Review: Toontrack’s Latin Percussion EZX
(mtebaldi | Posted 2011-02-07)
The Latin Percussion EZX is Toontrack’s library of percussive instrument samples and MIDI grooves for their renowned “entry-level” virtual drum software, EZdrummer, especially designed to offer a wide array of possibilities for all the Latin/percussive beats you might need. Toontrack really put their best of efforts into Latin Percussion EZX so it could be a one and only stop type of product, where not only one could find drum solutions for ethnic music applications but also for any type of genre. What you find here is true evidence of their hard work.
Toontrack accomplished the task of coming up with this multi-purpose EZX with the help of experienced Scandinavian drummer Mikael Emsing, who traditionally is not a Latin or African player, but a rock, pop and jazz session drummer. Latin Percussion EZX comes with a extensive library of more than 80 instruments samples: congas, cajon, bongos, udu, shakers, tambourines, woodblocks, triangles, timbales, cowbells, guiros, chimes, maracas, cymbals and others. All are visually arranged in another of their clean and realistic interfaces. An arrow in each instrument marks a drop down menu where you can quickly assign different types of materials available for that instrument.
Once again, what sets this EZX apart from many other virtual drum plug-ins is the quantity of different arrangements you can find under the Grooves library tab. It really explains why E and Z were placed into name the product. The library is categorized displaying each instrument with different musical playing styles. Under each of these musical styles you will find hundreds of types and hundreds of variations. And the beauty once again lays on the simplicity of click and drag to your DAW of choice.
If you can’t afford to craft complex grooves that include various instruments at once, just scroll all the way to the bottom and a Percussion Ensemble library is available, containing many groove-ready segments that encompass the principal percussion heavy music styles: Latino, Samba, African, Middle Eastern and Funk. Although our Toontrack didn’t got very creative under the Mixer tab this time, not offering any interesting built in effects, you can easily mix to your taste each of instruments used in these complex beats.
Assembling a great variety of percussive instruments for your studio could be a hard task. It can involve time, money, and finding great players. Latin Percussive EZX tries to solve that in a simple-to-use product. This is another great library that can certainly be of good use to many producers and musicians.
Check out more Toontrack's products reviews:
EZdrummer -http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3423.html
Drum Kit From Hell EZX - http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3457.html
Claustrophobic EZX -http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3503.html
Electronic EZX - http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3545.html
Funkmasters EZX - http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3579.html
Metalheads EZX - http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3752.html
Jazz EZX - http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3678.html
Beatstation - http://www.musicgearreview.com/article-display/3553.html
