EZDrummer 2

Right now I'm looking for some pads to plug into my computer via the USB to trigger EZD2.

The Akai MPC Element looks promising, but I need for information if it will work.
Has anyone tried or knows how to set up an external triggering unit to EZD2 software?

Any suggestions would be excellent.

Thanks!
 
I just upgraded last night.

I have to say the biggest improvement is the sound of the default kit. EZD1 sounded like crap IMO and the stock drumset in 2 (both of them actually) sounds pretty dang good.

I can see it still having a distinct enough sound to pick it out in people's stuff but not like EZD1 or DFH EZX did.

I haven't messed with the songwriting stuff yet. That was pretty much what sold me on it though.
 
I am finding the songwriting stuff the best part. I still am not a fan so far as to the samples. Especially the cymbals. They still sound unpleasing to me. I don't get it. Some are supposedly Paiste. They do not sound like the ones I have or have used. It sounds like each cymbal has a mic right on it. I have never been a fan of that sound myself. Just give me overheads in a room with the actual drums.

That is what I love about SSD, it sounds more real because it is more real.

Anyway, the interface is perfect for creating a drum track quickly. The best/easiest I have ever seen. I am going to buy it just for the times when I work with musicians and friends who just want to write something at the spur of the moment. I can always replace the crappy sounds later..Or just play it myself...

Just my opinion. Please do not send hate mail if I said something that offends.

:)
 
Try Superior Drummer and the SDX packs if you want to compare to SDD. There are tons of different ambiance mics included with each SDX, so you can really fine tune which raw sound you want.
There better samples, better recorded, better for raw mixing than EZ 1 or 2.

The 3 NY Studios volumes cover a LOT of classic drums ground...and if you add the Rock Warehouse SDX you get all the real modern flavors....then if you want more extreme, there's the Metal Foundry.

I think there are some good samples in various EZX packs....but, you have to cherry pick.


Oh....been messing around with Trigger 2 (liking what it can do, so thanks for the nudge for me to buy/try it). :thumbs up:
I can definately see doing some drum tracks with a combination of Slate & Toontrack samples.

My god, I have so many drums samples now...it's crazy! :facepalm: :p
 
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I've been noticing some random incidental sounds in the tails of the samples of the Pop/Rock kit in EZD2. I'm not sure if they were present in EZD1. Like on the kick drum, there' some creaky sound like the drummer's throne squeaking or something. And on one of the other kit pieces, you can hear somebody's voice a couple of seconds after the tail of the drum hit starts to fade out. It always scares the crap outta me when I'm playing drums in headphones with the volume cranked up and some compression on the kit. I have those moments of thinking somebody is in the room with me.
 
Question for those who upgraded from EZD1 to 2: will installing EZD2 screw up my existing songs that use EZD1? Do I need to stem render all of them first?
 
I don't think it will screw up *the songs*, but you need to upgrade all your MIDI/EZX/SDX packs so they are compatible with EZD2. Toontrack already has updates for every existing sound/MIDI pack on their website.

I spent a couple of hours today downloading and sorting them with my existing Toontrack stuff...but in my case, I'm not going to use EZD2, since I mainly use SD...so I'm just putting the updates aside in a separate folder for possible future use.
There is also an update for SD so that it's sounds/MIDI can work with EZD2, but it's only for Win 7 and above....and I'm still using XP, so no plan to update SD either, but I also downloaded that and put it aside for future use.

Look at the updates on the Toontrack site for all the packs you have.....any marked May 2014 is needed so you can use that pack with EZD2. New packs from this point will already be EZD2 compatible.
I'm trying to figure out if installing any of these pack updates will screw things up for the previous versions of SD and EZD1.....I'm going to send an email to Toontrack just to be sure, though I still don't plan on installing them at this time.
 
After watching loads of of videos and reading reviews I was all set to purchase EZD2 yesterday but then read it was Win7 and above. I'm still on XP and my machine runs like a charm. I have no intention of moving up to Win7 or anything else in the near future. So I'll have to make do without.

I do have Win7 but this machine and my soundcard (M-Audio 2496) don't get along, cracks and pops all the time. (Shared IRQ issue) I spent a lot of time trying to solve it before giving up and returning to XP.
 
So far I haven't had any issues loading up EZD2 on projects that were originally recorded with EZD1. The only difference I've seen is that the multi-out is different, so I've had to rename and add/delete some of the multi-out tracks. EZD1 just had the kit pieces, overhead, and room mics. EZD2 has a few other outputs like reverb, compression, distortion, etc.
 
Tadpui said:
So far I haven't had any issues loading up EZD2 on projects that were originally recorded with EZD1. The only difference I've seen is that the multi-out is different, so I've had to rename and add/delete some of the multi-out tracks. EZD1 just had the kit pieces, overhead, and room mics. EZD2 has a few other outputs like reverb, compression, distortion, etc.
Click to expand...

