The EZ percussive sampler series, EZdrummer and its EZX® expansion packs, are high quality, affordable software and sound modules designed for songwriters and producers on all levels in need of a simple tool to quickly create professional drum and percussion tracks. The intuitive interface and shallow learning curve together with sounds and MIDI recorded by the best in the business has quickly made the EZ series a standard within the music industry.
EZdrummer® is a multi-microphone drum-sampler designed for musicians and producers in need of a compact, affordable, easy to handle plug-in without compromising sound quality or control. The visualized drums in the interface combine auditioning of sounds and drumkit construction. The extensive drag and drop midi-library enables users to create a great drumtrack in less than five mouse-clicks. For more advanced handling, users can control microphone bleeding and levels between drums using the internal mixer. The mixer also allows stereo and multitrack routing into the host through one single plug-in, and thanks to the second generation Toontrack Percussive Compression (TPC®), system requirements are kept to a minimum. The drums for EZdrummer® were meticulously recorded, produced and played in an effort to provide the best sounding drums for your music production possible. From our pro Superior line we’ve adopted the humanizing features that are instrumental in making our drum-samplers the pinnacle in digital drum production. With EZdrummer®, Toontrack® has stepped into the next generation of acoustic drum-samplers.
EZdrummer® facts and features:
• EZdrummer® ranges from entry level usability to pro handling. • Features multiple microphone control. • TPC Generation II reduces system requirements to a minimum. • Operates in General MIDI. • Internal mixer allows stereo and multitrack routing into the host through one single plug in. • Preset mix modes for quick sound changes. • Interface visualizes the drums loaded and combines auditioning and kit construction. • Drums recorded at Avatar Studios, New York by world class drummers and producers. • Thousands of drum patterns with prelistening, quick browsing and drag’n’drop functionality. • The humanizer combines drum hit randomizing and non-cycling. • Velocity sweep allows instant seamless velocity changes of all drum patterns.
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EZX:s are expansion packs for EZdrummer® featuring drums and percussion sound banks to be used with the basic EZdrummer module. They also contain additional MIDI files to offer you even more choice building your tracks. The philosophy behind EZX is to give the user sounds recorded and mixed by the best in the business at an affordable price. The sounds are tweaked with specific genres in mind and recorded by top producers. When loading an EZX an interactive picture of the drumkit contained in that expansion will appear in the main window of EZdrummer and allow all the pre-listening and construction features specific to that particular expansion.
It´s 2009 , so we felt it was time to plug-in, flip the switch and present an entirely new and fresh collection of drum kits. It is with great excitement that we introduce the Electronic EZX®. A modern collection of classic, circuit bent and resampled electronic drum sounds suitable for a wide variety of genres and production styles. Pristine classics, otherworldly one of a kind bends, and gritty must haves make this the hottest collection of electronic drums imaginable. This EZX® includes 33 meticulously crafted kits with additional menus of the most requested electronic kick and snare drums. It also features our ever-popular use of parallel FX processing for unlimited variation and new sonic depths. With this EZX®, you will be able to cover a broad range of popular and emerging electronic genres. You name it.... House, Dub, Techno, Progressive, Pop, Hip-Hop, Rap, Electro, Grime, Jungle, DnB, RnB, Dub-Step, Trip-Hop, Acid, Disco, Electro-Crunk, Ghetto-Tech, Baile Funk, Industrial, Garage, Experimental, Noise-core, Hard-core, Minimal, Glitch, Gabba, Ambient, Trance, Miami Bass, 2 Step, B-more and many more... its in here!!
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The Jazz EZX features multi Grammy award winning percussive artist Roy ”Futureman” Wooten. Recorded at cutting edge Blackbird Studios in Nashville Toontrack has had the privilege to capture the magic of Futureman. His touch, his heart, his philosophy and his approach to his craft. We feel that these recordings will set yet another bench mark for the quality of sampled drums in the years to come.
