# Your Favorite EZ Drummer Expansion Packs & Midi Loops ?



## synthpunk (Jul 25, 2017)

I've been thinking about picking up EZ drummer for a while now to accent Stylus RMX, Logic Drummer, and Komplete Ultimate for drum grooves

If I'm not mistaken Superior drummer is on sale till the end of the month and only $30 more than EZ Drummer currently?

I have read where many people prefer the simplicity of EZ. What are the main differences between the two and which do you prefer ?


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## Astronaut FX (Jul 25, 2017)

IMO the sound quality is equivalent. Go with SD if want total tweakage control. Go with EZD if you want simplicity and immediacy.


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## Steinmetzify (Jul 25, 2017)

+1 to the above.

EZD2 also has a Song Creator function and a Tap2Find feature, both of which are really cool, especially if you're not a drummer.

Tap2Find is pretty self explanatory; you tap in a beat and then hit search, and it finds everything in your packs that relates to that beat with a percentage given to how close it is.

You can also use that feature with the Song Creator, meaning you tap something in, drop that MIDI into the SC, and it'll bring up multiple instances of whatever you have that corresponds with that beat, arranged in song form....intros, pre-chorus, verse, chorus, fills and endings. Really cool sketching tool to get a workable tune going to record guitars/bass to really fast.


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## StillLife (Jul 25, 2017)

+1 to Ezdrummer and Taptofind. Great feature, great program, lovely workflow. It's also very nice to be able to edit inside ezdrummer. Just click on the drums on the gui: little more bassdrum, little less highhat. It's a breeze. 
I dont have superior, but I've been told it is only superior in the sound-tweaking capabilities - which are already quite good in EZ. I use EZ in every track. One of my best purchases ever.


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## Brendon Williams (Jul 25, 2017)

EZ Drummer sounds come mixed out of the box so that you can drop them right into your mix and move along. EZ Drummer also has an extensive loop and song arranging system (the aforementioned Song Creator), which is perfect for those who just want to get a drum part in their song and move on quickly.

Superior Drummer sounds come totally raw and unprocessed, exactly how your drums would come from recording session. There are extremely detailed microphone and bleed control options, which gives you a huge range of mixing potential. The drums are also significantly more deeply sampled and detailed, and come with a more diverse selection of drums and cymbals. There are mixed presets in Superior, but I find those a bit lacking, as they only are processed with SD's internal processing.

Personally, I'm a big fan of SD, as I like programming intricate drum parts and I enjoy mixing drums. The raw sounds mean that you can mix them in any style you want and they'll sound great (if you're experienced with drum mixing), so the possibilities are endless.


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## synthpunk (Jul 25, 2017)

Starting with EZ then going upgrade path next sale if needed make sense?


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## StillLife (Jul 25, 2017)

I don't think Superior is an upgrade from EZ. They are two different vst's. You'll lose as much as you'll gain, I think. Better to think through what you want from it.


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## Steinmetzify (Jul 25, 2017)

Yeah, if you need to. Personally not being a drummer, it works for me. Felt no need to upgrade to SD as I don't enjoy mixing drums. The expansion packs provide pretty much everything I need.

Also be aware they do a bunch of sales every year, so if there's something you want just wait.

Also also be aware that Toontrack will NEVER undercut their dealers, so if you get an email about a sale it'll always be cheaper someplace like Sweetwater...might only be a few bucks but still.


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## Vanni (Jul 25, 2017)

I'll just say that i believe a song-writer could produce a convincing demo using EZ Drummer.
Maybe it's worth investing in a few midi packs, but stock library is enough to have at least a "background" if you need it.


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## sumskilz (Jul 25, 2017)

As a drummer who knows how to mix drums well, I prefer Superior for the finished product, but I prefer EZ while composing and tracking other instruments. If you have an ear for it, the difference in sampling depth is really apparent. That said, EZ Drummer still sounds really good. If you're just going to buy one, probably EZ Drummer is best. I wouldn't upgrade it to Superior though, it's better to have both if you want Superior's functionality.


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## Mornats (Jul 25, 2017)

If you upgrade from EZDrummer to Superior I believe you get to keep EZDrummer and can use both.


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## keepitsimple (Jul 25, 2017)

Ezdrummer 2. 

