Toontrack Nashville EZX Expansion Reviews

This review will hopefully enable you to make some first choices about which ezx to get for HEAVY METAL MUSIC. It is ridiculous to not give Toontrack a 6-star rating. I prefer EZ Drummer over Superior Drummer for one main reason – and that is each ezx represents hundreds or perhaps even thousands of musically brilliant professionals' man-hours of effort (not including their lifetime experiences of unique talent) executing a fantastic and specific musical outcome so that you can just make choices and be spared the tedium of time consuming development work (unless that is how you want to spend your time – and if that is the case – go for Superior Drummer – as it goes beyond any other software as far as creating totally custom presets). Most people looking at the reviews already know Toontrack's drumming software is the not only the best there is but the only real viable attempt to capture the percussion elements of the entire musical universe - and like a conquering army – put it all under the dominion of a single power – that power being you (the user) - and therefore the rating is a moot point – but rather – like going to the greatest ice cream shop in all history that features over 1000 flavors and knowing that chocolate is the favorite flavor – how to make the right choice when confronted by well over two dozen flavors of chocolate?
Because each ezx has so many different settings and tone variations – to make sense of what each ezx can do – I wanted to capture the primary voice of each ezx – so I started with the original mix – listened to all the kit variations – and picked the one that was the most representative of that ezx – so I could easily compare each ezx in rapid succession. I used beats that required jazz drumming detail, Rock drumming power and sonority, and Metal drumming punctuation and authority, while holding as close as possible to the most natural and organic sound each kit was capable of. Here are the results that are tailored towards my preferences of the Metal genre:
DRUM KIT FROM HELL: The most extreme ezx for Metal. If you have a mix overloaded with 9 string guitars, a 5-string bass, and contrabass keyboard pads – this kit will penetrate and clean up the messiest sonic soup. But like all sample sets designed for loud performance – this set requires a higher-than-normal volume setting in the mix to accurately recreate the proper tone of the snare drum – which is strong – and cannot be placed in any low volume acoustic instrument mix any more than you could put a symphonic trombone section at the same volume next to a ukulele. If you use this set improperly the main power feature of the set will be lost. This set is very specialized and will not sound right for most normal mix situations. If your music sounds like hell (because of dense overload in the contrabass and baritone register) – DRUM KIT FROM HELL is the ultimate sound, I have found.
METALHEADS: The most versatile ezx for Metal if you want the flavor of Drum Kit from Hell without any of the limitations. It will work for anything Metal and sound fantastic in its own unique way. But it is definitely Metal and for the amazing sonority achieved there is some sacrifice in the organic and natural drum sounds – but not as extreme as Drum Kit from Hell. I love the detail I hear in this kit.
METAL MACHINE: This kit is probably the most versatile kit for Metal. It achieves amazing detail almost as well as Metalheads – but at the same time moves closer to a more natural sound that does not suffer from any lack of power and definition. I suppose if I was stuck with only one possible choice – though not my favorite ezx – probably the only kit that sounds exotic and can do any job it is given without any significant shortfall.
METAL! I have a difficult time describing this set. It is as fantastic and versatile as Metal Machine – but in a completely different way that does not sound natural or organic – but still extremely musical. It is the only kit that sounds sweet and cold at the same time to my ear. The warmest kit in the Metal line up is MADE OF METAL and the sweetest sounding kit is DRUMS OF DESTRUCTION. This kit seems absolutely defect free when doing any busy high speed drum part – and it seems to do the same job as METAL MACHINE but in a completely different way – so I have a hard time trying to figure out which of these kits is the primary front and center kit for all Heavy Metal genres. For me, the strength of this kit is a sure bet in any mix where the drumming maintains a strong position without interference. I think Metal Machine would sound better in a less busy mix than METAL!
