# `Dying For More' - EastWest new ProDrummer library! UPDATE - winning entry!



## zacnelson (Jun 15, 2015)

UPDATE 02/07/2015 - I won the competition! Woohoo!

I downloaded the ProDrummer and played around with it all day in order to submit to their Facebook contest! I'd love it if you felt inclined to vote for me, I would dearly love to win one of the prizes - if you make it into the top 10 you get a free copy of the ProDrummer library which would be AWESOME! I really loved using the library and I highly recommend it.

Here's the link to vote (if you are feeling kind!)

https://facebook.wizehive.com/voting/view/eastwest-prodrummer-demo-contest/0/3105206/0 (https://facebook.wizehive.com/voting/vi ... /3105206/0)


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## donbodin (Jun 15, 2015)

Cool Track! I like your mix. Good luck man.


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## Mike Marino (Jun 15, 2015)

Great track, Zac. Diggin' the mix you've achieved overall and the control you've managed on the kit. Voted!


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## zacnelson (Jun 15, 2015)

Thanks heaps for voting Mike! And thanks to both of you for listening, liking, and commenting!


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## Vastman (Jun 16, 2015)

Awesome song, zac
... voted _-)


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## zacnelson (Jun 16, 2015)

Thanks so much Dana! Awesome!


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## SymphonicSamples (Jun 16, 2015)

Killer track Zac , with superb production . I just voted o-[][]-o Your use of ProDrummer is just right , and not overdone . It's made me check the library out , which is saying something , given I have absolutely no need for Kits currently , but man they sound good .


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## zacnelson (Jun 16, 2015)

Cheers Matt! That's very kind of you! I'm sure this awesome new drum library will help cure you of G.A.S. ….???


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## Brendon Williams (Jun 16, 2015)

Man, killer song! I enjoy taking part in contests sometimes, but I hate the ones where only the finalist "highest voted" candidates get judged. That said, I went and voted for you.


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## zacnelson (Jun 16, 2015)

Thanks SO much Brendon!!! You know, I have entered many competitions over the years that are dependent on `highest vote' and this is the FIRST time I've ever publicised my entry in order to get votes. I guess it's because I REALLY love this drum library, and also because I'm hoping there won't be too many entries due to the requirement to download 30Gb of samples.


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## EastWest Lurker (Jun 17, 2015)

Obviously i cannot vote, but terrific work Zac!

IS that you singing? I love your sound.


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## zacnelson (Jun 17, 2015)

Thanks Jay! I'm so pleased you like it. It's not me singing but I did play all the instruments and I wrote the song. And I recorded and mixed it etc at home on my own. It's really the ProDrummer library that has made this song reach a new level of polish!


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## EastWest Lurker (Jun 17, 2015)

zacnelson @ Wed Jun 17 said:


> Thanks Jay! I'm so pleased you like it. It's not me singing but I did play all the instruments and I wrote the song. And I recorded and mixed it etc at home on my own. It's really the ProDrummer library that has made this song reach a new level of polish!



Great work, Zac. Hang on t6o that singer, he is special.


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## zacnelson (Jun 17, 2015)

Cheers Jay. It means a lot coming from you, I've seen your bio on your website… some impression credits there! Mind blowing stuff


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## EastWest Lurker (Jun 17, 2015)

zacnelson @ Wed Jun 17 said:


> Cheers Jay. It means a lot coming from you, I've seen your bio on your website… some impression credits there! Mind blowing stuff



Including co-writing a #2 hit in OZ, "Something's Missing In My Life" by Marcia Hines. #1 in New Zealand.

I was BIG down under :lol:


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## zacnelson (Jun 17, 2015)

The ladies all say you're big down under!


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## EastWest Lurker (Jun 17, 2015)

OK, apparently it was too easy to misunderstand what I originally wrote here


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## zacnelson (Jun 17, 2015)

Nice!!! eewwwwwwww…...


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## EastWest Lurker (Jun 17, 2015)

zacnelson @ Wed Jun 17 said:


> Nice!!! eewwwwwwww…...



I DID NOT MEAN THAT!!!!

I meant the classic brummm-bum after a comedian tells a bad joke.


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## zacnelson (Jun 17, 2015)

ooooohhhhh!!!! LOL!!!

Stay classy San Diego


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## Vin (Jun 17, 2015)

Great track and production!

Love the _Kashmir_ subtle influence as well :mrgreen:


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## zacnelson (Jun 17, 2015)

Thanks Vin! Yes definitely a homage to LEd Zep in the guitar solo section! No hiding that!


