Just like the ancient alchemists sought to achieve magic when combining disparate elements, this EZX fuses timeless vintage charm with cutting edge electronic sound design. The result is an intricate amalgam of drums and percussion that seamlessly meshes into a kindred but sprawling collection of kits for any facet of popular music imaginable. If you’re looking for the perfect potion for your productions, this expansion for EZdrummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 is pure pop gold.
The Alchemy of Pop EZX was recorded by JUNO Award-winning engineer/producer/mixer Hill Kourkoutis and sampled by drummer Skye Polson (Digging Roots) at the renowned Canterbury Music Company in Toronto, ON. Featuring four kits, each representing its own niche or style, as well as a broad collection of organic and electronic shakers, stomps, claps, snaps and effects curated to fit each drum set, this is an EZX that bridges the gap between several sound ideals and provides a canopy of kits covering the entire range from raw, rich, dark, earthy and open to muffled, tight and snappy.
In addition to using classic drumsticks, one kit was recorded with brushes, one with mallets and in two, the drums were extensively muffled using towels. This all combined gives you a unique palette of colorful kits for just as much the intimately acoustic as the hard-hittingly edgy.
With Kourkoutis’ bygone-inspired but future-driven production style and Polson’s deep, swampy and behind-the-beat pocket style of groove, as showcased in the included library of MIDI, this EZX will lend you a supernatural percussive fusion firmly rooted in the vintage but pushing the sound ideas of today well into the future.
If you’re looking to add some new pocket power to your pop productions, this EZX is your new go-to.
- Ideal for anything from rootsy beats to pocket-driven, edgy pop
- Recorded by Hill Kourkoutis, JUNO Award-winning engineer/producer/mixer
- Sampled by drummer Skye Polson
- Recorded at Canterbury Music Company in Toronto, ON
- Four unique drum kits sampled with drumsticks
- Features kit configurations sampled both as regular and damped as well as with mallets and brushes
- A total of 12 unique snare drums (of which several were recorded using different tools or damping)
- Includes custom electronic and acoustic one-shots curated to fit each kit
- Features a MIDI library unique to this EZX (performed by sampling drummer Skye Polson)
ABOUT THE STUDIO.
The Canterbury Music Company is a legendary studio located in the West Side area of Toronto. It boasts a 1,400-square-foot live room that sounds open, full and warm without producing overwhelming reverberation. The amazing timbre of the room combined with the Neve 8026 console from 1976, the large collection of modern and vintage microphones and array outboard, processors and effects available made this studio the perfect choice for an EZX that has one leg in acoustic perfection and one in cutting edge electronic sound design.
THE DRUMS.
Handpicked by Hill herself to encompass the broadest possible selection of timbres, this EZX includes four unique drum sets. Out of these, each kit was recorded using drumsticks but one also with brushes and one with mallets. In addition, two kits were captured completely damped using towels over the drum heads.
THE AER KIT.
Ideal for: Alternative, edgy indie pop/rock and alt-pop.
Characteristics: Fat, heavy, punchy, big and super dry – but present-sounding!
Sampled with: Drumsticks. Recorded open as well as damped.
“This is my personal studio kit that I use at my own studio, The Lair. I bought it off Craigslist and it is by far one of the coolest things I have found on there. I sort of have an obsession with Japanese Stencil kits from the 1960s and I truly scored a gem with this one. Everyone falls in love with it and it has the craziest wrap you’ve ever seen. It has its own character but is a very versatile little house kit!”
Hill Kourkoutis
Brand: Stewart
Model: No particular model…this is one of many various Japanese stencil kits manufactured by Pearl for department stores distributed under various names/badges (Stewart, Star, Mercury, Coronet, Apollo, Silverstone, etc.)
Material: Lauan (Philippine mahogany)
Finish: Fantasia Pearl
Era: 1960s
THE TERRA KIT.
Ideal for: Pop, folk, roots, Americana, country
Characteristics: Resonant, warm, airy, ambient, deep.
Sampled with: Drumsticks, mallets and brushes.
“I have heard a lot of Radio King kits in my life but this particular one is my favorite to record, by far. It’s absolutely stunning. It belongs to a friend of mine and every time I hear it, I am moved by the character and spirit it possesses. With each hit, you can almost hear the many tales its ghosts have sung. It gives me goosebumps.”
