Three mid-1900s kits, ideal for anything from acoustic pop to soul, R&B and any pocket-style beats.
This EZX for EZdrummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 features a collection of unique kits from the mid-1900s era, each handpicked to create the best mix of earthy, organic, resonant and vivid sounds for anything from acoustic pop to edgy soul, R&B and any tight-sounding pocket-style beats. It was recorded by engineer/producer/mixer Christoffer Berg (Depeche Mode, The Knife, Fever Ray) and drummer Christopher Cantillo (Carly Rae Jepsen, Mayer Hawthorne, Dina Ögon) at the famed Svenska Grammofonstudion (SGS) in Gothenburg, Sweden. With its main live room boasting an impressive 10-meter ceiling height but still with a very contained ambience, it was the perfect choice for an EZX that set out to capture drums tight enough for any contemporary beats but still projecting enough air in the room to retain that natural timeless vintage timbre of the drums. The kits were recorded using the obligatory close mics as well as two different mid/side configurations – one featuring all-ribbon mics and one where only tube mics were used. To enhance the vintage flair and period-correct vibes of the kits themselves even more, prominently calf- and cowskin heads were used, giving you that uniquely thick, lush, warm, yet-ringy, old-school sound unlike that of any modern-day alternatives.
In addition to the kits, a wealth of presets are included. These showcase anything from raw and naturally organic kit mixes to absolute contrasting ones involving complex chains of saturation, distortion, compression and more. This all, in combination with the basic library of drum grooves and fills that are provided, will give you all the tools you need to instantly get going producing drum parts that span anything from the tangibly authentic and retro-flavoured to the all-out edgy- and bordering-on-electronic-sounding.
Remember: Vintage never gets old, it’s always timelessly trendy. If you’re looking to add the ultimate retro-meets-modern EZX to your songwriting toolbox, here it is.
- Vintage, resonant and unique-sounding drums ideal for pop, soul, R&B and any pocket-style beats
- Features three unique kits (out of which two were recorded in wires off or toweled configurations)
- Recorded at Svenska Grammofonstudion in Gothenburg, Sweden
- Engineered by Christoffer Berg (Depeche Mode, The Knife, Fever Ray)
- Sampled by drummer Christopher Cantillo (Carly Rae Jepsen, Mayer Hawthorne, Dina Ögon)
- Features mix-ready presets for a broad range of sounds
- Includes a basic library of MIDI unique to the product
ABOUT THE STUDIO.
In a 17th-century brick building on an old factory compound nestled in the trendy Vasastan area of central Gothenburg, you’ll find Svenska Grammofonstudion. The name is Swedish and directly translates to “The Swedish Gramophone Studio.” Since it was launched in the beginning of the 2000s and to this day, an endless stream of Nordic as well as international acts have recorded seminal works here.
THE DRUMS.
The kits in this EZX are all extremely rare gems from the mid-1900s era. Primarily equipped with calf- and cowskin heads for extra period-correct and earthy tones, expect a collection of unique-sounding kits with a palpable vintage flair but an overall modern approach to how they were recorded.
BANDSTAND KIT.
Brand: Levin
Drum heads: Calfskin (kick), cowskin (toms)
Finish: Black Square Pearl
Era: 1940s/1950s
Recorded configurations: Regular and wires off
The first owner of this kit was drummer Sture Tholander who toured Sweden in the’40s/’50s with famous jazz trumpeter Bengt-Arne Wallin, among others. With this kit, we wanted to pay homage to the marching band history and how it plays in with how different percussion instruments came together to form the drum kit as we know it today. The toms are reskinned with thicker heads to give the overall sound a more unique and woody attack. The bass drum, though, has the original calfskin heads and sheep’s fur beater. This is nothing short of a piece of drum kit history.
MOTOR TOWN.
Brand: Levin
Drum heads: Calfskin (kick and rack tom), coated (floor tom)
Finish: White Marine Pearl
Era: 1940s/1950s
Recorded configurations: Regular, wires off and toweled
This kit is named this in tribute to Gothenburg, a blue collar city widely known around the world for its automaking heritage. Aside from its rich history in manufacturing and innovation, it is also the very birthplace of the Levin* brand of drums as well as a stronghold for culture on the whole. With a bass drum that has a more modern tuning and a shorter decay, toms that have thinner calfskins and its amazing set of vintage cymbals, this is the perfect kit for anything from laid-back and earthy singer-songwriter, soul, funk, R&B, hip-hop and pop to any other imaginable style where you’d want a thick and juicy pocket.
TRANSATLANTIC KIT.
Brand: Levin
Drum heads: Calfskin (kick and toms)
Finish: White Marine Pearl
Era: 1940s/1950s
Recorded configurations: Regular
The burgeoning US rock ’n’ roll and jazz scenes of the early 1950s called for a different type of drum kit, one with a much smaller bass drum and less deep snare. This kit is a period-correct take on exactly that influence and an archetypical example of a 1950s jazz and club kit. To add, this kit features arguably the snare choice of some of the most legendary jazz drummers, which later also spilled over to the UK and the entire pop revolution. As an homage to the latter era, it was tuned in a more of a 1960s pitch.
THE ROOM & THE MICS.
Here’s an overview of the mics used and roughly how they were placed around the kits and in the studio room.
- Amb: Neumann USM69
- Mid/Side Tube: Neumann U67
- Mid/Side Ribbon: Royer R121
- OH Stereo: AKG C24
- OH Mono Ribbon: Beyerdynamic M260
- OH Mono Tube: Sela T24
THE MIXER & THE PRESETS.
This library was recorded using he obligatory close mics as well as two different mid/side configurations – one featuring all-ribbon mics and one where only tube mics were used
THE MIDI.
The included MIDI was performed by sampling drummer Christopher Cantillo and designed to provide a palette of grooves and fills tailored specifically for the included kits. The content in each “song” was inspired by anything from laid-back and mellow singer-songwriter material to more beat-centric and contemporary types of beats. This MIDI will give you great starting points when previewing the kits as well as sourcing inspiration for where to take your next song.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.
- 9 GB free disk space (plus 9 GB 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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