Yes the bleeding and the more tweaking capabilities in Superior are a plus and if you listen to an EZX on both Ezdrummer and Superior you will notice that Superior has an edge in authenticity and overall flow of the sound, but then again (and it's all personal taste) Ezdrummer default kit and room to me sound better than all the kits in superior. I love that room. Also remember, you can always multitrack Ezdrummer into your DAW for more sound tweaking. 

On another note, i personally stopped using both once i discovered this kit: https://www.analoguedrums.com/products/smoker/ . It embodies the ideal exact sound i want from my drums for the type of music i do and it plays and fits in the mix beautifully. But that's another subject.


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## ohernie (Jul 25, 2017)

SDX's (Superior Drummer) make available raw samples along with patches that tweak them. Since you are starting with raw samples you can use the raw samples, apply factory tweaks (patches) or just tweak them yourself. EzDrummer samples have the tweaks built in. *EZX's can be loaded into Superior*, but the tweaking is limited since you don't have access to the untweaked samples. I'm getting ready to crossgrade from EZD 1 since it's only $99 at Sweetwater till the end of the month. From what I can see, the EzDrummer vs Superior Drummer question is a non-issue.


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## bvaughn0402 (Jul 25, 2017)

Has anyone used EZ Drummer to construct drum grooves for a song, and then switched over to Superior for more authentic sounds?


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## jmvideo (Jul 25, 2017)

bvaughn0402 said:


> Has anyone used EZ Drummer to construct drum grooves for a song, and then switched over to Superior for more authentic sounds?



My experience with Superior is that it actually sounds "inferior" to EZ, so don't be fooled by the name. It's old.... outdated interface and not user friendly. That was my experience.


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## Brendon Williams (Jul 26, 2017)

jmvideo said:


> My experience with Superior is that it actually sounds "inferior" to EZ



That probably has to do with the fact that SD is raw and unprocessed while EZ is mix-ready.


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## sumskilz (Jul 26, 2017)

bvaughn0402 said:


> Has anyone used EZ Drummer to construct drum grooves for a song, and then switched over to Superior for more authentic sounds?


That's what I typically do.



jmvideo said:


> My experience with Superior is that it actually sounds "inferior" to EZ, so don't be fooled by the name. It's old.... outdated interface and not user friendly. That was my experience.


EZ Drummer sounds like drums that have had "strip silence" done on the close mics and have already been mixed. If you like the way they've been processed, then they will sound better (though not more realistic) than Superior Drummer.

Superior Drummer sounds a lot more realistic in that it has many more round robins, layers, and different types of hits, as well as bleed options. When Superior sounds not as good, it's for the same reason that real drums sometimes don't, it's because mixing drums isn't easy or because on a particular track, a more processed sound is preferred. You can achieve a more processed sound with Superior, but it's not as easy.

Also, I agree Superior's interface is dated.


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## synthpunk (Jul 26, 2017)

----------------------------------------
What are your favorite sound expansions and midi loop packs for EZ Drummer?


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## Astronaut FX (Jul 26, 2017)

Post Rock and Electronic are my favorites. I'm waiting for Dream Pop to go on sale, and I'm thinking it will join the list of favorites. 

I also have Indie/Folk, Americana, and Nashville.


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## Quasar (Jul 26, 2017)

I looked more closely at Superior when Toontrack started pushing the crossgrade sales, and I think it's for people who _enjoy_ mixing and tweaking rock drum kits on the microscopic level. Since I'm trying to learn to orchestrate etc. I'm not realistically going to care about those features, and prefer the simplicity of EZD. Plus, with EZD you can always use the multi-out and process the sounds in your DAW, or generate the MIDI and swap out individual kit instruments altogether. So, between EZD, NI's Studio Drummer, Abbey Road series, & Battery I am more than covered in this area.

I have Nashville, because of a holiday blowout price last year, and like it well enough. I may get more EZXs yet, but only if they're ridiculously cheap...


