Black Widow Drums
Key Features
- Gretsch Black Widow drum kit captured with a Rode NT-SF1 ambisonic overhead, Blue Kick Ball, and three Shure SM57 microphones for detailed multi-mic recordings
- Ambisonicmono mixer strips combining 360-degree B-Format spatial fields with close proximity microphones, offering per-instrument azimuth, elevation, and width controls
- Impulse response-based room modeling that generates authentic acoustic spaces from transfer function calculations rather than raw multi-channel recordings
- Per-channel processing chain with 4-band parametric EQ, dynamics (compressor/limiter), and tube saturation on every mixer strip
- Parallel compression bus and spatial effects bus with convolution reverb and delay for New York-style punch and ambient depth
- XML-based instrument architecture that is fully portable and editable without requiring source code changes or recompilation
- Mute group support for exclusive sound triggering and ADSR envelope control with velocity-to-gain scaling for expressive dynamics
Description
Black Widow Drums is the first published drum sampler built on FxmeSampler, a JUCE-based sampling platform with advanced spatial audio processing. It captures a Gretsch Black Widow drum kit featuring kick, snare, two toms, and a complete cymbal set, recorded through a custom microphone array including a Rode NT-SF1 first-order ambisonic overhead, a Blue Kick Ball on kick, and three Shure SM57s on snare and toms.
The spatial architecture sets it apart from conventional drum samplers. Each drum channel uses an ambisonicmono strip that combines the 360-degree B-Format overhead field with a close proximity microphone, giving you independent azimuth, elevation, and width controls per instrument.
Rather than embedding raw multi-channel room recordings, the plugin calculates transfer functions between the omnidirectional ambisonic component and physical room microphones. These generated impulse responses deliver authentic room character while keeping the total file size under 220 MB.
Every mixer strip includes a dedicated processing chain with a 4-band parametric EQ, dynamics (compressor/limiter), and tube saturation. A parallel compression bus handles New York-style drum punch, while a spatial effects bus adds convolution reverb and delay for depth and atmosphere.
The entire instrument architecture is defined by an XML configuration file, making it fully portable and editable without recompiling. Mute groups handle exclusive triggering for open and closed hi-hat pairs, and velocity-to-gain scaling preserves dynamic expression across the full MIDI range.
Video Preview
Frequently Asked Questions
What microphones were used to record the Black Widow Drums samples?
The kit was captured with a Rode NT-SF1 first-order ambisonic microphone as the overhead (providing 360-degree spatial capture), a Blue Kick Ball on the kick drum, and three Shure SM57 dynamic microphones on the snare and toms. This combination gives you both spatial room information and tight close-mic detail.
How does the ambisonic processing in Black Widow Drums work?
Each drum uses an ambisonicmono mixer strip that blends a four-channel B-Format overhead field with a single proximity microphone channel. You can adjust the azimuth, elevation, and width of each drum's overhead perspective independently, giving you spatial sculpting capabilities not found in traditional drum samplers.
Can I customize the mixing and effects processing?
Yes. Every mixer strip includes a 4-band parametric EQ, dynamics processing (compressor/limiter), and tube saturation. There are also two auxiliary buses: a parallel compression bus for aggressive drum punch and a spatial effects bus with convolution reverb and delay for room depth and ambience.
Does Black Widow Drums work on macOS?
Not currently. Version 0.1 provides binaries only for Windows and Linux in VST3 format. The underlying FxmeSampler platform is built on JUCE, which supports macOS, so a future macOS build is technically possible but has not been released yet.
