Toontrack has announced the release of two new MIDI packs for its EZkeys and EZbass virtual instruments.
The Folk EZkeys MIDI pack expansion for EZkeys is inspired by folk music of the 1960s through to today.
Even though the American folk music revival may have peaked in the late 1960s, pioneering artists like Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Peter, John and Mary blazed a trail for a whole ecosystem of singer-songwriters who have carried their legacy and songwriting tradition into the modern day.
This EZkeys MIDI pack hones in on the formative era but at the same time has a foot in the present, offering a fill-circle range of material inspired by some seven decades of folk music history. In this collection, you’ll find material for anything from the melancholic to the upbeat, just waiting for you to add words, melodies and your own twist to. Get ready for some basic but immortal chord progressions as well as all the smart twists, turns and traits you’d expect from an EZkeys MIDI pack labelled folk.
Also released today was the Detroit Soul EZbass MIDI pack, a new collection of basslines inspired by classic soul.
The iconic basslines that the likes of Carol Kaye and James Jamerson blessed countless ‘Motown’-era records with didn’t only sprinkle a noticeable amount of magic, they also underlined the importance of the bass as a melodic as much as a rhythmic vehicle. In fact, in many ways, this incomparable chapter in music history carved out a new role for the bass, which resonates to this day.
This EZbass MIDI pack was recorded alongside its drum MIDI and EZkeys MIDI namesakes and offers complementing basslines inspired by the same wealth of music. Expect a basic but ever-so-tasteful collection of material for timeless soul, pop and R&B songs. In other words, prepare for some driving hooks, funky rhythms, syncopated runs and soulful melodic perfection.
The MIDI packs are available from the Toontrack store and from distributor Time+Space, priced 23 USD/EUR each during the MIDI Month promotion (regular 29 USD/EUR).