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## StillLife (Jul 26, 2017)

I have Indie/Folk, Nashville, Americana, Southern Soul and HipHop. They are all great, but what's good for you depends on the style you're after. Listen to the demo's on their site. 
Toontrack usually has good sales between bf and the end of the year, and also in the spring. And, as others mentioned: you can find their stuff cheaper at some online music stores, like Thomann.de.
They also offer 6packs with midi loops for around 60 euro, that save you a lot of money. Just be sure you buy midi files that are not already included in the ezx's you have. They tell you if that's the case in the description of the particular midipack.
Toontrack also has a very good download and update centre. Really is a breeze.
Beware: if you're anything like me, getting into Toontrack stuff is acquiering a new addiction...


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## jtnyc (Jul 26, 2017)

For programming your own drum parts and striving to achieve realism, Superior is superior. The lack of articulations, mic options and rr's in EZ makes it limiting. Superior is so flexible that the same drums can sound a hundred different ways. I never use midi loops, so that aspect is not important to me. Re-mapping where the drums are on my keyboard is, and EZ doesn't allow re-mapping. It's a chinch in Superior. The standard mappings in Superior and EZ will have the main 2 or so snare articulations around D1, then the alternate ones octaves away. Same with HH's and toms, articulations are scattered. Re-mapping these so I can easily access them makes programming very easy and pleasurable. There can be up to 11 HH articulations. 5 or 6 snares etc... Having them laid out together really allows you to program a more detailed part without searching around. It's then also makes more sense when you editing in the piano roll.

All that said, EZ does sound good and if your looking for quick good sounds and you want to use loops, it's the ticket. 

I agree 100% that the Superior interface desperately needs a facelift. My biggest gripe is the mixer. It's small and cluttered. The small black font on a grey background hurts my eyes and makes navigating around a pain. Fortunately I have every channel routed out separate outs into Logic and do all of my processing there, so I spend very little time on the mixer page. I don't use any of the FX in Superior and prefer my own eq's and compressors anyway.


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## ohernie (Jul 26, 2017)

Setting aside the interface issues, is there any difference between the sound of an EZX hosted in Superior vs an EZX hosted in EZdrummer? Are there any tweaks you can do in EZX that you can't do in Superior?


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## kitekrazy (Jul 26, 2017)

StillLife said:


> I don't think Superior is an upgrade from EZ. They are two different vst's. You'll lose as much as you'll gain, I think. Better to think through what you want from it.



Unless I'm wrong the EZX will import into SD2. They only downside I cold think of is paying more for SD libraries.


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## jtnyc (Jul 26, 2017)

ohernie said:


> Setting aside the interface issues, is there any difference between the sound of an EZX hosted in Superior vs an EZX hosted in EZdrummer? Are there any tweaks you can do in EZX that you can't do in Superior?



The FX are different in Superior, so in that regard, yes it's different. You can also create x-drums (additional kit pieces) in superior, which allows you to you to grab drums from other EXZ's or SDX's to stack or add to the kit. Also in Superior you have control over how much bleed there is on a channel. For instance, if the snare is too loud in the overheads, you can pull it down or turn it off completely. I use this feature often on some of the room channels. If I want a big nasty compressed room to create a bombastic kick, snare and tom sound, I'll set that up, but often the crash cymbals in that compressed room will become unpleasant and over bearing. No problem, just go to the sub mixer on that room channel and turn them down or off. I'm pretty sure EZDrummer doesn't have these features, although I could be wrong.


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## R. Soul (Jul 26, 2017)

Since RMX 2 appears to take forever to be released, I'm looking into alternatives.
So, what's the verdict on the non-Rock/Metal expansions? 
Particularly Dream Pop, Twisted, Electronic, Pop and Claustrophobic?


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## jtnyc (Jul 26, 2017)

R. Soul said:


> Since RMX 2 appears to take forever to be released, I'm looking into alternatives.
> So, what's the verdict on the non-Rock/Metal expansions?
> Particularly Dream Pop, Twisted, Electronic, Pop and Claustrophobic?



