Toontrack Underground EZX (SOUNDBANK)

Capturing the raw essence of how drums sound when recorded using a minimal vintage-meets-modern setup in a cramped basement studio, this expansion for EZdrummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3 presents arguably the most unpolished, gritty and tangible kits you’ll ever hear. Inspired by punk, hardcore, metal, indie, psychedelic rock, kraut and all peripheral offshoots of the underground scenes of the early ’90s until today, this is an eclectic collection of drums that sounds as far from the beaten path you possibly can imagine. If you’re looking for an EZX that is loud, decadent, angry and all-around fuming of unpretentious, nonchalant in-your-face energy, this one’s for you.

The Underground EZX was recorded by Refused drummer David Sandström and engineer/producer/mixer Martin “Konie” Ehrencrona at the famed Studio Cobra – a small, low-ceiling basement studio in the heart of Stockholm, Sweden. From this dungeon-like place – brimming with tape machines, old tube gear and vintage instruments – Konie has been churning out productions bursting with his signature stripe of analog character for the likes of Refused and Tribulation, to name a few. With a collection of David’s own drums, the studio’s and those of bands and friends on the Stockholm scene, they made sure this EZX had four distinctly unique kits, each bringing its niched sound and vibe to the project. Expect a broad palette of scarred, road worn and tried-and-true kits all put through the paces on anything from big festival stages and underground club stages to a wealth of albums of all styles.

In addition to the kits, a selection of mix-ready presets for each of the four kits is provided. Engineered by Konie, it covers anything from the absolutely bare and raw to the distorted, all-out menacing and wild. To add, a basic collection of grooves and fills performed by David is included, giving you a foundation of his unapologetic and hard-hitting style of drumming to build from.

This is an EZX in which you can almost hear the vintage tube gear radiate, the hiss breathe and every wayward and unrelenting drum hit propel in a way that makes the kits want to climb out of the monitors. Whether you’re looking to write a post-punk track teeming with lo-fi DYI feels or any stripe of savage, distorted and organic-sounding kraut, metal, hardcore or garage rock, this is your new go-to EZX.

Want grit? This is the very definition of it.