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Organic drums for hyper-modern productions from one of the world’s premier human beat machines: Ash Soan. When the likes of Dua Lipa, Alicia Keys and Taylor Swift need organic-sounding but hyper-fresh beats for their songs, they call Ash Soan. But they don’t send him off to any fancy metropolitan studio to lay down his tracks, they have him record a stone’s throw from his front door. Welcome to The Windmill, 18th century mill-turned-drum room and arguably the smallest studio that has made the biggest dent in modern music history. The In the Pocket EZX taps in on the trinity that has made the beats recorded at the The Windmill the keystone of countless hits: the inherent magic swirling in the cylinder-shaped structure of its one-of-a-kind room, Ash’s ingenious ability to tune, alter and engineer unique-sounding make-shift kits as well as his inimitable bedrock-solid pocket groove.
The Funkmasters EZX was recorded in Nashville’s renowned Sound Kitchen Studios and captures the legacy of two of the most innovative, inspiring and influential instrumentalists of our time. Meet the principal drummers in James Brown’s band: Clyde Stubblefield and John “Jabo” Starks. Fans and critics cite the collective era of these two drummers, who often played in tandem, as the pinnacle of funk music. Samples and looped audio of their original beats would go on to become the foundation of hip hop, their grooves gave birth to countless genres and the use of their breaks inspired innovation within the techniques of DJ-ing. This product doesn’t only unveil the audio legacy of these two remarkable artists, it captures their touch, feel and timing in a MIDI library with signature grooves, played by the masters themselves.
Sounds, presets and MIDI, tailored for industrial rock and metal, dark electronic music and cinematic soundscapes. 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.
As obvious in soundtracks and classical arrangements as in anything from pop and rock to hip-hip and all thinkable offshoots of electronic dance music, the marimba and the xylophone are the uncontested big two in the family of wooden melodic percussive instruments. The dark, rich, full, earthy and plucky sound of the marimba is as ideal for arpeggios and leads in an EDM track as it is for a dramatic segue in a film. Equally, the more accentuated, bright and dry tone of the xylophone is an amazing and piercingly effective melodic voice in any context it’s used. Recorded to cater to anything from full-scale classical compositions to any general songwriting needs, both instruments were captured at the famed 330 square meter main hall at Galaxy Studios using an array of different microphones. In addition to a generous selection of close mics positioned to pick up the immediate attack and body of each instrument, several mics were positioned around them for complete surround sound compatibility in up to 5.0 systems. In addition, the marimba was also recorded in the smaller Studio 1 room to offer an even more intimate take on the same instrument.
This EKX for EZkeys 2 includes two absolute staples when it comes to melodic percussion: a vibraphone and a glockenspiel. Heard in not only countless classical arrangements but also across all genres of popular music, these staples from the metallophone family of instruments have become two of the definite go-tos for audio creatives across the board. The vibraphone, with its vivid tremolo and sustained colorful, metallic timbre, boasts a strikingly distinct character. Likewise, the glockenspiel, with its curious tinkle and bright, bell-like tone, simply has an inimitable harmonic voice able to cut through in any musical context. Undoubtedly, if you’re looking for percussive and melodic instruments that have an extraordinary ability to carry melodies that sing, ring and soar, these two gems are essential. To capture the instruments, the Toontrack sound design team returned to the same complex that the Superior Drummer 3 core library and Orchestral Percussion SDX were recorded in; Galaxy Studios. Built with an unprecedented attention to detail and designed to withstand virtually any noise interference from the outside world, this is the epitome of a studio for sampling delicate instruments of this kind.
Few instruments have made marks in music history so indelible that they in the process have become just as famed as some of the songs that were created on them. The Hammond* organ is undoubtedly one of those. Since it was first introduced, it has fostered generations of new players and has had a profound impact on the development of anything from gospel, jazz and blues to funk, prog, rock and the many iterations of modern music of today. We are proud to add this icon of organs as an expansion for the EZkeys 2 format. For the sounds, the Toontrack team scoured the market for the most pristine, maintained and transparent organ from which all of its 91 spinning tonewheels were carefully sampled. In the final product, these recordings have been seamlessly merged with advanced modeling of both the organ’s tone and all its classic traits, like key clicks, percussion, vibrato and chorus. Add to that a flawless recreation of a quintessential rotary speaker and you have the utmost in extreme audio realism.