Toontrack Fusion

The Fusion EZX features some classy acoustic drum sounds with added extras such as the octobans and gong drum.

If you’re an EZ user with a hankering for fusion, Toontrack have got you covered.

Toontrack have a thing for doing genre‑themed releases. The most notable of these is their ‘Metal Month’, which is a regular feature in their release calendar when November rolls around. However, the most recent month with a musical theme was focused upon fusion. The two highlight releases were the Fusion EZX (for EZdrummer, but also usable within Superior Drummer) and the Funk Fusion EBX (for EZbass). Alongside these new sound expansions, there were also a couple of MIDI packs — the drum groove Foundational Fusion MIDI and the Jazz Fusion MIDI for EZkeys — and the Session Amps: Funk Fusion EZmix 3 presets pack. Ready for some Fusion‑based inspiration? Armed with these new releases, let’s see what the EZ trio can do...

Drum Roll Please...

The samples for the Fusion EZX were recorded at School Farm Studios, Essex, England, with Pete Riley behind the various kits and Stefano Civetta behind the desk. The two have impressive credit lists with artists such as Nile Rodgers, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Keith Emerson, Guthrie Goven and Ritchie Kotzen.

Pete Riley was also responsible for selecting the four primary kits used (by Sakae, Tama and two different Yamaha kits) and, as his playing resumé includes lots of music that blends jazz, rock and funk, he is clearly well placed to know what’s required to represent the breadth of drum sounds that span the fusion style. The kits themselves were obviously well populated with items to hit (for example, two snares, seven toms and 10 cymbal options) and, as well as additional snare and kick choices, you also get various percussion instruments, the very distinct sound of octobans, and a gong drum.

Within the EZX, the various drum kit presets are divided into groups based upon these four source kits and, in each case, you get multiple preset options, each featuring different styles of mix processing. These include different ambience options (from dry to roomy) and options with some rather nice tape‑style saturation applied. However, what’s most striking (d’oh!) is the undeniably natural sound and the limited use of compression. This is obviously a very deliberate choice and, for those presets that are not intentionally set up as ‘dry’ mixes, you get all the character of the sounds ringing out and the overtones that come with that. Obviously, that might not be appropriate in some genres of music or mix contexts, but in a jazz/funk/fusion setting, the natural vibe is absolutely right. However, one of the Yamaha kits was also sampled in a very different configuration — less resonant and with damping — for a tighter sound when needed.

While Toontrack’s sound expansions often get the headlines, unless you are a top‑notch drummer (or bass player or pianist), the value of the MIDI groove/pattern expansions should not be underestimated.

As demonstrated by the MIDI groove collection supplied with the EZX, Pete is obviously a brilliant drummer. These provide a selection of mid‑tempo and half‑time of grooves in straight 4/4 and swung 7/8. There are some wonderful syncopated grooves that are very cool to play against and some great tom‑based grooves. If you want to expand your drum groove options further, the additional Foundational Fusion MIDI groove pack — also played by Pete — is well worth a punt. This spans a wider range of time signatures and both straight and swung playing. Paired with these kits, these are some inspiring grooves to explore, with all the variations and fills you need to deliver a truly human‑sounding drum performance. While Toontrack’s sound expansions often get the headlines, unless you are a top‑notch drummer (or bass player or pianist), the value of the MIDI groove/pattern expansions should not be underestimated, especially when they feature musical styles that are technically more adventurous.

And On The Bass...

The Funk Fusion EBX for EZbass was sampled from a Franz Bassguitars five‑string Sirius model. These are high‑end instruments (around the £3500 mark) and this particular example featured both dual‑coil humbuckers and an active/passive dual‑band preamp, making it incredibly versatile when dialling in tone.

That versatility comes across in the various presets within the EBX, which, as well as offering EZbass’ easy‑to‑use compact control sets for customising the sound of the bass, feature tones that add some useful amp, saturation, compression and modulation options. There are also presets with octave options, auto‑wah, a filter with a resonance control, and a delay for slapback effects. Every preset also includes a one‑knob Synth option that you can blend into the bass sound if you need a little extra colour. Finally, the included DI preset is excellent if you want to apply your own choice of amp modelling and/or effects. In short, this is a great‑sounding EBX that can span warm vintage to high‑definition modern tones.

