Has anyone tested EZ Drummer 2 yet?

  • This is the only cure for "GAS" ;)


    [Blocked Image: http://images.iherb.com/l/BEA-06300-1.jpg]

    yes, but it works only if you can play every single note of eric's solos on the "beano" album flawlessly. (at 300 bpm, ofcourse)!
    But it's true, then GAS will be cured for the time being. :thumbup:



    may i dare to return to topic? has anyone heard with his own two ears what the new machines sound like??

    My occupation: showing teenagers the many hidden secrets of the A-minor chord on the guitar.

  • I'm actually a bit disappointed with the idea of an EZDrummer2, considering the competition (FXPansion) have released an all-new drum software with an upgraded engine (BFD3). Seems like a ploy to divert attention from the real need of the hour from Toontrack. That's not to say SD2 is a bad software by any means, it's extremely competent. Just that the release of an EZDrummer 2, which has a few features not seen in Superior Drummer, but uses the same engine, seems to predicate the possibility of an all new flagship software.


    Hoping there's more good news around the corner after May 6. A bit idiotic, after all, I don't have money ready to spend on the latest and greatest. Not after the Kemper, at any rate ^^

  • EZD2 looks really interesting to me from the demos. I have EZ1 and I just don't think the sound is realistic enough compared to SSD (I don't have SD). Another big advantage to toontrack is all the available loops. that is huge for me. For the time crunched bedroom studio player like me that just likes to crank out stuff for my enjoyment alone it could be huge. I guess I should be prepared for a big letdown!

  • Downloaded EZDrummer 2 last night, only had about 15 minutes to try it, but REALLY like the new features and feel.
    Love the tap a beat feature, then EZ finds similar beats. Also, good options to customize hits, grooves, sound etc.

  • A friend of mine bought it yesterday - he had Superior Drummer, but had not used EZD before.


    He absolutely loves it - he picked a bass drum pattern, and ended up with an entire song's drum parts in five minutes. Yes, he may need to tweak it before the drum part is "done", but, being able to start recording that quickly after inspiration strikes is worth a HUGE amount of money.

  • I really like it. The new kits sound good and the new features are.....well, exactly what these programs should have had a long time ago. The browse tab nicely lays out all your loops, the search tab is amazing - you can filter through your loops by type of music, library, genre, timing, powerhand, play style etc. (only downside - that seems to only include toontrack loops - not others - others are in the browse tab though). You can also drag a loop into the midi drop zone or tap out a beat on the kit and it will analyze all your loops and select those that are most similar and show you a % of how similar they are. This works well. Then the song creator - the best feature for me - you can take any midi loop and it will create a song for you out of it. It creates verse, chorus, pre-chorus, intro, ending, bridge, fills etc. Then you have the song creator space where you drop your loops in to create your song. You can edit those by recording and adding additional drum beats by hitting the kit, or traditional midi editing. It also has pre-set song structures - so you can literally create a song in 20 seconds. For a time strapped bedroom recorder like me - this is what I have been looking for.

  • I made the switch to Superior Drummer 2 from Acid Loops before that using Acid and Drums on Demand drums.


    At first it seemed daunting, but then a few months off in-between and it all clicked one day. I love the versatility . I like the NYC Vol 3 drums A LOT.


    VI's are where it's at if you can't swing a real drummer. That said, I do have the Spectrasonic Beats and Slate drums, but I like Superior best.


    I was curious about how good the drum module in Logic Pro X is, but I'm probably sticking with a PC/Mac solution, Reaper for now.


    BTW, I like Modularity, so I'd rather a Drum Plugin be separate from my DAW so the coders can work on just that one thing they are good at.


    I've played with EZ Drummer and it's amazing. With the new additions, I wouldn't hesitate. The only thing missing is that you'll want a TON of MIDI files purchased on the side of it, so you might as well get the cheaper VI.

  • I have Logic Pro X and have tried the drummer. It's FAIRLY versatile once you slice up the sections into smaller bits (that is, not use just one region for the whole verse, etc). Workflow-wise, I'm a bit ambivalent.


    There's a push/pull control, which is awesome. I think it works directly on the underlying MIDI region (i.e. if you pull the drummer region to a regular midi track, it retains the push/pull feel.


    Biggest downside to Drummer I've noticed: No humanization to timing or velocity. All velocities for the snare for instance are e.g. "122" for all main snare hits within the region (I'm pretty sure, but haven't verified it - just something I noticed once). So humanization with velocities and timing still need to be done manually.


    What about EZDrummer 2, does it have humanization features to both velocity and timing - and do those transfer to another VI if you want to use e.g. Slate?

  • I don't see humanization in there - I do that in my DAW. You can quantitize, change tempo, change playing style by changing power hand, remove kit pieces, and all the other stuff on choosing different drum samples, eq, etc. I'm not an expert on this stuff - I guess that's why it seems great for me.

  • I think this is probably a great option for the time strapped bedroom player - the niche it seems to serve. I'll have better feedback when I put these new features to use in composing a song.

  • I'm actually a bit disappointed with the idea of an EZDrummer2, considering the competition (FXPansion) have released an all-new drum software with an upgraded engine (BFD3). Seems like a ploy to divert attention from the real need of the hour from Toontrack. That's not to say SD2 is a bad software by any means, it's extremely competent. Just that the release of an EZDrummer 2, which has a few features not seen in Superior Drummer, but uses the same engine, seems to predicate the possibility of an all new flagship software.


    Hoping there's more good news around the corner after May 6. A bit idiotic, after all, I don't have money ready to spend on the latest and greatest. Not after the Kemper, at any rate ^^


    Amen. I confess that I feel cheated that EZ 2 has features that SD 2 doesn't. WTF? I drop more money for less cool functions? Better be a SD 3 around the corner!

  • After watching a guy create an entire song's drum part in less than five minutes, I'm sold.


    BTW - Audiodeluxe.com is a great place to get Toontrack licenses - they always have the best deals. AND, they now also sell on eBay - so, you can "make an offer" to buy things for less than their normal best price.

    Great tip - you just saved me some money on loops! Thanks.