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Toontrack EZdrummer
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Toontrack EZdrummer
Spawn-X Spawn-X

« Sounds good, but not so EZ ... »

Published on 05/03/14 at 18:18
No special installation concerns, if not the perennial problem of the location of the VST DLL that is not easy to find especially if you install the software on a system with both 32 and 64bit. To look a bit much to know where to find the famous file and then the choice, either move it manually if your DAW does not allow you to add more VST folders, or to know what path to declare your DAW (Cubase allows declare as many subfolders as you want and that&#39;s good, but ... Live
Once the installation is completed in good and due form, the grip is childish view, simplistic (in the negative sense). Simplistic because in the end, EZDrummer is neither more nor less than a kind of tote grooves, albeit organized in a coherent and logical manner, but without any form of ergonomics which requires actually looking LE groove needed in a listing of the most indigestible. Fortunately, it sounds good, because side functionality related to the immediacy of use, it is unfortunately VERY far from the criteria previously imposed by Fire Groove Agent Steinberg, whose various three drafts have certainly taken the lead in the wing side sound quality, but the ergonomics was a success in terms of real-time game. And this is where my problem facing EZDrummer. Too accustomed as I was to this ease of use to actually play in real time with Groove Agent, I expected a system, if not identical, at least in the m ^ m mind. But not at all.
To understand what I mean, I need to develop a little about me.
With Groove Agent, it was possible to use a master keyboard to control almost everything in the interface of the app. Note that I am not talking to trigger samples with a kick to C, Hi-Hat on F #, DC on D, etc. .. Yes, of course, this mode of control is present in both GA in EZD . No, I&#39;m talking about control levels of complexity grooves, fills, trigger different functions like "half-time feel" (of retaining the flow and phrasing of HH while the sentence Kick / DC is divided by 2) or a whole bunch of other funny things that make GA a joy to fly direct to build our song.
With EZD, nothing like that. M ^ m merely start or stop playback of the active groove in sync with the host does not exist. The tempo sync, of course, but stopping the host translates continuity reading EZD. Not exactly what you&#39;re doing more practice ...
A great thing Groove Agent was in fact transfer an instrument (eg, kick or CC) in the groove in progress, while allowing the user to play live to the master keyboard over the rest of groove playing. Huge advantage in a single pass, you could then choose a style, cut the kick with his left hand, change the complexity of live style or trigger different fills, however with the right hand, you could record live our own phrase kick on a MIDI track.
We can obviously reach the m ^ m with EZDrummer result, but not without a heavy combination of drag and drop a MIDI track grooves followed by a publishing rule to delete the row Kick, etc ... For the Suddenly, the immediacy takes a slap ... Farewell rapid implementation so important in case of sudden inspiration in the middle of the night ...
This is obviously not the only differences that I regret, but this little paragraph is normally sufficient to explain how EZD is very different from GA.
You can tell me that I may be misinformed before buying EZD, but the logic of GA seemed so obvious that I really struggle to understand that competition did not ultimately opted for m ^ m implementation.

Nevertheless, the organization of the library is perfectly logical grooves in EZD which still allows a fairly logical and intuitive work, but not as instantaneous.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

My laptop from September 2013 I decided to take one that is relatively powerful for the margin over time. I currently running on an ASUS G750J the Republic Of Gammer series animated by a i74700HQ (i7 4th generation) with 8GB DDR Windows 8.1. I spend most often by RME BabyFace or sometimes directly by the sound interface my Roland VG-99 function. My main host is Cubase 7.5, and I occasionally use Live 8. In any case, no worries, it purrs ...
I&#39;m not very consumer VSTi plugins, but when I use m ^ m quite VSTfx.

OVERALL OPINION

Purchased and installed only from a groin 15 days after the announcement of the free upgrade to EZD2 for recent EZD1 owners. Video AF test me with envy especially given functions announced in EZD2 and also pushed out by Steinberg that no longer supports Groove Agent 3 become partially incompatible with the 64Bit (GA3 can still rotate, but its MIDI outputs can not be recorded directly in Cubase which was one of the most important functions of the app), I am quite interested also BFD3 I plan to buy also additional EZD2 will be available in 3 days. BFD does not at all in the sense m ^ m "composer" qu&#39;EZD, but rather in the logic "sound engineer", I intend to take advantage of both.
The "Ingé-its" EZD being, it must be admitted, largely forgotten. The EZD logic is rather no-brainer to mix settings, everything must be integrated live sound without taking cum in the mix in progress, this side is me certainly useful during of components. But phase mix, I stay on my hunger. Unable eg route toms separately in the console on their own respective tranche. We must sort the toms on a single stereo bracket. It may be suitable for least developed among us, but for total control, it will return ...
Originally, the number of grooves is proposed interesting, but quickly falls short of novelty. The number of drum kits is also frustrating compared to Groove Agent (yeah, I know it well to be used for almost 10 years), the price was nevertheless very similar. With EZD, if other banks of sounds you want, you must go through the box drawer. The app is already not quite given (there is obviously much worse, but when m ^ m ...), it is a factor to be taken into account for small budgets.

In short, with experience, I do not regret having bought EZD1 in optical EZD2 obtain more promising. But if I had to content myself with EZD for several years, I would have when m ^ m frankly had bad. Insofar EZD2 will definitely replace EZD, this review will no longer intended to guide you in a possible purchase as soon EZD1 available. But the promises of EZD2, including its function Tap To Find, are clearly indicative of a widely assumed evolution of Toontrack. Visit the OPINION of EZD2 therefore, a few days section. ;)