Jay CooverStarting this off, as a few things come immediately to mind. The first one already mentioned frequently.
1. Ability for the song track to maintain the custom chords set by the user, while the user auditions different styles.
2. In addition to the octave up/down button in the chord selection dialog, the user should be able to switch chord inversions up/down. An octave is frequently just way too much.
3. A way to intelligently humanize imported MIDI files that were programmed or quantized. You know the type. All perfectly quantized with every note velocity equalling 100. Exactly the type of piano parts we have come to hate. Randomize the note placement slightly, in the manner a human would. Also, perhaps add velocity emphasis in certain places, with options on how to do this. Maybe it would be possible to steal the groove (note placement and velocities) from a library track and apply it somehow to the imported track.
4. A search/filter function to find grooves, fully indexed for speed. Add this to Superior/EZDrummer as well. If the above suggestion is not possible, this becomes even more important.
5. More MIDI files of course, but in addition, it would be much better to be able to keep all the rock files in “rock” and blues in “blues” at the very highest level of organization. By this I mean that it is difficult to search in one genre when the files are split up by MIDI add-on library name as in EZDrummer/Superior. With the EZDrummer method, I might have to search through 3 or 4 libraries, looking for “rock” or “swing”, plus my approximate tempo in each one. If we could eliminate the library designation at the top level and get straight to genres, time signature, tempos, swing/straight and keep it at that level, it would be much easier to browse files as more and more add-ons are introduced. It may be desirable to have organ/piano/etc separate, but I would prefer it if every piano library that came along did not create its own groove folder.
6. When I pick Bb in the chord selector, don’t rename it to A#. Just kind of annoying. Figure this out…have a simple sharp/flat checkbox and keep it consistent.
7. Upright piano, organ, clavichord, electric piano add-ons.
8. Transpose entire track in the editor up/down in half steps.
Anything else?
SD 2.3 NY vol 2/Metal Foundry/C & V/Roots 1 & 2/Music City Latin Percussion/Funkmasters/The Classic/Jazz/Pop!/#1 Hits/Electronic/Twisted/Claustrophobic EZKeys 1.1 with all the trimmings
Cygnus64ORIGINAL: fizbin
Anything else?
1. The ability to change key sigs and meters in one track.
2. A sort of “rewire” capability between EZ Keys and DAW: if I change time sigs in Sonar, have that reflected in EZ Keys. Key sigs too.
3. The ability to “silence” a part in EZ keys: If I have a phrase at measure 70 and I drag it into Sonar, both will play. I end up deleting the one in EZ keys. It would be nice to leave it there and have it automatically muted.
4. Ultimately, I’d like to see two versions that would compare to EZ Drummer vs. Superior. Adding too much to “EZ Keys” might defeat the purpose for some users, making it too complex. The $150-$175 EZ Keys would stay about the same (with a few small improvements), while the $300-350 Superior Keys would be an advanced production tool with:
a. Inversions
b. Key changes/ Time changes
c. “Smart” transposition that doesn’t just put things in a different key, but puts them in a different inversion or voicing.
d. Extensive editing features
e. It would act more like a plug-in than a separate program, with more integration with DAWs.
f. Advanced chord features like alternative chord suggestions. That would be awesome, if it used a bit of theory and suggested a minor vi for a I etc.
Of course, any future expansion packs and instruments would be compatible with both versions.
John3. The ability to “silence” a part in EZ keys: If I have a phrase at measure 70 and I drag it into Sonar, both will play. I end up deleting the one in EZ keys. It would be nice to leave it there and have it automatically muted.
You already have 2 ways to solve this:
1) Right-click on the EZkeys part(s) and select ‘Mute’
2) De-select ‘Follow Host’
BR,
John
John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor
pdlstlNeeds:
Undo function.
Highlight a clip and hit delete. Not highlight a clip and right mouse click to select Remove.
When you split a clip and copy/past it earlier in the “variation”, every thing to right slide to the right by two measures. At least this happens using Broken Chords.
Cygnus64ORIGINAL: John
3. The ability to “silence” a part in EZ keys: If I have a phrase at measure 70 and I drag it into Sonar, both will play. I end up deleting the one in EZ keys. It would be nice to leave it there and have it automatically muted.
You already have 2 ways to solve this:
1) Right-click on the EZkeys part(s) and select ‘Mute’
2) De-select ‘Follow Host’
BR,
John
Thanks John.
ScottORIGINAL: pdlstl
Undo function.
Under the ‘Tools’ area, left side under the Song Track, there are undo and redo ‘arrows’.
Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor
Whitten I just think we need to get out of the headspace that EZkeys is a one stop shop for piano composition.
It’s aptly named EZ, in that it most closely resembles EZdrummer in concept.
With these ‘EZ’ products, you find midi parts that almost fit your needs, you straight away drop them into your DAW, and all the editing and refinement goes on there.
Also, you aren’t limited to one instance of EZkeys.
If you are really worried about losing something you’ve slowly built up in the EZkeys songline, then create another VI track and launch a second instance, then switch between the two.
Jay CooverORIGINAL: Whitten
I just think we need to get out of the headspace that EZkeys is a one stop shop for piano composition.
It’s aptly named EZ, in that it most closely resembles EZdrummer in concept.
With these ‘EZ’ products, you find midi parts that almost fit your needs, you straight away drop them into your DAW, and all the editing and refinement goes on there.
Also, you aren’t limited to one instance of EZkeys.
