super interesting comparison I see much more scope in the blackbird samples for doing cool things than with CLA A cheese analogy: If CLA is easy cheese - in a can, then Blackbird is a blue brie that needs a few more days in the fridge
I think it's Interesting that the cla sounds more processed because he is of course primarily a mixing engineer, although he is also a formidable recording engineer, he has spent a lot of his career being a go to mixer and defining the art form of mixing itself, blackbird is a studio, so the pack is more focused on the raw studio sound that you can make your own. Both are excellent, I prefer less processed personally and I think the passion that blackbird has for drums really shown through on this. The possibilities with this pack are really quite awesome.
Very interesting comparison, thanks for sharing! I personally prefer SLA because I just love those "snappy" snares. But I understand your conclusions, make sense. Thanks again.
Thank you for putting this comparison together. I'm not sure if it really cleared it up for me, because i love them both. I think I'll just have to get both. I see what you're saying by having similar sounds to CLA if you already have Terry Date... But man... THE TOMS on CLA are what I really want. I love some of the snares on CLA too. But the warmth and versatility in Blackbird is a must have too. So that settles it... I have to get them both now. LOL!
+Jason Ozant (Beats By Jay) Well, you should hurry up, the sale ends this sunday, I guess. Would definitely like to see you do a drum cover with this warm und rich samples that Blackbird provides. Maybe some smooth blues/rock style.
Nice job on the comparisons. I'm already recording with a DW kit with several Ludwig & Rogers snare drums and would love to have some Gretch, so the Blackbird seems the way to go!
I agree with your conclusion and I'm glad to hear that you thought that CLA sounds pretty similar to SS, that's why I chose not to purchase it. However in your comparison, I heard sounds from CLA that I hadn't heard that I liked (SS provides demos on their website of whole kits which pretty much sounded similar to each other. Thanks so much for doing such a thorough job of analyzing the 2 programs. I have Blackbird and I'm very happy with it, and again, from your demo here I saw things I didn't realize were part of this package, such as View Instruments - I've never used it, so I'm going to check it out. Keep drumming and I subbed to channel and hope to listen to many of your videos.
+rhythmantic - Sal D'Amato Well, the purpose of this video was showing the difference between Blackbird and CLA, because I've noticed there were some ongoing discussions on the internet. And as I said, I am happy to have both. ;) Whenever I don't really know which sample library to choose, I end up using CLA. There's almost no style that these samples do not fit. As you may have seen within my playlist, I used them covering some rock tunes (Cranberries), some blues (Michael Bublé) and some hard rock (Metallica). And though they may sound similar to some of the core samples from Steven Slate, but, to be honest, in the end CLA sound better, fatter, warmer ... it's just the overall impression. Especially the snares and the kicks are great for mixing, because they were recorded so well. And thanks for subscribing. That's a huge motivation to get better.
It is remarkable to me how someone can hear the same video audio and have such a different feeling about what is great. Having recorded in Ocean Way, and done work with Blackbird... I can say without a doubt Blackbird is A+ stuff. They are the best... However... I'm a huge fan of CLA... The punch & tone in his stuff is just as amazing as the Blackbird sound "Just for different reasons" I might be wrong, but for me... Blackbird was the right choice for what we were recording and mixing at the time... CLA is a punchy amazing massive crisp sound over all. I'm feeling like you can do no wrong with either. For me, either way you would find use for both... and I believe the smack & tone is unbelievable on both libraries. Certainly a great way to go if you can't afford to record an album at Blackbird or have CLA mix you. Actually I'm thinking even if you could afford it, I'd still own these! Seriously... you have world class at your fingertips!
Hey Will, thanks for your comment. I have to agree, both have their pros and cons. If I HAD to pick one of them, I'd probably go for Blackbird though. The level of detail in the sound is amazing. CLA works almost every time for straight radio-rock tunes, but that's what it was meant to do, I guess. :)
@@MikeLuke I 100% agree. Well, at Blackbird they not only have a collection of the best everything known to man for making an amazing recording... This sample library is very elaborate in variety and punch. They truly nailed it. John won't put his name on anything he feels is less than the best his studio offers. He is a super nice guy that knows his business. Anyway... Lol. But CLA... Gotta be honest the pack they offer is a few levels up from the standard SSD libraries. But you certainly can tell Steven Slate is very influenced by CLA even in his work. Anyway, nice chatting with ya. Great video & examples of what it truly sounds like.
