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sam_trino · Junior Jammer Joined: 26 May 2016 Posts: 8

Hi, since I can’t seem to demo Jamstix on a Mac, I’m looking for opinions about Jamstix Studio bundle. Do you think it’s worth the price for the extra content (especially Jamcussion)? Thanks!

shadowfax_ · Grand Master Jam Joined: 10 Jul 2012 Posts: 242

Of course it's worth the price... Smile

jas_lan · Rayzoon Beta Team Joined: 16 Mar 2011 Posts: 676

With the sale going on right now, in my opinion, it is an absolutely great deal (all of it but particularly the Studio bundle that is). The software has a learning curve, so just be prepared for that. I have been using it for years. I own Komplete Ultimate and Steinberg Absolute which both come with tons of drum modules and cost many times more but I rarely use them at all. Jamstix is my drum module of choice. Honestly, it is the one piece of software that has no direct competition. Other drum modules mostly just play drum sounds but Jamstix writes drum parts. Groove Agent is starting to "dabble" in the adjustable "style" concept (and I think something in Logic also does this) but they don't come close to the level of control available in Jamstix. Again, that power and control comes with some level of learning but it is invaluable for drum part creation.
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sam_trino · Junior Jammer Joined: 26 May 2016 Posts: 8

Thanks! that's helpful. I have no problem spending the time to learn it and dig into the various options if I can get more "natural" results...

For context, I've been using Logic's drummer quite a bit, it can produce some very convincing drum tracks (transitions, fills, groove, etc.) and it's super easy to use, but as you pointed out it has some limitations (after using it for a while you can discern the various underlying patterns it uses).

From what I could gather on this site and others, I'd expect Jamstix to offer more variations and flexibility with tremendous customization options, while retaining as much as possible a "live" and natural feel... At the current special price I'll portably just jump in and get the Studio version...

non_drummer · Jam Meister Joined: 30 Nov 2012 Posts: 82

I bought the full JS 4 Studio version a few days ago. I've been following the program for years but never followed through and actually bought it. Once I committed to that, I couldn't see getting just the most basic version because I knew at some point down the line I'd want to know what I was missing with the expansion packs. The Studio version is *by far* the best value, and at half price for the holidays it was pretty much a no brainer.

The only things I didn't buy were the Minipaks, but it'll be a long time before I'm ready for what they add to the program, so I can always pick them up some December in the future.

d_steinschneider · Jam Meister Joined: 13 Feb 2017 Posts: 78

I bought JamStix Standard and over a year and a half have added everything but MetalPak and the MiniPaks (bought Breakbeat though). Neil is the only rock drummer missing (I think of Rush as prog rock)

I play R&B, funk, rock, soul and singer/songwriter type pop. I just bought the BonzoPak during the 2018 holiday sale and have used it for bass practice sessions. It's my favorite of the all the "Paks", John is the most natural drummer in my opinion. Right out of the box he mostly does what I expect. The Bonzo kits sound great also. I used to pipe Jamstix 3 into Superior Drums 2 but now prefer the sound and simplicity of using JS4 drum kits.

Agree that Jamstix Studio on sale right now is a no brainer. When I first bought Jamstix I wasn't sure it was going to work for me because I was trying to get it to mimic the drumming of covers my band was working on. Picking drummer Charlie, Style Basic Rock and creating a song structure that matches Mother's Little Helper didn't work out like I expected. I have since learned that if I have a midi drum track for the cover or create the basic groove of the song and import it into Jamstix it does a good job at that point for covers. A good example of this is Oasis "Live Forever". I imported a two bar midi file of the basic groove and then built the song from there.

I used to program in drum parts on a grid, then I learned to play parts in using a piano keyboard. The first is tedious and robotic sounding (studio wizards excepted), the second is hard to do well beyond basic grooves . I then started using midi parts but that gets old and sounds boring unless you spend a lot of time doing hand edits for the song. Jamstix is a little overwhelming at first (what musical instrument isn't?) but once you spend time learning what all the controls in Groove and Fill sections and how the song sheet works you are better off than the "traditional" methods above.