Hey there,
Congratulations on your purchase! It's a VERY deep machine – amazingly deep. I would like some kind of video tutorial too, arranged in chapters, for instance Chapter 1: Routing, Chapter 2: Browsing and handling presets and so on. Alongside with step by step instructions ofcourse. Other than that you always browse the Users' manual or for programming your own stuff you will need the Programmer's manual. Both are available online.
To answer your question about what programs are suitable for what instrument – I think the only way to find is to test them. You might find something that has "D=Drums" in its tags, and it might work great on a pad! Just try different patches!
I use my H-8000FW with synthesizers. It's permanently connected to an Andromeda A6 or a Minimoog Voyager. Simply put, words cannot express what's coming out of the H-8000FW. Complex polyrhythms made with pitch-shifters, multidimensional pads, blah blah. You name it, it's there. (No, I am not working for Eventide – wish I was in the States so that I could apply 🙁 )
I also find it extremely helpful that you can upload a program to the computer and open it with VSig to see how it's constructed. Admitedly the VSig could certainly benefit from a more colourful interface – personally I am using VSig to modify presets and to learn how they are constructed. When I am confident with that I will do my own programs from scratch.
So, give it time and patience!
Regards,
Yannis
