I use Steven Slate Drums EX..

I can't say that it has a "plethora" of beats, but they are very realistic and you can combine multiple snares, kicks, etc. to get a unique sound. You can also swap individual pieces out for new ones. Steven Slate also has a bunch of expansion packs if you feel limited in EX's basic library. One drawback to EX is that it doesn't come with a bunch of loops, so what I do is load EZDrummer into a track, put down a good loop that I like, then I pop in SSD EX.

For $100, you can't really get more realistic drum sounds.

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.stevensl…"]Welcome to Steven Slate Drums[/]="http://www.stevensl…"]Welcome to Steven Slate Drums[/]

ps. Check out the "Rock" demo under the "Full Mix" section.. I love that sample. I couldn't tell that it wasn't live drums.

I am a drummer and also an engineer and producer. I use Drum Kit From Hell Superior 2.0 and love it. The sounds are amazing (with proper tweaking of course). As far as midi loops go Superior is basically a drum sampler and doesn't really include loops. But if you want realistic fake drums, i gotta go with DFH. (it is far superior to EZDrummer BTW)

i double the steven slate drums. i have the platinum version, which includes all drumsets and samples and i love it. they sound really good right out of the box and require little to no tweaking.
if you want to learn how to mix drums properly it's probably not for you, but if you want drums that sound great in an instant, then you should really consider it.

as far as the programming goes - EZ drummer is basically a drag and drop kinda thing. Are the other ones you mentioned DFH and Steven Slate the same type of idea? You find a loop you like and drag it to a track?

I find programming drums a task. Im a guitarist/bassist so drums to me are kind of foriegn. I know what I like when I hear it. Any suggestions?

thanks, al

steven slate drums comes with midi grooves which were recorded by real drummers. i haven't used them yet, so i can't really say anything about it.