You can change the relative volume of individual drum samples in [ Opt > Preferences > Drum Kit > Set Drum Volumes ] - for example, putting -50 in the Ride Cymbal field would make it 50% quieter.

Regarding the thinness of your WAV output, could it be a simple difference in volume? Things tend to sound a lot better when they're a couple dB louder, when you listen to things more quietly the bass will drop out pretty quickly; do a little research on Equal Loudness Contours and you'll get what I mean.

The Forte actually costs $40, but in that ballpark with softsynths I'd personally recommend the TTS-1 (included with the Music Creator package), which we sell for $39 + 15(shipping) = $54 all in.