This is a unique and exclusive recording of two of the most important drummers in popular music. Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jab'o" Starks. On their own or in tandem, Starks and Stubblefield were the principal drummers for the Godfather of Soul and Funk, Mr. James Brown. Fans and critics alike cite their collective era in Brown´s band as the pinnacle of Funk. Their combined drumming on the classic double-album "Sex Machine" is some of the most innovative, inspired and funky playing ever recorded. We at Toontrack® Music are honored and humbled to have worked with these masters. As fans and lovers of music, we wish to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude for the legacy that “Jab'o” and Clyde have given us all. The Funkmasters EZX® feature two kit interfaces, one for Clyde and one for “Jab'o”. The EZX® also features effects sliders in the EZmixer, a Vinyl effect created with the use of Izotope® Vinyl plug in and a large Plate reverb resampled at Toontrack® Music Studios, Umeå, delivering all that you need to create those real sounding Funk tracks.
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The Claustrophobic EZX marks a new step for Toontrack in driving the development of percussive samples. The audio team at Toontrack has utilized drumhead selection, room and microphone configurations to fuse the qualities of a high end drum recording with the cutting edge of the radical beats of todays top RnB, Hip Hop and Pop producers. Add to that samples run through the best outboard effects and made accessible in the EZmixer to build your own mixer presets for on the fly sound design and you’ve got all the ingredients to produce, write and play music that takes you and your beats one step further. C for Claustrophobic, C for Contemporary, C for Cutting edge. Oh, and did we mention that the Claustrophobic EZX was recorded in a very small room? The Claustrophobic EZX was sampled through the very best of outboard with distortion, reverb, compression and attack effects included in the internal mixer. This enables you to access a large number of mixer presets by Collén & Webb, STS 9, Richard Devine, DJ Amplive, sub-ID and Count Bass D.
In October of 1985 Tom Waits released the album Rain Dogs. The album was an instant classic and marked a new sound for him. A rough, dirty neo-blues style with awkward rhythms and hard edges. Part of the band that contributed to that sound was drummer and percussionist Michael Blair. His highly personal instrument set-up which included a mix of regular drums and odd bits and pieces like trashcans, bedroom furniture and rusty bicycle frames fit perfectly with the sound that Waits was looking for. The combination of Michaels timing, expression, and junkyard sounds created a rich and useful range of musical textures to accent Waits intricate storytelling. Michael Blair also played and toured with Waits on Franks Wild Years, the follow up to Rain Dogs, and later became an integral part of the recordings for Elvis Costellos Spike (1989) and Lou Reeds Magic and Loss (1992). The Twisted Kit EZX by Michael Blair was sampled through the very best of outboard with distortion, reverb, compression and attack effects made available in the EZmixer. This enables you to access a large number of mixer presets by STS 9, Richard Devine, DJ Amplive, sub-ID and Count Bass D.
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The Nashville EZX takes the traditional country heart of Nashville as a starting point but branches out to become something bigger. A library of percussive sounds that will appeal to musicians, writers and producers in every musical genre in need of EZ access to great drums. It has a big sound and comes played with sticks, brushes and hands. The Nashville EZX was played by Harry Stinson. Grammy nominated drummer and award winning producer, writer, and singer having achieved No. 1 status in all of those categories. His talents have been shared with artists like Steve Earle, Martina McBride, Johnny Cash, Faith Hill, Earl Scruggs, Etta James, Brooks and Dunn, Patty Loveless, Lyle Lovett and numerous others, patching together a list that reads like the who’s who in country music. The Nashville EZX was produced by Chuck Ainlay. Grammy winning Producer/Engineer with a mind blowing track record. To name but a few, artists such as Mark Knopfler & Dire Straits, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crowe, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, The Mavericks and Dixie Chicks have all relied on his experience and expertise to guide them to the perfect sound.
