RIFFS plug-ins... Toontrack
SRP: £54.95 Time+Space 01837 55200
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Americana EZX demonstrates how Swedish drum sampling specialist Toontrack are moving into increasingly niche markets. One important advantage that the EZX system has over larger drum libraries is its lower cost compared against the multi gigabyte Superior libraries. However, as previously mentioned all Toontrack users can use the EZX libraries, which still offer a huge level of samples albeit based around fewer drums and articulations. While we’re on the subject the Americana library weighs in at about 1.2 gigabyte, which once would have seemed huge but these days seems almost modest!
tuned and played in a much more ‘rock-centric’ fashion. Kit One contains: Two Fibes kick drums along with two Fibes toms and a Ludwig Black Beauty Snare, the classic Zildjian New Beat hi hat and a smattering of cymbals. Kit two is mostly based around the old Ludwig, with the slightly unusual but no less welcome inclusion of a Tama wood hooped snare. It is also great for an old fashioned boy like me to see the welcome inclusion of a sizzle cymbal in this kit! Kit 3 is the same kit as Kit 2 but this time played with brushes and also includes a Ludwig brass snare and different cymbals. As usual both kits appear as separate channels with EZ/Superior drummer along with various overhead and ambient microphones.
Americana EZX uses Toontracks’ familiar interface
Grits & Kits According to Toontrack Americana EZX captures the raw, untamed and no fills essence of the Americana genre, which encompasses country, country rock, blues and folk and all of their many offshoots. Recorded in Texas (where else?) at Congress House Studios with the sessions being engineered by Mark Hallman (Carole King). Once again as with previous EZX expansions a selection of MIDI patterns is included that are designed to go with the gritty country flavoured sounds on offer. The kits themselves are based around a vintage Fibes and a 1965 Ludwig. Fibes may not be such a well known name but I remember the name fondly from my days with the very first Toontrack Superior kits, although these were
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Open country When I first heard about the Americana EZX I presumed it would sound like a scaled down version of Toontrack’s mega ‘Music City USA’ SDX which really nails that high quality, expansive Nashville sound so I was a little surprised to hear that ‘Americana’ sounds nothing like it! The sounds themselves are a lot more intimate and clearly recorded in a smaller space. You could argue that they don’t sound quite as impressive as some of the other libraries but that just may be the point. These sounds are capable of driving a track along rhythmically without drawing too much attention to themselves, it feels like they want to sit just a tiny bit further back in the mix. They also seem to fit into the mix with very little need
baby Americana EZX Expansion
Recorded in Texas using authentic vintage drums and high-quality microphones, Toontrack’s latest drum sample expansion library delivers crisp snappy drum sounds that are specifi cally aimed at capturing the raw essence of blues, folk and country rock.
Words: D.P. Wilson
Individual sounds can be edited and mixed for a truly authentic feel
for EQ or dynamic processing. As I expected the Fibes kit sounds marvellous, fat and round but with a nice attack, which reminds me of the superb drum sounds from the records I listened too as a kid in the 70’s! This is the umpteenth showing for the Ludwig Black Beauty snare in a Toontrack product but it continues to impress as well as demonstrate just how different an individual drum can sound in a different studio with a different player, heads, tuning etc. However it manages to ping through without sounding thin or tinny. The Ludwig kit displays the slightly tubby sound I’ve come to recognise and again demonstrates the kind of versatility I’ve come to expect in any given project. Of special mention are the cymbals, of which the sizzle and the Bosphorus are real favourites. The Brush played kit is really nice and unlike some sampled brush kits that feel purely designed for jazz this kit will really work for that rolling country feel without making your drum track sound like a slightly feeble machine gun! PM
SHOULD I BUY ONE? The Americana EZX is vastly more versatile than it’s name would suggest and although it fi ts into that slight grittier country genre it also performs equally well in other areas where you need a good, solid rocking drum track that doesn’t necessarily sound like a series of percussive explosions! I had great results superimposing the Americana kits into anything from 60’s and 70’s style rock to some four on the fl oor vintage soul and it worked a treat. I can see this working well in an indie setting too as well as more subdued alternative country genre. In fact unless your needs are very specifi c I can’t really see where this library would let you down. And for the money, it’s a little bit of a steal! Once again, another Toontrack success. Highly recommended!
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