update . 50s drums, studio and drummer • Carefully sampled ultra-rare drum kits • Additional vintage channels for authenticity • Brush articulations provide new possibilities Manual (ZIP)
The New Sound of the 50s
Drums, Studio, Drummer: The authentic sound of the earliest years of popular music, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.
The Captivating Sound of
ABBEY ROAD | 50s DRUMMER delivers the electrifying sound of the birth of popular music – a time when amplified instruments became prominent and drums came into their own. Masterfully recorded, ultra-rare drums create a challenging, mid-heavy sound ready to compete with the latest electric guitars and basses. Adding its own touch of classic style to the DRUMMER series, 50s DRUMMER also features authentic grooves from the period, capturing the spirit of early rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, country and jazz.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios
All drums were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, UK. An iconic symbol of the music industry since 1931, Abbey Road has been the site of countless landmark recordings by artists such as The Beatles, U2, Kate Bush, Oasis, Kanye West and Radiohead to name a few.
Abbey Road pioneered many studio techniques and technologies and is widely recognised as one of the most advanced recording, mixing and post-production facilities in the world. Their expertise was crucial in creating the precise recording paths that form the basis of the ABBEY ROAD 50s DRUMMER sound.
Drum Kits
The drum kits in ABBEY ROAD 50s DRUMMER were recorded in Studio Two at Abbey Road. Additional absorbers were used to simulate the more cramped recording environments of the 1950s. The drums have a raw, punchy sound with massive, resonant snares and soft cymbals.
The Spring Kit is an early 50’s Gretsch Cadillac Green Nitron with a 20″ bass drum. Its 12″ rack tom and 14″ floor tom are tuned lower than the Autumn Kit. Three interchangeable 14″ snares provide brilliant sonic possibilities.
The Autumn Kit is a late 50’s WFL with a 20″ bass drum, 12″ and 13″ toms, a 16″ floor tom, and a choice of 14″ x 6.5″, 14″ x 8″, and 13″ x 3″ snares. The higher tuning of the toms means it sounds a little brighter than the Spring Kit.
Mixer Section
Create the perfect drum submix entirely within the instrument! All ABBEY ROAD DRUMMER instruments feature a dedicated Mixer section and a range of high-quality studio effects, including tape saturation, convolution reverb and three top-notch effects: a high-quality studio EQ, a high-quality studio compressor and the impressive TRANSIENT MASTER.
And if time is short, the Mixer and Effects presets deliver instant professional sound with precise mic levels, the perfect mix of close and room mics, and just the right effects to make it all play.
Extensive Groove Library
Getting the right drum sound is only part of the equation. ABBEY ROAD | 50s DRUMMER provides a groove library full of beats and fills perfect for everything from rock ‘n’ roll and country to jazz and R&B. Also included is a selection of modern grooves for producers looking to add a little vintage edge to their modern sound.
These MIDI patterns have been played live by professional drummers – find a beat that suits the track you’re working on, choose fills and variations that match, then drag and drop them into your host sequencer.
And if you’re a drummer yourself, just plug in your electronic drums and you’re ready to roll.
Copy and replace the contents of the distribution to the root folder of the library.
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Version 1.2.2 (2025-06-19)
- FIXED: Snare Brush Swish articulation would not reload after unpurging snare channels (both kits)
Version 1.2.1 (2025-01-08)
Added:
- Studio Drummer mapping preset for compatibility with MIDI files from Studio Drummer and other Abbey Road Series
Improved:
- Upon loading a MIDI file, note events which are not in the default mapping are removedFixed:
- Snare roll groups were not being purged
- Incorrect data being used when updating key colors based ‘on user mapping
- Kit-piece selection was not being read correctly when loading the instrument
- Status of Kit Mics and Busses tabs on Mixer page were not read when loading the instrument
- Minor initialization fixes for Grooves page
- First time groove load
- Init Mixer preset levels for Spring Kit
- Incorrect names of Kick articulations in Autumn Kit, also removed Open articulation which was silent