The Tracker
For some, Superior Drummer 3’s biggest new feature may well turn out to be the Tracker tab. This amazing drum replacement system analyses your multitrack drum recordings to determine what kind of drum or cymbal is dominant in each track, converts the detected transients to (exportable) MIDI data, and triggers the corresponding elements in the currently loaded kit, with a Mix knob setting the balance between the original and replacement sounds. The detection algorithm is guided by machine learning, based on analysis of 1.4 million drum tracks, scanning the characteristics of the signal across 512 frequency bands. It’s shockingly accurate, successfully identifying close-miked kit pieces most of the time in our testing, and (understandably) struggling only with overheads.
The instrument and/or articulation selected by SD3 for any given track can be changed via straightforward menu selection, so switching a misidentified tom to a snare, for example, is a cinch. Within each track, trigger thresholds can be set for velocity and event match probability, while the Bleed Reduction dialog helps avoid false triggering through sounds bleeding between tracks. And should all the automated and guided systems still not nail it, you can just draw in your own triggers.
Far more than just a ‘bonus’ feature, Tracker is an empowering, ingenious drum replacer. With a little bit of work, it can even be used to replace sounds within a stereo drum kit mix.