Recording - September 2016 - 44

PLUG-IN OUTLET
Toontrack EZmix Packs:
Country Guitars, JamTrack Amps, and Lead Vocals
by Mike Metlay

Many of our readers know of Toontrack's amazing EZmix 2
software, and those who don't probably should. EZmix 2 is a
plug-in that provides preset effects chains to assist in the mixing
and mastering process, whether on individual sources or on
the master bus. Using DSP technology from effects wizards
Overloud, EZmix 2 combines elements of a virtual "equipment
closet" in hundreds of different combinations, with each preset
carefully optimized for a particular source or sound and organized within a searchable column browser.
Aside from setting input and output levels, the only control
the user has within EZmix 2 (once a preset is selected) is a
pair of knobs called the Shape Controls. Each knob controls
one or more parameters within the chain in a musical fashion;
turn the knobs until you like what you hear, and mix!
Because of the high quality of the effects processing and the
care put into every preset, EZmix 2 can produce wonderful
results with very little effort. It can't replace a purpose-built effects
chain of high-end plug-ins, but for the working engineer who
sometimes has to place a premium on time saved in the mixing
process, EZmix 2 can feel heaven-sent. Novice engineers can
also take advantage of EZmix 2 to help them attain good results
while they're still learning the ropes. It remains one of my
favorite music composition and mixing plug-ins, bar none.
The real key to EZmix 2, of course, is the quality and variety
of the presets. It comes with hundreds of them, but there's
always room for more nuanced choices in various genres of
music or when working with particular sources. Toontrack supplements EZmix 2 with a huge library of EZmix Packs; it's relatively inexpensive to select a Pack that covers the material
you're worried about, and trivially easy to add it to EZmix 2.
The EZmix Pack library is now up to 37 titles, and this month
we're taking a very quick look at three of the latest EZmix
Packs that have caught our attention.
Country Guitars
Country music has been around for a long time, and the guitar
is arguably its most important instrument. As such, there's been
Delivery: Web download
Format: EZmix Packs (presets) for EZmix 2, which is
VST/AAX/RTAS for Windows 7+,
VST/AAX/RTAS/AU for macOS 10.6+
Copy Protection: Online serial number registration
Documentation: PDF manual for main program; none
specific to the EZmix Packs
Prices: $49 each (EZmix 2, $179)
More from: Toontrack, www.toontrack.com
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RECORDING SEPTEMBER 2016

room for a lot of evolution in guitar tone. Whether you're talking about semihollow, solidbody, or pedal steel, the mellow
tones of a ballad or the hard-driving sounds that lean in the
direction of Southern Rock, the classic sounds of the founding
fathers or the more modern stylings of the Americana and
modern country movements, there's a lot of ground to cover.
Country Guitars is a collection of 50 effect and amp chains
that provide a delicious slice of country music history in the
form of instantly recognizable tones. Amp simulations range
from the old combo amps that powered the early days of country to the more powerful rock-centric stacks that turn up here
and there. These are combined with rack processors, a select
few stompboxes, and traditional sounds like tape saturation.
While there are a few harder presets that hint at modern
country production (with the Ibanez Tube Screamer overdrive in heavy evidence), the majority of oomph in these
sounds comes from the tasteful overdrive of the amp models, and while there are a few delay-based stompbox effects
like phasers, ambience and movement are most often provided by spring reverb and slapback echo, just as they
would have been in the good old days. There are a fair
number of presets that call out particular guitars that have
made a name for themselves in the country arsenal-the
Telecaster, Stratocaster, and ES-335, for example. But these
presets will work well with other guitars too, giving a sense
of authenticity and warm atmosphere to your country tracks,
whether lead or rhythm.

My personal favorites include the sweet "Jazzy 335" and
"Mellow 335", the tasteful combination of amp and ambience in "Bakersfield", and a fascinating bit of time travel in
the contrast of tone and room sound between "Steel Then"
and "Steel Now". You can hear echoes of the country music
greats as you add these sounds to your tracks!
JamTrack Amps
Jamtrackcentral.com is one of the world's leading sources
for guitar backing tracks and instructional videos and tutorials on playing guitar. Based in the UK, it offers limited-access
pay-as-you-go tutorial access and purchasable downloads,
plus a paid-per-month premium membership with streaming
access to everything the site has, including exclusive content.
Toontrack teamed up with five of the guitarists providing content to Jamtrackcentral.com-Martin Miller, Tom Quayle,
Marco Sfogli, Josh Smith, and Jack Thammarat-and collected a wide-ranging set of their favorite working tones.
http://www.Jamtrackcentral.com http://www.toontrack.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - September 2016
