The Rooms of Hansa SDX features drums produced by Grammy Award-winning recording/mixing engineer Michael Ilbert in one of the most iconic studios currently in existence: the Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. With a broad and handpicked collection of drums captured in all four available rooms on the studio premises, this SDX showcases an incredible width in regard to both tonal range and ambience.
Welcome to a unique collection of drums, all touched by the inimitable soul of a studio whose legacy is forever etched in music history.
FEATURE SPOTLIGHT
- Six (6) complete kits in addition to many optional configurations
- In total, 12 snares and 7 kicks as well as a broad collection of hi-hats and cymbals
- Produced by Grammy Award-winning recording/mixing engineer Michael Ilbert (Adele, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Pink, Muse, Ed Sheeran)
- Recorded at the legendary Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany
- Features four individual room configurations including the iconic “Meistersaal”
- “Meistersaal” setup recorded in 5.1 surround with two additional height/ambience microphone pairs
- Also includes an extra stereo ambience captured in the famous Hansa staircase (available for select kits)
- Comes with a collection of drum MIDI grooves
Hansa Studio - By The Wall
Since its inception in 1913, the magnificent building on Köthener Straße No. 38 that houses Hansa Tonstudios and the iconic Meistersaal – just a stone’s throw away from Potsdamer Platz in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district – has served as a ballroom, a concert hall, a theatre and a place for the arts. However, what forever ingrained the spirit of this place in the fabric of our culture was neither of those things – it was the music immortalized between its four walls decades later. The Meistersaal was first converted to a studio in 1961, the same year as the Berlin Wall was erected just shy of 150 meters from the building. But in wasn’t until the mid-’70s, when the Meisel brothers Tomas and Peter bought the building and restored it to fully meet the standards of a recording studio, that its true golden years under the Hansa Tonstudios monicker began. Since then, countless classic albums have been recorded and mixed inside the building – many of which literally changed the course of music history.
THE ROOMS & THE DRUMS.
For this SDX, our ambition was to represent the entire sonic scope of natural ambiences that Hansa has to offer. As a result, we scoured the land for the best-suited drums, captured all four rooms in the building and felt compelled to also blend in some elements recorded in the famous Hansa staircase. Combined, the sonic possibilities are endless – from tight, minimal and dry to big, reverberant and massive.
THE MARBLE ROOM.
Contradictory of its somewhat moderate size, the reflective surface of the walls and ceiling of this “stone” room makes for an ambience that sounds huge. Luckily, the hardwood flooring effectively breaks up the diffusion and keeps the decay in check – making it the perfect ambience for controlled but still reverberant rock drums. In combination with the additional ambience channel recorded in the all-concrete environment of the adjacent Hansa staircase, you’ll be able to dial in drum mixes with an enormous and unique natural reverb.
“This is the definition of a versatile recording room. Simply a great room for big-sounding and punchy rock drums.”
– Michael Ilbert
MEISTERSAAL.
Located directly below the main/live space is the Meistersaal – the indisputable crown jewel of the Hansa legacy and arguably one of the most iconic recording rooms in the world. The majestic ambience of the Meistersaal can be heard on seminal works by the likes of Nick Cave, U2 and R.E.M., just to name a few. Still to this day, the Meistersaal remains a vivid Berlin landmark and is a common stop on guided tours of the city. Since this room no longer is officially an operational part of Hansa, the amount of projects recorded here are few and selected very carefully. However, with the help of Michael Ilbert and the owners of Hansa Tonstudios, we were given the unique opportunity to capture drums in this historic space. This SDX would simply not have been complete without the iconic ambience and aura of the “Big Hall by the Wall.” The gear Michael used to capture the Meistersaal drums features a handpicked selection of U67s, extremely rare M50s and a whole array of V72 pre-amps, just to give a few examples. We also captured the room with a classic 5.0 surround microphone positioning setup with the addition of four extra height microphones, giving you even more surround possibilities. Furthermore, an additional amplifier was set up in the room to play back and enhance the low frequencies of bass drums and toms.
“This is just a unique room. Put any instrument in there, mic it up and it comes out amazing. I think this is a room that makes you a better performer. If those walls could speak…”
– Michael Ilbert
THE VOCAL BOOTH.
Although this room likely never was intended as a drum room, it has proven time and time again that if you’re after dry and muffled drum tones – this is where to get them. This room has a special something that pushes each instrument to the edge of the speakers without making it sound contained or claustrophobic. For beat-making, mixing and matching or hybrid kit creation, these drum tones are optimal – transparent, direct and dry but still very graphic in the mix. In other words: dead but very much alive.
“Definitely my favorite recording room for very dry drum sounds. So punchy and warm!”
– Michael Ilbert
THE LIVE ROOM.
From the mid-‘70s and through to today, the cream of the crop of European and international artists have recorded timeless works in this room. In here, anything from insanely popular German schlager to pop, rock and metal has been captured. For drums, it’s a perfect room – spacious but with a relatively moderate ceiling height, making it ambient without sounding overpowering. Simply put, the definition of a perfectly crafted and versatile drum room.
THE PRESETS.
To inspire and enable you to make music instantly, The Rooms of Hansa SDX includes a broad range of mix-ready presets showcasing the different rooms, kits and expansive width of styles the included drums can be used for.
THE MIDI.
To give you the perfect battery of grooves and fills to get you started on your journey through this SDX, Michael Ilbert and drummer Norman Garschke weighed in not only the rich history of records recorded at Hansa but also what type of grooves would work the best for each room, the different kits and the era or style they best represent. Each room has its own designated library of MIDI, making it easy to call up a groove, a kit and a preset that all harmonize perfectly both on a sonic and a performance level.
THE MARBLE ROOM.
Here you’ll find MIDI that perfectly fits the rather aggressive, rough and edgy sonic characteristics of this room and kits. Think new wave, alt-rock, punk-inspired rock and, well, any kind of loud rock that calls for an edgy kit and the perfect grooves to go with it.
THE MEISTERSAAL.
The MIDI for this room was greatly inspired by some of the iconic artists that recorded seminal works in this majestic hall. In short, this section provides thunderous rock grooves and big fills – tailored for use with the breathtaking ambience of the Meistersaal.
THE LIVE ROOM.
The grooves we chose to lay down for this section work great with the warm, thick and lively sound of the different variations of the 1970s L.A. Kit. These drums really shine when played slightly laid back and not hammered upon, so expect grooves with loads of nuance and feel.
THE VOCAL BOOTH.
The extremely dry and absorbing space of this room brings out the most bare and honest nature of these beautiful drums. For that reason, Michael had a crystal-clear vision of showcasing these amazing instruments with a collection of subtle, nuanced and balanced grooves that really give the drums room to shine – all performed at low velocities and with a relaxed feel.
MALLETS AND ROTOTOMS.
This category gives you material specifically suited for use with the rototoms and octabans of the Marble Room kit configurations and/or the Meistersaal Twin Shell Kit recorded with mallets. Mix, match and have fun with these many groove variations showcasing the unique mapping and extensive expression that these instruments offer.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- 64-bit Windows 7 or newer, 8 GB RAM (16 GB RAM or more recommended).
- Mac OS X 10.6 or higher, 64-bit Intel-based Mac with 8 GB RAM (16 GB RAM or more recommended).
- For the full Installation of this product you will need approximately 122 GB of free hard drive space, plus an additional 122 GB is required for the installation process
- A working Superior Drummer 3.1.7 (or above) installation
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