Sorry, not following you on this - there are additional tracks (busses) in EZD2? Or just VST FX on the tracks? Basically, if I've got a song already mixed, with EZD1, and I need to go back and tweak it, I want to be able to do that with minimal fuss, not have to go back into EZD (2) and re-adjust sounds, volumes, etc. From what you're saying (I think), it would be better for me to stem render each track separately first.
 
mjbphotos said:
Sorry, not following you on this - there are additional tracks (busses) in EZD2? Or just VST FX on the tracks? Basically, if I've got a song already mixed, with EZD1, and I need to go back and tweak it, I want to be able to do that with minimal fuss, not have to go back into EZD (2) and re-adjust sounds, volumes, etc. From what you're saying (I think), it would be better for me to stem render each track separately first.
Click to expand...

Well, if you use the multi-output routing from EZD into your DAW (basically mixing each individual drum mic in your DAW instead of internally in the EZD mixer), then yeah there'll be some changes. For instance, with the Pop/Rock kit in EZD1 it had seperate outputs for kick, snare top, snare bottom, hihat, toms, overheads, and room. The pop/rock kit when transferred to EZD2 has kick, snare, hihat, toms, overhead, room, ambience, compressed room, distorted room, shaker, tambourine, 1-shot. I had a couple of projects where I had to remix the drums because I had each of these routed to their own track in Reaper, instead of them being routed to a single "ez drummer" track. So I deleted the multi-out tracks, and re-added them (via the "build multichannel routing for output " option) so they'd correspond to the new EZD2 multi-out tracks.
 
Thanks, man, that has saved me! I don't use the EZD built-in mixer at all, I have templates for the Pop/Rock, Nashville and Classic 4 mic sets, all using separate tracks for each 'mic'. Guess I've got some work to do before installing EZD2. :rolleyes:
 
mjbphotos said:
Thanks, man, that has saved me! I don't use the EZD built-in mixer at all, I have templates for the Pop/Rock, Nashville and Classic 4 mic sets, all using separate tracks for each 'mic'. Guess I've got some work to do before installing EZD2. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I guess since EZD's internal mixer lets you assign which mic goes to which output, it's just a matter of going into the EZD mixer and redirecting any new/missing mics to their proper tracks in your project. I probably didn't take the best approach, I just went all scorched earth :)
 
So the word form Toontrack is that ALL current updates should NOT be used with older versions of SD or EZD1.

EZD2 is not XP compatible, and all currtent expansion & MIDI packs have been updated to support EZD2....also there is a new SD verions ONLY intended for Win7 and newer.

Bottom line....if you are usng XP....don't upgrade your SD to 2.4.0 and don't install any expansion & MIDI packupdates from May 2014 and forward. Just keep using the last versions prior to May 2014.

Sooooo....if you are staying with XP and the older packs, and you want to add some other packs......do it NOW while they still have versions that will work with XP.
 
FYI.....


Toontrack is running a sale right now on SDX packs (not sure about EZX).
I think this is their blow-out sale to shed all the old stock CDs...and then from this point forward the next versions will probably be automatically EZD2 compatible (no need for the current updates) and only good on Win7 and above.

Anyway....they're selling the SDX packs for $107 at Toontrack....BUT....you can go to Musician’s Friend/Guitar Center/Sweetwater...and get the same SDX packs right now for $75!!!!
The Rock Warehouse is on backorder until 7/11...but the others are in stock.

I just order The Rock Warehouse, as I've been waiting for that one to go on sale. It was holding at $149 for the longest time.
I also ordered the Custom and Vintage SDX.
Got both for $150. :)

That will complete my SDX pack acquisition. I already have NY Studios Volumes 1, 2 & 3...so with these two additional packs, I'm done.
Not to mention 7 of the EZX packs...plus my Slate Trigger Platinum sound library

I think I now have all the drum sounds I need! :p :facepalm:
 
Tadpui said:
I guess since EZD's internal mixer lets you assign which mic goes to which output, it's just a matter of going into the EZD mixer and redirecting any new/missing mics to their proper tracks in your project. I probably didn't take the best approach, I just went all scorched earth :)
Click to expand...

I understand that, and its what I'm trying to avoid at this point on these particular projects - they are all mixed except for tweaking, the last thing I want to have to do is go back in and re-set them up, possibly screwing up what I might have done for levels, sends, etc.
 
I still don't own NY vol 3, the Rock warehouse or Roots.

I have everything else though. If I didn't snag Komplete 9 ultimate I would have been all over this sale.

$75 for SDX libraries is about as cheap as I have ever seen them.
 
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