DrumCore 4 Reviews

Pro Drums Loops and Drum Kit Samples for Songwriters


Reviews of DrumCore 4

Tape Op
Review by:
Will Severin
4/2018

Tape Op Reviews DrumCore 4 (April 2018)
Excerpts from Review: "The main attraction here and what differentiates DrumCore from a lot of other drum plug-ins is the who’s who of famously talented drummers that you have ready at your fingertips. From Terry Bozzio to Bernard Purdie, and from Dennis Chambers to John Tempesta, DrumCore provides access to the actual performances and recordings on the personal kits of these legendary drummers. The recording quality of both the performances and the kits is great, and the five-page interface is efficient and eye-pleasingly designed [...] For me, the variety of drummer talent assembled and how Sonoma has lovingly captured their signature sounds and grooves is more than worth the price of admission.
Two big thumbs up for DrumCore 4!"

Read the entire full page review at Tapeop.com (Subscribe for free).


AskAudio
Review by:
Rich Tozzoli
9/08/2017

AskAudio Reviews DrumCore 4 (September 2017)
Excerpts from Review: "I use DrumCore because it's quick and easy to get tracks working and, most importantly, the sound, samples and performances are top notch. One of the reasons it sounds so good is that the drummers recorded their tracks in world class studios using their own kits at varying velocities and tempos. Simply put, the tracks just work! Afterwards in DC 'production land', the MIDI loops were also created, allowing you access to either the audio or MIDI. With the MIDI tracks, I like that you can mix and match other drummers' kits with the chosen loop, for example, use Matt Sorums drums with Alan White's MIDI loops." Review is in-depth and includes audio samples.

Read the full DrumCore 4 Review by AskAudio.


Sound On Sound Magazine
Review by:
Tom Flint
3/01/2017

Beat Magazine Reviews DrumCore 4 (March 2017 Issue)
Excerpts from Review: "At long last, DrumCore is 64-bit compatible and includes a virtual mixer and palette of effects and processors. It offers good sample layering and custom kit-building tools and includes a huge library of audio and MIDI loops created by many of the world’s most famous and talented drummers, all stored on a 120GB USB SSD [...] For me and many others, the drummer libraries have always been the most attractive feature of DrumCore [...] Another nice feature of DrumCore is that it allows you to choose a set of MIDI patterns created by one drummer and have them played using the sampled kit of another. This means that, for example, a jazz kit could be used to play some heavy-metal MIDI sequences. If that doesn’t work out, there are plenty of other combinations to audition and it only takes a menu click to do so [...] Having abandoned DrumCore to upgrade my PC from 32- to 64-bit, it’s wonderful to be able to use its drummer libraries again. [...] Everything looks fresh and modern. Features like the mixer and its effects; the sample layer ADSRs; the Timeline panel; and the 120GB USB drive, are all nice improvements, and its comforting to know that Sonoma are committed to developing the product still further. While it has been in limbo, quite a number of new virtual drum instruments have appeared on the market, so competition is stiffer than ever, but most seem to focus on creating realistic virtual kits of particular eras and styles rather than providing the grooves of big-name drummers. This means that the loops and fills of DrumCore’s drummers are still a valuable commodity, and I for one am very happy to be exploiting them again."

Read the full DrumCore 4 Review by Sound On Sound Online.


Beat Magazine
Review by:
Kai Chonishvili
2/01/2017

Beat Magazine Reviews DrumCore 4 (February 2017 Issue)
Translated from German and paraphrased by Sonoma: "The target group of DrumCore 4 remains unchanged, addressing songwriters, producers and composers who need a large drum library with many styles and uncomplicated direct access. Accordingly, the operation as with DrumCore 3 is kept very simple. The user selects a drummer, listens to the supplied GrooveSets, and simply drags the audio / MIDI loops into the DAW. From then on nothing stands in the way of the editing and the song arrangement. If the sound is not convincing, the user can not only exchange individual parts such as kick drums, ride pans, etc., but also the entire drum kit. Mixing is then carried out on the mixing console, which allows for fine tuning with effects...DrumCore 4 is a solid continuation of the drum program, including a gigantic (celebrity) library that sounds very good and is easy to use. Thanks to the high-quality sounds of the drum kits and loops, working with DrumCore 4 is a lot of fun."

