40's Very Own Drums

Native Instruments' collaboration with Noah "40" Shebib delivers a drum instrument grounded in the aesthetic that defined Toronto's sound across the last two decades. Rather than attempting to replicate 40's production wholesale, the plugin captures his core sonic philosophy: filtered, spatially aware drum sounds that sit comfortably in compressed, heavily processed mixes without sacrificing clarity or punch.

The instrument organizes 15 curated kits, each containing 16 one-shots sampled directly from 40's SOTA Studios. Every element - kicks, claps, hi-hats, percussion - carries his distinctive signature: crisp transients paired with controlled resonance, minimal tail, and a slightly softened high-frequency character that suggests careful analog processing or tape saturation. The groove patterns within each kit provide a starting point, though experienced producers will likely find greater utility in extracting individual samples via MIDI export for recontextualization.

The real technical centerpiece is the dedicated "40" macro, which applies a low-pass filtering and slight pitch modulation that evokes the submarine effect characteristic of his work with Drake and PartyNextDoor. This isn't gimmickry - it's a genuine production tool for flattening and softening drums within an already-dense mix. The additional effects suite handles basic processing needs competently, though the plugin's strength lies in its sample selection rather than its effects processing.

Best suited for producers working in trap, R&B, and hip-hop contexts, or those specifically seeking that Toronto-influenced aesthetic. Among drum tools, it occupies a defined niche rather than a generalist position, making it most valuable as a supplementary kit rather than a primary drum source.