Steven Slate Drums 5.5 (SSD5.5) Available Now
by Steven Slate   18th March 2020

Same.

I think they are employing a marketing team. I receive emails from Slate almost every day. Most of them mean nothing to me.

What's up with the versioning? I have SSD5 but the plugin says version 1.2.2. Checked the website and the newest installer says version 3.1. So is 5.5 the upcoming version?

No, 5.5 has been out a while. 5.0 came out years ago. Do you use the Slate Audio installer? Did you buy version 3 and not anything newer? That could be what you are seeing.

Any word yet on the release date for the free update for SSD 5.5 Groove AI? Did I miss the announcement? I read it got pushed back to March, however nothing else since then.

From the January 2024 email. v

Good tip! You also mentioned that you have a template set up in Logic for this, iirc. Just started using templates more last year and got TT SD3 last month so haven’t set that up yet with SD3 and SSD 5.5 but plan to. Good time saver! Thanks!

This is how I have all of my drum VIs setup. I play a Drumkat and each pad group outputs a different midi ch. I record on one midi track and then use the Separate Midi by Channel command. This automatically separates my kick, snare, toms, hat, cymbals and ride to different midi tracks so I can quantize them differently or tweak velocities, whatever.

The VI's mixer routes each group to different outputs. This lets me process and mix without having to jump back into the VI a lot. Once you set it up you just have to save VI presets with this routing so it always is the same regardless of the kit you use.

I start the VI buses at 3/4 so that 1/2 is left available in case I want to just use a single stereo out and hear the factory presets.

All audio is routed to a Drum bus and each instrument group gets its own parallel compressor or channel strip as needed. When I deliver tracks I solo the drum bus, mute the room channel and solo each midi part and bounce one at a time.

Thanks for explaining your setup. Very good info. Much appreciated!

Has anyone heard anything about this? Is it a vaporware scenario?

Currently in Beta, should be available to the public soon.

Since it’s been a couple months, just checking to see if there is a release date planned yet or if it is still in Beta?

Last I heart was the beginning of Oct, Steven Slate posted on the official Steven Slate Audio group on Facebook saying that it is still coming just delayed. He apologized and admitted it was his fault because he also decided to update the sounds as well…so the update will include refreshed drums sounds and the groove ai. Slate may miss deadlines, but they always end up eventually getting the things out and when they do they are usually superb.

Groove AI is available now (Yay!)….and it is a free update for SSD5.5 owners/users.
Also, SSD5.5 is 60% off at $49 for their Black Friday sale now (reg. $119): https://stevenslatedrums.com/
From the email received:

Meet Groove AI for SSD
Groove AI is like having a pro drummer at your at your disposal to play perfect drum parts for your songs.

Watch Groove AI in Action in these two walkthroughs with our friend Rhys:



Groove AI is a Free Update for SSD 5.5 users.

To Get Groove AI, download the latest Steven Slate Audio Center (SSAC), log in with your account and click the update badge on the SSD 5.5 Product.

Is Groove AI working with imported grooves ?
I mean, can you import your own midi files into SSD and will they be taken into consideration when finding an appropriate match when using Groove AI ?
I'm quite curious about this feature, especially for a 49 bucks investment...

Is this the best in it's class? Would be my first time getting a fake real drum kit, anyone here knowledgeable on if this has the best sound quality/is the best option for 2024 for real drum kit in DAW?

Slate SSD and Toontrack S3 are two great options. It kind of depends on the style of music. S3 has way more library options and more features overall. SSD has a punchy sound that works well in dense tracks.

They’ll both cover a wide variety of styles but are pretty different in their GUI design.

For $49 for SSD compared to $399 for Sup Drums, it makes so much sense to get SSD5.

Groove AI is super cool too.

Here is an article on how to use the new Groove AI feature in SSD5.

https://support.stevenslatedrums.com...e-AI-in-SSD5-5

yeah it is!!