Neural Drumkit Lite is a watered-down freeware version of Fazertone’s Neural Drumkit, an AI-powered drum machine plugin for macOS and Windows.
Before we get into the freebie, the full version is available at a special early access price of $49.99 (usually 129.99) for a limited time.
The full version has a Neural Editor that provides enhanced control over the AI results. The editor allows you to adjust parameters like Sub Power, Noise, Bounce, and Aftershock.
These parameters would typically be hidden, and access to them means you can alter the blueprint of the sound. I’m mentioning this feature first because it’s not available in Neural Drumkit Lite, so if you enjoy the Lite version and are considering an upgrade, do it quickly while the above offer still stands.
Neural Drumkit Lite provides the same generative AI model as the paid version, although generation is limited to kicks, snares, and closed hi-hats (the full version offers claps, toms, open hi-hats, and more).
The freebie looks like the paid version with a classic sixteen-pad drum machine interface.
One thing distinguishing Neural Drumkit Lite from many AI-powered plugins is that it operates directly on your local machine rather than the cloud. The significance of local operation is that you can generate samples offline at any time.
The Generate section is short and sweet. You select a target (kick, snare, etc.) from the drop-down menu, hit generate, and you should have a result in about a second. If you aren’t pleased with the initial sample, you can develop a new one instantly.
Now, you can be completely random or similar to the existing sample using the Similar/Random slider. The closer you drag the slider towards Similar, the more qualities of the existing sample are maintained.
Once you have a sample you’re happy with, you can modify it using the post-effects section. The post-effects section features controls for Gain, Fade In/Out, Pan Clip, and a Low-Pas Filter.
Another cool feature of Neural Drunkit Lite is copying and pasting samples from one key to another. Doing so allows you to have multiple versions of the same sample with different post-effect settings, which is great for layering or adding some variation to a beat.
If AI-powered plugins interest you, check out the recently released GainAimPro by Noiseworks.
Fazertone promises new features are on the horizon for Neural Drumkit, such as save/load drumkits, stereo output, and additional generation options.
Neural Drumkit Lite is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS (10.14 upwards) and Windows (7, 8, or 10 64-bit).
Download: Neural Drumkit Lite (FREE / Full version $49.99 for a limited time)
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4 Comments
PureFire
onThanks James, BPB & Fazertone, this sounds awesome to me & is easy to use
Once i add a midi region with some notes and have a nice few variations of kick, snare & hi hats… sort the levels of the pads to how i like, start creating a beat & add a groove (from mars!) to the midi region, i’m very happy 😊
Ideal for sampling too
Many thanks & much appreciated 🙏
yzcoruhT
onFunny, useful, but I still prefer samples.
PureFire
onThis plugin has had a handy update from the developer… you can now preview the generated sounds using the added play buttons on the pads
Raven
onLooks cool. But more time consuming than just picking the right sample and getting the idea out! Still… Do love the feature set.