Native Instruments (http://www.native-instruments.com) has introduced Abbey Road Modern Drums, a new instrument developed together with the British recording studios. Providing two high-end drum kits for use in the free Kontakt Player and the Kontakt 4 sampler, Abbey Road Modern Drums gives musicians and producers access to drum sounds for contemporary music production of any genre.

Abbey Road Modern Drums complements the previous 60s, 70s and 80s installments, and is based on two drum kits that are a staple of modern studio productions -- a Drum Workshop Collector’s Series "White Kit" and a Pearl Reference "Sparkle Kit." It's further expanded with various cymbals from Sabian and Zildjian, as well as three snare drum options each.

Abbey Road Modern Drums touts up to 27 velocity layers per instrument with over 40,000 overall samples. The user interface offers control over all articulation, sound shaping, mixing and routing functions. Randomization can add subtle nuances to the tone and timing to make it virtually indistinguishable from a studio-recorded drum performance.

Abbey Road Modern Drums is available for purchase in the NI Online Shop on DVD and as a download for US$119.