Hill Kourkoutis
Brand: Slingerland
Model: Radio King
Material: Mahogany/poplar/mahogany
Finish: Black Diamond Pearl
Era: 1940s
THE IGNIS KIT.
Ideal for: Contemporary rock, pop, blues
Characteristics: Big, punchy, resonant, boomy, warm, wide, nostalgic.
Sampled with: Drumsticks
“When I was making my dream list of the kits I wanted to record, I came across this vintage Thermogloss kit. This kit is iconic and synonymous with two of the greatest bands and drummers in rock ‘n’ roll. We couldn’t resist capturing its magic. I know it’s been captured before, but it hasn’t been captured through this mic configuration, signal chain and in this room before. It sounds absolutely massive.”
Hill Kourkoutis
Brand: Ludwig
Model: Thermogloss
Material: Maple (3-ply)
Finish: Natural Maple Thermogloss
Era: 1970s
THE AQUA KIT.
Ideal for: Modern-to-vintage R&B, soul and hip-hop and alt-pop.
Characteristics: Punchy, present, tight, warm, deep and low. Can be big (when open) and also small (when damped) but ultimately, mighty!
Sampled with: Drumsticks. Recorded open as well as damped.
“This is Skye’s drum kit and every time he plays it live, I think ‘this is such a great kit!’ I wanted to capture its magic in the studio. It’s a great live-sounding kit but translates beautifully in the studio. It’s another one of those kits that is super versatile. It’s a CBS-era kit that has a rounded, warm attack and quick decay. It is very present and clear but still has that vintage sound that reminds you of your favorite records growing up.”
Hill Kourkoutis
Brand: Rogers
Model: Big R
Material: Maple/birch/maple ply
Finish: New England White
Era: 1970s
AETHER.
Otherworldly percussive power!
Each kit in this EZX has its own bespoke selection of one-shot sounds curated specifically to accentuate the overall vibe, feel and scope of each kit. The sounds include anything from elaborately layered and remixed drum machine kicks and snares to live-recorded tambourines, claps, shakers and more. As always, feel free to mix, match and experiment to create your own hybrid kits!
THE MIXER & THE PRESETS.
Each kit, configuration and preset features its unique set of channels and macro controls. This will allow you to fine-tune individual instrument levels, tweak tweak the underlying effects, saturation amount and more.
MICROPHONE OVERVIEW.
Here’s an overview the mics used and roughly how they were placed around the kits and in the studio room.
- Kick In: Electro-Voice RE20
- Kick Out Dyn 1: AKG D12 E
- Kick Out Dyn 2: Shure SM52 Beta
- Kick Out Cond: United Technologies UTFET47
- Kick Out Ribbon: APEX 205
- Kick Batter: AKG 414 EB
- Kick Sub: Yamaha Sub Kick
- Snare Top Dyn: Shure SM57
- Snare Top Cond: AKG 451
- Snare Bottom: Shure SM57
- Hi-Hat: Milab VM-44
- Racktom 1: Sennheiser 421
- Racktom 2: Sennheiser 421
- Floortom 1: AKG D112
- Floortom 2: AKG D112
- OH Mono: Shure SM58
- Mono Kit: ART M5
- OH: AKG 414 CK12
- OH Ribbon: Coles 4038
- Amb Near: AMS Soundfield
- Amb Mid: AEA R88 – Blumlein
- Amb Comp: Golden Age Project R1
- Amb Perc: Shure VP88
- Amb Far: Neumann U87 – Purple Badge Vintage
- Corridor: Line Audio OM 1
- Vocal Booth: RCA 74B
THE MIDI.
Each kit in this EZX has its own curated “song” of MIDI grooves performed by sampling drummer Skye Polson. Organized in convenient song structure blocks, it will be easy to build the foundation for a track directly inside of the program. To add, every song has two section of grooves and fills that mix in one-shot elements from the pads content, showcasing an even broader scope of application. As always, use this MIDI as is or as a starting point from which you can venture off in any direction from! Mix, match and let nothing but your imagination set the limit!
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.
- 14 GB free disk space (plus 14Gb for download), 4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended).
- A working EZdrummer 3.0.6 (or above) or Superior Drummer 3.3.6 (or above) installation.
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