Bit of advice from experience. When you've had to mix tracks that don't work you quickly learn what a certain instrument should sound like going in. This is something I picked up as a mix engineer, perfecting my ability to know when a track is good enough before you hit the record button. In CLAs case, he's probably had situations where drums sounded great, and could be mixed well with little struggle. On the other hand, if you've got tracks that were poorly recorded it is hell to make them fit into a mix properly. Reamping things because they don't have nearly as much thickness as they should. So.... CLA probably has a natural ear for tracking properly.
hi , i recently bought the blackbird expansion and thought its great, but i cant get the thick tight sound from the presets and i don't know about mixing, i noticed that you are covering songs with blackbird and it sounds so gd, do you mind to share how you mix ur drums?
Hi Rick, I'm not sure anymore if I even added reverb on that or if it's just the compressed room sound from the CLA drums. I think I did just some processing on the drum bus.
So are the Cla drums processed and the Blackbird unprocessed? That's how it sounds anyhow. Was going to get an expansion pack and would prefer something less processed.
Yes, Blackbird is definitely more raw than the CLA samples. The room mics are more natural and versatile as well. CLA is great for punchy rock and pop drums. Blackbird can be mixed for nearly every genre.
Hi, thanks for watching. Blackbird is versatile enough to fit for many styles: from rock to pop, country, folk or blues. It all depends on how you mix the samples, because they are pretty raw and unprocessed.
You're welcome. You don't need to learn to mix samples, just look for some tutorials on how to mix drums - because it's actually the same. There are tons of good videos here on RUclips. If you have further questions, please let me know.
CLA has the attack I love on all those drums! The snares... love those. But the toms.. damn. I know what I am getting. thank you!
super interesting comparison
I see much more scope in the blackbird samples for doing cool things than with CLA
A cheese analogy:
If CLA is easy cheese - in a can, then Blackbird is a blue brie that needs a few more days in the fridge
I think it's Interesting that the cla sounds more processed because he is of course primarily a mixing engineer, although he is also a formidable recording engineer, he has spent a lot of his career being a go to mixer and defining the art form of mixing itself, blackbird is a studio, so the pack is more focused on the raw studio sound that you can make your own. Both are excellent, I prefer less processed personally and I think the passion that blackbird has for drums really shown through on this. The possibilities with this pack are really quite awesome.
They sound awesome, I would even say they sound a bit better than EZD2 sounds.
Very interesting comparison, thanks for sharing! I personally prefer SLA because I just love those "snappy" snares. But I understand your conclusions, make sense. Thanks again.
Thank you for putting this comparison together. I'm not sure if it really cleared it up for me, because i love them both. I think I'll just have to get both. I see what you're saying by having similar sounds to CLA if you already have Terry Date... But man... THE TOMS on CLA are what I really want. I love some of the snares on CLA too. But the warmth and versatility in Blackbird is a must have too. So that settles it... I have to get them both now. LOL!
+Jason Ozant (Beats By Jay) Well, you should hurry up, the sale ends this sunday, I guess. Would definitely like to see you do a drum cover with this warm und rich samples that Blackbird provides. Maybe some smooth blues/rock style.
Nice job on the comparisons. I'm already recording with a DW kit with several Ludwig & Rogers snare drums and would love to have some Gretch, so the Blackbird seems the way to go!
+Charlie Glasgow Thanks for watching! Yeah, Blackbird is really unique, but versatile enough. And the Gretsch kicks are awesome.
I agree with your conclusion and I'm glad to hear that you thought that CLA sounds pretty similar to SS, that's why I chose not to purchase it. However in your comparison, I heard sounds from CLA that I hadn't heard that I liked (SS provides demos on their website of whole kits which pretty much sounded similar to each other.
Thanks so much for doing such a thorough job of analyzing the 2 programs. I have Blackbird and I'm very happy with it, and again, from your demo here I saw things I didn't realize were part of this package, such as View Instruments - I've never used it, so I'm going to check it out.
Keep drumming and I subbed to channel and hope to listen to many of your videos.
+rhythmantic - Sal D'Amato Well, the purpose of this video was showing the difference between Blackbird and CLA, because I've noticed there were some ongoing discussions on the internet. And as I said, I am happy to have both. ;) Whenever I don't really know which sample library to choose, I end up using CLA. There's almost no style that these samples do not fit. As you may have seen within my playlist, I used them covering some rock tunes (Cranberries), some blues (Michael Bublé) and some hard rock (Metallica).
And though they may sound similar to some of the core samples from Steven Slate, but, to be honest, in the end CLA sound better, fatter, warmer ... it's just the overall impression. Especially the snares and the kicks are great for mixing, because they were recorded so well.
And thanks for subscribing. That's a huge motivation to get better.
Superb Explanation and Comparison.Thank you.
Thanks a lot Paul.
