From idea to finished song: Building a track with EZdrummer 3, EZkeys 2, EZbass and EZmix 3

Discover how EZdrummer 3, EZkeys 2, EZbass and EZmix 3 can work together to take you from an initial idea to a fully fledged song. Learn how to write, arrange and mix from start to finish.

Tutorials

Every Toontrack instrument gives you control at every step of the process.

From each individual articulation in EZdrummer 3 or every single note in EZkeys 2 and EZbass, all the way to the granular control offered in Superior Drummer 3 – you can write music however YOU decide. At every step, you can change any aspect of the performance to suit your track.

All of Toontrack’s songwriting tools share the same goal: letting you write music more efficiently without backing you into a creative corner. This walkthrough shows how EZdrummer 3, EZkeys 2, EZbass and EZmix 3 can work together to take you from a simple drum groove all the way to a finished, mixed foundation for a track.

Building the drum beat in EZdrummer 3

Starting with drums, Tap2Find in EZdrummer 3 makes it fast to locate a groove that fits the feel you’re after. In the video above, a simple pop beat was the starting point – but the goal was to customize the accents in a very specific place to match an existing chord progression idea. After finding the groove with Tap2Find, drag it to the Song Track to open the Grid Editor and edit the individual notes.

EZdrummer 3’s flexibility allows you to work with any starting point you have. If you want to start writing on guitar or piano instead, you can just as easily drag that guitar riff or piano MIDI into the EZdrummer 3 Bandmate to find the perfect drum groove.

Writing the chord progression in EZkeys 2

With drums in place, the next step is a piano chord progression in EZkeys 2. The idea in this video was syncopated chords that strike just before the beat. Draw the rhythm onto the Song Track first, then use the Suggest Chords feature to find the right progression for that rhythm.

Because the key of the song is set in EZkeys 2, only chords that fit the key are suggested. From there you can use the Randomize option to generate a full chord progression, or click the chords in manually. If something is close but not quite right, open the Chord Wheel to change the octave, inversion or add harmonic variations. And if you want to go further, the Grid Editor gives you access to individual MIDI notes to adjust the rhythm or velocities.

Adding a melody and pad in EZkeys 2

To fill out the piano part, a second instance of EZkeys 2 handles a simple repeating melody. Drag one of the ostinatos from the MIDI library to the Song Track, then adjust it as needed – here, moving it up a few octaves and removing some of the bass notes shapes it to the track. Alternatively, you could record a simple melody line with a MIDI controller. Even non-piano players can manage that.

For texture, EZkeys 2 has a range of expansion libraries with pads and otherworldly sounds that can generate a wide, spacious mix. But this could really be anything – a guitar with plenty of delay, reverb and modulation works just as well. Just be mindful that the frequency range doesn’t interfere with the lead vocal or other key instruments.

Generating the bassline in EZbass

With a chord progression already in EZkeys 2, generating a bassline in EZbass is straightforward. Drag the MIDI from EZkeys 2 to the Drums & Keys tab in EZbass. When you drag in piano MIDI, you can choose either the left hand of the piano or the rhythm and chords.

From there, EZbass has generated a bassline from the piano part – but you can change it however you like. Edit Play Style lets you adjust the number of notes, note length or damping. In this case, a different approach makes the rhythm more interesting: drag the drum groove from EZdrummer 3 to the Drums & Keys tab in EZbass to extract the drum rhythm instead.

On the Song Track, you can then choose when the bass follows the drums and when it follows the keys. A quick edit and then option-dragging that drum rhythm under the long sustained chords gives the bassline movement in the spaces where it matters. The notes automatically conform to the chords already set in the chord layer – and at this point, there’s a full song foundation.

Layering sounds and designing the mix

With the arrangement in place, layering and sound design give the track a more modern electronic character. Start by duplicating the bass track and loading a preset from the Synth Bass EBX in EZbass for a synth layer. Do the same for the main piano sound – duplicate the track and load a sound from the Time Machine EZX expansion for EZkeys 2. Duplicating basslines or piano chords with a synth layer is a reliable way to create hybrid sounds that cut through the mix.

Toontrack has a wide range of expansion sound libraries for all of its products, so mixing and matching tones across EBX and EZX packs is a natural part of the process.

Mastering with EZmix 3

For the master bus, load one of the AI-assisted mastering chains in EZmix 3. Select AI Mastering and let it analyze the track. The most important parameters for dialing in the sound are controlled via the effect sliders, so shaping the preset to your specific track is fast and intuitive.

Try it yourself

At Toontrack, the focus is always on finding new ways to inspire creativity and bring ideas to life in a way that keeps you as the author of your own music. These tools aren’t writing tracks for you – they’re making the idea process more efficient and, most importantly, fun.

Explore EZdrummer 3, EZkeys 2, EZbass and EZmix 3 – fully functional 10-day trials are available at toontrack.com.