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[Whitten]

Actually, it was all over the internet.
March 13th:
http://www.kvraudio.com/news/toontrack-announces-ezdrummer-2-25308
March 12th:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/913786-messe-2014-toontrack-announces-ezdrummer-2-available-may-6th.html

March 18th:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AArgiZAC3IM
March 21st:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE3l04HfPsI
March 28th:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbr8PLg1Chk
April 16th:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfIudx0OTwQ
Authorization:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYsHY8NSg1c&list=UUQ-s4wVPNRZUzgAl87Fcq6w

EZdrummer 2 was announced on the 12th March, and for at least 6 weeks there was a page here explaining the upgrade procedure, there were also discussions on this forum (before it got buggy and difficult to access) and discussions about the upgrade offer and procedure on many other music related websites, plus informational and tutorial videos on Youtube.
I’m sorry, I find your blaming everything on Toontrack to be unreasonable and untrue.

Regarding your disappointment on the product… It seems your main issue is with the midi.
There are very affordable midi libraries available that are more Fusion oriented and that you can add to EZD2.
http://www.oddgrooves.com/progressive-drum-loops/
http://www.groovemonkee.com/collections/midi-loops/products/fusion-midi-drum-loops
http://www.platinumsamples.com/ps/PeterErskineGrooves.php
http://www.platinumsamples.com/ps/BrooksWackermanGrooves.php

[Whitten]

Yeah, but there was information about the upgrade path from EZdrummer 1 to 2, and the store you bought EZdrummer 1/2 from did you a favour.
So you should be happy.

[Whitten]

@Tim Zurowski said:

longer than just getting a drummer in and record is in audio, which is what I have been doing since the 70’s. I am not a drummer and was hoping that this drum software would be a good drummer.

Tim,
Fusion is a genre, it has nothing to do with simply being ‘a good drummer’.
Elvin Jones was ‘a good drummer’ and never played Fusion, likewise John Bonham.

Fusion is also a very niche genre. So it would be highly unlikely that a core drum library product, which is what EZdrummer 2 is, would feature multiple odd time signature grooves.
EZdrummer 2 is the product everyone needs to buy to be able to use all the EZdrummer expansions (EZX’s). Therefore it caters to the mainstream with many bread and butter rock and pop grooves, which is what the vast majority of people want. There are EZX’s to suit many different niche genres (Nashville, Roots, Vintage Rock, Metal etc).
There are hundreds of videos on Youtube explaining and demonstrating EZdrummer 1, and there were several videos and press releases explaining EZdrummer 2.
My first professional gig as a drummer was in a fusion band 1978/79.

[Whitten]

@Nutbag01 said:
.EZD2 is an upgrade,always was an upgrade and was never publicized to be anything else.

That isn’t correct.
If you have never owned EZdrummer 1, then purchasing EZD2 is purchasing a new product.
I think a lot of people are buying EZdrummer 2 as a new product, their first Toontrack product.

[Whitten]

Regarding the various Support dropdown menus, I think I’m getting the same as Erik.
Click on the top menu ‘Support’ and I get a drop down ‘ Support Forum’ and ‘Contact Support/FAQ’. If I click on the latter I go to the FAQ’s.
If I click on ‘My Question Isn’t Covered in FAQ’s’ I get the page you described with the ‘Due to the heavy traffic’ etc…..
But there is a button at the bottom saying ‘Contact Support’. If I click on that, I get the direct form to send my question to the support team.

[Whitten]

Whatever happens, you can always access your products for download and install from your product page. So you aren’t going to lose anything while the general confusion is ongoing.
You are ahead of the curve Tim in purchasing EZdrummer One, then upgrading free to EZD2. You are going to get all the benefits of EZdrummer 2, plus a whole extra set of kit samples (from EZD1).

[Whitten]

@Tim Zurowski said:
Scroll down to the bottom of this page: http://www.toontrack.com/product/ezdrummer-2/ where I can see nothing that says the sample packs have midi grooves included. I guess my point is that there is a lot of confusing and conflicting things, especially for someone like me who is new with VSTi drum software.

I followed your link.
At the bottom of the page is a picture of each EZdrummer expansion (EZX).
If you click on any of those pictures (EZX’s) you go to their product page, and on the product page it says ‘midi included’.

[Whitten]

Chris,
Have you downloaded the EZD2 user manual from your online product page?
Secondly, have you fully authorized your product online at your product page.
It used to be that you didn’t have complete access to all parts of the forum until you registered a product. But apparently a forum bug might be the problem also.

[Whitten]

Tim,
There are detailed and in depth help discussions in separate forums for each Toontrack product.
As was mentioned above, at the launch of EZD2, Toontrack have completely remade their Support Forum.
It all still works for me, but I admit it is a little confusing and disorienting.
On the old forum, you could read all general posts about each product, but had to have registered as the owner of a product to access the help forums.
Have you fully registered your Toon product online?

[Whitten]

@Tim Zurowski said:

AND are there additional midi grooves provided the sample expansion packs, or are they JUST samples? I can find no info about this for any of the expansion packs?

If you look at the ‘Feature Highlight’ part on each product page it says ‘midi library included’.
But if that isn’t obvious…. yes, all drum sample libraries (EZD2 and Superior and all expansions) have included midi grooves.

[Whitten]

@Tim Zurowski said:
How do I get support for that stuff when there are no support forums here? The whole download and install process was VERY confusing and has left me wondering if my application is going to work correctly and is even authorized? What is “authorized” anyway? Also what about the whole download of EZD and no link at all to EZD2 at first? And what about the three choices at install, but it only allows you to choose one and then you are stuck with that choice? Way too many inconsistencies and confusion with this application. If I had the option, I would return this product and get my money back in a heartbeat, but because they offer no demo and it is a download purchase they got you once you have given them your $$$.

There is a dedicated support forum for every single Toontrack product.
I don’t know why you aren’t seeing them, likely you haven’t registered your products at the site. But Toontrack very recently changed their whole forum structure and I haven’t got my head around it yet.
But in short, it’s user error on your part somewhere, not a dereliction of duty on Toontrack’s part.
I don’t know Windows. I’m a Mac user.
Every Toontrack product I’ve downloaded and installed has been straightforward. Basically one or two clicks, and I’m using the product.

[Whitten]

Funny.
In a long generally positive EZdrummer2 thread on another forum, one complaint that one new user made was the included midi was too complex and flashy.
In the end, the core EZdrummer2 library is aimed at mainstream pop/rock/songwriting styles, not fusion like Colaiuta, Bozzio and Weckl.

[Whitten]

Sounds good. Was a pleasure working with you.

[Whitten]

Sorry. Shouldn’t have spoken out of turn, with no insider knowledge.

[Whitten]

It depends how long the projects have to run I guess. After a couple of disasters I resolved never to upgrade my software during a project. However, my projects tend to run to two or three months max.

[Author]

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