Review of Native Instruments Drumlab

DRUMLAB is the first-of-its-kind instrument combining the organic, expressive sound of acoustic drums with the power and punch of an electronic edge. The secret weapon of top professionals in a super-intuitive interface that makes mix-ready drum design fast and fun.

Create thousands of new drum combinations that bear your signature stamp and kick with ultimate impact. Get into the lab and start experimenting – DRUMLAB guarantees a winning formula every time.

DRUMLAB’s fundamental sound is built on an all-new set of premium drum samples. 38 individual drums were perfectly tuned and performed by top-tier drummer, Derico Watson.

All drums were recorded in three different rooms to ensure maximum sonic versatility. High-end modern and vintage gear captured every nuance of the performances on analog tape. Grammy-winning producer Kenny Barto was then brought in to polish the sounds to a professional shine.

The key to DRUMLAB’s alchemy is an advanced layering technique used by top hitmakers to give drums maximum weight and punch in a mix. 80 electronic layers from a range of classic and modern drum machines were expertly matched, phase aligned, faded, and pitched with the acoustic samples.

Choose your own combination of each element, then dial in the perfect blend with a convenient slider on the front panel. The finished sound is mixdown-ready and always uniquely yours.

DRUMLAB’s controls and effects turn up the heat to bond pro performance with an ultra-intuitive workflow. An elegant main screen puts every essential control in one place for ultra-fast drum selection and blending. A unique effects chain features an optimized drum compressor, TRANSIENT MASTER, SOLID EQ, and SOLID BUS COMP, plus convolution reverb – all with simple controls for quick adjustments.

DRUMLAB also integrates perfectly with MASCHINE for the ultimate in hybrid drum groove production.

Groundbreaking drum sound without a tight, pro performance? Not with DRUMLAB. Over 900 drum patterns and fills in a wide range of genres and styles – all recorded live especially for DRUMLAB – deliver everything you need for instant pro sound. DRUMLAB gives you a visual groove display so you know exactly where drum hits line up – seeing is believing.

Find the beat that suits the track you’re working on, choose fills and variations to match, then drag and drop into your host sequencer. And if you’re a drummer, just hook up your e-drums and you’re ready to go.

Until next time…now go make some music.