Recording January 2022 - 10

-Review by Paul Vnuk Jr.
Toontrack Fields
of Rock SDX
Frolic and groove in these
classic Welsh fields
Since its release in late 2017, the third iteration of Superior Drummer by
Toontrack has established itself as one of the premier virtual drum programs
on the market. Toontrack currently offers nineteen SDX Sound Expansions
with different kits and styles. Several boast access to some of the most elite
drum rooms in the world (Capitol, Hansa, Avatar, AIR, The Hit Factory...), with
hand-selected kits recorded by some of the biggest names in audio production,
including Pat Thrall, Neil Dorfsman, Michael Ilbert, Chuck Ainlay, Eddie Kramer
and the late Al Schmitt. The latest SDX calls us to frolic in the Fields of Rock SDX!
Rockfield Studios
Fields of Rock SDX contains seven
drum kits and a massive collection of
extra kit pieces and percussion, played
by Mat Hector (Iggy Pop, Thomas Dolby,
Gutterdämmerung) and tracked by Tom
Dalgety (Ghost, Rammstein, Pixies, Royal
Blood, Opeth).
The tracking went down at Rockfield
Studios, a converted dairy farm in the UK
that has hosted rock royalty since the early
70s including Black Sabbath, Queen,
Hawkwind, Judas Priest, Rush, Bauhaus,
The Stone Roses, XTC, Coldplay, Oasis...
Both the Coach House and the Quadrangle
studios were used, along with the
studio's full complement of vintage mics,
preamps and outboard equipment. Additional
fun was had with distant mics
placed in outer corridors, and distortion
stompbox reamping, all of which can be
found in the mixer.
'Bohemian Rhapsody' were done), on a seven-piece
2020 Piccadilly White Legend set
made by British Drum Company. There's a
16x24 " kick, five toms, and a 6x14 " Van
Kleef cast bronze snare along with an optional
22 " kick and Ludwig Black Beauty snare.
Cymbals in the collection are mainly
Istanbul and Zildjian brands, and many
are shared between the various sets.
Sonically, the Stormtrooper is huge,
loose and resonant. It takes full advantage
of the big open space, and even when
you mute the room and overhead mics,
you can still hear the ambience of the
room surrounding each drum. The alternate
kick and snare are much tighter than
the default kit pieces and allow the room's
decay to be the star of the show. Overall
there is a very palpable early 80s classic
rock tonality here that evokes a wide
range of sounds, from early MTV pop to
the new wave of British heavy metal.
sense of space and dimension more than
size and decay. Mat and his Godfather
kit toured the world with Iggy Pop-it's
a 1970s Ludwig Hollywood kit in Champagne
Sparkle, with a 22 " kick recorded
both with and without the resonant head.
The snare is a 14 " Ludwig 400 Supraphonic,
and there are two rack toms and
a floor tom. The second snare option is a
birch 14 " Hayman Vibrasonic.
This kit has a very round and bulbous-sounding
kick drum, a tight rocking
snare and bold classic toms with a
nice hint of pitchy ring, especially on
the floor tom. I really like the super-fast,
punchy alternate snare and the pillow-stuffed
open kick. This is a great
kit when you want your drums to have
some real personality but not dominate
the entire track.
Evil Disco
Disco does not suck with this unique
five-piece 1960s Hayman Vibrasonic in
metallic gold. The kit features a 22 " kick
with no resonant head and a second
option with tambourines on the resonant
head. There are two rack toms and one
floor tom, and here we have a pair of
Pork Pie snare options: a 3 " maple and
a small 10 " maple pink squirrel. Istanbul
cymbals do the dirty work, literally in
this case, as many of them are from the
Istanbul Xist Dry Dark series.
The Stormtrooper
The first kit was tracked in the live room
of the Quadrangle (where the drums for
10 RECORDING January 2022
The Godfather
Next up are three kits recorded in the
dry room of the Coach House, adding a
This set is heavily damped (gaffer
tape, cotton wool and pillows), with a
dark modern sound, and the ride cymbal
has coins taped to it like a rivet ride on
sluggish steroids. The Xist cymbals are
a great combination of fast and trashy
yet dark. I especially liked the 19 " Xist
ION Trash cymbal. Also, the tambourine-laced
kick works well to add a tight
rhythmic jangle. The standard snare is
tuned low and loose with fast thuddy
decay coupled with a loose snare-wire
rattle. It's the type of snare sound that,
Recording January 2022

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