Sounds, presets and MIDI, tailored for industrial rock and metal, dark electronic music and cinematic soundscapes.
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Sounds, presets and MIDI, tailored for industrial rock and metal, dark electronic music and cinematic soundscapes.
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USD89
In this EKX for EZkeys 2, the absolute contraries of the audio scope come head to head in a full-circle library of sounds covering the entire range from industrial rock and metal to dark electronic music and cinematic soundscapes. The sounds were based around a broad pool of electronic instruments and analog synths paired with an acoustic piano and an organ. The individual components were then processed using pitch modulation, granular effects, distortion, compression, amps and outboard to create sounds with an inherently dark, gritty and raw aura. Finally, these instruments were combined to create never-before-heard hybrids of sound represented in a total of 82 presets distributed over five distinct categories: Keys, Pads, Leads & Basses and Textures. Expect an all-encompassing collection of hauntingly bent, skewed, convulsing and phasing sounds covering anything from earthmoving drones and basses to ethereal pads and piercing leads.
In addition to the sounds and the presets, a MIDI library of material tailored for each preset category is included. By using several instances of EZkeys 2 and assigning different sounds from this EKX to their own layers of MIDI, you can create all-immersive landscapes of dark and multi-textured sound.
This is an EKX that hovers amidst an amalgam of styles, seamlessly reaching its tentacles into the different worlds of acoustic, organic and electronic. If you’re looking for a body of sound that offers the exact opposite of clean and pristine, this is it.
This EKX requires EZkeys 2. Learn more about the program here.
Note: The MIDI included with this EKX is unique and not related to any existing or yet-to-be-released EZkeys MIDI pack.
FULL PRODUCTIONS
SELECTED PRESETS
These hauntingly bent and skewed sounds are primarily built around a piano and an organ blended with electronic elements and granular processing.
String-like but dismal and ambient sounds based on heavily treated layers of analog synths and effects.
Piercing leads and anything from tight and gnarly to drone-like basses.
Ethereal and experimental textures of electronic noises and atmospheric sounds.
There are three main sections in which you can tweak the underlying parameters of each preset: Envelope, Mix and Sound Shaping. The Envelope section lets you adjust the overall level of the main character of the sound while the Mix knob blends in ambient and electronic noise as well as single hits (non-looping) that can be used for the attack of a sound. The Sound Shaping section features low- and high pass filters as well as Color and Ambience controls. The Color control is designed to adjust the level of saturation or modulation while the Ambience knob alters the amount of reverb or delay (or a mix of both).
This EKX includes seven custom “songs” with four subfolders each containing two variations. The subfolders are named to correspond with their parent sound preset category, giving you MIDI material tailored to work optimally with the dynamics and characteristics of the sounds. By using several instances of EZkeys 2 and assigning different sounds from this EKX to their own layers of MIDI, you can create otherworldly landscapes of sound.
LISTEN
Photo: Marijke Küsters
K/V (Ramon Kerstens and Richard Veenstra)
With respective backgrounds in metal and electronic and both with a deep understanding for complex sound design, Ramon and Richard were the perfect team to realize the spectacular Dark Industrial EZX and EKX project.
Where did the idea for this project come from?
Ramon: We typically try to come up with ideas for these types of things from the perspective of “what would we like to have ourselves that doesn’t exist yet.” There are many great drum- and synth plug-ins but for our style and the way we work, we often find ourselves needing to process the sound extensively to achieve the desired result we hear in our minds. These expansions were an attempt at cutting that process somewhat short and aim for a product that doesn’t need a lot of post-processing to sound cinematic, dark and alternative.
Richard: We also wanted to make sure that users have the option to change a sound drastically with just some small adjustments. This is why we spent a lot of time thinking about which macros we wanted to have for the instruments and what kind of underlying effects that would be needed. In the EZX, for example, we introduced a “Warp” macro which drastically alters a preset.
Creating both an EZX and an EKX under the same project banner, did you think about the synergies between the two? Did you design sounds for one based on how the ones in the other turned out?
Ramon: Definitely. Both projects were born from the same idea, both in terms of how to use them as well as how they should sound. We love gritty, dark and imperfect sounds. Both expansions live in that world. We did take into account, though, that each one has a different role (one percussive and one harmonic), so there are also noticeable differences. For the EZX, we focused on sounds that are pronounced and present but do not linger too much. However, the EKX shares the same kind of grime but exhibits a more undulating quality.
Richard: We envision these two products as a one-stop shop for composers seeking a dark aesthetic in their productions. In the EKX, you will not only find synth- and keys-like presets but also a lot of processed basses and leads as well as textures. It is possible to make a full-blown production with just these two expansions as we did ourselves plenty of times during the creation process. They’re just so much fun to work with!