The Funk Fusion EBX delivers some fabulous bass tones alongside some top‑notch playing within its supplied MIDI.

The supplied MIDI pattern content is focused on slow and mid‑tempo options in both straight and swung 4/4 time. There is some very cool playing amongst this collection, whether you are looking for something that lets the bass sit in a song while some other instrument shines or you want a little more flamboyance when the bass needs to feature. The latter is particularly so with the various slap bass grooves, which make full use of the range of performance articulations EZbass offers. Slap bass is not to everyone’s taste but, in this case, it’s done with both style and restraint... and sounds awesome. Fingers crossed Toontrack have a further EZbass MIDI expansion pack in the works to provide additional options on this front.

Cue The Keys

For the piano, the fusion theme was supported with the Jazz Fusion MIDI pattern expansion. This features the playing of Manuel Valera, a Grammy‑nominated virtuoso pianist originally from Cuba. Whether you pair these with a standard acoustic piano or a Rhodes, there is some pretty sophisticated playing on display here. In typical Toontrack style, the patterns themselves are organised into ‘song’ folders based upon tempo (spanning options from 70 to 200 bpm) and time signature with options played in 4/4, 5/4, 7/4 and 9/8.

There is a strong jazz influence in the playing and, while that makes for some truly exquisite chord choices and voicings, it also means you might have to work a bit harder to get your other instruments to follow the piano’s lead. If these heady harmonic heights are your thing, Manuel will have you covered. However, those needing a somewhat gentler introduction to fusion piano will find the Fusion EZkeys MIDI pattern pack provides a suitable alternative.

I’ll Get My Guitar...

With your EZ trio of drums, bass and piano fully fusion‑fuelled, until Toontrack do eventually release EZguitar (yes, we all want it and, no, I’ve no idea if Toontrack will ever do it; I suspect it would present some considerable technical challenges to do it in a way that they felt matched the high standards set by the other EZ instruments), you will actually have to get your guitar out if you want to add suitable guitar lines to your fusion projects.

Providing you have the guitar skills, the Session Amps Funk Fusion EZmix 3 preset expansion can provide plenty of guitar tones for your next fusion project.

However, at least the Session Amps Funk Fusion EZmix 3 presets pack can get you started with some suitable tones. In terms of cleans, that includes very mellow jazz‑friendly lead or rhythm tones and some suitably bright, compressed options that are idea for funk‑influenced chords. At the other end of the gain spectrum, there are also some great saturated tones suitable for lead styles, where the distortion is smooth and never gets out of control. And, between these two extremes, there is a broad selection of clean, mildly driven and overdriven tones with and without some effects options such as delay, modulation, auto‑wah and reverb.

With most recording guitar players having a hard drive cluttered with multiple amp and effects modelling software, for some, EZmix might not be the first option that comes to mind for a virtual guitar rig, but this preset pack is actually pretty impressive. As ever with EZmix, the streamlined workflow gets you a great sound with a minimum of fuss.

Fusing Fusion

As standalone products, each of these releases is very good in its own right. However, it’s also interesting to see how well they might work together: can you fuse together elements from these fusion‑themed expansions to inspire a new idea? Well, obviously, I’ve tried, and you can audition a few brief examples of my efforts on the SOS website (check out the link below).

The EZmix presets let you add some genre‑appropriate guitar sounds with ease.

As mentioned above, the stronger jazz influence within the EZkeys MIDI pack perhaps makes that fusion‑fusing process a little more challenging but it’s a process that works very well with both the sounds and the supplied MIDI patterns for the EZX and EBX. Obviously, some musical judgement (which I might well lack!) is required to turn performances that were not originally played with each other in mind into a coherent musical idea. That said, the excellent drum and bass sounds are a great starting point; the rest is a matter of some suitable MIDI editing. And the EZmix presets let you add some genre‑appropriate guitar sounds with ease.

If fusion is your thing — or you want a great starting point to make it your thing — you’re in luck; Toontrack’s fusion‑themed expansions provide a great resource, both in terms of sounds and performances.