Toontrack – The Drum Factory SDX

For Sylvia Massy, there’s nothing that stops her from running sound through a garden hose, turning an old rotary phone into a microphone, or using guitar pickups as a secondary mic for recording drums. Everything she does has a playful edge, adding a unique character that makes every sound unmistakably her own. 

This fearless curiosity has made her one of the most prominent sound engineers in modern recording, earning acclaim across a wide range of genres and working with artists such as Tool and System of a Down, Johnny Cash, and Jason Isbell. For this project, she brought that same boundless creativity to the South of France—and one of its most legendary studios—to create her best expansion yet for Superior Drummer 3. Expect the unexpected.

Tucked away at the end of a country road in the countryside of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a former 19th-century silk mill houses one of Europe’s most iconic studios, La Fabrique. Inside, creaking doors open onto labyrinthine corridors, and each room you enter is furnished with an eclectic mix of furniture and fixtures, spanning vintage and contemporary styles.

The studio features four unique spaces, each paired with carefully selected drum kits. An eight-volume octoban kit was recorded in a vast, dark room measuring 100 square meters with a 10-meter ceiling. Surrounded by century-old stone walls, this space produces a powerful sound—perfect for loud rock and metal. 

In the more intimate library, two unusual vintage 1960s models with eccentric, space-age-style cabinets were recorded—both sound as bold as they look. The next location—a 33 by 10-meter room with a six-meter ceiling—offers another spacious, reverberant environment. Here, a wooden ceiling and heavy curtains diffuse reflections off the stone walls, creating an atmosphere that beautifully contrasts with the dark room. 

Finally, in the fourth room, two kits from the 2000s were sampled. The sound in this room, built entirely of 12th-century stone, has a natural, incomparable reverberation, reminiscent of a hall.

Sylvia is said to have once thrown a guitar and amp off a cliff to capture the impact, feedback, and noise it made. No drums were harmed during the recording of this SDX, but rest assured, with Sylvia at the helm, there are no ordinary sounds on the setlist. It’s an experience not just to hear but to experience. If you’re ready to unleash your creativity, welcome to Sylvia’s world!