Ezdrummer expansion or GGD?

[tom1986ca]

Ok, so something I didn't originally realize is that with expansions, when you add the new instruments to an existing kit, that instrument gets incorporated into the preset that you're using in that existing room, which is cool because (as silly as this might sound) I actually liked the 80s preset that I had tweaked on the standard modern kit. I ended up really liking the Sabian cymbals included in the Duality I expansion and encorperated them into my own preset and I'm pretty happy with what I ended up with. (You really don't know exactly what you'll get until you do and then actually hear it in your mix.) All I went looking for originally was some additional cymbals for a sound I was already pretty happy with and I've found just that without having to rebuild from the ground up the sound I had already tweaked. I would have had to do that with GGD, so I am happy with the decision I made. Maybe I'll start adding more expansions as I can afford to, but for now I'm pretty happy with the additions. Now I can slowly add more pads to my edrums as I practice more and slowly build up some good presets that I like. Thanks everyone for the input! It's pretty fun to build a drum kit again many years after the last time I owned some acoustic drums. It's crazy how many options there are now and just how good they all sound!

 

[WarMachine]

Ok, so something I didn't originally realize is that with expansions, when you add the new instruments to an existing kit, that instrument gets incorporated into the preset that you're using in that existing room, which is cool because (as silly as this might sound) I actually liked the 80s preset that I had tweaked on the standard modern kit. I ended up really liking the Sabian cymbals included in the Duality I expansion and encorperated them into my own preset and I'm pretty happy with what I ended up with. (You really don't know exactly what you'll get until you do and then actually hear it in your mix.) All I went looking for originally was some additional cymbals for a sound I was already pretty happy with and I've found just that without having to rebuild from the ground up the sound I had already tweaked. I would have had to do that with GGD, so I am happy with the decision I made. Maybe I'll start adding more expansions as I can afford to, but for now I'm pretty happy with the additions. Now I can slowly add more pads to my edrums as I practice more and slowly build up some good presets that I like. Thanks everyone for the input! It's pretty fun to build a drum kit again many years after the last time I owned some acoustic drums. It's crazy how many options there are now and just how good they all sound!

It's crazy how something as simple as a cymbal swap can turn your mixes into what you want isn't it? lol. That's all it took to get mine breathing just right.

 

[Jamey36]

The other great thing about EZD is there are so many expansion packs you can add whenever you like.Sweetwater will occasionally run really good sales on EZD expansion packs(usually about half price).

 

[mcleanab]

The other great thing about EZD is there are so many expansion packs you can add whenever you like.Sweetwater will occasionally run really good sales on EZD expansion packs(usually about half price).

That's good to note... late on this bus, but you can use individual instruments from one pack and place them in another? i.e. I can use a specific kick drum from say my Modern set with the rest of the set in say a Vintage kit? How does one do that?

 

[tom1986ca]

That's good to note... late on this bus, but you can use individual instruments from one pack and place them in another? i.e. I can use a specific kick drum from say my Modern set with the rest of the set in say a Vintage kit? How does one do that?

Yes, you just need to click on the instrument drop down and then inside the menu, choose the kit you want to select from and it will bring up all the options for that kit. Just keep in mind that whatever processing is applied to your current kit will also be applied to the new drum as well. (unless you're using the original mix) So if there's a preset you like (such as the 80s preset on the modern kit for example) that reverb will be applied to any drums you bring into that kit as well. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a way (that I'm aware of) to use a preset for one kit inside a different kit.

 

[Jamey36]

Also even though I am mainly a hard rock/metal guy, i have expansion packs in MoTown, Country, Progressive and more.I am always pleasantly surprised at how often I use patterns and grooves from those packs in my own metal/rock recordings.Just drag, drop and go.I also love EZD song creator function.Find a pattern you really like for a riff and the song creator tool will give you a variety of compatible options for verse, chorus, bridge, fills, etc..Very useful for quickly fleshing out an actual song from just a riff without a ton of tweaking the drums.I am a guitar player, not a drummer, this allows me to concentrate on writing the guitar parts.

 

[WarMachine]

Also even though I am mainly a hard rock/metal guy, i have expansion packs in MoTown, Country, Progressive and more.I am always pleasantly surprised at how often I use patterns and grooves from those packs in my own metal/rock recordings.Just drag, drop and go.I also love EZD song creator function.Find a pattern you really like for a riff and the song creator tool will give you a variety of compatible options for verse, chorus, bridge, fills, etc..Very useful for quickly fleshing out an actual song from just a riff without a ton of tweaking the drums.I am a guitar player, not a drummer, this allows me to concentrate on writing the guitar parts.

Slow Rock and Halftime Push get used more than most anything else in my expansions and i think those are the Rock! or Rock Solid packs.

 

[Stiman]

Nice. I do tend to really enjoy a bit of lighter sounding stuff that is more airy and crisp. (like Plini or Caskets) I may just have to sit down and listen to some kits and see what I like the sound of.

I know this is old, but have you tried the "Prog" preset in the bright room of the EZDrummer 3 library? I think it fits this description.