DRUMS OF DESTRUCTION: If the drums were played alone with no other instruments in the mix – this kit is number one for authority, warmth, and definition while maintaining the most organic and natural drum sounds that are extremely pleasing to the ear. The value of this kit will be lost in a dense mix or any that favor 8 string guitars. Best used for power trio and fantastic sound backing lead guitar solo work or a single 6 string guitar metal part.
MADE OF METAL: Made to bring power to any combination of 6 string guitar work mixes to give more depth and heavy tone to the final mix without interfering with vocals or lead guitar work. The warmest sounding kit in the entire metal ezx line up. As warm and thick as you can get without losing definition or getting over the top wild sounds required for slower heavy arena rock (like the ROCK SOLID ezx).
MODERN METAL: My least favorite kit because it has multiple personalities. It seems to cover everything but in a more neutral way than the specialized sounds of the other kits. It is extraordinarily strong and defined – but to my ear – all Metal with little natural organic sound – but all the sounds are fantastically musical and can perform both slow speed power beats and busy high speed metal beats.
PROGRESSIVE: Wow. The thunderous setting lives up to its name. This kit has a big sound – and so big on certain settings that you better slow down the beat or you will have a mess on your hands. A fantastic kit with its own unique place in the Metal drum universe. You just have to compare beats you make with other kits with how it sounds in this one to make the right choice. When on the tamer settings – a very versatile kit that sounds different than all the others.
DARK MATTER: The strangest sounding drum kit I have ever heard. It sounds totally normal and organic – and then when I compare it to the other kits all doing the same part – this kit has a clarity and definition that seems to be unique for how thick it sounds. To my ear, it is the most exotic kit of them all that has incredible versatility. It is a sonic anomaly. It seems to possess the best attributes of a highly processed unnatural sounding drum kit mix and the most natural and organic qualities at the same time. This kit is for gourmet metal. It is superb – but like anything else – if it is your only kit – you will get tired of it.
DEATH METAL: Super Wowie Zowie! My favorite interface where art and science are united in technical matrimony. Toontrack's greatest achievement in creative vision of the Metal genre. This kit is like no other and even though I prefer Dark Matter – this kit is just as unique but completely different from all the other Metal ezx. I often compose starting with this kit – and discover that no other kit – even Dark Matter – can improve the final beat I create using the Death Metal ezx. It has a thick muffled quality without sounding like any high-end detail fidelity is missing – and that is a musical contradiction. It is as "fat" as you can get with maximum "snap". Death Metal and Black Matter are a must have if you are into Metal. I consider this an awfully close second place to Dark Matter as far as how exotic. And definitely first place for what it does best.
Now there are other kits that Toontrack classifies as metal and others that sound fantastic for certain metal parts that are not classified as metal. My favorite kit in the entire ezx line up for power and definition that is the most natural and organic – is NASHVILLE – hands down with nothing even close to what this kit sounds like and my top choice for metal that demands an organic drum sound or any form of hard rock. For processed sounds that are on the opposite side of organic and natural – my favorite for medium tempo metal is ROCK SOLID – and wow – this kit has its own super powered over the top personality like no other kit and it definitely suffers from an overdose of drum steroids which is what makes it a magnificent choice for certain parts. Despite that – if I were to have only a few ezx to start out with – my top three choices for versatility are METAL!, MADE OF METAL, and DRUMS OF DESTRUCTION. For exotic and fantastic sound that has no regard for any all-purpose considerations my top three choices are DARK MATTER, DEATH METAL, and METALHEADS. For just the way the drums sound alone – DRUMS OF DESTRUCTION is my favorite that sounds absolutely fantastic without being exotic like DARK MATTER or DEATH METAL.
Understand – I believe it is worth buying them all – and only a matter of which order to buy them.

