EZ / SD drums, in ProTools...

The process is really quite simple. And i dont think I'll need screen caps as ProTools is more or less built around this concept in the use of multi-out Virtual Instruments. RTAS doesnt require extra steps - The multichannel plugin routing is just there all the time.

1. From the 'Track' menu select 'New' and create, at bare minimum - 1 Stereo 'instrument' track and 5 Stereo 'Aux input' tracks.

2. On the Instrument tracks Insert A, select EZ or Superior. If your project is set to anything other than 44.1khz - Go make a snack as EZD up-samples everything from its default 44.1khz sample rate. Now that youre full and EZ/Superior is loaded - Change the kit and go make another snack. lol

3. Click the Mixer button. Take note that all the pieces of the kit are routed to stereo pair 1 by default. This is what we must change. The reasons can be many. In EZ its because there is absolutely no access to per-drum dynamics control. In Superior its because, frankly, even though made by Sonalksis - The 'plugins' available to the mixer inside of Superior.... Are all Inferior..... 2.0

Barring the overhead, ambient and room mics - The aim is to route the outputs of all your drums to their own 'Aux In' 'tracks'. This is really a misnomer - Because, using this method - You are actually using the Aux 'tracks' more like busses. Which is exactly what they are. Set the Kick to go to out 2, the Snare top and bottom mics to 3 (if youre really anal and wanna separate 'em just add another aux), Hats to 4, Toms all set to 5 - This way you can manage the individual levels of the various sounds, relative to themselves - Inside of the plugin. And then control the groups overall levels using the Aux tracks we're about to address.

4. Click the Input notch on each Aux tracks IO section and set the tracks input. You'll have 3 options - 'Interface' - 'Bus' and, since we've got our Drum Instrument running - 'Plug In'. Hovering on this menu will reveal the numbered output channels from the plugin. Select the channel pair you want to be routed to that track from the EZ Drummer or Superior Drummer outputs.

5. Sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that you can now control your drum tone with any and every plugin you have available, to get EXACTLY the drum sounds you want. No more settling for almost, or close enough.

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This is a method I stumbled on. Havent read the manuals, rarely do until theres a problem. lol But in theory and reality - This is the most efficient method for routing in ProTools because you arent creating actual audio tracks. Since they are Aux Input tracks, they take up less resources all round including memory, CPU cycles, etc. ad nauseum.

Now..... Go beat on those skins.