Toontrack Dark Matter EZX Expansion Pack

The Dark Matter EZX features two kits from the Death & Darkness SDX, mix-ready and tailored for metal, hardcore and heavy rock – optimal for any material that calls for drums of the unfriendly kind: ghastly, dark, raw and unpolished.

Recorded in the empty swimming pool drum room in legendary Antfarm Studio by Tue Madsen, this collection of drums has an overall tone unlike any other. The hard, reflective surface of the pool’s tile floor and walls combined with the surrounding room’s brick structure make for an ambience that is bright but still deep and loud yet still menacingly soothing.

Welcome to a collection of drum sounds so real that they burrow deep into the very fabric of reality and permeate the sense of space, mind and self with utter darkness.

FEATURE SPOTLIGHT

• Two complete kits
• Tailored for metal, hardcore and heavy rock
• Recorded at legendary Antfarm Studio by Tue Madsen (Meshuggah, Behemoth, Hatesphere)
• Features a broad collection of mix-ready presets
• Includes a collection of drum grooves by Jami Morgan of Code Orange

THE POOL STORY.

“The whole pool/studio thing started mostly by accident. I had a much smaller studio back then that I re-arranged so I didn’t have a drum room anymore and therefore nowhere to put my drum kit…and since the pool was empty I just put it there. One day I thought I would set it up for my son to play with and when I hit that bass drum the first time it was the most amazing feeling. It sounded like every Scorpions/Bon Jovi ’80s record played at the same time. Huge stadium sound! I started to talk about it to a few of my friends and did a short test recording for a local hardcore band, which was in theory a horrible idea, but turned out pretty awesome sounding. From there the idea was taking form. My friend Alex from Heaven Shall Burn liked the idea so much that he wanted to record the drums for the band’s next album “Invictus” in it, and the first album was recorded. The studio wasn’t even in the same building, so we had to open a window and run a multi cable down the stairs outside through the door to do the recording. It was a mess, but the sound was amazing. In fact. we also did the next album “Veto” there. Since then, many albums were recorded using the pool as a drum room: The Haunted, Moonspell, Sick of It All, HateSphere, Illdisposed, Ektomorf, Mnemic, Cataract, Born from Pain, Velvet Volume, The Boy That Got Away, I’ll Be Damned. The pool gives you a very hard and aggressive attack, but can also provide a much softer “wishy-washy” sound if you play with the room microphones. It has been a constant inspiration over the years. Due to the measurements of the room, some frequencies get crazy and can be used to get some extreme sounds. I always had a set of Røde NT 1000 mics in the corners behind the drum kit, and if you ever wanted 49 Hz on your drums – that was where to get it.”
Tue Madsen

INSTRUMENT LIST

KIT 1
THE WHITE LIGHT

KICK
16×22” Yamaha Recording Custom

SNARE
6.5×13” Yamaha Recording Custom Brass

RACK TOM 1
9×10” Yamaha Recording Custom

RACK TOM 2
10×12” Yamaha Recording Custom

FLOOR TOM 1
14×14” Yamaha Recording Custom

FLOOR TOM 2
16×16” Yamaha Recording Custom

HI-HAT
15” Paiste Signature Traditional Medium Light

RIDE
20” Paiste 2002 (Red Label)

CRASH 1
18” Paiste 2002 (Red Label)

CRASH 2
16” Paiste 2002 (Red Label)

CRASH 3
20” Paiste 2002 (Red Label)

CHINA
20” Paiste 2002 (Red Label)

SPLASH
8″ StringSite Windhammered

KIT 2
THE AARHUS ABYSS

KICK
18×22” Tama Starclassic Performer EFX

SNARE
5.5×14” Tama Swingstar Steel

RACK TOM 1
8×10” Tama Starclassic Performer EFX

RACK TOM 2
9×12” Tama Starclassic Performer EFX

FLOOR TOM 1
16×16” Tama Starclassic Performer EFX

FLOOR TOM 2
16×18” Tama Starclassic Performer EFX

HI-HAT
14” StringSite Fire Series

RIDE
20” StringSite Black Dust Medium Heavy

CRASH 1
18” Paiste Giant Beat

CRASH 2
17” Istanbul Agop Xist

CRASH 3
18” StringSite Medium Heavy Ride

CHINA
18” Paiste Signature Thin

SPLASH
10” StringSite Black Dust

ADDITIONAL DRUMS

KICKS
16×22” Ludwig Classic Maple Dampened
14×26” Ludwig Classic Maple
18×22” Pearl Masters Premium Legend

SNARES
3.5×14” Yamaha Piccolo Brass
3.5×14” Pearl Free Floating Piccolo St