If you are really worried about losing something you’ve slowly built up in the EZkeys songline, then create another VI track and launch a second instance, then switch between the two.
Yeah, this one is a in tricky space. For instance, you can’t turn a blues riff into a maj7 riff and not have it sound funny.
Simply, you’ve got to get it in the ballpark, drag the MIDI file over and do some editing, basically put.
Those who will be successful with this plug-in will get that. Funny there’s a music theory pdf included.
Good luck catching up with that.
Kudos to toontrack for even attempting something like this. I get it.
SD 2.3 NY vol 2/Metal Foundry/C & V/Roots 1 & 2/Music City Latin Percussion/Funkmasters/The Classic/Jazz/Pop!/#1 Hits/Electronic/Twisted/Claustrophobic EZKeys 1.1 with all the trimmings
jerry JaborekORIGINAL: Whitten
I just think we need to get out of the headspace that EZkeys is a one stop shop for piano composition.
It’s aptly named EZ, in that it most closely resembles EZdrummer in concept.
With these ‘EZ’ products, you find midi parts that almost fit your needs, you straight away drop them into your DAW, and all the editing and refinement goes on there.
Also, you aren’t limited to one instance of EZkeys.
If you are really worried about losing something you’ve slowly built up in the EZkeys songline, then create another VI track and launch a second instance, then switch between the two.
EZ Drummer IS A ONE STOP shop for drum composing, that’s what I wanted EZ Keys to be. Listen, you’re kidding yourself if you think the current amount of drag and drop performance are enough to justify a $150+ plugin. There is no arguing this fact, if you do, you’re wrong. I guess some people might argue that the sky is red.
If I want to create a standard 4/4 pop or rock song, I have 6 choices to choose from. Actually four, because the last two options are already completely recognizable past hits, Walking In Memphis by Marc Cohn and Bruce Hornsby’s The way it is. So, I get a whopping FOUR choices. FOUR.
Look at it this way, if you had bought EZ Drummer…installed it…Then opened your DAW to write a song only to find that EZ Drummer gave you just 4 Pop/Rock grooves to choose from, would you have been satisfied with your purchase? Even if those four Pop/Rock beat options let you have four variations such as: beat played with ride, beat played with high hat, beat played with brushes and beat played with mallets?
The editing features we all want are going to happen, I have no doubt in that. They are must have editing changes that will be patched in at sometime. The small library issue is an easy fix, simply make the current standard version have a true extensive library to work from. Have Pop/Rock contain at least 40+ patterns to audition. You’ll still be able to sell more content and styles as expansion packs in the future. Hell, I’ll buy more. But please, understand that as a writing and composition tool, as is stated in the product description, four 4/4 options is being seen as a joke. Toontrack and your past track record is way better than this. Step up and give us a library to actually work with.
TOONTRACK WILL RULE AGAIN ! ! ! !
Whitten I disagree with you on EZdrummer.
You’ve never constructed your whole drum performance in EZdrummer, you’ve always dragged short clips into your DAW and put together the arrangement there.
That for me is how EZkeys currently works.
However, I see the mention of a ‘song track’ in the product description certainly implies you should be able to collect and edit clips in the ‘song track’, which you guys are saying isn’t working at the moment?
Also a gripe that there aren’t enough midi files.
That’s fine….. there aren’t enough midi files as yet. It’s a limited library.
The doesn’t mean it’s an unfinished plug-in. It just means we need more midi clips.
jerry JaborekORIGINAL: Whitten
I disagree with you on EZdrummer.
You’ve never constructed your whole drum performance in EZdrummer, you’ve always dragged short clips into your DAW and put together the arrangement there.
That for me is how EZkeys currently works.
However, I see the mention of a ‘song track’ in the product description certainly implies you should be able to collect and edit clips in the ‘song track’, which you guys are saying isn’t working at the moment?
Also a gripe that there aren’t enough midi files.
That’s fine….. there aren’t enough midi files as yet. It’s a limited library.
The doesn’t mean it’s an unfinished plug-in. It just means we need more midi clips.
At $150+ for this product, I’d like to have more than four choices to choose from while writing a pop/rock song.
jerry JaborekOk, without beating this dead horse into further oblivion…this is how EZ Keys looks to me in it’s current state. Would you be happy with EZ Drummer if this image was your EZ Drummer?
JohnHi,
just because the stock MIDI is categorized doesn’t mean you can’t pick, slice, mix and match freely.
Myself and I bet most EZdrummer/Superior 2 users have done this with Toontrack drum MIDI for years.
You also have the Basic, Rhythmic and Broken chords to use as song writing parts. Please remember that this tool isn’t meant to replace your own creative part in writing a song, it isn’t an auto song arranger where you just press a key and get a song out of it.
Best Regards,
John
John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor
jerry JaborekHey John, I’m sorry if I’m being a drag. I along with others here were wanting and maybe expecting something a bit more versatile and extensive. That’s all. I LOVE EZ Drummer / Superior Drummer and use them all the time. If I were in another stage in my engineering knowledge, I’d absolutely buy EZ Mix as it appears to be another great Toontrack product. Here’s a loaded question for you. Do you honestly think that the amount of drag and drop loops that are given in EZ Keys is up to par with your other past products? If yes, we will just agree to disagree.
PS: I’ve been watching the Swedish film versions of the Girl with the dragon tattoo trilogy….makes me want to visit Sweden in the future. Beautiful county.
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