Vintage Rock - Brushes and Sticks EZX contains recordings of the legendary Ludwig Keystone Drum Set. The Ludwig Drum Company had little idea what was about to hit them in the months following February 9th 1964, The Beatles debut U.S. Television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The band were a sensation and almost overnight everyone wanted to own a set of Ludwig drums just like Ringo's. In fact, Ludwig were still struggling to keep up with demand when along came another drumming icon John Bonham. As well as his use of the Supraphonic snare drum, Bonham popularised larger sizes, including the 24" bass drum similar to the one sampled for the Vintage Brushes and Sticks EZX. This 60's era Ludwig set belongs to 2khz Studio owner Nick Yeatman and we were very happy he lent it to us so we could capture that phat and funky Ludwig sound. The Ludwig Keystone Kit was played by Chris Whitten and mixed by producer Peter Henderson and Mattias Eklund from Toontrack Music. To it we´ve added the classic Ludwig Black Beauty and Slingerland Radio King snares and a number of cool complimentary cymbals. Custom MIDI played by top notch drummer Morgan Ågren (Frank Zappa).
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Drumkit From Hell aka DFH was originally created to address Toontrack Music´s own needs for better and heavier drums in music production. As a result the Toontrack production team decided to record a drum library with the best musicians and producers available in Swedish heavy metal. Little did they know what they had started. Drumkit From Hell was awarded 5 of 5 in Sound on Sound, an EQ Magazine Exceptional Quality award and launched Toontrack Music as well as the DFH brand in a major way into the sample business enabling the development of the Superior and EZdrummer samplers. The sounds for DFH were played, recorded and produced at Dug Out studios by Tomas Haake, Daniel Bergstrand, Mattias Eklund and Fredrik Thordendal. All sounds have been re-mixed at Toontrack Studios by Mattias Eklund and we´ve added custom MIDI files from the diabolically gifted musician and guitar player of Meshuggah, Fredrik Thordendal plus MIDI played by Tomas Haake of Meshuggah, Owe Lingvall of Nocturnal Rites and Mattias Grahn of Naglfar. Metal at its best.
Percussionist Mikael Emsing on the recordings: ”I was excited when Toontrack asked me to to collaborate on this product. Most of the work I've done in the studio and live has been Rock, Pop or Jazz-type sessions and I felt there was a need for a sample library with sounds adapted to that kind of music. I´ve spent years studying traditional music, but also spent an equal amount of time trying to get some sort of "signature" sound, a sound that works live as well as in the studio, a sound that has some soul to it and I wanted to be sure that came through on the sampled sounds. Much to my satisfaction the guys from Toontrack shared my vision and from the get-go we planned and recorded everything with this in mind. I also wanted a wide variety of sounds and through the generous help of Meinl Percussion we have been able to provide the vital instruments for making recordings in the aforementioned genres. All the instruments were recorded in different sizes and materials. From large to small, from wood to fibreglass etc. Carrying this DVD around will be a lot easier than lugging all those instruments around (thank god for cartage services by the way...). Time to get the groove going.”
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YOU WANTED THE BEST - YOU GOT THE BEST.
Superior Drummer® 2.0 is the ultimate drum production tool, for the discerning producer that wants all the control that would be provided in a live session with the best drummers in the world at the very best recording venues in the world. Features the Ezplayer® pro MIDI engine and professional filters delivered by Sonalksis in the all out mixer. In the years to come the Superior Line will expand both in terms of functionality and when it comes to sample libraries.
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SUPERIOR DRUMMER 2.0
Superior Drummer® 2.0 ”The New York Studio Legacy Series”, is Toontrack® Music’s premiere sample engine for drums. Superior Drummer® 2.0 has been developed for optimized use with e-drums with more effective use of sample layers and much improved loading times. MIDI is accessed directly via Drag and Drop through the EZ groove browser within the plug-in. On top of that Superior Drummer 2.0 is delivered with Toontrack Musics unique MIDI arranger-engine EZplayer® pro that translates MIDI mapping between all the major drum samplerformats in the market; it features stand-alone capacity through Toontrack® Solo. The new interface is reminiscent of EZdrummer® with its simple handling and lay out but gives its user layer upon layer of in depth features to create the ultimate drum track. Superior Drummer® 2.0 contains an extensive sample and MIDI library, Vol 1 of “The New York Studio Legacy Series”. It was recorded by Pat Thrall, Neil Dorfsman and Nir Z at Avatar Studios, NY. Pat Thrall, Neil Dorfsman and Nir Z have between them over the past three decades worked with artists as diverse as Meatloaf, Celine Dion, Nick Lachey, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Beyoncé, Björk, Kiss, Joss Stone, Genesis, John Mayer and Chris Cornell.
