Toontrack Rock Solid 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.

Toontrack Rock Solid is what I need !!!

The Toontrack samples, continue to blow me away - the search mechanism makes it easy to pair samples & styles - thanks Toontrack

ezdrummer is an easy to use program with planty of parameters to mess around with to help u get the sound your looking for. I recommend drums from hell pak and a couple midi fills and will thst you would be squared away quite nice. ROCK SOLID also add some drums sounds from Brandy Strab rock star fame. he did some bon jovi, metallica, motley crue. so if ur looking you can get that ac/dc style drum sound you may be looking for. the samples are laid out easy enuff, but record-keeping which ones u use is the only downside.

Just like everything else they put out is Great. Damm the best on the Drum Program on the market nothing better. I know I have many different programs none of them compare. If you need that edge buy Toontrack you won't be sorry.

All of the EZX expansion kits from ToonTrack are brilliant... this one is exceptionally good with the Glyn Johns four-mic setup! I love it!

I bought this in addition to the Progressive ezx and hands down, Rock Solid sounds huge! It really shines with songs that have a solid beat (think Rob Zombie's "Dragula"). The kicks alone are great. For me, I found the sweet spot by building a custom kit out of the supplied samples and now my originals have a fatter sound!

I have researched many of the metal drum kits Toontrack has made. While some of them are quite impressive, I can't get past how some of them sound so infernally clicky and thin. I was quite surprised to find how suited to metal this expansion was while still sound so thick and big. It sounds at home from genres ranging from 80's metal to modern hard rock and modern meal, but without the annoying clickiness I hear so often in metal music. Some of kits have an inherently dark tonal quality which can make them seem muddy in the context of playing with other dark sounding instruments like bass an down-tuned guitars. A quick high shelf boost from an eq will instantly fix this, so no worries. What is also great about buying this expansion (or any expansion) is the new variety of cymbals that you can mix and match with your other existing EZdrummer kits. The crashes are very nice, the rides are refreshingly unique, and there is even a china cymbal included. If your looking for a metal kit without compromising a large sound, you would do well do but this kit before anything else.

If you need some solid and powerful backing rock beats with a unique sound this EZX is up to the task. Bought it on sale and I've not been disappointed.

I used this software for everything on my music. I'm not a drummer but meme me look like I'd have been playing for decades.

Amazing samples, amazing kits...load it up and ready to go. If you're looking for that Nickleback/our lady peace style drumming this is the right product for you. Only downer is all toms are in 1 mix bus....however, everything else is exeptional & simple.

If you're in to modern rock or looking for a great sounding kit that is unique to the line up - get this, you will use it often.

I already own EZ Drummer and was looking for some additional starting point chops to add to the arsenal and the Rock Solid expansion pack fit that bill quite nicely. Overall a nice complementary addition to my library without breaking the bank . Keep it up Toontrack !

The variety of kits and the different settings within the mixer/eq is great. The drum groove variations are pounding. This is a solid and well engineered expansion kit. I still dig my DKFH over this, but I still need to use it a bit more first to get use to it.

I bought this expansion during the end-of-the-year sale... to use in home recording. I found the expansion to be a sparse collection of beats/sounds, and very limiting as far as the kit "tones" go: the ED2 drop-down that comes with the program has 17 different kit styles/tones, Rock Solid expansion has 5. Three of them sound like seventy's drum mixes, one sounds like an over processed kit from the early 80's. I was able to get some decent (only decent) tones spending a lot of time tweaking the mixes (compression, etc.), but that takes the EZ out of EZDrummer doesn't it?

If you're looking for stale rock tones, wait until Rock Solid EZX goes on sale before you buy. If you need something with a more modern tones and kit choices, I'd look for a metal expansion or progressive metal expansion.

It is not bad by any means but sounds very 80's rock ish to me most of the time. I find myself using "the classic" and "metal machine" much more as they are way more versatile for what I'm doing. This does sound good however but like I said, 80's hair rock...

This EZX is designed to create huge ringing drum sounds suitable for big rock riffs and ballads. The default kit and mixer settings are soaked with ambiance and compression, and have an unpleasant artificial quality. The unnatural sounding default settings can be adjusted by muting the room and compression mixer channels, but the drums themselves, especially the kick drums, are tuned low and have an almost "floppy" sound from the loose heads. The cymbals are very metallic sounding, and have been over-processed. The snare offerings are a strong point; there are five to choose from and each is unique. The snares in this EZX have a little more bottom head rattle, and less of the "ping" often accentuated in other Toontrack products. Of the four included kits, the Gretsch is my favorite, followed by the Ludwig, and the two Ayotte kits. The groove library is useful for modern rock featuring mostly straight 4/4 beats ranging in tempo from 77-185 bpm. The sparse grooves are well suited to the sounds of this library as busy drum beats would sound messy with the ambiance, compression, and sustain of the drums in this EZX; I cannot recommend this library for metal for the same reasons. I purchased this library in hopes of getting versatile modern drum sounds. Unfortunately, "Rock Solid" is mostly a one-trick pony.

Note:
The Superior Drummer expansion "The Rock Warehouse" is just a reworked version of these same sounds.

It didn't sound near as heavy or rich as I had hoped from viewing the promo.
I may be able to use it on a few things, though.