Toontrack has just released Dream Pop EZX, a new EZdrummer 2 expansion pack by Addeboy vs. Cliff and Mattias Eklund.

This EZX brings something new by combining acoustic drums & drum machine sounds, and adding some unique hybrids, percussive foley and chromatic sounds to the mix.

Toontrack Dream Pop EZX

The Dream Pop EZX is the culmination of when cutting-edge sound design comes to a head with convention and creates something entirely new. In addition to traditional acoustic drums and classic drum machine sounds, you’ll find completely new hybrids and textured percussive foley samples from a rich variety of elements.

Get creative renditions of stomps, claps, snares and kicks – but also, a set of chromatic pad-like sounds as well as a collection ever-changing filter loops run through a modular system. Start making the drum tracks of you wildest dream! Literally.

The expansion pack comes with a total of 29 preset kits, and includes nearly 250 instruments.

Dream Pop EZX features

  • Organic — Real drums, multi-sampled in classic Toontrack fashion – mixed, matched and layered to contemporary hybrids.
  • Electronic — Classic drum machine sounds and all-new percussive tones built from the ground up in a modular system.
  • Nature — An extensive set of percussive and sound effect-like sounds recorded from various natural elements – wood, water, gravel, branches, claps and stomps, to name a few.
  • Soundscapes — With the chromatic soundscapes of ambient, ethereal synth-like pads, the Dream Pop EZX goes beyond the traditional definition of drums and percussion – this is a multi-instrument.

Check the walkthrough video below to get an idea of the sounds of Dream Pop EZX.

For some more audio demos you can check the product page, where you can listen to all the kit presets.

The Dream Pop EZX is now available for purchase for 69 EUR. It is also included in the EZdrummer 2 Modern Pop Edition and Modern Pop EZX Value Pack bundles.

So what do I think?

Dream Pop EZX offers a really nice mix of acoustic and electronic sounds. This is something we haven’t seen before in the EZX range, and as such I think this pack is great for any EZdrummer & Superior Drummer user that is looking for this kind of hybrid sound.

The included kit presets are a good starting point, though I found the accompanying MIDI variations a bit lackluster. That said, the actual sounds of Dream Pop EZX are great.

The regular drum sounds like kicks, snares, hihats, etc. are solid, but what makes this pack special to me are the sounds from the foley recordings and the modular system. Some of the unique percussion and chromatic pads & hits are just lovely. The little snap/click/pop type sounds are excellent to add some texture to your beats. All in all there is a lot of quality content in this pack.

Since EZdrummer 2 is so easy to work with, you’ll be building kits to your own taste with little effort. I would say key here is to take Toontrack’s advice to heart, as we can read on the chalkboard in the interface: Don’t forget!!! Change presets, mix knobs & be creative.

Many thanks to Time+Space for providing a copy of Dream Pro EZX for review.

More information: Toontrack / Dream Pop EZX