It’s friday, Big Fish Friday….
Let’s get into it!
Today I’m taking a look at something that will excite those that tend to venture out into video game, media, film, trailer, and other forms of epic style music.
Sometimes you just need BIG DRUMS….
Thankfully Cinesamples felt the same way, so they decided to create Drums of War!
What is Drums of War?
Exactly what is sounds like, a library dedicated to HUGE, epic, booming drum/percussion.
It is a small, laser focused collection dedicated entirely to cinematic drum sound.
It’s not a “general use” drum library, it is a sample library made for very specific reasons.
If you’re the type that like to use big drums for battle scenes, chase scenes, monster steps, alien warship invasions, or the terrible twos of a toddler then it’s worth a look.
Quick Specs
- Content: 14 dedicated drum patches in 48k/24 bit or 96k/24 bit
- Format: kontakt and exs
- Price: $99 (48k/24 bit) and $129 (48k/24 bit)
How does it sound?
That’s the whole reason to look into a library like this, for the sound.
I really like the tone of the preset patches, they definitely deliver on the “huge” drum sound.
But what I really like is the simple eq/dynamic controls on the front panel that allow you to customize your sounds quickly.
If something isn’t “big” enough for you, it’s easy to tweak it to get exactly what you want.
I also like that it doesn’t really have that “orchestral percussion” feel that seems to come with most “cinematic” percussion libraries.
The fact that I’m free to use my own reverbs and such, and that the initial tone and quality of the drums are so up front is a plus.
I’m sure this has a lot to do with my personal preference, as I love these types of sounds, epic, and emotional.
So what is the bottom line?
The bottom line for me personally is, I find it hard to find any faults in the library.
Reason being, it’s very specific in it’s scope as well as it’s target user base.
Looking at it in light of it’s intention, I say it lives up to it’s purpose quite easily.
I give this a 5 out of 5 subs, I just really like how simple, straight forward, and great sounding this library is.
You don’t have to dig through thousands of patches to find what you need, and no matter how much you use it, this sound will never become “old” , it could quite literally be the main “big drum” library you use any time you need that sound.
Checkout the demos, (drums of war at big fish audio) and see what else is coming out of Cinesamples, if this library is any indication, then you owe it to yourself to see what else they have in their product line.
let me know what ya think!
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Whatup Joe,
Yeah man those drums sound great no doubt. I thought the price was a little steep for what you get but actually its looking like a lot of the libraries from Big Fish are now pushed around $99 so I guess it will be expected on future libraries as well.
I like the depth of the drums and I have a few ideas in what I may use them on. A movie soundtrack of a fight scene in Frank Miller’s 300 would have been ideal for these drums because they add that kind of tension.
Makes me want to try my hand at doing 3d animation again so I can come up with scenes to use these kind sounds on lol.
Thanks for this overlooked gem. A lot of folks probably would have dismissed this one if not getting a overview of what you get.
Thanks
@Madbull1971, yeah it’s dope, I think it’s highly focused and thus, can attract the asking price. Considering many “cinematic” libraries are usually around the 2 to 3 hundred range, many of which give you a bunch of stuff you don’t need.
This is for that specific “man, I need some HUGE drums for this” type of thing. I think they did exactly what they aimed to do.
I try to review stuff in it’s own context, instead of just a general one. Compared to other big fish loop libraries etc, it may seem like you don’t get as much, but then again, it’s not really the same type of thing.
Yeah, animation, movie, etc, great for this.
yo I feel I am in the Napoleonic wars , kinda makes you ready for battle. I like bigfishs’ stuff, they are always on point . peace
@Funk Bandit, no doubt fam, thanks for the reply!
These drums are epic could definitely be useful for certain tracks. I don’t have Kontakt but I think you can play those files in Ableton Live’s Sampler.
Yeah I’m not sure I know Sampler can play some kontakt files, but these have a lot of scripting involved which is specific to Kontakt. You better check and make sure if you decide to get them.
Thanks JK,
Great review, I like the way you do the review, just casual but right on the money…talking of which, I just purchased the library and am downloading now!
@robert, awesome man! thanks for checking it out…yeah I’m just a sound fanatic like the rest of the folks that stop by, so I just look at stuff from that perspective and try to show the stuff we care about lol.
thanks man, you’ll love this one for sure