Read the full DrumCore 4 Review by Beat Magazine in German (pdf).


Electronic Musician
Review by:
Mike Levine
1/12/2017

Electronic Musician Magazine Reviews DrumCore 4 (January 2017 Issue)
"DrumCore 4 is a major improvement over earlier versions in terms of user control, especially regarding its MIDI features, and it also brings the software into the 64-bit era...DrumCore 4 Prime is one of the best virtual-drummer products on the market and I highly recommend it." DrumCore 4.1 was shown at NAMM '17 with multi-out support, and will be released soon.

Read the full review of DrumCore 4 on emusician.com.


Recording Magazine
Review by:
Gary Eskow
1/1/2017

Recording Magazine Reviews DrumCore 4 (January 2017 Issue)
"Depth and breadth combine in this powerful rhythm creation software...DrumCore 4 offers a combination of audio loops, MIDI performances that replicate the audio content, drum kits, and effects. It’s an approach that allows the user to interact with some of the finest drummers in the world."

Read the full DrumCore 4 Review by Recording Magazine (pdf).


Past Reviews of DrumCore 3

M Music & Musicians Magazine
06/10/11

DrumCore 3 offers a great collection of audio loops, sampled kits and MIDI loops played by a host of killer drummers.
"You have your choice of dragging audio loops or MIDI files onto the timeline in your favorite recording application. The latter affords you some incredible options, like hearing Terry Bozzio laying down a fat 5/4 groove played back through Matt Sorum's sampled drum kit. Whether you want to kick some funky grooves with Zoro, or get down and dirty with John Tempesta or add some Latin flavor with Luis Conte's congas, you'll be hard-pressed to find a single collection that offers this depth and functionality." - Doug Doppler for M Music and Musicians Magazine


Sonoma Wire Works
01/13/11

"Retro Drums DrummerPack by Billy Martin, the internationally acclaimed drummer and multi percussionist for Medeski, Martin and Wood.
"Well known and highly respected for his innovative rhythms, creative approach, and manic improvisational skills over a wide range of styles, Billy continues to push the art of drumming and rhythm to a higher level." Listen to previews and purchase this DrummerPack content à la carte (one GrooveSet or DrumKit at a time) in the DrumCore 4 plug-in store. [Some DrumCore 4 audio previews are online here.] Retro Drums Press Release


Sonoma Wire Works
12/16/10

Billy Martin: Loops from the Underground DrummerPack for DrumCore has been launched by Sonoma Wire Works in conjunction with Submersible Music
"Billy Martin is an internationally acclaimed drummer/multi percussionist for Medeski, Martin and Wood. This DrummerPack features 13 original Billy Martin Groovesets that include audio loops, MIDI grooves and fills. The live audio drum loops by Billy cover a vast range of styles, and are presented in stretchable REX format for ease of tempo selection. Groove variations, fills, intros, stops, and endings are all included for virtually infinite drum track creations in your DAW. Also included are 12 Multi-Velocity layered MIDI Kits for programming MIDI grooves with Billy's kit sounds, as well as MIDI file versions of Billy's grooves and fills. Single hit Kit sounds are also readily available for easy addition to your audio loops." Listen to previews and purchase this DrummerPack content à la carte (one GrooveSet or DrumKit at a time) in the DrumCore 4 plug-in store. [Some DrumCore 4 audio previews are online here.] Billy Martin: Loops from the Underground Press Release


Sonoma Wire Works
08/19/10

Sonoma Wire Works has launched the HigginsPack DrummerPack for DrumCore 3
"Terence Higgins, drummer for The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, brings DrumCore users unique New Orleans marching style drum loops, variations, fills and drumkit sounds with a dash of hip hop, funk, R&B, and soul. Higgins says this DrummerPack is "guaranteed to add a little grease to your tracks." HigginsPack includes 3.5 GB of content including 7 DrumKits (24 pads each) that match 7 GrooveSets (360 audio loops, 427 audio fills, 97 MIDI loops and 41 MIDI fills)." Listen to previews and purchase this DrummerPack content à la carte (one GrooveSet or DrumKit at a time) in the DrumCore 4 plug-in store. [Some DrumCore 4 audio previews are online here.] HigginsPack Press Release