Although I use Superior, I own some EZX's as well. I have Electronic and Twisted. I never use Electronic. It's old and while it's not terrible, Battery covers me way better in that department. Twisted is pretty cool, but very specifically odd. I've found uses for it, but for me, it's not so versatile in the way that it's character stands out. Indie Folk is nice and sweet. The full SDX version is called Independent. I kinda wish I grabbed that one instead but it was new to market and not on sale like all the others so I grabbed Indie Folk at half price. It's nice for big spacious organic tones. I also have Hip Hop which has some really great sounds and a large variety of them. Alt Rock sounds really great from the demos I've heard. I'm surprised they didn't come out with an SDX version of it. It's called Alt Rock, but it's worth checking out for other genres as well. The drums sound sweet and I could hear them on mellow, indie, ambient, pop etc... They have a sweet natural tone to them. I'm waiting for that one to go on sale and will definitely grab it. I don't own them, but the Funk and Jazz EZX's sound really good to me. The Jazz EZX is the little brother to the Roots SDX which comes in 2 parts, sticks, and brushes and rods. Roots is way more detailed with way more options. Those demos sound great and I'd like to grab them as well. I use the Rock EZX for sound replacement/layering with live drums a lot. Not a lot of velocity layers there, but for a hard hitting rock track it's great for layering.


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## synthpunk (Nov 6, 2017)

I picked up Dreampop, will be playing with it this week. But from the demo reminded me of Tycho and Ulrich Schnauss.

Do people find Twisted kit useful ?




Astronaut FX said:


> Post Rock and Electronic are my favorites. I'm waiting for Dream Pop to go on sale, and I'm thinking it will join the list of favorites.
> 
> I also have Indie/Folk, Americana, and Nashville.


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## babylonwaves (Nov 6, 2017)

R. Soul said:


> Particularly Dream Pop, Twisted, Electronic, Pop and Claustrophobic?


i find both Claustrophobic and Electronic a bit dated. the sounds are good, e.g. Electronic was done by Richard Devine and he knows what he's doing but things also also moving fast in this domain. in general, as for easy drummer, i always considered rock/metal/alternative kits their strength. the "rest" i'd rather get from elsewhere. The Post Rock kit is really great. Oh, and don't get me started on RMX (2) ...


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## Rob (Nov 6, 2017)

I find the "funkmasters" ezx excellent


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## joespringfield (Nov 6, 2017)

anything with light percussion loops?


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## R. Soul (Nov 6, 2017)

babylonwaves said:


> i find both Claustrophobic and Electronic a bit dated. the sounds are good, e.g. Electronic was done by Richard Devine and he knows what he's doing but things also also moving fast in this domain. in general, as for easy drummer, i always considered rock/metal/alternative kits their strength. the "rest" i'd rather get from elsewhere. The Post Rock kit is really great. Oh, and don't get me started on RMX (2) ...


Funny this thread got revived today... Cause I bought Ez drummer 2 just 4 days ago. I also bought the Pop expansion.
Must admit I'm a bit disappointed. Coming from a RMX / Damage kind of guy, the grooves just seem so basic - like something you could program in 2 min. anyway. Yes, I get it - it should be something a 2 armed drummer can play.
Maybe the grooves really are meant for the singer/songwriter who just want a backing track to play along to. 
And then I've found all these fancy RR samples might actually bring up different sounding snare sounds on different beats, which is not ideal.
And yeah, I decided against buying claustrophobic and electronic a while ago. Indie folk looks interesting though.
@synthpunk - what do you think of Dream pop.? I'm looking for Modern Pop samples. SampleCast called it '70/80s drums' , which put me off a bit. Are the kits really that dated sounding?


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## synthpunk (Nov 6, 2017)

@R. Soul , To my ears its more of a Tycho / M83 / Ulrich Schnauss Shoegaze vibe, but like I said I have yet to get to spend allot of time with it yet.



R. Soul said:


> Funny this thread got revived today... Cause I bought Ez drummer 2 just 4 days ago. I also bought the Pop expansion.
> Must admit I'm a bit disappointed. Coming from a RMX / Damage kind of guy, the grooves just seem so basic - like something you could program in 2 min. anyway. Yes, I get it - it should be something a 2 armed drummer can play.
> And then I've found all these fancy RR samples might actually bring up different sounding snare sounds on different beats, which is not ideal.
> @synthpunk - what do you think of Dream pop.? I'm looking for Modern Pop samples. SampleCast called it '70/80s drums' , which put me off a bit. Are the kits really that dated sounding?


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## mc_deli (Nov 6, 2017)

joespringfield said:


> anything with light percussion loops?


The cocktail kit and latin perc both have that.