This expansion package puts you in the middle of music row. Perfect for country, pop, praise and worship music.

Sounds great right out of the box!


Greg Smith
Full Circle Music

I've been looking for an expansion kit that would provide versatile sounds with more "natural" drums. I'm blown away with the snares and toms on this kit. The kicks also have a perfect amount of punch and a great low tone. 10/10 recommend this kit to anyone in search of a new "go-to"

EZDrummer is a complete one stop shopping program. I can find what I'm looking for and can edit pretty much all parameters. Very good addition to my studio!

these sounds are hard to believe. audio fidelity and capture style, Harry Stinson"s touch...the best

This pack has great basic recording kit sounds for all types of music......really bumps up the quality of the basic kit that came stock with the software program. Highly recomended.

But seriously, the Nashville drum module from Toontrack is simply the most realistic drum plugin that I think exists. Bravo to the company for making my recording life better.

NoBrainer high value solid purchase! You can"t loose.
For any songwriter.

It's hard not making this the go-to set from the EZDrummer bunch. Fantastic!

In a perfect world, the EZ Drummer range of products should have included some standard GM percussion sounds mapped to the Standard GM drum map...nothing high quality, just simple bongos and the like. When needing Latin Percussion sounds, a second virtual instrument needs to be loaded.

Apart from this, it is fantastic. I run a multi channel setup in my DAW (Sonar), so I can control the EQ, compression and other effects of each element individually. The MIDI files that come with it is awesome for quick song production :-) I am completely satisfied with this module, and it is great value for money. I would definitely recommend this to anybody who wants to sound awesome on a budget.

Nashville EZX is great. I love it. You can find any kind of drum you want.

I got a great deal on some great drum kits and loops. They've already made their way into several of my mixes

The Nashville sound is a great addition to EZ drummer 2. Love the brushes is brings to your sound.

BEST IN THE BOX DRUMS IVE USED . FAST EASY PRO SOUND . COOL MIDI ALSO DIFFERENT STUFF!!! should have got this first .ITS ALL YOU GONNA NEED .

I'll never use the stock kit again... This sounds so much better!

I am not a drummer but wanted to add some beats and grooves to my recordings and was amazed at how easy it is to do with this plug-in. It doesn't take long to get up and running. I have started incorporating more drums into my sessions because they sound so good. I also bought this expansion because it fit more to the styles of music I play. Definitely worth it!

OK.. Had I realized just how great this kit was, I probably would never have bought the Superior Drummer Kit. The Sounds are just amazing and it has a low overhead in sample memory. I can switch between a Brushed Kit, rods, sticks and even fingers..

As well, the MIDI patterns are the most useful yet!

I use this as a live module in Ableton (and triggered from an arranger software). I have used the fills, intros and endings and so far, I am just blown away.

Long live Handsome Harry Stinson!

Having grown up on "electronic" drum sounds and not realizing that this sort of thing even existed, I was totally blown away when I started messing around with this EZdrummer package. Totally unbelievable sounds. Real stuff, played by real drummers on real drums. Easy to use and I definitely plan on purchasing more of Toontrack's sample libraries. This is the real thing. Cannot say enough good about it. Utilizing it with my new Pro Tools 11, that I also purchased from Sweetwater, and I could not be happier. P.S. My sales rep, Will Newbill, has gone above and beyond in helping me with the numerous purchases I have made through Sweetwater over the past few months. You guys are the best!

Was looking for something different for drum tracks for a ballad, and the Nashville EZDrummer expansion pack was just what I needed! Don't know which I'm impressed more with - this item or Sweetwater's customer service and support. Was amazed when they called me to see how I was liking EZDrummer a few days after I ordered it.

Needed lots of different train-type loops played with brushes and sticks for a certain song and this delivered. Sounds are great too. Recommended.

This EZX is a great addition to my library of drum samples. The black beauty snare (5") is just a great sounding drum. I use that snare in conjunction with The Metal Foundry cymbals/drums- and I have a unbelievable sounding kit. Overall I like the sound of the Toms & Kick as well. It really "feels" like playing an acoustic kit when triggering this from my v drums or Zendrum. For being an EZX pack (as opposed to SDX) I am really impressed and very satisfied with this purchase!

Good quality stuff! nice writing and production tool. I will use it a lot. Be sure to load the updates

great sounding kits with very useful beats. not to be missed

I was looking for a drum machine and someone said why limit yourself to a peace of hardware. He suggested Toontrack EZdrummer. This software is the answer . The Toontrack Nashville EZX is a great expansion. It was just the style I was looking for.

My co worker heard my new song for the first time and asked "Who's your drummer?" He knows I play guitars but didn't know that I could drum so well. LOL I told him ME, I was the drummer! Didn't tell him that i used EZDrummer. This is a very good expansion pack. Recommend it to all ezdrummer users.

This is an extremely well recorded kit and very useful for way more than country. I use this kit for country, pop, rock, blues, etc.

If you are starting to get the Toontrack add ons and need a very versatile kit, this is the one to start with.

I should have got this a long time ago. It's that studio drummer sound without paying the studio drummer price!!!!

Wow! The Nashville Kit is all I hoped it would be. Great sounding drums and catchy grooves. If you're looking to expand EZ Drummer with some fantastic sounding drums, this kit is definitely it!

I've got EZ drummer & i just bought this expansion last month & i definately like this one ALOT better. i am more of a country rock guy but i think this kit would fit into hard or classic rock just as well. get this EX, you won't be sorry!!

I have all of the acoustic drum expansions for EZ drummer and this one is one of my favorite, IT is simply wonderful, and a better acoustic kit then what comes with EZ in my opinion. well worth it.

