>The expansion of the UVI universe appears to have no let up. Like previous sound packs Soul Drums is hosted within their free Workstation software (in both standalone and plugin form), but can also be employed within Falcon, their premium all-singing hybrid software synth. Interestingly, this appears to be the first UVI instrument to focus on a live, band-based, drum kit–the earlier Drum Designer and BeatBox Anthology were geared towards more electronic production styles. As the name suggests, Soul Drums appears to be aimed at a specific set ofstyles, though UVI make great play in suggesting that they are taking a determinedly modern approach that embraces some authentic retro sounds. The clearest functional clue to this is the fact that real kit recordings can be combined with extra add-on sample layers.
Loading up
As with many sample heavy instruments (particularly ones incorporating so many layers) loading times, even from a fast SSD drive, are not always immediate. However there are ‘Lite’ versions of all the kits which are a little more forgiving in terms of memory, resource and time. That being said, if you want to get the most out of the samples (recorded via a vintage Neve console at Criterion Studios, Miami) you should opt for the full versions.
The interface is easy to navigate and makes editing of individual kit elements pretty straightforward. As well as an overview Mix page, each of the kit areas gets its own section. Here you can dive into lower level features such as top/bottom snare mic balance (with independent drive and filter stages) and effect send levels. The Ambience page offers a similar set of features for additional overhead, room and other mics. Finally, the FX page