Funny, I don't like the Funkmasters, never got on with it. Electronic I do like but the interface makes it hard to navigate and remember sounds.
Claustrophobic, Twisted, Jazz, Vintage Rock I have used all of them. But Roots, other SDXs and the new SD3 kits are more satisfying. 
The new SD3 mixer presets I think are the ace in the hole. It's easy to use SD3 just like EZ1/2 without extra faffing.

(The only thing I am trying to get my head around is how to save a multi-out mixer preset in SD3 so I can keep the same mixer line up in Logic across all SD3 kits... I also haven't used SD3 for layering yet...)

Agree that the midi loops face stiff competition... Logic's drummer is now light years ahead IMHO...


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## Mornats (Nov 6, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> Do people find Twisted kit useful ?



Yeah, I've used this one a few times. I started my musical adventures doing rock/songwriting type stuff with a real bass and real guitars (I'm a bass player primarily) before getting into more cinematic/hybrid and electronic type stuff. I liked the twisted kit for the industrial twang to it. It comes with loads of presets for the kit sounds by the liked of Richard Devine and others. I've just ran some cinematic midi loops through it and I reckon it could providing a different and interesting sound for hybrid productions. 



R. Soul said:


> And then I've found all these fancy RR samples might actually bring up different sounding snare sounds on different beats, which is not ideal.



Check out this option in the settings as the "off" setting may solve that issue: 






The Indie Folk kit has a really nice vibe to it. Very laid back and much in line with a folk/folk rock band playing in the corner of a chilled out venue. It's one of my favourites.


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## Rob (Nov 7, 2017)

mc_deli said:


> ...
> 
> Funny, I don't like the Funkmasters, never got on with it. ...



I love the clearness... depends on what you need, for modern jazzy stuff I find it works well, something like:

[AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/noodlin-mp3.10253/][/AUDIOPLUS]


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## mc_deli (Nov 7, 2017)

Rob said:


> I love the clearness... depends on what you need, for modern jazzy stuff I find it works well, something like:
> 
> [AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/noodlin-mp3.10253/][/AUDIOPLUS]


Yup that sounds great!


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## Mifkin (Nov 29, 2020)

Rob said:


> I find the "funkmasters" ezx excellent


Agreed!


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## proggermusic (Nov 27, 2022)

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I'm strongly considering finally grabbing EZ Drummer this weekend and the EZX options are, at this point, pretty overwhelming. If I were to sum up my own weirdo creative projects in an attempt at a genre, it would be something like "electro-funk-rock-jazz-fusion," and I also do professional composing/arranging/session work in rock/pop, hip hop, RnB, and, for lack of a better term, "soundtrack" (essentially hybrid orchestral, electronic, and rock/funk, for multimedia productions).

If there are any EZX addicts out there who can offer gems of wisdom, please chime in!


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## Mornats (Nov 27, 2022)

The kits that come with EZdrummer 3 are quite good and cover those genres well I think. At the moment I think you get an EZX free with EZD. I'd recommend listing them by the most recent and checking out the sound demos. I think the more recent ones sound better than some older ones. My personal favourite is the Indie Folk as it has a nice, loose laid back feel and I've had it work well with Spitfire strings and a piano. But it's not hip-hop or fusion or electro in any way!


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## proggermusic (Nov 27, 2022)

That's actually very helpful, thank you! I'm sure the built-in kits are probably more than enough for me, in reality – I've been getting by on the various Abbey Road kits in Kontakt for years, and have even done some reasonably high-profile work with them, but that involves a LOT of editing and processing. I'm guessing any of the Toontrack instruments will be much easier to get sounding polished!

I know that @Rob and I have very similar taste in music, so I'm probably going to check out his recommendation of "Funkmasters" first... but I really like your recommendation of listening to the demos in reverse chronological order, that's very good intel. It makes sense that they'd sound better and better, such is the nature of VIs!

(Semi-OT, but I think I'm also going to grab Triaz from Wave Alchemy as soon as they do a sale on it... seems like an excellent electronic-focused answer to the Toontrack acoustic kits.)


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## StillLife (Nov 27, 2022)

I second Mornats: the kits you get with EZ drummer 3 are really good. I am considering getting uk pop for 27 now, bexause it is so cheap in this bf sale, but I wonder if I would ever use it, as I fpund I hardly use my other ezx 's with ez3...
Maybe it is better to invest in midi packs!