Videos
For online videos and tutorials for SUPERIOR DRUMMER® and the SDX® EXPANSION PACKS please visit www.toontrack.com/tv.asp
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Construction Window
• ADSR - Attack Decay Sustain Release. • X-pads - Load instruments from any Toontrack® library to add positions or to double instruments on the position of your choice. • The ability to read and combine all Superior and EZdrummer® sound libraries.
Internal Mixer
• Total Bleed Control • Stereo Mix Busses • Channelstrip Presets • Individual Outputs • Hardware Controllable • Built in FX delivered by Sonalksis such as: 5 Band Equalizer, Highpass & Lowpass, Gate, Compressor and Transient.
NEW IN VERSION 2.2
NEW IN VERSION 2.2
Integrated Groove Player
• Access your grooves directly from within the S2 interface.
MIDI Nodes / Mapping
• Stack instruments on top of each other and customize your mapping.
Built in FX
Superior Drummer® 2.0 built in effects delivered by
From premium UK based software developer Sonalksis, Superior Drummer® 2.0 has been fitted with, 5-band EQ, high and low pass filter, compressor, gate and transient designer filters.
INCLUDED!
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Featuring hit by hit recordings that covers the widest velocity ranges and the deepest dynamic detail and backed up by the unparallelled control and feature list of Superior Drummer® 2.0. They place the sound of the best studios and drummers in the world at your finger tips! The SDX:s also come with MIDI and mixer presets to give you the components you need to get that complete professional sound from the word go. The end result is a drum sound that is truly stunning and therefore the go to drum tool for producers and musicians at the highest level worldwide.
Custom & Vintage
The Custom and Vintage SDX is an expansion pack for the award winning Toontrack Music drum sampler Superior Drummer 2.0. It features extensive stick and brush recordings of a unique collection of drums and cymbals. The SDX gives everyone from top producers down, access to the cream of custom and vintage drums, built by craftsmen from the 1920s right up to the exceptional instrument makers of today, like Johnny Craviotto. Most of these highly prized instruments (like a 1920s Ludwig Black Beauty, or Craviotto Timeless Timber) can only be found in the collections of top studio drummers or hired from rental facilities in the major music centres of the world. The Custom and Vintage SDX was played by Chris Whitten. The drummer on classic hits like What I Am by Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians and The Whole Of The Moon by The Waterboys. The Custom and Vintage SDX was produced by Peter Henderson who started his career at Air Studios where he trained and worked with Beatles recording engineer Geoff Emerick (Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road etc). as well as with the legendary George Martin. Henderson produced Supertramp´s 20 million selling Breakfast In America, for which he won a Grammy. He has also worked with Paul McCartney, Rush, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Tina Turner and Ringo Starr.
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The Metal Foundry SDX™ is an all-new recording with Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake, featuring seven massive drum kits, spanning 300,000 sound files of raw, single hit drum recordings in the vein of Drumkit From Hell and dfh Superior, covering Hard Rock to Metal, from the early Blues tinged sound of the late 60s to the fragmentation of today’s music, from Power through Thrash, Death and Progressive Metal. The Metal Foundry SDX™ celebrates the Toontrack® Music Hard Rock and Heavy Metal legacy of the first Drumkit From Hell, on which the company has built its following. This in turn has spawned such groundbreaking products as dfh Superior, EZdrummer® and Superior Drummer® 2.0. The Metal Foundry SDX™ was recorded and produced at Atlantis Studios in December 2008 by the original Drumkit From Hell recording team, Mattias Eklund (Toontrack® Music), Fredrik Thordendal (Meshuggah), Daniel Bergstrand (Dug Out Studios) and Tomas Haake (Meshuggah). The Metal Foundry SDX features custom MIDI by: Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend, Testament) Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Warrel Dane, Scarve, Aborted) MIDI is downloadable upon product registration.
