[Tony Salkeld]

Thanks Jord,

I’ll check it out.

I also listened to the new pack, Alchemy of Pop,… there might be some promising stuff there with regard to the Toms and how the production/engineering has been applied to them.

Thanks again

Tony

 

[Tony Salkeld]

Hi Jord,

You say that you could name various EZX packs but if you would do so then I’d appreciate it. Especially the one that you said that you are currently using.

Regards

Tony

[Tony Salkeld]

Sorry Jord,

I have to disagree. It is a problem. I have now purchased waaaaay too many EZX packs and none have toms with a short “thud” as described by some of the others (in this thread) as being desirable.

If I could find the EZX pack that you suggest may exist I’d be very happy.

Like most people, I like to utilise the toms in my fills but I can’t do it (with EZD) when even a low velocity tom hit results in a note that extends into the rest of the triplet or roll. You end up with a “Wall of Sound” rather than a crisp clean fill.

I’m going to try the gating method in my DAW and see if it can help but I still say Toontrack could actually record solid short duration tom hits in one of the EZX packs.

Regards

 

[Tony Salkeld]

If you could name the EZX packs then that would be appreciated. I have spent a small fortune on EZX’s and even the ones that purport to have “towelled” or deadened Toms still ring too much.

I do like your suggestion about using an envelope tool. I haven’t tried them on Toms.

For those of us that aren’t sound engineers, I would still suggest that there is a place for some deadened samples “straight out of the box”. Nobody in this thread seems to be saying there shouldn’t be ringy Toms,… I think they just want some variety.

I see that EZD3 has a “towelled” kit. It would be good to hear some opinions on how “dead” the samples are for that kit.

Regards

[Tony Salkeld]

Excellent thread, and very similar to one that I proposed a few months ago. Some great comments,… hopefully Toontrack is listening.

Musically, I’m not good enough to justify purchasing SD and so I stick with EZD, however, I am appalled by the toms.

I’ve always been able to find a snare or kick to suit what I am doing but the toms always ring too much,… even all those ones that purport to be towelled and so on.

As suggested, the toms that are provided might be good in some genres but I prefer something that is more “thud” than “boing”.

I suggest something like the way Ringo had his toms set for the late ’64 to ’67 period. An even better example would be Cream’s “White Room”. Baker hits those things viciously but the sound dies almost instantly, without being muddy. Makes for a great impact on the fills.

My suggestion was, and still is, a pack such as the Kicks and Snares but for Toms,… and while Toontrack is working on that they may as well do Hats and Cymbals. Variety not just in gear used but also articulations.

Regards to all.

[Tony Salkeld]

Thanks Brad,

Still so many options that I haven’t found…. I look forward to the day when I can spend some serious time with my products and not just a half hour here or ten minutes there

Regards

[Tony Salkeld]

Drummy_8

That is a great question.

Yes, that can be an issue.

Some of the snares seem to fit quite seamlessly into other drum mixes that I have selected. Other times, I have found a snare sound that I like but that when mixed with the other instruments it can sound “off” due to the different recording/engineering. I guess we can’t have everything… .

 

Regards

 

[Tony Salkeld]

Thanks for your support Mick.

I know Toontrack market their products towards songwriting,… and that is prerogative,… but some of us just want an easy to use, high quality audio VST for our DAW.

Toontrack have products that, mostly, fill the requirement. Where they are let down is that they have some spectacular samples (and good sound engineering) mixed with some very average sounds. Plus they are a bit like many software developers in that they tell you want you want and how you should use it versus asking the user what they want.

For example,… I did get into a bit of an exchange with one of the Toontrack experts and he said I should be using their mixer. I found it non-intuitive and usually end up using Reaper. Reaper is also considered to be a bit complex for we who are only amateurs but at least there are many youtube vids that show you how to use Reaper. I’ve found the Toontrack support videos to hit the highlights (more like a vid from a “Sales” team) but be very light on details of “how to”,… .

Regards

[Tony Salkeld]

I hope that you receive many replies to your question because I think it may help me in my decision on the direction that I will take. I’ll be following this thread for a while to see what other toontrack users think.

I started with EZDrummer and moved on to EZDrummer2. The advantages of EZDrummer2 were fairly obvious to me. I have been investigating EZDrummer3 for quite a while and I’m not seeing many reasons to make the move (apart from the fact that Toontrack will eventually stop supporting EZD2?).

I have no experience with SD3 but from what I have read (in various forums) it must be a much better product than EZD3 (I guess it is in the name).

I also use EZBass a bit,… and I have started using the audio to midi function. It is not perfect but it does give a good place to start from for programming in your own midi. My understanding is that SD3 can also do audio to midi?? I have been told that EZD3 does not have audio to midi,… I have to say that, if it did have that function, then I might have considered the move.

Regards

[Tony Salkeld]

Thanks Scott,

Obviously, I didn’t even know the cymbal swells existed as a category.

I do mostly covers so I tend to program with my own midi.

Sometimes I even play along to the songs and them create the midi from my recordings. My timing on the drums isn’t that great (and I tend to get quite a variation in strike pressure) but it is normally close enough to only require a few fixes of the midi.

I know that Toontrack think of EZD2 and the other products as songwriter tools but I really only use it to get some really great quality samples. The variety of kits means that I’m not stuck with sounds from my kit.

Thanks again

Tony

[Tony Salkeld]

Thanks Henrik,

Confirms my theory. I’ll try the two instances method,… I’m sure that will work.

Tony

1

Thanked by: Henrik Ekblom

[Tony Salkeld]

Hello,

The EZBass product is looking pretty good. The video of the workflow demo’s indicates that a lot of thought has been put in to the product. I can also see the potential for a few expansion packs eg fretless,… and so forth.

One of the aspects that has me very enthusiastic but also concerns me is how it will handle slides. I use EZDrummer 2 and about the only thing that annoys me is the lack of variety in rolls and crescendos that are available for snare and cymbals however I realise that these aspects are highly individualised to each song and fill i.e how many notes, when does the roll start, and is it at a linear speed or quick start to slow finish or vice versa.

Similarly with bass slides,… they are a very expressive part of playing but one slide will not fit all. Can you have portamento or glissando? Many bass slides are a slide up followed by a slide down with only the initial note actually played by the finger (or pick,… if you have to use one…).

Keen to hear a comment from the developers.

T

[Tony Salkeld]

Thanks for the reply Brad,

I’ll check out those Midis. I think the only one that I have from your list is Basic Rock Fills.

Tony

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