Has anyone checked out Battery?

[malabarmusic]

Battery, the drum sampling software, that is. I'm not sure if something like this would make it easier for a non-drummer to create loops and tracks (easier than in recording software a la PT, DP, etc.) or if the extra features would turn it into a nightmare. Any thoughts?

Here's the Battery info (http://www.nativeinstruments.de/index.php?battery_us) for those interested.

- DB

[art420guitar]

i use it in cubase SX and it rocks. i don't have a midi controller so i use the mouse with it and click the beats in, instead of going in and placing the dots in the midi map/editor, which sounds too stiff to me.

[matte]

Another HUGE fan of Battery. In fact, I'm rocking the entire NI Komplete bundle for OSX and it's remarkable!

[sws1]

I've read about this in the past, but I still don't get it.

Is it a sampler? How do you use it? Do the drum samples come with it? Are they real acoustic kits? Multi-velocity?

Does it respond to Midi?

[Bassomatic]

Originally posted by sws1
I've read about this in the past, but I still don't get it.

Is it a sampler? How do you use it? Do the drum samples come with it? Are they real acoustic kits? Multi-velocity?

Does it respond to Midi?

As splatt and matte point out, i believe the charm is all about the quality/hookiness/elegance of the interface, augmented by the killer sounds out of the box. Think of a killer drum machine (or MPC wha-have-you) on steroids, and you begin to get the picture.

[MichaelK]

I've never used Battery but what I've heard from it sounds sweet as all get-out. I use another NI product, B4, and I love it. The only problem with NI is their customer support... as I recall from a few months back, have no English language support beyond FAQs. Though that may have changed recently.

[MichaelK]

Originally posted by splatt
NI has had english language support lines in both berlin & southern cali, for years, without interruption
Yes, I see the numbers listed on the "company info" page. I had used the "online support form," got only a form page in German, filled it out the best I could but got no response.