iZotope iDrum

iZotope's iDrum is a program set up for those who need a solid electronica drum kit. It's set up to be easy to use, compatible with tons of devices (including the iPad) and sound fairly solid. I should mention right now that I deal with mostly heavy metal music, but I do dabble in electronica at times. The program contains various different loops and drum kits ranging from some acoustic sounding ones to fully synthesized sounding ones. You can use this plugin either stand alone or in a DAW. I never experienced any compatibility issues while using this program. I couldn't tell you how nicely written the manual is because I never read it, but iZotope usually has great manuals. Everything is super simple to use, even in the touch interface.

iZotope really excels when it comes to compatibility and performance. First of all, this plugin is cross platform, so it'll work in both Windows and OS X. It'll also work on your favorite iDevice. Performance wise, it doesn't take up too much memory when you use it, and that's a good thing considering how precious RAM can be during the recording process. The biggest gripe I have is that this plugin is a 32 bit plugin. Considering how everyone is moving towards 64 bit DAWs and OSes, I'd like to see the next revision of this application follow suit. I've only been using this plugin for a few months, so there could be things I haven't quite discovered yet. Like I said, I'm not really an electronica guy.

When I'm creating electronica, I usually just enable Ultrabeat in Logic or something to that effect. It can do just about everything I want and then some. I also have some custom kicks, sub drops and beats such as those that I drag and drop into mixes. As a result, I don't find myself using this program all that much. I bought it with a group package, but it's probably one of the lesser used plugins in my arsenal. If you're big into electronica and rap, it'll probably work out nicely. On the other hand, it might be a bit too simple and lacking versatility that something like Ultrabeat may have.

I installed iDrum without any problems and had the program making drum beats in minutes. There were no compatibility issues because I was running the program on a Mac. This program is Mac only, will not work for PC. The general configuration is simple and when the program opens up it already has a generic beat to start working with. I never read the manual for the software because all the programming is infront of you. I have consulted the help software within the program which I found to be very helpful.

I am running iDrum on my Mac G4 17" Powerbook. The computer has an intel processor and Apple loseless soundcard. The software works correctly with this configuration, and I have never had the program drop out and unexpectedly quit. I am getting great performance and even use this program to perform music live. The configuration is stable, that is why I choose to use this drum machine live. It is very reliable, and produces a great sound.

I have been using iDrum for 3 years now. What I like most about the software are the number of different drum sounds and varieties of loops you are able to create. There are thousands of different kick, snare, tom, hit hit, and random percussion noises to achieve any beat you want to create. What I dislike about the software is the ability to export the loop to other media players. iDrum can create an .aif or MIDI file of your loop. I did not try any other drum loop sofware but I have used drum machines and I find iDrum to be much simpler because of its software format. I paid 50 US dollars for the software and believe it was a good price. I have gotten my money back by the amount of live music I am able to make with this software. I love this drum loop software and would recommend it to each of you!

- The installation is done it without problems?
Yes, very easy to install plug-ins
- Have you experienced any incompatibilities?
No, no problem in PT 7.1.1
- Is the general configuration is easy?
Yes, very intuitive, possibility to make a slave of host and play patterns or preconfigure then assign each battery element a MIDI notes to control it via a midi track.
- Is the manual is clear and sufficient? ...?
Yes

BACKGROUND OF CHOICE

- What is the configuration of your computer?
MacBookPro 2,16Ghz 2GB, 100GB
- The software works he correctly on this configuration?
It works very well
- What performance? (If measurable)
No slowdown in my setup
- Is This software + hardware is stable?
Stable can not

ERGONOMICS AND PERFORMANCE

- How long have you use it?
1 months
- What is the particular feature you like best and least?
What I find great is to be able to assign a sound (wav file) and assign it to a MIDI note. I have long worked with an expander cakewalk and Korg. When I switched to Protools, I decided to take my projects but the midi notes to be reassigned to sounds and no longer a MIDI bank and it is a breeze
- Have you tried many other models before buying it?
No, this is my first plug-in battery
- How would you rate the quality / price?
Nickel
- With experience, you do again this choice ...?
100% certain