Audiomodern - Playbeat 4

Playbeat 4 is Audiomodern's drum pattern generator for Mac, Windows and iPad: eight independent sequencers, 1,500 factory kits and a genre-aware randomiser, for producers who want fresh grooves fast without programming every hit.

Randomise by genre, not by dice roll

Pick one or more styles and Playbeat builds patterns that suit them, with a complexity slider deciding whether you get a sparse four-on-the-floor or something busier. Audiomodern calls it AI; in practice it's a well-tuned, genre-aware pattern engine, and that's what matters. You choose whether each press generates new patterns, new sounds or both, so you can keep a kit you like and just reroll the groove.

Eight sequencers, each with its own mind

Every lane has its own steps, density, pitch (with scales), flam, volume, pan and track delay. Lock the kick and snare, let Infinity mode keep regenerating the hats and percussion every few bars, and you've a loop that never quite repeats.

Remix what you've already got

Remix mode builds variations from your current pattern, so fills and breakdowns still sound like the same track. Save them to the trigger keyboard and you can fire them off live or arrange a whole song from one starting groove.

Your samples, your packs

Drop in any folder of samples and Playbeat's analysis sorts them into usable kits. The tagging and preset system means your own sounds feed the generator too, and you can export packs with your own artwork and notes. Version 4.2 added an FX section for shaping the result without leaving the plugin.

Out of the box and into the DAW

Drag audio or MIDI per channel straight into your arrangement, or use MIDI out to drive another drum plugin or hardware. That last bit is easy to overlook: Playbeat makes a very good pattern brain for a drum machine you already love.

For hip hop, trap, techno and anything loop-based it's a quick route out of a creative rut. If you want deep per-hit sound design, a drum synth like Triaz will go further, but for generating usable grooves in seconds Playbeat is hard to beat.

Features

• Genre-based pattern and sound randomisation with complexity control
• Eight independent sequencers with steps, density, pitch, flam, volume, pan and delay
• Infinity, Remix, SMART and Instant modes
• Factory library of patterns, sounds and 1,500 kits
• Built-in mixer, sample editor with filter, and FX section
• Sample, preset and folder manager with tagging
• Create and share your own Playbeat packs
• Drag-and-drop audio and MIDI export
• MIDI out for plugins and hardware, plus MIDI learn

System requirements

• Version: 4.2.2
• Mac: macOS 10.14 or later, native Apple Silicon
• Windows: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
• Formats: VST3, AU, AAX, standalone (plus a MIDI FX version for Logic Pro)
• Licence: perpetual, up to three activations, internet connection needed to activate

SOUND7 is an authorised Audiomodern reseller. Digital delivery: licence activation code sent by email.

Demo