評価：10点満点中9点



EZX FUNKMASTERSは、ジェームス・ブラウンを支えた2大ドラマーClyde StabblefieldとJohn 'Jabo' StarksによるEZdrummer追加音源。EZdrummerのミキサー画面には、通常のマルチトラックのほか、iZotope特製のヴァイナルエフェクトトラックとプレートリバーブトラックが追加されている。エフェクトトラックを駆使したミキサープリセットも多数収録。彼ら2人が演奏したMIDI グルーブも収録しており、トータルで考えるとバーゲン価格と言わざるを得ない。全EZdrummerユーザー必須のライブラリ。 Rating: 9/10



Unquestionably the two greatest drummers ever to sit behind the legendary James Brown, Clyde Stubblefield and John ‘Jabo’ Starks not only made an indelible mark on the sound of funk, but also unwittingly defined the groove of old-skool hip-hop. And it wasn’t just their technical skill and flawless feel that made it so ? the tight-yet-loose, dark-yet-funky sounds of their drum kits and the recordings made of them still stand as among the most recognisable and downright cool of all time. If drum sounds can ever be described as ‘seminal’, these two undoubtedly qualify.



Funkmasters, then, is an EZX expansion pack for EZdrummer, featurinig multisampled recordings of Clyde and Jabo’s kits, mixable in EZdrummer’s usual mixer page, but with the addition of a Vinyl effect channel (supplied by isotope) and a large plate reverb. A number of well designed mixer presets are included, in which the two effects are used tastefully and effectively, particularly the superbly evocative former. Both kits comprise kick, snare, three toms (Yamaha Maple Custom for Jabo, Birch Custom Absolute for Clyde), ride cymbal, crash cymbal (all Meinl, bizarrely) and a woodblock. Clyde’s kit is the more ‘open’ of the two, with a slightly rattlier snare, looser kick and ringier toms. Jabo’s setup is supremely tight and dry, particularly the snare.



As with all EZXs, a library of MIDI grooves performed by both drummers is also built in, and although it’s not particularly huge, it’s certainly got quality on its side. Parts are divided into ‘Straight 4/4’, ‘Swing 4/4’ and ‘Straight 6/8’. Then subdivided into various instrumental categories ? hi-hat-based, ride cymbal-based, fills, etc. And, of course, all your other installed EZdrummer grooves can be used with the two kits as well.



E-drummers in particular will have a field day with Funkmasters. We hooked it up to a Roland TD-3K and found both kits perfectly playable and amazingly expressive, particularly given that they only amount to 1.2GB of samples.



Less than 50 quid for the sampled kits of two of history’s most renowned drummers is, frankly, a total bargain, and all EZdrummer owners should consider this a must-have.