Toontrack EZX: New York Punk

Pure Punk Power

Five eras of punk drums, captured by Frank Ferrer and Nitebob.

Restless, unruly and always en route, punk has reinvented itself time and time again.

In this expansion for EZdrummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3, two lifelong devotees of the genre set out across their hometown of New York City in search of the sounds that could retrace its steps - from its unpolished beginnings to the countless musical offshoots that followed in its wake.

To tell that story, they ended up with a diverse line-up of kits, each capturing the distinct voice, character and sonic imprint of a defining chapter in punk's evolution.

Behind the drums is Frank Ferrer - a New York City native raised with the scene practically outside his front door, whose journey through countless rock and punk bands and projects eventually led to an almost two-decade tenure with Guns N' Roses.

On the other side of the studio glass is legendary engineer Bob "Nitebob" Czaykowski, who for more than five decades has been part of the fabric of New York’s rock and punk underground - capturing its beautiful noise on tape and bringing it to life through PAs.

Together, they brought their idea to Flux Studios, where every detail - from mics and outboard to drumheads and dampening - was chosen to honor the way punk was made back in the day.

But the connection to its history runs deeper than sound alone.

Several of the kits they sourced once belonged to iconic and influential players who helped shape the scene.

The result is more than a sound library - it's an homage to punk history, captured by the people who lived it and through the very pieces that were played, worn and torn along the way.

In addition to the drums, this EZX includes mix-ready presets for each kit engineered by Bob as well as a collection of grooves performed by Frank.

If you’re looking for an EZX that covers the entire punk rock gamut - from the raw, unpolished sounds of the 1970s through indie, art rock and post-punk, all the way to the sheer aggression of 1990s hardcore - this is it.Period-correct drums, period-correct gear and, as Nitebob puts it himself, a "period-correct guy" at the board.

In other words: pure punk power, at your fingertips.

Features

• Five complete kits with additional extras
• One extra kit configuration captured with mallets
• Sampled by drummer Frank Ferrer (Guns N' Roses, The Beautiful, The Psychedelic Furs)
• Recorded at Flux Studios, New York City, by legendary punk rock engineer Bob "Nitebob" Czaykowski
• Five distinct styles: punk, post-punk, hardcore, art rock and indie
• Mix-ready presets for each kit engineered by Nitebob
• Includes MIDI grooves and fills played by Frank Ferrer

About The Studio

Located on New York’s Lower East Side - an area deeply rooted in the city’s punk rock history and culture - Flux Studios is an eight-room boutique studio and go-to place for artists spanning all genres.

For this EZX, the team chose the 486-square-foot Dangerous Room for its vibe, mojo and transparent ambience - the perfect setting for letting the iconic kits in this EZX do all the talking.

The Kits

Big Punk Kit

Premier Elite (1970s) - Birch

This kit allegedly first belonged to Jerry Nolan, famed drummer of the New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers.

With its unusual pink finish, it became something of a hallmark of his setup.

It was later acquired by a legendary drum tech who moved in the same circles as Jerry back in the day.

He remains the current owner and kindly let us use it for this session.

Punk Rock Kit

Rogers Holiday (1960s) - Maple/Poplar

Famously, the story is that the Ramones' van was stolen while on tour in the late 1970s and with it this kit.

When the van was found again, the band had already moved on to new instruments and weren't particularly interested in switching back.

Along the way, someone tried to scrape off the sprayed-on Ramones logo from the road case.

As seen, the marks iconic bands leave behind don’t wear off easily, though.

Post-Punk Kit

Premier Elite (1970s) - Mahogany/Beech

Few drummers are as deeply woven into the fabric of new wave and post-punk as Thommy Price.

His distinct style powered everything from Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Billy Idol and Debbie Harry to Scandal with Patty Smyth.

When putting this kit together, Thommy had it made to the specs of another icon of the era, Blondie's Clem Burke.

In that sense, it's an homage to two of the era's undeniable legends.

Hardcore Kit

Yamaha 9000 (1980s) - Camellia/Mahogany

This kit has no fancy story other than that it perfectly embodies the hardcore sound that rose out of the East Coast in the late 1980s.

With its piercing, high-pitched snare and aggressive edge, it has all the energy needed to cut straight through a noisy wall of guitars.

Art Rock Kit

Ludwig B/O Badge (1970s) - Maple

This kit is a tribute to Moe Tucker, the iconic drummer of The Velvet Underground.

It was set up in the fashion she favored back in the day, with the kick off center and flipped on the side.

Captured with mallets for that special artsy vibe, it also features a proper stardust sprinkle in the fact that the snare used for this setup once belonged to her - and has joined The Velvet Underground on tour.

Indie Punk Kit

Ludwig B/O Badge (1970s) - Maple

The exact same kit as the Art Rock set but sampled with sticks for a different vibe and attack, leaving you with a more modern-sounding sound in the style of Sonic Youth and the indie punk bands that emerged in the wake of New York's original punk scene.

The Mixer & The Presets

The main portion of the presets were engineered by Nitebob and designed to be your go-to source for mix-ready kits - covering everything from clean and polished to distorted and wildly colorful.

Each preset features its own unique set of channels and macro controls, giving you hands-on control over individual instrument levels as well as effects, overall saturation and more.

As always, you can use the minimally saturated Original Mix preset included with each kit to route the individual channels to your DAW for further processing.

The MIDI

The included MIDI was performed by Frank Ferrer and tailored to give you an in on every stop along the punk path this EZX takes style-wise.

Expect rowdy punk beats, hard-hitting hardcore grooves, artsy pockets and beyond - all packed with feel, attitude and a perfectly imperfect human edge.

Punk has always been about doing it yourself, so drag, drop, chop, edit, change and rearrange.

Make it yours, that's the whole idea.