Toontrack SDX State of the Art

What State of the Art SDX Is For

State of the Art SDX is a collection of acoustic drum sounds designed to instantly elevate the quality of your productions in Superior Drummer 3. It is aimed at composers, producers, sound engineers, and beatmakers who want a credible, expressive, and "mixable" drum kit in all contexts: pop, rock, modern productions, music for picture, live sessions, high-end demos, or finalized mixes.

Thanks to multi-piece recordings and an extensive selection of drums and cymbals, you can switch from a tight, intimate drum kit to a wide, cinematic setup while maintaining sonic coherence. The goal is clear: to provide you with premium raw material, ready to integrate into a dense mix but also nuanced enough to shine in minimalist arrangements.

Main Features

A "Reference Studio" Recording

Produced and recorded by Elliot Scheiner at Clubhouse Studio (upstate New York, USA), this SDX emphasizes precision, dynamics, and depth of field. The instruments, played by Norman Garschke, were captured in multiple dedicated spaces to offer varied textures and fine control over ambiance, from close to distant.

Complete Kits, Varied Configurations

The library offers 7 complete drum kits spread across 11 configurations, with a wide range of options to shape your sound: alternative snare drums, additional bass drums, complementary cymbals, and setups designed to cover practical production needs. Whether you're looking for a massive foundation, a more articulated kick, a drier, fatter, or more open snare, you have a true "session drum arsenal" directly in your DAW.

Brush Playing and Instrumentation Extensions

For softer arrangements, jazz, organic pop, or ballads, two complete drum kits and a selection of additional cymbals are available with brush playing. Regarding playability, some configurations include additional elements useful for realism and modern orchestrations: three kits with an extra tom on the left side, and one kit with an additional snare on the side.

Controlled Ambiance and Enhanced Stereo Imaging

The recording includes three additional ambient microphones dedicated to a wider stereo image, complementing a Decca Tree setup. The result: you can sculpt the drum space with great finesse, from a direct and percussive sound to a spacious room feel, ideal for open choruses, atmospheric intros, and "live"-oriented productions.

Mix-Ready Presets and MIDI Grooves

State of the Art SDX includes 83 presets designed to speed up your workflow: a solid starting point for mixing, character variations, and overall coherence between kit elements. Additionally, there is a wide selection of genre-typical MIDI grooves and fills, recorded individually, to quickly build a credible rhythmic foundation and then refine it manually with your own accents, ghost notes, and articulations.

Technical specifications

Type

Full software

Downloadable

Yes

Product type	SDX expansion pack	Studio	Clubhouse Studio (upstate New York, USA)
Compatibility	Toontrack Superior Drummer 3	Performance	instruments played by Norman Garschke
Important note	Superior Drummer 2 is not supported by this SDX library	Recording spaces	Live Room, Studio Iso, and The Library
Produced and recorded by	Elliot Scheiner