Sampleson often take an interesting approach to their virtual instrument designs, and their latest release is no exception. Drumbada models the sound of an ensemble of bombo legüero, a South American bass drum, and comes with an intuitive built-in sequencer designed to make polyrhythms accessible to users of all skill levels.
The company say that the instrument is the first to replicate the sound of the rare instrument, and also includes a new Crew-playing algorithm which has been designed to reproduce the behaviour of a 15-strong percussion section performing together. It presents users with the sound of five groups of three drummers, and provides control over the timing of each group as well as the ability to manipulate accents to add some variation to sequenced parts. As with some of Sampleson’s other instruments, a large section of the GUI is dedicated to a click-and-drag interface, which makes it possible to control multiple parameters with a single gesture.
Each of the five player groups in Drumbada can be controlled from their own dedicated sequencer lanes.
Each group is also equipped with an arpeggiator-style section kitted out with set of parameters that offer an intuitive way to create polyrhythms. Independent settings are provided for the likes of time signature, speed, spread value and accent, making quick work of auditioning different rhythmic combinations all from within a single interface, without the complications of utilising multiple time signatures across different tracks.
Compatibility
Drumbada is supported on PCs running Windows 7 or higher, and Macs running macOS 10.7 and above. VST3 and AU plug-in versions are available, although there is no AAX version, meaning that Pro Tools is not supported.
Pricing & Availability
Drumbada is available now, and is currently (1 March 2024) being offered for an introductory price of $39, reduced from its full cost of $59.
