Using Toontrack Synthwave EZX for Modern Metal Drums

At a glance, the Toontrack Synthwave EZX and modern metal production seem like they belong in different universes. One is packed with the neon-drenched, gated sounds of the 80s—LinnDrums, Simmons pads, and TR-808s. The other is about earth-shattering acoustic kicks, cracking snares, and relentless blast beats.

But here’s the thing: great producers know that plugins and sample packs are just tools. The best sounds often come from using those tools in ways they were never intended. The problem isn’t using samples; it’s how you use them. A sterile, machine-gun blast beat is the result of lazy programming, not bad samples.

The Synthwave EZX, with its arsenal of hyper-processed, punchy electronic sounds, can actually be a secret weapon for adding clarity, punch, and unique character to your metal drum mixes. Let’s break down how you can take this 80s beast and tame it for your heaviest productions.

What is the Toontrack Synthwave EZX?

Before we start abusing it, let’s quickly cover what this expansion pack is. Created by ModeAudio for Toontrack's EZdrummer and Superior Drummer, the Synthwave EZX is a collection of kits built from classic 80s drum machines and synths.

You’ll find sounds sourced from iconic hardware like the LinnDrum, Simmons SDS-V, Roland TR-808 and TR-707, and the Sequential Circuits Drumtraks. These aren't raw, dry samples. They come dripping with the era's signature processing: heavy compression, tight gates, and cavernous plate reverbs. The result is a collection of super-punchy, electronic drum sounds that have a ton of built-in character and attack.

Why You Should Use Synthwave Drums in Your Metal Mix

Mixing metal is a battle for space. With down-tuned, multi-tracked guitars dominating the midrange, getting drums to cut through without sounding thin or clicky is a constant challenge. This is where creative sample layering comes in, and where the Synthwave EZX shines.

The Power of Sample Layering and Reinforcement

No one’s suggesting you replace your entire acoustic kit with an 808. The goal here is reinforcement. Think of these electronic samples as a way to surgically enhance the weakest parts of your acoustic drum sound.

Modern metal snares need to have a powerful transient to slice through dense walls of guitars. Sometimes, even a great acoustic snare sample can get lost. By layering a punchy synth snare underneath, you can add that missing attack without cluttering the mix.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Load up your primary acoustic snare sample in a drum replacement plugin like Slate Trigger 2 or use your DAW’s built-in tool.
2. Open a second instance (or layer) and load a snare from the Synthwave EZX. The "LinnDrum Solid" or "Simmons Phatt" snares are great starting points.
3. Start with the synth snare fader all the way down. Slowly bring it up in the mix while the full track is playing. The goal isn't to hear the synth snare, but to feel its impact. You're looking for the point where the main snare suddenly has more snap and presence.
4. Phase-align the samples! Make sure the transients hit at the exact same time to avoid a smeared, weak sound.

Creating Unique Kick Drum Tones

The same principle applies to the kick drum. A modern metal kick often needs two things: a deep, subby low-end and a sharp, clicky attack from the beater. The Synthwave EZX is a goldmine for the "click" component.

Kicks like the "TR-707 Sharp" or "DMX Tight" are almost pure transient. They have very little sustain or body, making them perfect for layering.

Try this workflow:

1. Pick an acoustic kick sample for its low-end weight (something from a GGD library or a deep-tuned sample from Superior Drummer 3).
2. Layer it with a clicky kick from the Synthwave EZX.
3. Use an EQ like the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 on both tracks. On the synth kick, create a steep high-pass filter around 150-200Hz to remove all the low-end mud, leaving only the attack. On the acoustic kick, you might use a low-pass filter around 7-8kHz to soften the beater sound and let the synth sample handle the click.
4. Route both kick tracks to a single bus. This is where you can glue them together. Applying some bus processing, like a touch of saturation or compression, can make them feel like a single, cohesive instrument. For more ideas on this, check out these killer metal compression secrets.

Industrial Textures and Intros

Beyond simple reinforcement, the Synthwave EZX is perfect for adding industrial flavor or creating dynamic intros and breakdowns. Think of bands like Code Orange or Northlane that fuse heavy riffs with electronic elements.

The percussive sounds and MIDI grooves in this EZX are a great starting point. Program a heavy, half-time breakdown beat using a Simmons-style tom and a heavily gated snare. Send that snare to a massive reverb bus (Valhalla VintageVerb on a huge hall setting works wonders) and then insert a gate after the reverb. Set the gate’s threshold so it clamps down hard right after the initial reverb tail, giving you that classic, explosive 80s gated reverb sound.

Processing Synthwave Samples for Metal

Out of the box, these samples are polished for pop, not metal. You’ll need to rough them up a bit to make them fit in an aggressive mix.

Aggressive EQ and Transient Shaping

Don't be afraid to get heavy-handed. Use a transient shaper like the SPL Transient Designer or the one in iZotope’s Neutron to make the attack even more pronounced. Boost the attack knob until it’s obnoxiously clicky, then dial it back a bit.

For EQ, you’re often looking to add bite and aggression in the upper midrange. Sweeping around in the 2kHz to 5kHz range can bring out the "crack" of a snare or the "tick" of a kick. The principles are similar to those used for carving out space in a guitar tone, which you can learn more about by exploring how to start EQing modern metal guitars for max impact.

Saturation and Distortion are Your Best Friends

Clean electronic drums will stick out like a sore thumb against distorted guitars. The solution is to add your own grit.

Set up a parallel bus and send your synth drum layers to it. On this bus, insert a saturation plugin like the Soundtoys Decapitator or FabFilter Saturn 2. You can even use a guitar amp sim for extreme texture. Crush the signal until it's a fuzzy, distorted mess, then slowly blend that bus in under your main drum bus. This adds harmonic complexity and helps the electronic elements sit naturally within the mix.

Putting It Into Practice: The Nail The Mix Philosophy

The Toontrack Synthwave EZX is a perfect example of how an unconventional tool can yield incredible results. It proves that a great mix isn't about having the "right" samples—it's about the creativity and technical skill to manipulate any sound source to serve the song.

This mindset is at the heart of everything we do at Nail The Mix. It’s one thing to read about layering samples, but it’s another to watch it happen in real-time. Seeing legendary Nail The Mix instructors like Will Putney or Dave Otero grab an unexpected sample, distort it, and use it to make a kick drum hit harder is where the real learning happens.

If you’re ready to move beyond basic techniques and see how the pros build massive, professional-sounding metal mixes from the ground up, check out the full catalog of Nail The Mix sessions. You’ll get the raw multitracks from bands like Lamb of God, Gojira, and Trivium and watch the original producer mix the song from scratch, explaining every single move along the way.