If at first tap on a Titan 50 you hear a drum sound that you recognize, likely a sound from your favorite album or song, that is no coincidence. While other sets focus on basically replicating a drum sound, at Simmons we obsessed over delivering that drum drum tone that you hear on hit records. In fact our sound library was inspired by some of the biggest albums in music history, those that define that drum sound you most want. Now with Titan 50 tone you have that sound at the tip of your sticks.
This great drum sound story starts in Seattle in a legendary studio called London Bridge.
Over the years this studio captured masterpieces by Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Dave Matthews, Macklemore, and many more. This hit making session however was for Simmons Titan.
We enlisted the help of Don Gunn to engineer and mix the Titan session. Don has mixed for Soundgarden, Peter Frampton, King Crimson, Death Cab for Cutie, to name a few, so he knows a thing or two about that dream drum sound.
The Drum Sets
There is no singular secret to a great drum tone, it is the combination of the drums, the drummer, the mics, mic placement, the engineer and a dozen other small but important things. For this Simmons session we brought it all together to pack each Titan set with hit making drum sounds. Check out a few of the drum sets:
Heavy Rock
Inspired by the sound of Foo Fighters and John Bonham, we recorded a Tama Imperialstar from the ‘70s and mixed it to sound big and solid enough to cut through stacks of guitars.
Snare: Ludwig Chrome-Over-Brass 14″ x 6.5″
Modern Pop
Current chart-topping hits inspired this fun to play set. The short, punchy toms in the style of Vinnie Colaiuta and other hit makers were captured on a Tama Superstar Classic Maple kit.
Snare: Blackwood Custom Copper
Metallic
Our tribute to Metallica’s Black Album and the lasting impact it has had on the sound of rock. The kit used for this sound was a Gretsch Broadcaster kit similar to the one used on those sessions. Don Gunn mixed this sound to deliver an energy similar to hits like Enter Sandman.
Snare: Gretsch Bell Brass snare, 14″ x 6.5″
Americana
Perfect for Country or authentic, dry-sounding music, the Americana set has a rootsy feel. We started with a Ludwig 3-ply Maple kit from 1974 and recorded it through a ‘70s Neve console for the perfect presence and warmth.
Snare: Jenkins Martin Fiberglass
Cymbals
Cymbals captured during the sessions include modern and vintage examples from companies like Istanbul, Zildjian, and Paiste.
Hi-hats
Our hi hats include samples closed, mid open, and open for expressive playing, and the module smoothly interpolates between all three.
Electronics
Many of the classic electronic kits were sampled from vintage Simmons electronics by Dave Simmons himself.
Hear some of the historic sounds included with the Titan 50
SDSV (1981)
Complementing its futuristic appearance, the SDSV relied on slotted cards populated with analog circuits, SSM2044 filtered waveforms, noise generators and sampled cymbal tones to deliver a truly unique sounding drum kit.
Its huge thumping kicks, cutting snares, sweeping cymbals and signature “thuuummm thuuummm” toms took the ‘80s by storm.
Artists like Duran Duran, Howard Jones, Saga, Wang Chung and many others used this first-ever modular drum synth to help define their music.
HEAR THE SDSV (1981)
SDS7 (1983)
This modular powerhouse relied on analog synthesis circuitry distributed across individual cards to produce sounds similar to the SDSV. With an added 8-bit digital platform, it allowed interchangeable EPROM-based samples to be triggered, modulated and mixed with the analog elements. The blend of crunchy digital and warm analog could also be modulated and blended with metallic tones to give the SDS7 a distinct sonic signature.
Heard in countless live and recorded works of bands like Yello, Genesis, INXS, Propaganda, Pink Floyd and others, the variety of SDS7 sounds offered in the Simmons Signature Library can be used to complement all genres of music.
HEAR THE SDS7 (1983)
The Nails Kit
The Simmons sound library offers a collection of heavily processed sub-thumping kicks, dark and murky toms, clanking metals, oversaturated vocal effects and everything in between.
The Hip Hop Kit
We also offer sounds derived from vintage and modern drum machines, vocal production and turntable scratch techniques.
This kit offers up some of the best and most popular sounds heard in Pop, Rap, Hip Hop and Soul.
The Techno Kit
Along with this we created booming synthetic kicks, toms and paper-thin snares are matched with wispy cymbals and crystalline hi-hats to produce the ultimate groove box.
As the name suggests, use it to drive Hip Hop, Rap or any mid- to down-tempo beats.
The Nails Kit
The Simmons sound library offers a collection of heavily processed sub-thumping kicks, dark and murky toms, clanking metals, oversaturated vocal effects and everything in between.
The Hip Hop Kit
We also offer sounds derived from vintage and modern drum machines, vocal production and turntable scratch techniques.
This kit offers up some of the best and most popular sounds heard in Pop, Rap, Hip Hop and Soul.
The Techno Kit
Along with this we created booming synthetic kicks, toms and paper-thin snares are matched with wispy cymbals and crystalline hi-hats to produce the ultimate groove box.
As the name suggests, use it to drive Hip Hop, Rap or any mid- to down-tempo beats.
HEAR THEM
Titan Tones
While the great drum sounds started in Seattle, it took a lot to get them into that Titan sound module and have them accessible to you whenever you want them. The details of this process going from studio sound to instantly accessible sounds is where the Simmons Titan further excels.
Full-length Samples
Titan toms and cymbals ring out naturally instead of being cut off. A quality over quantity mindset allowed us to use longer samples that sound natural because they are.
Room Ambience
A great sounding room is part of the special album-quality drum sound, with Titan you get that. Nearly all acoustic drum sounds are recorded in stereo with room ambience – even the cymbals and hi hats.
Multiple Samples
We use multiple samples from soft to loud to capture the natural sound of the drum and multiply your dynamics. By using multiple samples and round-robin recording techniques along with some innovative DSP technology on the Titan snare drums your rolls will sound great with none of that unnatural “machine gun” effect so common on other electronic drum sets.
Titan Tones
While the great drum sounds started in Seattle, it took a lot to get them into that Titan sound module and have them accessible to you whenever you want them. The details of this process going from studio sound to instantly accessible sounds is where the Simmons Titan further excels.
Full-length Samples
Titan toms and cymbals ring out naturally instead of being cut off. A quality over quantity mindset allowed us to use longer samples that sound natural because they are.
Room Ambience
A great sounding room is part of the special album-quality drum sound, with Titan you get that. Nearly all acoustic drum sounds are recorded in stereo with room ambience – even the cymbals and hi hats.
Multiple Samples
We use multiple samples from soft to loud to capture the natural sound of the drum and multiply your dynamics. By using multiple samples and round-robin recording techniques along with some innovative DSP technology on the Titan snare drums your rolls will sound great with none of that unnatural “machine gun” effect so common on other electronic drum sets.
TITAN 50
The feel, size and sound of real drums
Great-feeling mesh head equipped full-sized pads, outstanding drum sounds and the latest in e-drum technology to perfect playing, practice and recording.
Discover Titan Packs
Update your Titan 50 kit as needed to always have the right sound for your needs today.
Learn more about our downloadable Titan Pack alternate sound packs.