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User guide

Urban Drums

Urban Drums is a drum kit mixed from various elements, mixed with synthesized drums samples.

acousticsamples.net/urbandrums October 2026
01

Overview

ACOUSTIC MEETS SYNTH

Urban Drums is a drum kit mixed from various elements - a 20" Yamaha bass drum, a 13" Tama Metalworks piccolo snare, 12" and 16" toms, two 14" Zildjian crashes, a 13" Paiste hihat and a 20" Zildjian jazz ride - blended with synthesized drum samples.

Each element was recorded with 3 microphone positions plus its synth layer: around 2014 samples, up to 20 velocity layers and 4 round robins per element.

02

Interface

Default interface
Default interface
Settings
Settings
03

Features

A synth layer on every drum

Every acoustic drum comes with a synthesized sample alongside its three microphones, so you can push the kit from natural to electronic, element by element.

The snare has 4 different hit positions plus an auto roll script, and the hihat has 5 levels of openness, triggered from one key by any controller, with an automatic closing sound.

Mix mics and synth

Mix mics and synth

The default interface is a mixer for every channel: overhead, up and down microphones plus the synth sample for each drum, each with its own pan, volume and mute.

Click a drum on the picture to jump to it, or start from one of the presets. Stereo and multi-output versions are included for mixing in your DAW.

More about this

Mixer

Channels: ovh, up, down and synth for each drum (fewer on the cymbals), each with pan, volume and mute.

Select from the picture: click the drums on the interface to choose what you are adjusting.

Presets: a set of presets is available from the menu above the mixer.

Settings

Settings

The settings panel changes most aspects of the library. Pick a mapping preset for your e-kit or MIDI files, or remap any element to any key with MIDI Learn.

From the same panel you set the hihat controller, mono or stereo overheads, the velocity sensitivity and the amount of reverb. Right hand and left hand mappings keep it playable from a keyboard.

More about this

Settings

Mapping presets: presets for the most popular drum formats (GM, V-Drums, IMAP, NSKIT) plus the default one, or build your own.

MIDI Learn: press the key of the element you want to move, click MIDI Learn, then press the target key.

Hihat controller: the hihat is played from one key (C#2 by default) and the sample depends on the value of the chosen controller, just like a real hihat. The controller can be inverted.

Overheads: sets the overhead microphone position to mono or stereo.

Sensitivity: sets the minimum volume for velocity 1, from a narrow to the full dynamic range.

Reverb: the amount of convolution reverb applied to the whole kit.

04

Technical specifications

1.83Gb uncompressed, 816Mb compressed in lossless flac format, around 2014 samples.
3 microphone positions plus synthesized samples for each drum that you can mix and/or disable from the interface.
up to 20 velocity layers per element.
4 round robins for each element.
Custom mapping, you can assign every element to any key simply by pressing a key and assigning a sample.
Mappings presets: GM, V-DRUMS, IMAP, NSKIT (NDK) or default one.
Stereo and Multi-output versions to make the mixing possibilities even easier.
Hihat with 5 levels on openess and triggering from one key depending on a controller value (any controller) and automatic closing sound.
Playable instrument, right hand and left hand mappings.
Detailed snares, 4 different hit positions for the snare plus auto roll script.
Advanced UVI scripting giving you access to a simple yet powerfull interface and advanced features.

Sample player

VSTVST3AUAAXStandalone

Urban Drums plays in UVI Player (formerly UVI Workstation), UVI's free sample player. We provide it with every library you buy, so you don't need an expensive sampler to use our products. It works on Mac (macOS 10.14 or later, Intel or Apple silicon) and Windows (10 or later), standalone or as a plug-in (VST / VST3 / AU / AAX), in 64-bit only. More about it here.

Copy protection

We use the iLok system to protect our products and you can choose to register your license to your computer or to an iLok dongle. If you decide to use an iLok dongle, both V1 and V2 are compatible with our products. You can activate your license on up to 3 computers or iLok dongles at the same time and you can deactivate one and activate another as many times as you want.

Registration

Once your order is complete, you will be provided with a serial number. You will then be able to register it to your iLok account from our website on this page (you need to be logged in to access this page). The whole process is described in the FAQ (instructions + screencast).

05

Video tutorials