@@MikeLuke By the way,since added Blackbird on your recommendation.
It is remarkable to me how someone can hear the same video audio and have such a different feeling about what is great. Having recorded in Ocean Way, and done work with Blackbird... I can say without a doubt Blackbird is A+ stuff. They are the best... However... I'm a huge fan of CLA... The punch & tone in his stuff is just as amazing as the Blackbird sound "Just for different reasons" I might be wrong, but for me... Blackbird was the right choice for what we were recording and mixing at the time... CLA is a punchy amazing massive crisp sound over all. I'm feeling like you can do no wrong with either. For me, either way you would find use for both... and I believe the smack & tone is unbelievable on both libraries. Certainly a great way to go if you can't afford to record an album at Blackbird or have CLA mix you. Actually I'm thinking even if you could afford it, I'd still own these! Seriously... you have world class at your fingertips!
Hey Will, thanks for your comment. I have to agree, both have their pros and cons. If I HAD to pick one of them, I'd probably go for Blackbird though. The level of detail in the sound is amazing. CLA works almost every time for straight radio-rock tunes, but that's what it was meant to do, I guess. :)
@@MikeLuke I 100% agree. Well, at Blackbird they not only have a collection of the best everything known to man for making an amazing recording... This sample library is very elaborate in variety and punch. They truly nailed it. John won't put his name on anything he feels is less than the best his studio offers. He is a super nice guy that knows his business. Anyway... Lol. But CLA... Gotta be honest the pack they offer is a few levels up from the standard SSD libraries. But you certainly can tell Steven Slate is very influenced by CLA even in his work. Anyway, nice chatting with ya. Great video & examples of what it truly sounds like.
Bit of advice from experience. When you've had to mix tracks that don't work you quickly learn what a certain instrument should sound like going in. This is something I picked up as a mix engineer, perfecting my ability to know when a track is good enough before you hit the record button. In CLAs case, he's probably had situations where drums sounded great, and could be mixed well with little struggle. On the other hand, if you've got tracks that were poorly recorded it is hell to make them fit into a mix properly. Reamping things because they don't have nearly as much thickness as they should. So.... CLA probably has a natural ear for tracking properly.
Thanks! You just saved me some money.
Which expansion packs are better for alternative rock?
hi , i recently bought the blackbird expansion and thought its great, but i cant get the thick tight sound from the presets and i don't know about mixing, i noticed that you are covering songs with blackbird and it sounds so gd, do you mind to share how you mix ur drums?
+shao ming chan Hi, thanks for your comment. Yes, I will do a video how I mix my cover songs really soon. Stay tuned!
is the blackbird expnasion pack stil used by you and do u think isit still useful ?
Yes, I still use it every now and then. For me it’s still the best sounding expansion for Steven Slate Drums.
@@MikeLuke thanks Mike ...
And that is why CLA is one of (if not the) best mixer in the world! The sound comparison is night and day.
Hi Chazz, thanks for watching. Yeah, the CLA samples are stunning, but I dig the Blackbird ones as well. Really depends on the mix, for sure.
Hi did you do additional processing on the CLA drums featured in the into and outro beyond just a reverb? Sounds amazing!
Hi Rick, I'm not sure anymore if I even added reverb on that or if it's just the compressed room sound from the CLA drums. I think I did just some processing on the drum bus.
So are the Cla drums processed and the Blackbird unprocessed? That's how it sounds anyhow.
Was going to get an expansion pack and would prefer something less processed.
Yes, Blackbird is definitely more raw than the CLA samples. The room mics are more natural and versatile as well. CLA is great for punchy rock and pop drums. Blackbird can be mixed for nearly every genre.
Great, thanks
the blackbird expansion is for rock music or for other music styles?
Hi, thanks for watching. Blackbird is versatile enough to fit for many styles: from rock to pop, country, folk or blues. It all depends on how you mix the samples, because they are pretty raw and unprocessed.
Mike Luke thanks for the answer, I'll have to learn how to mix the samples, because I do not know how to do that.
You're welcome. You don't need to learn to mix samples, just look for some tutorials on how to mix drums - because it's actually the same. There are tons of good videos here on RUclips. If you have further questions, please let me know.
Add Drums2 is very great !!!!
which would be better for metal mix?
Utshorgo The Band The CLA pack, without a doubt.
Out of these two, yeah the CLA... but the Terry Date or David Bendeth are better for metal. Check them out
terry date for me for sure :) sounds really awesome
Thx!!!
A lot of the blackbird stuff sounds awful.
CLA is the most overrated producer of all time. He is actually quite average even among nobody's
Has he hurt your feelings in the past, cause it kinda sounds like it.