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Toontrack release new Decades SDX and Big Band EZX in collaboration with Al Schmitt

Time+Space

Senior Member
Toontrack have done it again - another legendary producer, another world famous studio – straight to your DAW...

Introducing the incredible Decades SDX and Big Band EZX from 23-time Grammy award winner - Al Schmitt!

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DECADES SDX
Al Schmitt has had a truly illustrious career and the Decades SDX encapsulates that priceless lifetime of experience with a massive collection of drums from the 1920s to the 1990s. Covering styles from jazz and big band to rock, fusion, pop, funk and AOR, this hugely versatile SDX is a must-have for any Superior Drummer 3 user!


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BIG BAND EZX
Can you hear it? That steady rattle of the snare, the sizzling melody of the ride and the subtle, round boom of the large open bass drum?
Welcome to the Toontrack Big Band EZX!

Produce the timeless swing that has been the epitome of jazz for over a century with two different kits covering the entire tonal range from the round, warm and intimate to the thunderous, explosive and fiercely energetic.

Works with Superior Drummer 3 and EZdrummer 2


 
Just curious, what's the issue if one tries to use them with SD2?

According to an email I just received from best service "PLEASE NOTE: The Decades SDX by Al Schmitt is an SDX library which can only be loaded in Superior Drummer 3"
 
I'm really looking forward to this expansion, as it covers the genres and styles that I am the most involved in! Looking at the kits and the mics, I am already very happy (I can't listen to audio demos at work).

I'm not sure if these specific kit pieces have been used in other SDX's yet (I'd have to compare, which is time-consuming), but even if so, the recording techniques are often what these packs are about, along with the players and the tuning and preparation of the kits.
 
According to an email I just received from best service "PLEASE NOTE: The Decades SDX by Al Schmitt is an SDX library which can only be loaded in Superior Drummer 3"

This is correct Superior Drummer 3 is required to use the SDX library.
 
This might be answered in the ad copy, but I didn't see it - I admit I was distracted by the killer sounds - but is it possible to install in a way similar to the SD3 main library, with just the direct, bleed and room signals, and without the surround ambient mics?
 
but is it possible to install in a way similar to the SD3 main library, with just the direct, bleed and room signals, and without the surround ambient mics?
Almost positive it is, as the product page shows different download sizes for the different mic set-ups. This is how it is with the Orchestral SDX, which I have, and which was the last SDX to be released before this one.
 
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This might be answered in the ad copy, but I didn't see it - I admit I was distracted by the killer sounds - but is it possible to install in a way similar to the SD3 main library, with just the direct, bleed and room signals, and without the surround ambient mics?

Sort of but not quite. The way it works with Decades is you have to first download the complete 99gb installer (Windows defaults to the C drive), then you can choose one of the 4 install options listed on the product webpage, and then delete the installer if required.

The smallest install is 28gb and for room mics has just the stereo pair. As for bleeds, it has them only on LR Room, overheads and snare bottom. These are the main ones I muck around with to be honest, so its a pretty good compromise for me. For every bleed you need the full 99gb install.

Fantastic expansion btw, stupidly versatile and sounds stellar. Very good price from T&S too.
 
I have to say, I am completely flabbergasted by the sound of this library. It is just awesome.

We'll see if my opinion changes next week, but I wouldn't bet on it.
 
I've been waiting for something like this! I can't wait to purchase!

Is the SDX version a super set of the EZX version? So does it include the presets and so forth from the EZX version? I don't want to duplicate if I buy both.
 
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The SDX has considerably more drum sets and kit piece choices than the EZX, from what I could tell; I suspect there will be a second EZX pack extracted from the SDX later on.

I am about to purchase and download the SDX. I just have to wait for another download to finish first.
 
Aside from the extra kits and so forth, can anyone confirm that the SDX includes all the "Big Band Stuff" from the EZX, which is really what I am interested in... Looking more for a load it up and forget it but if SDX offers that as well, ie: all the EZX stuff, I'll go for that one and enjoy the other kits as well..
 
This is frustrating: I have been trying to buy this product for a half hour now, but every time I get to the checkout phase, it blanks my phone number again (even though it showed up previously, right before the payment), thus blocking the sale.

I can only get coupons to apply if charging in British Sterling anyway, but I seem to recall that's how it works. I had gotten it down to about 85 pounds, but now I can't get it below 97 pounds, so I think something is "stuck" in its system, as it was also the case that the cart empties if you go back to look at it.

I've now tried this on Opera and Safari using macOS Mojave, and I logged into my work computer so I could then try it on Windows 10 using Firefox. It does not seem to be a browser or OS issue.

I really wanted to buy this tonight, as the download will take a while and this way I can have it at the ready for weekend work.

Not sure what to do at this point. Maybe the Time+Space website is just getting hit by too many people at once, at the moment.
 
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Weird: I just received an email from PayPal asking if I wanted to finish up the transaction, as the payment was approved and was just awaiting the final handshake from the Time+Space website. Yet if I go back to my cart via the PayPal link, it is empty once again. At least the price is the lowest one I had achieved, at a bit over 83 pounds.

Want to complete your PayPal payment at Time+Space Distribution Ltd?​

To finish up, go back to Time+Space Distribution Ltd and give your final approval.​
 
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I started from scratch one more time, and it went back to my ultimate discount of 83 pounds and change. This gave me a different checkout page than before.

Unfortunately when I checked PayPal, it didn't ask me any info, but at least the order is now complete.

I logged in to PayPal, and saw that it used the form of payment that I approved earlier.

It looks like what was going on, is that PayPal maintained a full history even though the T+S site didn't. That's actually good in a way.

I'll probably have a bit of a wait for the serial number; I forgot that isn't an instantaneous delivery.
 
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I did go through the audio demos and was blown away by 80% of them. I have a feeling I'll be switching some of my jazz-oriented projects to these kits, as I have way too many of them assigned to the same kit at the moment, regardless of era or sub-genre, just because there haven't been all that many choices so far for brushes as well as older style kits.

The modern kits sound great too, and I may pull some of those for soul, funk, r&b, and fusion as well as modern acoustic jazz and big band (plus Broadway).
 
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