Sometimes you just don’t want a sampler.
Drum synths have fallen out of vogue in recent years. Maybe it’s the ubiquitous utilization of programs like Superior Drummer, but we just tend to think “samples” now when it comes to triggering drum tones. But samples have their downsides. They don’t respond as naturally as a synth, since a sample probably only has a few velocities and a couple randomized alts (if your module even calculates that much).
Gavin Harrison, of Porcupine Tree and more recently King Crimson fame, leans towards drum synth pads over samplers for these reasons. So in the video below he shares his love of the Nord Drum 2, and its companion the Nord Pad.
The Nord Drum 2 unit looks appealing mainly because they’ve embraced the synthesizer attributes and expanded upon them. So instead of just trying to recreate some acoustic and classic electronic sounds, Nord included some vast processing options. Hell, there’s an entire “noise” section for if you want to use some band pass filters or just create an arsenal of ugly ass square wavs. I suppose those of you looking to play live chiptunes have found your ideal module.
Source: Sound Tech
