![steven slate drums 4 pro tools issues steven slate drums 4 pro tools issues](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DxdLUEkrHFs/maxresdefault.jpg)
Sitting at the heart of the Dragon, a four-position Saturation knob allows for adjustable amounts of pleasing (that's an understatement) overdrive this knob is one of the crucial adjustments for dialing in character. Vintage, schmintage, who cares? With one flip of a switch, the whole game changes, and you have another set of sounds. Slate says that the switch engages a different output board, and it does change what's going on pretty drastically. In certain situations, notably drums, engaging this switch increased the amount of compression, affected release time, and brought the midrange forward.
![steven slate drums 4 pro tools issues steven slate drums 4 pro tools issues](https://media.sweetwater.com/api/i/ha-4ff8a1198d8a5d53__hmac-caa4820b447e40575fcfa92ad17532b6cc410a89/images/items/750/SSDrumsEXSp-e-large.jpg)
There's a Vintage switch that changes the way the whole unit reacts and is a bit harder to qualify. The detection circuit has an adjustable six-position high-pass filter on it, helping kick drums pass through, but also great for adding weight to acoustic guitars. Highly recommended to try, it was like catsup or BBQ sauce - good on everything. It was my favorite at 2:1, boosting the level quite a bit but riding the waveform in a manner that brought out loads of detail on a drum bus, shimmer on acoustic guitars, and a pleasing buzz to electric guitars. A switch labeled Squash is the classic "all buttons in" feature with a twist it can be engaged at any ratio. There are input and output level controls variable attack and release controls and a six-position knob with all the classic 1176 ratios.
![steven slate drums 4 pro tools issues steven slate drums 4 pro tools issues](https://www.jrrshop.com/media/catalog/product/s/t/stevenslatedrums5.jpg)
![steven slate drums 4 pro tools issues steven slate drums 4 pro tools issues](https://dawfreak.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/image3.png)
When you start to dial in heavier levels of compression and saturation, an amazing amount of sonic flexibility is at play. This box sounds great, and with all those switches and knobs, the available tone options are staggering. I think it's because everything here does something and does it really, really well. I was able to navigate it all pretty easily on the first day, even though some of the options really color the sound. The Dragon manages to combine what would be a great sounding straightforward FET compressor on any level with a control set that drastically changes the overall characteristics of the unit quickly, without making the experience too confusing.
#STEVEN SLATE DRUMS 4 PRO TOOLS ISSUES FULL#
Too little, and the designer misses the full range of capability from the circuitry. Too many bells and whistles, and the user is lost in minutia, and the workflow suffers. The desire to have a box do "everything" while offering a sane number of controls is a tricky balance. The only thing better than a Dragon would be two of them. Slate set me up with two units so I could try them in stereo, and that was a smart move. It sounds great on anything and everything. This is way more than a drum box and definitely dialed in by dudes serious about their compression coloration. Made entirely in the USA in Wisconsin and Los Angeles, the Dragon is designed around his love of old FET compressors and a serious long-term relationship with another more modern compressor known for its distortion. The Dragon Dynamics Processor is the first offering from his new hardware company, Slate Pro Audio. All kinds of drums - big ones, small ones, drums up close, drums far away. If you've heard of Steven Slate and his sample libraries, you're aware of one thing Steven Slate loves drums.