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## Boberg (Jun 18, 2015)

Great job! Really dig this song.  

Also, that singer reminds me of Chris Cornell. As others already said, hang on to him!


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## zacnelson (Jun 18, 2015)

Cheers Boberg, thanks for listening and thanks for the kind words!


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## zacnelson (Jul 1, 2015)

I'm excited to announce that I won the EastWest ProDrummer competition with this song!


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## trumpoz (Jul 2, 2015)

Congratulations Zac - great track!


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## EastWest Lurker (Jul 2, 2015)

zacnelson said:


> I'm excited to announce that I won the EastWest ProDrummer competition with this song!


Way to go, Zac!!!


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## zacnelson (Jul 2, 2015)

Thanks Jay!


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## SymphonicSamples (Jul 2, 2015)

Congratulations Zac , wonderful news , and well deserved .


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## R. Soul (Jul 2, 2015)

Congrats Zac. Top song. 
You know what, I don't think it's the drums that make the track - the vocal and guitars are the stand outs for me.

This reminded me, I used to be into Nu-metal. Kind of lost track of it the last few years.

I take it the guitars are real? They sound really full in the chorus. Is it just double tracking or is there more to it?


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## zacnelson (Jul 2, 2015)

Hi Matt, thanks for the pat on the back! Peter, great to hear from you! Yes this is I think partially influenced by nu-metal, but it is a tad more bluesy and includes some nods to classic rock (Led Zep). I guess most music is a bit of a blend of influences! The guitars are real, they are double-tracked in the chorus, but there's nothing else going on (i.e. no modulation, no extra guitar overdubs). The secret to getting that kind of big sound is meticulous Eqing of the guitar amp sound, and allowing the bass guitar to really anchor the guitar sound. I suppose there's other factors too, such as having the right kind of guitar part and groove in the first place.


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## Allen Constantine (Jul 2, 2015)

Great track but Soundcloud tells me that the song was posted 1 year ago ...


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## zacnelson (Jul 2, 2015)

Yep that's right Allen, a much older version of the song. If you have a Soundcloud Pro account (about $30 per year) you are able to re-upload newer versions of your music as often as you like! It's a little misleading when the Soundcloud website insists on displaying the age of the tracks!


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## Mike Marino (Jul 2, 2015)

Congrats on the win, Zac!!! Super awesome!!!


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## R. Soul (Jul 2, 2015)

I'm really surprised you won actually considering the drums are quite in the background in your mix. 
I didn't bother entering cause I thought I'd be up against 7 min. drum solos with signature changes and fills every other bar.


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## zacnelson (Jul 2, 2015)

Thanks Mike! 

Peter, the drums are at the perfect level in the mix. I don't think EastWest are interested in displaying a product which is perfect for solid every-day music by celebrating drum solos or fusion or whatever. Besides it's not that kind of product; it only has 2 rack toms and a floor tom, and 2 crashes, no splashes or chinas etc. 90% of their customers would be using the samples for standard songs with normal time signatures, and actually I think that is the hardest thing to get right with samples. It's easy to make a flashy demo with any drum library when you have so many hits and rolls that nobody even knows what's going on. Whereas a simple back beat can expose a drum library, because that's when you're very likely to notice if there is not enough personality in the raw sounds, and if it sound too repetitive or robotic. Anyway, that's been my experience; I find it takes a LOT more work when I'm mixing if I want to make a very simple beat sound right with samples.


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## michaelv (Jul 5, 2015)

By pure chance I just saw that you won. Congratulations, Sir: could be a Bond play-in. I can't imagine how the competition could have been better than this , because the song is so strong. My only criticism is the mid-range, and the middle 8 ( 2'.34" ) sounded a little flat and squashed. It didn't open out. But that's not intended to diminish your success : it's very catchy !

Here's to even greater success…..


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## zacnelson (Jul 6, 2015)

Cheers Michael! Yeah the title is a bit Bond-ish.


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## catsass (Jul 11, 2015)

Good stuff, man! So, you replaced the drums of one of your older tracks with ProDrummer? I'd love to hear the old mix too for comparison's sake. I think it would be a great way to showcase some of the elements that ProDrummer brought to the table.


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## zacnelson (Jul 12, 2015)

Hello catsass, thanks for showing an interest, I have just uploaded the old version on Soundcloud, here is the private link: soundcloud.com/zacnelson/dying-for-more-old-version/s-Upwwf

The old version isn't terrible but I much prefer the mid-range rawness and impact of ProDrummer.


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