloops to your sequencer as you develop asong or cue, and add a few MIDI turn-arounds and fills when the other parts are

completed. If you prefer, you can constructan entire piece in the Timeline and then ren-der it to an audio file that you drag intoyour DAW.

Kits and final touchesDo you enjoy spending time layering

sounds and creating your own drum kits? Ifso, you will love this area of DrumCore 4.Start out from scratch, or use one of the kitsthat ships with the program and beginswapping out samples, adding velocity lay-ers, customizing the output assignments tomake processing easier... it’s all there. Youcan import any samples on your computer,so the sky’s the limit. Me, I prefer to call upa great kit—there are many here—and startplaying!

The mixer that works with the kits isstraightforward; the audio loops, beingstereo mixes themselves, do not require amixer. You are able to treat the loops usingthe Master FX section.

I’m not the most engineering-savvy musi-cian on the planet. Having said that, theeffects—both those that can be applied tothe samples played via MIDI, and the effectsthat can be strapped across the main mix towork with the loops as well—are outstand-ing. Compression, EQ, Delay and a bitcrusher can be added to individual MIDIchannels; all are available in the Master FXsection as well, except for the bit crusher.

ConclusionsMy only complaint lies with the manu-

al. It’s relatively long, with lots of chaptersand multiple listings within each.However, no page assignments aregiven, so I had to keep fishing around tohome in on a specific topic. A better-organized reference for such a fabulousproduct would be most welcome.

I initially found DrumCore 4 a bitdaunting, particularly since I couldn’tquite get my head around the idea ofmixing audio recorded live in a profes-sional studio with MIDI drum patternsplayed in a home studio that requireambience. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that hardto pull off. I’m looking forward to workingon more music that combines DrumCore4 with multiple tracks of non-percussionmaterial!

Prices: DrumCore 4 Lite, $49; DrumCore 4 Prime, $249; DrumCore 4 Ultra (as reviewed), $639

More from: Sonoma Wire Works,www.sonomawireworks.com

Gary Eskow (eskow@recordingmag.com)is a composer, arranger, and recordingmusician working in and around New YorkCity. Learn more at garyeskow.com.

REC_01_17__ REC mag 04/05 11/23/16 1:43 PM Page 47

Excerpted from the January edition of Recording Magazine 2017©2017 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119 For Subscription Information, call: 1-954-653-3927 or www.recordingmag.com