Toontrack EZX: Southern Soul

History and Heritage

Welcome to Muscle Shoals, Alabama and FAME Studios.

Some studios are famous not only because of their body of work but because they helped change the course of music history. Because their heritage seeps through to culture and myth. Because they play an integral part in how we define a sound or an era. Because there truly can be magic inside four studio walls. Ask Aretha Franklin, Etta James, or Otis Redding and they’ll probably tell you that, yes, there is something that special about a place in the small rural community of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. A place that has soul – true Southern soul: FAME Studios.

With the guidance of original Swampers guitarist Jimmy Johnson, period-correct gear, and mic placement, the Southern Soul EZX sets out to recreate the unmistakable sound of soul. Crisp, dense, and saturated drums – all encapsulated in the hallmark ambience of the FAME room. It comes with five complete kits and two setups – one using all-mono miking techniques and one full stereo setup. On top of that, it features leakage mics for vocals, guitar, piano, and upright bass set up in their original spots in the room, a signature FAME trait and key to adding that special band presence to the sound.

From the smallest town with the biggest impact on music culture comes a touchstone collection of drums. Drums that have soul. True Southern soul.

Features

• Five (5) complete kits (Ludwig, Gretsch, Pearl, Sakae)
• Two setups (’60s/’70s)
• Produced by Glenn Rosenstein (James Taylor, U2, Ziggy Marley), engineered by Jeff Balding (Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, Celine Dion)
• Sampling and included example MIDI performed by Chad Cromwell (Neil Young, Joe Walsh)