I rad somewhere that this is the pack to get. I listened to the samples and was happy with what I heard. I need the simplest of beats for my music. This works just fine. I recommend this pack.

As Superior Drummer 2 user a number of years, I find that the EZX expansions like Nashville provide me and easy way to add new groves to my productions. I like that it also gives me new pre-programmed sounds that give a different feel and timbre to my music. Always happy with the EZX.

As a project studio owner and regular area performer, I often lay out basic drum tracks for clients, songwriters, arrangements, etc. I keep coming back to this kit when wanting a good all-around 'in your face' sound, but tastefully so. This kit is 'present' - I really like the sound of this kit - the snares pop, the kicks sit well, and overall I'm pleased with the usability of this pack. Works well on pop, rock, & other genres. Nice character. As with all Toontrack products, the included MIDI is 'meh". I'm looking forward to updating to EZD 2.

Fantastic sounds ....

As the name implies, EZdrummer is just that.... Easy.
And the quality of drum sounds is excellent. Having played drums for most of my life, I will attest to the sampled sounds as being the real-deal.

Last year, a friend had sent me a batch of tunes recorded with EZdrummer and I was blown away. He is an excellent engineer and musician and of course, micro-manages every nuance of his tracks. His results are stellar and he told me it was super easy to achieve. Say no more. I bought a copy along with the Nashville sounds extension.

Inspired by my friend and EZdrummer, I have about 6 self-penned songs resurrected from my songbook that will see the light of day this year. Maybe more?

This product is a great value. My wife likes it too, since there is no drum kit eating up precious landscape in our small house.

As a Nashville engineer many years ago, I realized then how fortunate I was to record Harry on some sessions. I remember thinking at the time, he was an ideal session drummer, His great attitude is reflected in the feel brings to a session. Upon reading about Toontracks creating this program around Harry, I installed the opened the software, and even better than I remembered, here is Harry Stinson on his drums. They not only got the sounds, but that great feel too, both of which can be totally manipulated to taste. Thank you Harry, and thank you Toontracks.

i love this thing- but as soon as i learned it - i wanted more.
superior is the same thing , same brand, but full blown!!!!
that will be one of my next purchases.
i do love ezd---but i am looking down the road.
i will want bigger and better

Great EZX. Toms are rocking with lots of sustain (you can gate 'em if you wanna tame 'em). Snares are sweet, and the kick is nice and snappy and punchy. Cymbals might be the best I've heard in any drum sampler collection anywhere. If you use EZDrummer this is a must have EZX.

The sound is great I was just disappointed on how many grooves were included in Nashville EZX for the price I expected a lot more

The simplicity of this Expansion Pack is good. The Nashville sound has been a favorite of mine, so this Expansion Pack really serves my need.
Thanks

This pack has nice sounding drums. The groove patterns are pretty much in league with the pop/rock grooves that are commonly used.

Please read my review for the basic EZ Drummer software package. Although I have not yet explored it fully, the Nashville EZX package has very high quality sound files, and I really like the way the patterns are laid out in categories (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.) I am very happy with this software as a whole and highly recommend it to anyone who wants realistic sounding drum tracks , but with LESS time spent fighting with technology. Works great with Logic Express.

Nashville kit sounds pretty good and the MIDI grooves are cool as well! Better than I expected and very usable . I have lots of drum software and seem to always come back to EZ Drummer for my final mix!

I am only just now getting into drag & drop drums, since moving my DAW to Presonus's Studio One 2 Pro. Had a project that needed a fast country 2-step, and you might know how hard that is to find! The Nashville pack filled the bill in spades. The ONLY thing I found a bit lacking, and this is just due to my personal drumming style, is a lack of simpler fills for the two steps. The ones I used show great chops, but are a little too much. Not a complaint though, just wish there were a few more simple things.

The recording quality in this expansion pack is superb!

I feel it's good for putting realistic drums to your recordings but as a none drummer i'm still trying to figure out how to use it there is a learning curve to figure out how to use it.

The clips may sound great. And they do! Just requires more than I am willing to give. It takes a lot of dedication and time to put together backing tracks that don't sound too MIDI. Even after getting these I ended up getting Band in a Box. Problem solved.

So many drum beats , but clearly not what you hear on records ...unrealistic beats ... as are so many in EZ drummer . BUT, with many hrs of editing I get some things to work ... Nearly everything in this program is designed by children , leaning on rock beats ... that not many songs can have in the basic song structure .