In Summary

When it comes to building a virtual band, until recently getting great results meant knowing each instrument well. Here we show how Toontrack’s line of EZ instruments can learn the song from as little as just a couple of scratch takes. Hear it in action for yourself…

Going Deeper

Composers and producing engineers are hardly short of choice when it comes to building out a virtual band. With the direction of travel being towards ever-greater realism, today we have instruments that can totally convince. The quality has been elevated from providing the soundtrack to adverts and low-budget documentaries to become the sound behind many pop records, films, and other symphonic creations.

For the jobbing composer creating production music, the good times are here. No longer must they hire a space and/or a musician to turn a sketch into a master; now DAW writing projects frequently morph into the finished article. Until now, virtual instruments (VIs) have needed the one thing that machines couldn’t ape: human musical input.

Using Toontrack EZ Instruments

Toontrack are known to composers for a number of virtual collaborators, with their EZ line being the most accessible. With a drummer, bass player, and keys player all on hand to flesh out productions, these products’ thing has been ease of use, with sounds to match.

Without knowledge of drumming or bass playing, composers are in danger of blowing cover with otherwise great-sounding VIs. More recently, the EZ line has been able to overcome the final frontier for VI band arrangements: what to dial in.

In the video we use Toontrack’s EZ party piece to create a complete arrangement around an acoustic guitar played to a click, as well as using its excellent audio-to-MIDI capabilities to replace an existing bass part. Using Bandmate in EZdrummer 3 and EZkeys 2, as well as EZbass’ own audio listening skills, we get an arrangement that knows the song in minutes

Have We Got It EZ?

It must be said that bundled grooves in any instrument can sound impressive when scooting through them to find something, but ultimately they can sound a bit ‘grafted-on’ if not used with caution. Bandmate and Toontrack’s other audio-to-MIDI tech addresses this by matching its sounds to real inputs from the composer. That’s right: put simply they learn the song.

OK, so the EZ way cannot match the very best human collaborator’s listening skills, but it can certainly blow away the wrong interpretation from the wrong person. It’s not always perfect but I can confirm that any ‘missed’ chords only happen with complicated voicings on acoustic or those with ambiguous harmony such as 6ths versus minors, as an example. For that, very quick tweaks in the Song Track or simply giving it a stripped-back part to chew on is well worth it.

With both a drummer and a keys player who can ‘listen’ and learn, EZbass’ audio-to-MIDI functionality is also especially welcome. This can fill out placeholder parts from guitarists or allow the replacement of sounds where the playing is already there. If you’re a composer who knows a good sound when they hear one, but doesn’t know what MIDI to use, Toontrack’s trio is going to get the song there with some pretty slick sounds to match.

A Word About This Article

As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.