Sound On Sound
Review by:
Tom Flint
02/01/10

DrumCore's Come a Long Way
"DrumCore 3 [now see DrumCore 4] makes it easier than ever to use pro drummer performances on your tracks. Drumcore offers an attractive way of assembling a great-sounding rhythm track in a short time. Personally, I love the elegant simplicity."


TapeOp Magazine
Review by:
Scott McChane
01/01/10

As Anticipated, I was Definitely ‘Wowed’ by DrumCore 3's Workflow
"What really won me over was the natural, uncolored quality of the recorded audio files (24-bit/48k). In addition to the great selection of drum kit and percussion libraries included with the factory install, Submersible has complied an impressive catalog of ‘GrooveSets’ in ‘DrummerPack’ expansion libraries. All of Drumcore’s libraries, including both the factory and expansion packs, feature many drummers you’re sure to recognize… like Alan White, Bill Bruford, Luis Conte and more. Drumcore shuns the toy-like look and clunky functionality of many virtual instruments, instead focusing on servicing the needs of songwriters and composers. Now you can concentrate your efforts on the creative process of making music… and the drummer never shows up late!"


Wall Street Journal
Review by:
Ty McMahan
10/12/09

The Beat Goes On For Another Paul Allen Accidental Business
"Allen had his team at Vulcan Technologies develop DrumCore, a software package that enabled him to play guitar alongside drum loops composed by famous musicians. And last week, an endeavor born to support Allen's hobby found an acquirer when DrumCore 3 sold to Sonoma Wire Works, creators of the popular RiffWorks and InstantDrummer software as well as FourTrack and StudioTrack iOS applications. "We had no idea of doing anything public-facing with it," said Chris Purcell, vice president of Vulcan Technologies. "But we thought, 'Hey, we really have something here.' It shocked us with the success it had." - The Beat Goes On For Another Paul Allen Accidental Business" by Ty McMahan on The Wall Street Journal Blog


Sonoma Wire Works
10/08/09

Sonoma Wire Works acquired the entire Submersible Music product line, including the award-winning DrumCore 3 and KitCore software and drum content.
"Submersible Music was created by Paul Allen, the philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder, to help him in his own songwriting. The company's products realized his goal of a great-sounding, accessible drum tool that allows guitarists like him to be backed by some of the most famous rock drummers."

"Sonoma Wire Works was the unanimous choice of our review team," said Chris Purcell of Submersible. "We particularly appreciated their sincere and enthusiastic presentation here in Seattle. Part of our quest was to find a good home for DrumCore, where it could move up to the next level of technology and market presence. Sonoma Wire Works really resonated with us." (Now see DrumCore 4) - DrumCore 3 Acquisition Press Release


Computer Music
08/01/09

Performance Award Winner!
"DrumCore 3 is a winner, and the huge amount of content makes it good value for money." [DrumCore 4 Prime contains the same amount of content as DrumCore 3.]


Music Radar
06/15/09

If Drum Kit Loops are Your Thing Then These Are the Best in the Business
"Some of the best live drum loops in the business. Now you can drag-and-drop loops directly into your DAW. Huge drum hit library. DrumCore 3 [now see DrumCore 4] is a combination of a drum loop player, a loop librarian and a drum machine with MIDI grooves. The included sample library is huge and now incorporates the Urban GT expansion pack, which specializes in RnB drum sounds. There are two main approaches you can adopt: use Drumcore to audition and render drum loops for use in your DAW or as a sample player. There's no question of the quality of the results you can get from Drumcore. These loops and drum hits were recorded with the best drummers around, and leap out of your speakers. Honourable mentions go to the superb contributions from Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros), Sly Dunbar (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh) and Alan White (John Lennon, Yes). But these are simply standout loops from a fantastic collection."