NEW YORK STUDIOS VOL.2 SDX
Vol.2 of the N.Y. Studio Legacy Series contains unique sample recordings from two legendary New York Studios - Hit Factory NY and Allaire Studios. The recordings at Hit Factory N.Y. were the starting point for Toontrack® in developing Superior Drummer® 2.0 and the decision to record samples at Allaire was a result of wanting to capture the best studio rooms in New York. Sadly, for the music and recording industry both studios are now closed. Thus the subtitle ”The Lost New York Studios”. Toontrack® is privileged to have been given the opportunity to record these great rooms in collaboration with the world class recording team of engineer and producer Pat Thrall (Glenn Hughes, Black Crowes, Beyoncé etc), producer Neil Dorfsman (Kiss, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits and Sting) and drummer Nir Z (Genesis, John Mayer, Joss Stone and Chris Cornell). ”New York Studios Vol.2 SDX” altogether feature kits recorded with seven kick drums, thirteen snares and a wide variety of cymbals sampled in extreme detail to work with the best, most advanced drum sampler engine on the planet, Superior Drummer® 2.0.
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Toontrack® Software Tools are products that complement both our own sampler formats and sampler formats from other developers. The series includes the stand alone host application Toontrack® solo, Drumtracker®, Toontrack® Music’s very own sound replacement tool and the specialized MIDI organizer and arranger, EZplayer® Pro. The TST line will be developed further in the years to come to deepen the interaction between all products in the Toontrack line.
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ALL YOUR MIDI - ONE PLAYER
EZplayer® Pro is the much expanded version of Toontrack® Music’s EZplayer® Free. In EZplayer® Pro you can collect and organize all the MIDI on your hard drive. You can combine, put together and fuse drum and percussion MIDI clips from individual kit pieces to entire arrangements and audition them with your favorite drum sampler in EZplayer® Pro before dragging them into your sequencer. The application is organized as a multi track sequencer arranger where every track can be connected to a virtual instrument in the main sequencer and EZplayer® Pro be utilized to audition different instruments in combination before you adjust them in detail. The tracks and the sub tracks with fills and variations connected to them can also be aligned to a hardware controller such as a keyboard or percussive controller to trigger MIDI sequences live. On top of all the new functionality the map-wrappers between different drum sampler formats (which allow users to use the MIDI from one brand of drum sampler with a sampler from another brand as a sound source on the fly) have been expanded to now encompass all common brands in the market. EZplayer® Pro is delivered with MIDI content from David ”Fingers” Haynes and others.
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FEED
CONVERT
REPLACE
THE NEW STAND ALONE DRUM REPLACER FROM TOONTRACK MUSIC
• Host independent, stand alone software for converting drum audio to drum MIDI. Import audio tracks, export MIDI mapped to your favourite drum sampler. • Manual control over tracking and exporting, select which part or parts of a drum track that you want to export, down each single hit. • Define multiple parts in a single sound file enabling tracking of multiple instruments and articulations. You and your drum sampler set the limits. • Select the parts of the sound file that you want converted, enabling exclusion of unwanted triggering. • Each trigging point graphically represented. Delete, add, move or change the velocity to your individual needs. • Set max/min velocity and threshold values for each instrument and articulation. • Choose between different output MIDI mappings adapted for several different drum samplers. • Save your own presets. • Export all drums to one single MIDI file or as multi track MIDI.
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Toontrack® solo is a stand alone application designed to host Toontrack® samplers such as dfh Superior and EZdrummer®. It is particularly suited for musicians wanting to jam along with a friend (real ones if you are a drummer or a virtual one if you are a guitarist), or to perform live (for your own pleasure or in front of an audience). In its current incarnation a performer can optimize response from his preferred controller with the use of factory presets, and route any of the samplers output to a hardware mixer for total sonic control. Toontrack® solo boosts full support for ASIO and CoreAudio/CoreMIDI devices and provides support for up to 16 physical Audio outputs that can be routed to a conventional mixer for processing. For the less technically savvy among readers this means that it is optimized for real-time operation with minimal latency and provide the full flexibility of sound shaping in your outboard gear. Multiple instances can of course be controlled from conventional keyboard controllers (with full support for modwheel control of hihat action) as well as a range of specialists devices such as the majority of E-drums and Drumpads available on the market. virtual Drummers can be layered or assigned to specific channels for precise triggering, at your discretion.
