Using Song Creator with EZX Reggae – No Matching Choruses or Bridges Found

[TonyNYC]

Hello folks, I am new to EZDrummer 2 and the EZX Reggae pack so it is possible I am missing something simple.

In attempting to drag a multitude of beats from EZX Reggae into the Song Creator, I am always getting “No Matching Choruses Found” and “No Matching Bridges Found” under the purple and green chorus/bridge sections.

I have downloaded and updated the EZX Reggae pack and I have also downloaded/installed the updated midi files – so everything that comes with EZX should be there. Any direction to solve the issue would be appreciated as chorus sections are important. Thank you.

Topic

[John]

Hi,

I tried to recreate but I get results for both Choruses and Bridges, so I recommend you go to the Menu > Advanced > Restore Factory MIDI Database.

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[TonyNYC]

I just did that, still no bridges or choruses. This is solely with the EZX Reggae beats. The factory MIDI database should be what comes with EZDrummer2 and not what is included with the REGGAE EZX, correct? So it should have nothing to do with it.

[onewayout_1]

This happens to me a lot in many different EZx’s. I thought it was because song creator couldn’t identify chorus’ and such for the particular beat that I fed it….? I usually extend the beat or try something else…Is my assumption wrong and maybe I have some issue with my EZD2?

Cheers, jeff

[TonyNYC]

Well I tried it with nearly every beat in the EZX Reggae pack, and it seems there simply is NO midi to populate the Chorus and Bridge sections at all. I manually looked through the midi files in the folder and I don’t see any Chorus or Bridge midi files in there at all. Toontrack needs to be more straight forward about what is included in these packs. I’m glad that the EZX Reggae came free with my purchase of EZDrummer 2, because if I had paid for it I’d be a bit pissed. Was thinking about buying the extra midi pack available for EZX Reggae – but before I do I need an answer from Toontrack that tells me the answer to this issue as well as what is included with the extra Reggae midi pack. Granted it is only $24 on sweetwater, but it should still be useful. Chorus and Bridge parts are essential to a song and so the song creator should have parts even for the Reggae EZX.

Anyone working at Toontrack responding to these questions? Anyone out there? The first admin that responded in this thread did not ever respond again.

[Henrik Ekblom]

Henrik Ekblom - User Experience Designer
Toontrack

[John]

@TonyNYC said:The factory MIDI database should be what comes with EZDrummer2 and not what is included with the REGGAE EZX, correct? So it should have nothing to do with it.  

Well, it has, or rather could have if you had a problem with the database but now I see that the included MIDI grooves in the EZX are not that many; Jamaican Ska has got 4 Straight 4/4 Beat files, which of course can’t fill up the Song Creator. When I performed the Search, EZdrummer 2 included my Reggae Beats MIDI.
Which kind of answers your question about that MIDI Pack, right?

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[TonyNYC]

You guys aren’t too good at providing support, huh?

No, it doesn’t answer anything. If you work for toontrack, you should know and have a list of what is supposed to be included with ezx reggae.

You should also have a list of and know what is included with the midi expansion pack.

You should be able to quickly provide me with those lists. From your prior responses, it seems you do not know the software well at all. Is there anyone at toontrack that can accurately and truthfully address my questions?

What is included in the ezx reggae?
What is included in the extra reggae midi pack YOUR company is selling?
Am I experiencing an error, or are there simply NO bridges and chorus sections included with EZX Reggae?

[John]

Hi,

when I performed the Search with the same filters as you, I got more returns, which is explained by EZdrummer 2 including the Reggae Beats MIDI files I have installed, even though one of the filters was ‘EZX Reggae’. Probably meant to be helpful by the Search engine but slightly confusing when I replied to your first post.
As I wrote, there are 4 Variations of Jamaican Ska Straight 4/4 Beat (which is what you searched for, right?) grooves in the EZX.
In the 6 ‘Songs’ included in the EZX, there are about 4 Variations each in their respective ‘Beat’ section, besides the ‘Fills’ and ‘Intro Fills’.
You can of course use them as you wish; be it for Verses or Choruses but when you ‘ask’ the Song Creator for suggestions on a Song structure, they are too few.

The ‘Reggae Beats’ MIDI Pack has got 13 ‘Songs’ with about 8 Variations in each ‘Beats’ section and between 3-9 Variations in the ‘Fills’ and ‘Intro Fills’ sections.

There are no complete lists released of exactly which MIDI files are included in a Pack, so I can’t provide that.
I’m sorry if you feel I don’t know the products well but I can only say it’s a bit hard to know all MIDI files when there are about ≈ 110,000 released 😉
If you have 4 Beat Variations, they can easily be made more though, if you use the Edit Play Style function in EZdrummer 2.

I hope this clarifies.

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[TonyNYC]

This isn’t support.

Essentially what you’re telling me it this:

Toontrack can’t give me a list of what’s included in a product they’re selling for $79 because there are way too many midi files to list in your enormous library. However, the Reggae EZX package has too few midi files to fill chorus and verse sections in your own “song creator” which, ironically, was designed by toontrack to populate a song. So your song creator will not work with your Reggae EZX product, which you cannot fully describe for esoteric reasons.

In computer program, ever item is detailed in a list. So yes, you could provide a complete list. Without the list, there would be no program. You don’t need to “know” it, your techs just need to provide a list — WHICH, by the way should be easily visible on every single ezx page for every single ezx pack AND every single midi beats expansion pack. It is completely illogical how little info you actually give about each ezx package. For EZX reggae, the info amounts to an obscure video of some white dude with dreadlocks.

Furthermore, if I go out and buy your Reggae midi expansion, I will not really know what I’m buying until after I buy it, because again — there is no complete description of this package. Your marketing folks need to do some work. If they did it, you’d sell more and have less confused people out here. I’m good. Don’t need any more help.

You guys need some help though.

[Scott]

You can search all Toontrack MIDI, even the MIDI you don’t own, by activating the Show Webshop MIDI button on the EZD2 interface.

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Mark Riddick Riddick]

I gotta say I have to agree with the customer as well.   as the developer you should know whats included midi filewise, that’s 101 stuff and could make for a bad experience for the clients. would you buy a car withoout knowing all the options? I know just enough now not to waste my money on the ezx reggae pack.  C’mon with the documentation guys. do the right thing guys people will still buy..

• This post was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Mark Riddick Riddick.

[Scott]

Mark Riddick Riddick wrote:

I gotta say I have to agree with the customer as well.   as the developer you should know whats included midi filewise, that’s 101 stuff and could make for a bad experience for the clients. would you buy a car withoout knowing all the options? I know just enough now not to waste my money on the ezx reggae pack.  C’mon with the documentation guys. do the right thing guys people will still buy..

• This post was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Mark Riddick Riddick.

How would a document of text offer more value than being able to audition every MIDI file in every MIDI pack and EZX that Toontrack sells directly in the  EZD2 interface? Use the “Show Webshop MIDI” as the pic above your post shows and listen to what you would be purchasing.

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Author]

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