Wave Alchemy Drumvolution

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UPDATE!

This is an update to the evolution review I posted a while back. 

What it is

Wave alchemy seems to have a thing for drum samples, and their their revolution kontakt library focused on vintage drum machines has long been popular with producers. This was followed up by the Evolution drum library, which is focused on more modern drum sounds.

Wave Alchemy mentioned there an update quite a while ago, but instead of calling it 1.1 they renamed the product to Drumvolution, which is a free update to registered users (thanks!).



What you get

Evolution is a kontakt library, so you´ll need kontakt (player) to use the product. The library comes with a pre-compiled sample pool  with both clean and tape processed versions, but you can't import your own samples. The library is however Native Instruments NKS compatible.

What it does

The library comes with over 28 000 samples (and 400 presets) based on various acoustic and electronic sound sources and covers a wide range of hits from kicks and snare to effects and percussion.

Each drum pad can contain up to three layers, and each layer can be processed using a number of different tools such as a pitch shifter, filter, envelope shaper, compressor and so on. The layers can be blended using an X/Y style controller pad which is very neat for the live performer.

It also ships with a very competent sequencer, more on that later.

New features highlight


  • A new and leaner drum module GUI for single hits 
  • Polyrythmic sequencer
  • Pattern lock (when changing presets)
  • Customizable midi mapping
  • Optimized engine
  • Abelton live integration
  • External CV support

The new drum module interface 

Interface

Wave Alchemy have crammed a lot of things into the interface. There is definitely a learning curve, but it´s mostly straight forward once you get your head around it. 

There interface has a few smaller issues though:
  • No undo function
  • No A/B comparison for patches
  • No sample reverse 
  • You can´t lock a channel/pad when changing presets
  • Not possible to copy settings from channels/pad to another


Presets and sounds

There is a lot of variety and the samples covers a wide range of styles, albeit mostly focused on modern music so don´t expect to find vintage drum kits or world percussion instruments. I would personally liked to see more acoustic sound sources, especially for toms and cymbals though. That said, the sample set is excellent and clearly the strongest feature of the library.

The browser is categorized based on type of sound (upper part) and character (lower part). The whole browsing experience is slightly confusing as some menus changes dynamically in different areas of the GUI but you´ll get the hang of it. The first issue with revolution, however, relates to browsing.

The samples aren´t really sorted nor can you filter sounds in any way. The biggest omission is the lack of a favorites system which makes patch management quite time consuming. 

The categorization is also a bit random at times, and the sample names doesn't really give much away. I would have preferred a simple tag based browser with basic favorites management.

The second issue relates to sample auditioning. I wish Drumvolution would play back samples as I browse through them, or at least provided a convenient way to trigger the layers independently. The reality is that you have to mute the other layers, go all the way down to the mixer and click the channel to trigger the sample.

Sound design

The unique feature of this library is how Wave Alchemy has created separate samples for Body, Transients and Layers:
  • Body: Classic dry single hits
  • Transients: Snaps, clicks, pops and claps
  • Layer: Tails, subs, rooms and more acoustic samples
This is absolutely brilliant and enables you to quickly build patches, and I can´t imagine ever going back to doing this with conventional layering techniques.

The blending of layers can be controlled with an X/Y pad, which also provides a number of macro knobs. Wave Alchemy clearly had the performing artist in mind when designing this.

Sequencer

The sequencer in the Evolution product had some limitations, but it´s hard to say anything negative about it this time around .  You can click or draw patterns directly in the grid, apply effects, pitch and panning for each step and voice. Oh and it now supports polyrythms.

The only real omission I can think of the lack of a pattern library and a proper undo function.


Final thoughts

The great think about evolution is the variety of the samples, and the fact that they´ve created dedicated sample sets for transients, drums and tails (layer). It´s indeed a very powerful sound design tool and a competent drum machine, as long as you don´t need to import your own samples. 

The major reservation I have is around the workflow. What good is 28 000 samples if there isn't an effective way to browse and audition them? A tag based browser with automatic auditioning and favorites would have made this library much more powerful. 

It´s truly a great Kontakt library if you´re not bothered with these workflow limitations.  

Comments

Unknown said…
Drumvolution made me faster and covinced workflows!I really appreciate your honest review!
07 June, 2019 13:23
firecracks said…
Nice information provided by you, it really helped me to understand this topic.I have also referred this article to my friends and they also enjoyed this informative post. IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 Complete Crack
30 June, 2021 08:12
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