Native Instruments today released Drum Lab, an “advanced drum layering instrument” with an intuitive workflow designed for fast results for use with their Kontakt 5 Player (included in free Komplete Players), or Kontakt 5.

Drum Lab combines acoustic and electronic drum samples with a “groove library” of over 900 patterns for fast groove production.

Drum Lab creates a hybridized layering technique from the combination of the organic sound of acoustic drums with the weight and punch of electronic samples. Drum Lab’s acoustic layer is made up of 38 individual drums, each recorded in three different rooms with high-end vintage and modern equipment on analog tape. For Drum Lab’s electronic component 380 drum hits were sampled from a range of classic and modern drum machines, then matched, phase aligned, faded, and pitched to blend with the acoustic drum samples.

Drum Lab’s interface provides all sound-shaping controls (TRANSIENT MASTER, SOLID EQ, G COMP, an optimized drum compressor, and a rich convolution reverb) directly on the front panel. Producers can choose individual acoustic and electronic layers, blend them via slider, and adjust details with some of Native Instruments’ studio effects listed above. Drum Lab also integrates perfectly with Native Instruments’ Maschine for the ultimate in hybrid drum groove production.

Feeling Groovy. Drum Lab also delivers some authentic grooves. A new set of patterns were recorded by a professional drummer, then converted to MIDI files and arranged by genre in Drum Lab’s groove library. Users can drag-and-drop these patterns into their sessions, using the software’s unique visual display to line up grooves in their tracks for added visual reference when creating beats.

You can hear a Drum Lab demo track here.

Pricing and Availability. Native Instruments’ Drum Lab is available now from the NI Online Shop for $99 / 99 Euro / ¥ 9800. More information about Drum Lab is available at the Native Instruments website.