You recorded acoustic drums and analog synths, electronic and modular synths, all kinds of organic foley and more. Did you have a preconceived plan going in or did you go with the flow? What was the “instrument” selection like?
Ramon: I would say both. Recording live instruments and foley and combining that with (modular) synth sounds is always a big part of our creation process and ultimately our sound as artists. So, to that extent, it was deliberate. We had a list of things we felt we needed to record in order to create the sound we had in our heads, but once we got the basic elements out of the way we kind of just went with it and tried to find interesting and usable sounds and textures with the tools we had at our disposal. This process ranged from experimenting with a drum kit using various items to capturing the sound of pushing metal objects across a cement floor, messing with a prepared piano and hours and hours of modular noodling.
Richard: For both products we wanted to show the perfect balance of acoustic and electronic sound sources. Almost all sounds from the EZX are multi-layered. They include both acoustic sound sources like kicks, snares and cymbals, but we also recorded renowned percussionist Jeroen de Rijk and mangled his sounds to oblivion. The EKX does not only include tonal sound sources, but we also recorded a lot of noises and ambience sounds as well as impacts, all of which you can dial in with the macros.
How does a drum kit or synth preset go from idea to finished sound? Do you hear it in your heads or does it come to you organically as you tweak? What normally goes into the whole production chain?
Ramon: Once all the sounds are edited and prepared and we get to the preset programming stage, we typically have a good idea of the range of possibilities within the collection we recorded. There will be sounds that you can’t wait building a preset around and sounds of which you have no idea how they’re going to turn out, but typically I would say we have a pretty good idea of what we want to make for most of the presets. Our goal is to draw inspiration from the source material and bring it to life through effects and modulation. If your source material is on point – as it should be – the rest will flow naturally.
Richard: Both EZdrummer and EZkeys are incredibly powerful and inspiring tools, so creating the presets was arguably the most straightforward aspect of the process. Ultimately you want a sort of cohesive variety where each preset delivers a different experience but within the same creative definition. As for the production chain, we used lots and lots of outboard gear at Farkosten Studios in Altea, Spain, to sculpt and process the sounds. There are vintage classics like the Eventide Harmonizer, EQs like the GML 8200, Fairchild compression and Distressors on most of the sounds.
When working as a two-man team on a project like this, did you have your own roles as to who was doing what?
Ramon: No, not really. I don’t believe dividing tasks would be effective, to be honest. A large part of the creative process for us is bouncing ideas off each other, so you have to be there with your heads in the same space. Then as the process progresses and we get to the editing stage, we just cut the work in half and work our way through it while staying informed on the other person’s progress. The preset making stage is typically just a fun exercise where we send our results back and forth and rejoice over what the other one has made, haha!
Richard: We share the same headspace and generally have a similar musical taste, although I have a background in experimental electronic music, while Ramon comes from a metal music background. I think those backgrounds complement each other well and you can clearly hear this in both instruments. We don’t want to separate roles too much anyway because we want to have both musical DNAs present in these instruments.
Listening back to the sounds and seeing the finished products, what are your thoughts?
Ramon: I’m crazy proud of this and I think it’s some of the best work we’ve done so far. A large reason for that is the amazing team at Toontrack who supported us along the way and gave us the space and trust to play and discover as we went. As I mentioned earlier, all of this was born from the thought of what we as composers would like to have ourselves and, crazily enough, we managed to actually build just that. These expansions are now standard starting points for our own work and we believe they can be valuable tools for anyone who creates any kind of dark alternative music.
Richard: These are my go-to products at this point to be honest. I love seeing that the ideas we had in mind are included in the final products. I think one of their best features are the macros and their ability to really adapt the sounds the way you want. To add some extra saturation or distortion to a drum sound or to completely change a kit preset with the “Pitch” and “Warp” macros and to be able to automate this all is great.
What do you hope that users take away from the Dark Industrial EZX and EKX?
Ramon: For me, I just hope they will inspire people to create – whatever kind of music it is that they make. Many presets for me are still starters that spawn musical ideas as soon as I start messing around with them and I wish that to be the same for anyone who comes across these products. I grew up with Industrial acts like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry and my musical tastes over time evolved along the many offshoots of that, deep into electronic territory. I think both expansions are a perfect blend of those worlds.
Richard: Exactly, I think the instruments can cater to a lot of different musical genres. I have been using the EZX drums already in techno productions and am using the EKX sounds on a daily base in cinematic productions. We had a lot of fun making these products and we will hope that users will like them as much!
3.6 GB free disk space (plus 3.6 GB for download), 4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended).
A working EZkeys 2.0.2 (or above) installation.
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