Toontrack Rock Solid EZX review

A select collection of modern drum samples

  • £55
  • €69
  • $89
The Ludwig/ Dunnett kit, with its ultra-fat snare, is our favourite, although the Gretsch is likely the most useful

MusicRadar Verdict

Rock Solid is not the most interesting EZX yet, but it's spot on in terms of rock credentials, sound and authenticity.

Pros

  • +

    'Solid' sounds, particularly hard rock and classic rock. Excellent bundled MIDI files.

Cons

  • -

    Not much to experiment with.

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Recorded by legendary rock engineer Randy Staub at Vancouver's Warehouse Studio, through a very rare Neve console, Toontrack's latest EZX comprises three full drum kits (Ayotte Custom, Gretsch Custom and a Ludwig/Dunnett Titanium hybrid setup), a few extra kicks and snares, and a sizeable array of Zildjian cymbals.

"As ever, you can trigger the samples yourself, or let the excellent bundled MIDI files do the hard work for you"

As ever, you can trigger them yourself, via your keyboard or electronic drum kit, program MIDI parts by hand, or let the excellent bundled MIDI files (performed by ex-Nickelback sticksman Ryan Vikedal) do the hard work for you.

Sonically, hard and classic rock are the order of the day (stopping rather short of modern metal, we'd say), with the core kits offering three very different palettes.

The Ludwig/ Dunnett, with its ultra-fat snare, is our favourite for character, although the Gretsch is probably the most generally useful.

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