Useful drum tools are not always in the realm of drum hardware, nor are they always specifically made for drums. This month’s tool is computer software called the Amazing Slower Downer. As the name implies, it will slow down your mp3’s, CDs or .wav files so you can more easily transcribe parts. As you’ll find out, it also performs many other useful functions.

Vital Stats
What: The Amazing Slow Downer
On the web: http://www.ronimusic.com/
Available for: Mac and Windows computers
Cost: $44.95

Programmer Rolf Nilsson of Malmoe, Sweden created the software because, as a longtime musician, he wanted to create the ideal transcription tool. Sure there are some similar tools out there, but the sound quality and incredibly easy user interface set the Amazing Slow Downer apart from the others.

Let’s go through some of the features:

• Speed up or slow down music (mp3’s, wav files or from a CD) with or without a pitch change

• Save your changed music files for later use. If my band wants to change the key of a song we’re working on, I’ll adjust it in the software and save out a copy of the song in the new key.

• Loop parts of a song easily and precisely

• Create presets of songs that already have the speed, pitch and loop points so you can jump to them easily

• Use the built in equalizer to enhance the parts of the songs you want to hear. I use it to pump up the drum sounds so I can more easily hear what’s going on.

• Useful song history with the ability to sort songs by most recent, used most often, etc.

I use this software constantly to work out difficult drum parts, to practice along with songs at different speeds, to change the key of a song for my guitar player or singer and to EQ out as many of the sounds other than the drums as possible. The Amazing Slow Downer makes being a musician easier.