Music Tech Magazine
06/01/09

Excellent No-Fuss Tool for Composers and Songwriters
"Not everybody wants, needs or can spare the time to wrestle with the extensive engineering features supplied with drum software such as BFD and others. After all, apart from virtual mic placement, most processing and mixing tasks can be accomplished within a DAW’s mixing environment. And with so many well-recorded kit pieces and grooves to choose from, many composers will find that DrumCore 3 [now see DrumCore 4] fulfills all their needs...Authentic drummers, style-specific grooves and great kit sounds all help to make DrumCore 3 an excellent no-fuss tool for composers and songwriters who need to program drums in a fast and intuitive fashion."


Keyboard Magazine
Review by:
Francis Preve
06/01/09

KitCore Deluxe Receives "Key Buy" Award
"KitCore is worth a serious look and listen if your productions rely on acoustic drums and percussion. The recordings are consistently wonderful. The kits and players are truly legendary. That you get all this for around $99 makes it a Key Buy." [KitCore has been updated to DrumCore 4]


Electronic Musician Magazine
Review by:
Mike Levine
06/01/09

KitCore Deluxe is a Definite Winner! 4 out of 5 Stars
"Overall KitCore Deluxe is very handy for building MIDI drum parts. The huge range of sounds you get, the well played grooves, plus an easy to use interface, and a street price of only $99 makes KitCore Deluxe a definite winner!" [KitCore has been updated to DrumCore 4]


Rekkerd.org


10/06/09

KitCore Deluxe is a Definite Winner! 4 out of 5 Stars
"KitCore is a great piece of software for people who want a no-nonsense drum plug-in. You get some great sounding kits with volume, panning and tune controls for each drum pad and that’s about it. Pretty no fuss eh? I really like the variety of kits included with KitCore Deluxe (I’d say it’s a bit of a no brainer to get the Deluxe version for an additional $50 USD, since it includes 100+ kits compared to the 8 included with the standard KitCore pack) and the samples are of good quality. You also get tons of categorized MIDI patterns, which you can preview in the Groove Browser and drag & drop onto MIDI tracks in your sequencer. So if you’re looking for some “ready to go” drum sounds and don’t want to spend a lot of time setting things up you should definitely consider KitCore Deluxe. For those who want more (like audio loops and loading your own samples) there’s always DrumCore." [KitCore has been updated to DrumCore 4]


Submersible Music


03/31/09

DrumCore 3 Released by Submersible Music
DrumCore 3 [now see DrumCore 4] was released in 2009 with Sunburst Finish, RTAS/AU/VSTi Compatibility, LiveDrummer and Twice the Drum Loops, MIDI and Instrument Sounds. A huge selection of bread-and-butter songwriting beats have been added plus expanded jazz content featuring Seattle jazz drummer Gregg Keplinger. The "Urban GT" expansion pack ($49 value) was included, which features classic hip-hop and modern R&B MIDI grooves plus 24 subwoofer-slammin’ drumkits. Also included with v3 are drumkits and grooves from Seattle rock/alternative legend Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam), all of the TempestaPack II expansion pack ($79 value) featuring smoldering metal drummer John Tempesta (Rob Zombie, Testament, Helmet) and new grooves by Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins.".

"DrumCore is so handy and so very easy to use! It's very close to having a live drummer with you."

Learn more about DrumCore
M83
Anthony Gonzalez of M83

"I'm obsessed with this recording app on my iPhone- the Sonoma Wire Works FourTrack. It's like you have a superpowerful studio in your pocket."

Learn more about FourTrack
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Trey Anastasio of Phish

"Just tried out Sonoma Wire Works GuitarJack plus the new upgraded FourTrack app. Beautiful crystal clear sparkling audio in iOS!"

Learn more about GuitarJack
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Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater

"RiffWorks is an incredible tool to get songs done stupid fast!"

Learn more about RiffWorks
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Johnny "Juice" Rosado of Public Enemy