Well - you could try KX version 3538H (if you try 3538I - theres a MIDI CH 10 Drum issue - that although can be 'worked around' with an add on made by a user (Russ) here -
MIDI drums DO work in 3538i !!!
I tested this only for a little bit... so I cant say how well it would work for you..
But I used 3538H for sometime - but I may not use all the polyphony that you are attempting.
I DID hear some 'early' note stealing with 3538J - but was improved with the Legacy RELEASE/DECAY setting.. ??
Also - Fluid DOES use alot of polypohony - and theres 1 BIG difference I see in KX than what I have read about CL's method of 'polyphony management' ...
In CL drivers - Ch10 would have priority (in other words - it would be the LAST channel to 'steal notes' from when another note is trgiggered and no polyphony is available.
So the priority list was as follows:
10, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,13,14,15
This way - the drums (like cymbles, or other longer released notes) would not get 'chopped' off before completeing their release cycle un-neccessarily.
In KX driver - it seems to simply - be 'First in First out'... its not the preferred method, because - it *can* cause the more easily noticed drums to 'choke' off to soon, when possibly a less noticable instrument (like a piano note in a played chord) could have been taken instead.
Did this make sense.??
I beleive this is why you hear a difference betwen CL and KX.
IE - it was happening in CL - just less noticable.