Get it for free at www.toontrack.com
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MONSTER MIDI PACKS
Toontrack MIDI packs are collections of MIDI files compatible to the Toontrack drum sampler range.
The packs are produced and structured to give you as a writer new accessible fuel for getting your drum track just right as quickly as possible. From your basic 2/4 playing sequences to the most detailed odd meters and fills these packs will help you create the basis of your music faster than ever. All the MIDI is played by Swedish studio drummer extraordinaire Peter Fredlander. Works with EZdrummer® and Superior Drummer®, and optimized for General MIDI drumkits. These grooves and fills will spice up your drum tracks like never before and add that extra edge to your songwriting!
MONSTER MIDI PACK
The pack contains more than 400 MIDI files. Available as 4/4 straight and 4/4 Swing in various tempos divided into: Hats intro variations, Hats open/closed grooves, Cymbal grooves, Hats/ride sidestick grooves, Tom & Snare grooves, Fills and Intro fills.
MONSTER MIDI PACK 2 - ODD METERS
This pack features odd meters and contains over 470 Progressive Rock MIDI files. Time signatures covered, in various tempos and feels, are: 5/8, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8 and 11/8. The MIDI is divided by leading instruments and arranged in song structures for your convenience.
MONSTER MIDI PACK 3 - FILLS
This pack contains more than 450 individually played fills with drum beats leading up to them, organized by level of intensity and difficulty. This is a given must-have in your arsenal of MIDI. Works for all genres - fills to suit anything from mellow Pop to insane Metal!
MONSTER MIDI PACK 4 - FILLS - ODD METERS
Features more than 450 individually played files, hierarchically organized by level of intensity and complexity. Short fills and long fills with beats leading up to them. Fills only. Straight and Swing variations in: 5/4, 6/8, 9/8, 7/8 and 11/8. A must-have in your MIDI armory!
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LIBRARY OF THE EXTREME
Ever felt like having one of the worlds best Metal drummers a mouse click away, at your beck and call, 24/7? Enter Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Scarve, Aborted) and the Library of the Extreme.
LIBRARY OF THE EXTREME - BLASTS & FILLS
A collection of more than 1000 individually played MIDI files, executed with such a razor-blade perfection and ingenious brutality that it will hit you like a 20 ton wrecking ball of sheer metal. This library is undoubtedly your one-stop shop when looking to have world-class, impossible-to-program blast beats and fills only seconds away! Your songs will sound like a million bucks in no-time! • All material is categorized by style, BPM and leading instrument. • Both straight and triplet variations available. • Works with EZdrummer® and Superior Drummer®
(optimized for 1 or 2 kicks, 1 snare, 2 toms, 1 floor-tom, 2 crash-cymbals, 1 china and 1 ride-cymbal).
DIRK VERBEUREN - DRUMMER
Born in Wilrijk, Belgium in 1975, Dirk Verbeuren began his musical training in elementary school with the violin which he played proficiently for seven years. His family moved to Paris, France in 1988, where he studied piano and electric guitar. Three years later, in 1991, Dirk discovered his gift and passion for intricate rhythms on a second-hand drumkit. He immediately began practicing, creating and performing with other musicians. He formed SCARVE in October of 1993 with guitarist Patrick Martin. In the following years, he recorded and toured with bands such as ARTSONIC and HEADLINE. Dirk has also recorded and/or toured with SOILWORK, SYBREED, SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION, NUCLEAR BLAST ALLSTARS, NEVERMORE, WARREL DANE, ONE-WAY MIRROR, MNEMIC. In late 2009, Dirk rejoined fellow Belgian death metallers ABORTED and recorded the 5-song EP Coronary Reconstruction. Hes currently writing new music with SOILWORK, SCARVE and PHAZE I; gearing up for a number recording sessions, demos and drum clinics; and preparing his first-ever drumming DVD, to be shot later this year.
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