New from MHC Synthesizers, Ambient Drums is a drum plug-in with synth-like features. It offers 12 pads, a drum search application and an effects section.
The software ships with 700 sounds, though more can be added by purchasing the optional soundpacks, three of which are currently available. You can also add your own samples and build your own kits.
The synth section is pretty traditional, while the effects section offers an impressive 130 different modes. The velocity-sensitive pads can control the amp of the filter cutoff, and the drum search tool can be used standalone to find all the drum samples on your hard disk.
Ambient Drums is certainly a different kind of beast to the many multi-gigabyte, acoustic-emulating ROMplers that are now on the market, but this could work to its advantage. Available as a PC VST plug-in only at the moment, it costs $199, while the soundpacks can be purchased for $59 each ($41 if they´re bought at the same time as the main application).
You´ll find further details and audio demos on the MHC Synthesizers website.
By Ben Rogerson
