Toontrack EZX Metal Mania

What Toontrack Dirk Verbeuren EZX Is For

Toontrack Dirk Verbeuren EZX is a virtual drum expansion designed to enhance your hard rock and metal productions with a wide, clear, and muscular sound, without sacrificing warmth or depth. It integrates into your workflow within EZdrummer 3 or Superior Drummer 3 to quickly create credible, dense, and punchy drum tracks, suitable for both fast, technical riffs and heavy, mid-tempo grooves.

Whether you are composing, sketching, producing, or mixing, this EZX helps you achieve drums that cut through a wall of guitars, maintain precise definition on double kick drums, and preserve a coherent image in dense arrangements. The MIDI grooves and fills performed by Dirk Verbeuren add an authentic rhythmic language tailored to the demands of modern metal.

Main Features

A Recording Approach Designed to "Move Air"

The expansion was recorded at One On One Studio A in Los Angeles, renowned for hard rock/metal productions. The sound emphasizes solid low end, natural projection, and a balance that remains aggressive and compact when needed. This sonic signature recalls the DNA of many landmark recordings made in this studio, including Megadeth's "Rust in Peace," Metallica's "...And Justice for All" and "Black Album," Dream Theater's "Awake," and Testament's "The Ritual."

Three Distinct Kits Covering Multiple Metal Aesthetics

The three included kits each have a clear intent: one is inspired by Dirk's current touring setup, another reflects his Soilwork era, and the third was chosen to provide a sharp contrast in tone and atmosphere. The result is a coherent yet varied palette, ranging from a powerful, aggressive, and punchy sound to a deeper, rounder, and warmer register-ideal for adapting the drums to the song rather than the other way around.

A Complete Arsenal: Kicks, Snares, Toms, and Cymbals

This EZX offers an extensive selection of pieces to sculpt your kit with precision. Between multiple kick drums (including doubles), numerous snares, and a wide collection of cymbals, you can shift from a sharp, dry drum sound to a broader, enveloping kit while maintaining the coherence of a high-end recording. The toms provide a wide tonal range thanks to several wood types, allowing you to adapt the color to tempo, tuning, and guitar density.

Mixing Presets and MIDI: Immediate Efficiency

The 31 mixing presets let you instantly start with a specific aesthetic (attack, depth, width, aggressiveness) and then adjust according to your arrangement. The included MIDI library (grooves, fills, songs) is performed by Dirk Verbeuren: a real time saver for writing, testing structures, and achieving credible articulations, especially on fast patterns, accents, and metal-style transitions.

Technical specifications