Toontrack Nashville EZX: A Surprising Tool for Modern Metal Drums

When you’re hunting for drum samples that will cut through a wall of downtuned guitars, the word “Nashville” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. It conjures images of twang, not blast beats. But overlooking the Toontrack Nashville EZX is a massive mistake for any serious metal producer.

This library, engineered by the legendary Chuck Ainlay, is one of the most versatile and powerful foundations for brutal, punchy, and organic-sounding metal drums you can get your hands on. Forget the genre label on the box; the raw ingredients here are pure gold. Let’s break down why this EZX is a powerhouse for heavy music and how to dial it in for maximum impact.

What is the Toontrack Nashville EZX?

Before we get into the metal side of things, let’s cover the basics. The Nashville EZX is an expansion for Toontrack’s EZdrummer and Superior Drummer platforms. It was recorded at the iconic Sound Kitchen Studios in Nashville and features drum work by session monster Harry Stinson.

Crucially, it was engineered and produced by Chuck Ainlay, a guy with a ridiculous discography that includes names like Dire Straits, Megadeth, and Peter Frampton. This isn't just a collection of samples; it's a meticulously captured set of performances and hits from some of the best in the business. It comes loaded with three complete kits from Ludwig, Starclassic, and Slingerland vintage, along with a ton of cymbals and extra snares.

Why This "Country" Kit Kills for Metal

Alright, so why does this work for metal? It comes down to one simple concept: a clean, powerful starting point is better than an over-processed one you have to fight against.

The Samples are Clean, Not Cooked

A lot of “metal” drum libraries come pre-cooked. They’re already scooped, compressed, and hyped to sound a certain way. That can be cool for a quick demo, but it locks you into a specific sound. The Nashville EZX is the opposite.

The samples are pristine, full-bodied, and punchy, but they aren't painted into a corner. Think of it as a perfectly recorded raw drum track. The kick has weight and attack, the snare has crack and body, and the toms have a ridiculous amount of tone. You’re not getting a drum sound that’s already been squashed and EQ’d for a modern country track; you’re getting the raw, professional source tone that you can then shape into whatever you want.

World-Class Engineering by Chuck Ainlay

You can’t overstate the value of having samples tracked by someone like Chuck Ainlay. The phase coherence between the close mics, overheads, and room mics is flawless. This means you can blend these elements together without fighting weird filtering issues. When you start piling on heavy compression and saturation, these samples hold together beautifully because the source is so solid. You're spending your time enhancing the sound, not fixing it.

The Shells and Cymbals Just Work

The kit pieces themselves are perfect for modern metal. You get a massive 24” kick drum that delivers incredible low-end thump. The snares range from woody and deep to high-tuned and cracky, giving you plenty of options to blend or choose from. The cymbals, mostly Zildjians, are bright and clear, providing the cut you need to slice through dense mixes without sounding harsh or washy.

How to Make the Nashville EZX Sound Brutal

This is where the fun begins. Taking these clean, "polite" drums and turning them into a metal machine is all about processing. Here are a few key techniques.

Aggressive Parallel Processing

This is non-negotiable for getting that larger-than-life drum sound. The clean nature of the Nashville samples makes them perfect for extreme parallel compression.

How to do it:

1. Set up a new aux track (or bus) in your DAW and send your main drum bus to it.
2. On this parallel track, slap on a really aggressive compressor. A FET-style compressor like a Universal Audio 1176 or the Slate Digital FG-116 is perfect for this.
3. Go for the "all buttons in" mode, or use the fastest attack and fastest release settings. The goal is to absolutely obliterate the signal—we want explosive, pumping compression that brings up all the room sound and decay.
4. Blend this smashed signal back in underneath your main drum bus. Start with it muted and slowly bring it up until the drums feel bigger, punchier, and more exciting. You’ll be surprised how little you need to add to make a huge difference.

Getting your head around this kind of heavy-handed dynamic control is one of the most important steps in modern metal mixing. Check out our metal compression hub page for more techniques beyond the basics.

Sculpting with EQ and Saturation

Out of the box, the drums might sound a bit too "rock." That’s where surgical EQ and harmonic saturation come in.

• Kick: Find the fundamental low-end punch (usually around 60-80Hz) and give it a wide boost. Then, find the beater’s “click” (somewhere between 4-8kHz) and give it a narrower boost so it cuts through. Use a plugin like a FabFilter Pro-Q 3 to carve out any boxy mud in the 300-500Hz range.
• Snare: Boost the crack around 2-5kHz and the body around 200Hz. If it sounds too “ringy,” use a dynamic EQ or a tight notch filter to tame the specific offending frequency.
• Saturation: This is key. After your EQ, use a saturation plugin like the Soundtoys Decapitator or Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines on your drum bus. This adds harmonic complexity and a bit of analog-style clipping that makes the drums sound more aggressive and glued-together.

Just like with carving out space for low, mean metal guitars with smart EQ, making precise cuts and boosts to your drums is critical for clarity in a heavy mix.

Transient Shaping for Maximum Punch

To get that ultra-tight, snappy attack common in modern metal, a transient shaper is your best friend. Use a plugin like Native Instruments Transient Master or SPL’s Transient Designer on your kick and snare channels. Boost the "Attack" knob to exaggerate the initial hit and, if needed, slightly reduce the "Sustain" to tighten up the decay. This helps the shells punch through the wall of guitars without adding mud.

Gating and Sample Reinforcement

For ultimate clarity, especially on fast double-kick patterns or tom fills, use gates. Set a gate on each tom track so it only opens when the tom is hit, cutting out cymbal bleed.

Don’t be afraid to beef things up with sample reinforcement, either. While the Nashville EZX is a great core sound, you can layer a super-clicky metal kick sample underneath the main kick using a tool like Slate Trigger 2. Blend it in just enough to add that extra definition needed for fast passages.

The Verdict: A Creative Tool, Not a Crutch

The Toontrack Nashville EZX is a perfect example of why you shouldn't judge a product by its name. It provides a phenomenal, professional-grade foundation of raw drum sounds that can be molded into almost anything—especially aggressive, punchy metal drums. Its strength lies in its lack of pre-baked processing, giving you full control to shape the tone your track needs.

Learning these processing techniques is one thing, but seeing how top-tier producers apply them in a real session is a total game-changer. Imagine watching the actual producer behind a massive metal album pull up drum sounds, dial in the exact compression and EQ settings, and explain why they’re doing it every step of the way.

That’s exactly what we do at Nail The Mix. Every month, you get the actual multi-tracks from a huge song and watch one of our world-class Nail The Mix instructors mix it from scratch, live. If you want to see how the pros turn great-sounding samples into a full-on sonic assault, check out our full catalog of NTM sessions.