Get with the programmers
Toontrack head of development, Erik Phersson, takes it EZ while discussing their hit virtual instrument range
What challenges did you face in the development of EZbass?
EP “Designing good software is a complex and creative process with many twists and turns. So yes, lots of hurdles and lessons learned along the way. One recurring challenge is figuring out the balance between usability and complexity. Traditionally, our EZ Line products have, by design, been fairly limited in what the user can control. This has served its purpose well for EZdrummer, EZmix and EZkeys. EZbass, however, called for more features and user control but we of course didn’t want to make any sacrifices in terms of making the product easy to use. Getting this right took a number of iterations, but I think we hit the sweet spot.”
What sets EZbass apart from other virtual bass instruments? EP “EZbass sort of flips the concept upside down – it’s a bass player that naturally comes with bass sounds. I think that’s really the core of what makes EZbass stand out. It doesn’t just play back bass sounds, it also has the tools that enable you to write, customise and freely edit your bass parts to fit your music, without the need to ever leave the program. It’s a one-stop-shop for efficient yet creative bass production. EZbass is also a very natural instrument to play live using a keyboard – something that’s easy to forget when you look at all of its features on a computer screen.”
What made you pick the two bass guitars that you did?
EP “For the core library, we wanted to offer a combination of bass tones that would work with a broad range of music styles. The ‘Modern’ has an amazing tone for anything from old-school blues or funk to more aggressive or modern styles of music. The ‘Vintage’ bass has more of a woody tone, and the attack that’s typical for these types of instruments. Combined, these two basses really complement one another and offer versatile sonic scope.”
“EZbass sort of flips the virtual instrument concept upside down”
What’s your favourite feature of EZbass?
EP “Too many to mention, but I like the Audio Tracker and Drums & Keys features, as well as the fact that we’ve made it possible to program convincing basslines without the need to use key switches.”
Bass guitar is clearly a viable instrument for physical modelling. What made you decide to stick with the sampling method?
EP “Because each instrument has its own personality and characteristics, we feel we capture them best using our sampling technology.”
Presumably there will be expansions released for EZ bass. Can we get any info on what the next couple of bass guitars might be? EP “We never comment on possible future products. What we can say, however, is that there will be bass expansions.”
With four lines in the EZ range now, how would you sum up the overall EZ concept. How has it changed since the first EZdrummer? EP “Our aim with EZdrummer was the same as with all other EZ products: that when users are in the creative zone, they should be able to devote all their energy to music – not getting stuck on complex features.”