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## proggermusic (Nov 27, 2022)

Thanks for the tips, everyone! After going through and listening to demos of all the kits that have curb appeal to me, I settled on the Hip Hop and Action EZX kits – those are VERY much in line with what I usually do with drum samples and sound great. I might get the Jazz, Funkmasters, and Claustrophobic kits in the future, since those also seemed cool, but I love how tight and dry the Hip Hop demos were. 

The MIDI packs honestly don't mean anything to me, I always compose/program my own drum parts... I'm just picky like that (and I enjoy it a lot). But I'm excited to get some use out of this new toy, I've been dragging my heels on upgrading my acoustic drum VIs for years now!


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## Mornats (Nov 27, 2022)

I also have the Jazz, Funkmasters and Claustrophobic kits. They're each quite distinct from kits included in EZD 3 so they're good choices. I'd probably use the tight kit in EZD3 over Claustrophobic these days as it sounds fresher to me. I also recently bought Action! but haven't delved into it yet. Some nice sounding kits in there. Check out Dream Pop too. I got that cheap in a sale a while ago and it has some quirky electronic type kits in it.


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## proggermusic (Dec 4, 2022)

Just a little update: after spending a bit of time with EZD3, I have to say that I'm very glad I didn't get SD3 instead. EZ is more than I need, and really excellent. I'm used to getting workable results with much less, and frankly the amount included with EZ is overwhelming, even without diving into the expansions (although the Hip Hop kit is going to be very, VERY useful, those tight dry sounds are really excellent and exactly what I need a lot of the time). 

So, yes, to all the people who said that the stock kits in EZD3 are enough for most applications: I completely agree. I had no idea just how much is packed into each kit. If I can't make good tracks with this, then it's definitely not the software's fault!


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## Lunatique (Dec 4, 2022)

For those that want something that's between the basic EZ Drummer and the complex Superior Drummer, definitely check out Addictive Drums from XLN Audio. I own every single one of their drum expansion packs and I've been using it for over 10 years. Enough tweakability for more granular control, but not too much to be overwhelming.


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## Mike Fox (Dec 4, 2022)

I actually love the Death Metal expansion. Despite the name, it’s actually quite versatile and can cover all types of rock and metal. The snare and kick are fat AF and never fatiguing.


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## StillLife (Dec 5, 2022)

Lunatique said:


> For those that want something that's between the basic EZ Drummer and the complex Superior Drummer, definitely check out Addictive Drums from XLN Audio. I own every single one of their drum expansion packs and I've been using it for over 10 years. Enough tweakability for more granular control, but not too much to be overwhelming.


I wouldn't call EZdrummer 3 basic, at all...


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## Loïc D (Dec 5, 2022)

Another vote for the Hip Hop kit.
I also have Latin Percussions that I use very often.
Other kits I own are Vintage Drums & Big Rock drums (sorry if the name is not 100% accurate) but I don’t use them often.


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## GtrString (Dec 5, 2022)

Tbh, I don’t have EZ Drummer installed at all after getting Superior Drummer 3. EZD never clicked with me due to the sound being very compressed and that recognizable Toontrack “cutting“ snare, which I could never get out. Maybe great for metal, but I can’t stand that sound.

With SD3 I don’t hear that, the sound is much more open and natural, and I don’t get those unwanted artifacts by default, and if it’s there I can dial it out and layer. Frankly, SD3 the only reason I keep using Toontrack drums, as I think most others are on par with, or better than, EZD.

So, I think there is a world of difference. I prefer both BFD, NI Battery, Stylus RMX, Addictive Drums, Ujam and NI Studio Drummer to EZD, basically anything free or paid.


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## Per Boysen (Dec 5, 2022)

The post also asked about "MIDI Loops" but I would like to recommend https://oddgrooves.com/ because of its complete performances (as opposed to "loops"). You drag a drum track MIDI file to a DAW track (from SD3 in my case) and slap a Velocity Scaling plugin to the track. Then you can adapt the drummer's original performance attituded to your arrangement all through the song.


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## Lunatique (Dec 5, 2022)

StillLife said:


> I wouldn't call EZdrummer 3 basic, at all...


