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Jazz Sessions SDX is an SDX expansion designed to produce, arrange, and mix jazz drums with a level of naturalness comparable to a studio-recorded session. It is aimed at composers, beatmakers, arrangers, and sound engineers who want to capture the finesse of brush playing, the precision of ghost notes, the breathing of cymbals, and the depth of the room, while retaining the flexibility of a virtual instrument within a DAW.
Whether you are working on acoustic jazz, hard bop, contemporary jazz, fusion, organic funk, or film music requiring a "live" drum feel, this SDX emphasizes dynamic range: from delicate nuances to strong hits, without crushing the texture or artificially homogenizing the playing. The result is a drum kit that naturally sits in the mix, with a studio sound identity immediately usable.
In jazz, the quality of a drum sound depends as much on the instrument as on how it is recorded. This library was produced and recorded by James Farber, a key figure in jazz, known for his ability to bring out the true acoustic voice of instruments. The recording took place at the Power Station Studio in New York, with sound capture by Norman Garschke in multiple rooms and booths to offer varied room colors and a coherent stereo image.
To adapt to both more "old school" aesthetics and modern productions, some kits were also recorded with a traditional mono microphone setup. This option is particularly relevant for vintage arrangements, tighter ambiances, and mixes where the drums need to remain centered while retaining character.
Jazz Sessions SDX does not offer just a single "one-size-fits-all" kit. It provides a wide selection of complete kits and configurations, with dedicated recordings for sticks and brushes, as well as a drum kit captured with various sticks, brushes, hotrods, mallets, and hands. This allows transitioning from subtle comping to more upfront energy, or varying textures without changing the virtual instrument.
The content includes a substantial number of separate elements (kick drums, snares, toms, hi-hats, and cymbals), facilitating the construction of custom kits within Superior Drummer 3. You can thus adapt the drum kit to the track (tempo, density, orchestration) rather than forcing the track to fit a single sound.
Jazz demands a credible room: you need to hear the air, distance, and room response while maintaining attack precision. To go beyond a simple stereo "room" mic, the library offers up to 5 additional room microphones, allowing configurations ranging from wide stereo to up to 5.1 surround setups (depending on your production environment and routing in Superior Drummer 3).
For efficiency, 104 ready-to-mix presets are included. They speed up setup in your session: intimate jazz, more open sound, closer drums, wider ambience, or a more vintage approach. The presets also serve as an excellent base to learn how the sound was conceived, then customize your mic balance, compression, and EQ according to the context (trio, quartet, big band, jazz-fusion, etc.).
The library also provides a large selection of individually recorded MIDI drum grooves characteristic of the genre. Ideal for starting an arrangement, testing orchestrations, creating dynamic variations, or building a complete structure (intro, theme, solos, breaks, turnarounds) while maintaining natural playing.