Toontrack definitely gave it more features in version 3, but overall when it comes to granular control over each kit piece's sound design/processing, it's much more basic than Addictive Drums, thus the comparison.


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## unclecheeks (Dec 5, 2022)

GtrString said:


> Tbh, I don’t have EZ Drummer installed at all after getting Superior Drummer 3. EZD never clicked with me due to the sound being very compressed and that recognizable Toontrack “cutting“ snare, which I could never get out. Maybe great for metal, but I can’t stand that sound.
> 
> With SD3 I don’t hear that, the sound is much more open and natural, and I don’t get those unwanted artifacts by default, and if it’s there I can dial it out and layer. Frankly, SD3 the only reason I keep using Toontrack drums, as I think most others are on par with, or better than, EZD.
> 
> So, I think there is a world of difference. I prefer both BFD, NI Battery, Stylus RMX, Addictive Drums, Ujam and NI Studio Drummer to EZD, basically anything free or paid.


Yea, the built-in EZD kits (at least in EZD2 which I have) aren't great. But there are a lot of EZXs that don't sound like that! Some notable mentions are the UK Pop and Custom Shop kits. Reggae kit's pretty good. And some nice brush / finger options sprinkled throughout some EZXs. 

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of EZD/EZXs. Sure, not as "tweakable" as SD3 counterparts, but I like the simplicity (and not having to waste 250gb on drums). Each piece can be output on a different channel anyway, so some massaging is still possible. Different folks, different strokes!


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## SkyPirate (Dec 5, 2022)

I was just getting back into music as a hobby. SD intimidated me. My prior experience was an Alesis HR16. I talked myself out of SD based on my own lack of skills, inexperience, the library size and cost. Having some minor regrets.

I've enjoyed EZDrummer. EZD3 addressed many of the functions I thought were missing. With the expansions and MIDI patterns, there's been some winners and losers.

Alt Rock - very lively
Big Rock Drums
Hard Rock - go to
Nashville - go to
Pop Punk - mostly tight, dry
Pop Rock - flabby toms
The Classic - dry
UK Pop - sounds a bit stuffy, dense, compressed to me
I want the Classic Rock expansion produced by Eddie Kramer, if it ever goes on sale.
Outside of the stock kits, Nashville and Hard Rock typically get auditioned.
I am a little miffed, at least one of the online demos for Hard Rock uses MIDI patterns that aren't included in the expansion. I would expect the demos to be representative of both the sounds _and_ the patterns. I was broken hearted over missing patterns.
Pop Rock would be my first choice to uninstall. I don't like the toms and the pattern organization isn't consistent with most of the expansions I own.

Drum MIDI Packs

American Rock
Basic Rock
Big Band
British Invasion
Detroit Soul
Gospel
Shuffled Backbeats
Soul
I seem to write more shuffles than I realized and the basic EZDrummer pattern library seems a little lean on shuffle patterns. Shuffled Backbeats was a big help. Other MIDI patterns collections I like are Big Rock Drums, Detroit Soul and Soul. A lot of the EZD MIDI patterns' velocities seem slammed and dialing down the velocity in the Grooves tab seems to get a more casual laid back sound. Not every drum performance needs to be at "11." Perhaps they start at a high velocity to let you dial it down to taste.

Getting GrooveMonkee's Mega Pack while on sale is good way to add THOUSANDS of patterns to your library. Great quality and lots of recognizable standards. The download include libraries compatible with a lot of other virtual drums like AD2.


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## Michel Simons (Dec 5, 2022)

SkyPirate said:


> Pop Rock would be my first choice to uninstall. I don't like the toms and the pattern organization isn't consistent with most of the expansions I own.


Different strokes indeed. Pop Rock is my most used one. I got it for free, because originally it was the one that came with EZD1. For me it is the most versatile one. You can take it on all sorts of directions.


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## Per Boysen (Dec 13, 2022)

Somewhat related: I remember from back when using Reaper that in case you have a track with Superior Drummer 3 selected you can open your MIDI files library and select a MIDI file to be instantly played back through SD3 in Reaper., synced to your song tempo. Super cool, useful, and time-saving! I haven't seen this in Cubase, Bitwig, Logic, or Studio One v.6.


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