Moby at Cercle Odyssey: The closest I ever came to floating through spaceAs I walked the floors of a pop-up music venue within the LA Convention Center, pristine images of magenta-hued nebulas were projected on all four walls and the ceiling. The legendary recording artist, Moby, and his six-piece band were performing atmospheric electronic music on a stage in the center of the space. And the sound was being emitted evenly from every angle by L-Acoustics’ state-of-the-art L-Series speakers.

READ MORE: In 3 hours, Hans Zimmer Live reminds you why AI won’t replace real musicians

The word “immersive” gets thrown around a lot these days. However, after attending live music events constantly for the past 18 years, Cercle Odyssey was my first live music experience that actually fit that description.
This masterful and legitimate execution was to be expected from Cercle. Over the past decade, the innovative event brand has brought artists to perform among the most iconic and historic places in the world. From a modular synthesizer show in front of the Pyramids of Giza, to an elegant piano concert under the Northern Lights in Finland, and a bangin’ tech house track in the middle of Plaza de España in Sevilla, Spain.
Cercle Odyssey is the touring version of this concept. By building temporary spaces in different cities (so far, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Paris), Cercle can now invite 5,000 people to be enveloped by beautiful visuals and music.
Image: Press
To best mirror the epic locations of their traditional events, Cercle called upon esteemed director Neels Castillon to capture footage throughout the globe to project at the show. But Cercle’s founder, Derek Barbolla, is clear that the visuals are there to support the sound, and has used L-Acoustics systems since the beginning of Cercle.
“[Cercle Odyssey] is a combination of visuals, lights, and sound, but the most important thing is the sound,” Barbolla told a select few journalists before giving us a tour of the venue.
For Cercle to succeed as a touring concept, the visuals had to go from 3D to 2D. But the expansive nature of its events lives on in the sound presentation. A traditional Cercle event uses standard stereo, but Cercle Odyssey expands to 360 audio.
“How do you recreate an experience of something that’s as beautiful as doing a set in front of the Pyramids in Egypt?” When L-Acoustics’ CEO, Laurent Vassié, poses the question, he remarks on the visuals being projected on all the walls and the ceiling. He also mentions that Cercle is filling the room with curated scents to capture as many senses as possible. But the true 360 aspect of Cercle Odyssey is the audio.
Image: Press
L-Acoustics was fully equipped to create a 360 audio landscape because of its prominent L-ISA (L-Acoustics Immersive Sound Art) system. It’s been used in many different environments, including Janet Jackson’s residency at Resorts World in Las Vegas and Max Cooper’s Immersive Audio Spatial Performance at Polygon Live Festival in London.
“The goal is to bring the idea of spatial audio, or immersive audio, or hyper-real audio to the live event at all scales,” says Scott Sugden, director of product management, solutions, at L-Acoustics.
Moby performed with a band, so Cercle’s engineer took full advantage of the agency provided to him through the spatial mixing software. More than once during the evening, different sonic elements would take sharp turns throughout the system. These moves drew my focus to different areas of the venue, which, due to its completely immersive nature, revealed imagery that I may have missed otherwise.

When it comes to the specific design of the L-ISA system at Cercle Odyssey, it is technically 16.1. All 16 channels are line arrays, the universally adopted speaker configuration that L-Acoustics invented in 1992. In total, 72 speakers are outputting 500,000 watts. There are 12 channels of immersive surround hanging around the perimeter, four main line arrays above the stage facing into the crowd, and a subwoofer unit suspended in the center point above the stage.
To prepare for this unique configuration, Moby’s team visited L-Acoustics’ studio in Los Angeles, where they have the facilities to virtually model exactly how the space will sound in advance. The sessions were vital to the success of the show because, in truth, immersive systems present choices that have never existed in live sound. Seasoned artists like Moby and his team have to completely reimagine what they’ve been doing for decades.
“You see artists’ eyes light up when they see this for the first time — ‘Holy cow, I never thought I could do this,’” Sugden says.
Image: Press
“There’s been a lot of evolutions of technology in the last 30 years. Most of them, the audience would never be aware of. Digital networks of audio. It makes it easier for us working at the show. I don’t think the audience knows the difference,” Sugden says. “I know the audience experienced a difference when the line array came out because it sounded better. Immersive audio, what L-ISA is doing, absolutely, the audience goes, ‘Something is different. Something is better.’”
I certainly knew something was better during Moby’s performance. No matter where I stood within the temporary venue, the audio was clear and even. While in reality, there is no sound in space — if the cosmos did produce natural music like deserts and jungles (two other environments projected during Moby’s set), it wouldn’t come from a singular point. It would surround me just as it did at Cercle Odyssey.
The post Moby at Cercle Odyssey: The closest I ever came to floating through space appeared first on MusicTech.

Calvin Harris refutes claims that his new song Blessings plagiarises a particular 1996 trance track: “So far I’m not hearing it”Calvin Harris has just scored his 45th Top 10 hit in the UK with his new track, Blessings. With its thumping dance beat and bright vocal performance from Clementine Douglas, it’s a summer-ready anthem – and it’s inspired, in part, by Grateful Dead.
In a new Instagram video, the Scottish DJ explains how Blessings’ foundational riff exists thanks to his obsession with Grateful Dead. Last summer, he hunted down the guitars and bass guitars used by the rock group, and he’s been using them to aid his creative process.
“I became obsessed with the Grateful Dead, and I bought this guitar,” he explains, picking up a Martin D-28. “It was [Jerry Garcia]’s favourite guitar, apparently, for rhythm stuff.”

READ MORE: My Forever Studio: TOKiMONSTA nabs a historic synth

In terms of recording, he set up three equally spaced-out mics. “I’ve got the condenser in the middle, and then these two for a nice stereo pair,” he says. “Then I sat in [a] chair, and I recorded!”

He humbly notes that he’s “not the best player, let’s be honest”, and that he “sounds like shit” on guitar, so he instead tends to record “one note at a time”. But he makes up for his lack of guitar skill with energy, re-enacting how he plotted out the song’s rhythm with a “bam, bam, bam!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Calvin Harris (@calvinharris)

He then digs into the tech side. Drawing up his DAW, Harris shows a “very basic” chain, noting the boosts, highs and smack attack. “Get slapping!” he cries, before hitting play.
The decision to showcase the process behind his new track could be a jab at producer Nick Bracegirdle, who claims that Blessings sounds similar to his 1996 trance track, Offshore.
As Bracegirdle highlights the alleged plagiarism on Logic Pro, he explains: “I am defending my copyright and my intellectual property here guys and I’d like to know what your comments are.”

@nickchicane
Copyright Alert feel free to share the truth & facts laid out here.
♬ original sound – nickchicane

Harris’s response? The DJ wasn’t too pleased. He disproved the claim in a TikTok response, laughingly calling the producer a “stupid bastard”.
In the TikTok, Harris tries to line up the two tracks, pitch-shifting and looping certain parts to find the similarities. “OK, so far I’m not hearing it,” he says as he hunts to find the supposed plagiarism.
Harris even counters Bracegirdle’s claim by pointing out Offshore’s similarities to an even older track. In his opinion, Tangerine Dream’s 1984 track, Love On A Real Train, sounds even more similar to Offshore.

@calvinharris
Response to the people calling me a plagiarist over the last couple of days after that guys video, all the best x
♬ Blessings – Calvin Harris & Clementine Douglas

The post Calvin Harris refutes claims that his new song Blessings plagiarises a particular 1996 trance track: “So far I’m not hearing it” appeared first on MusicTech.

A Portable M4 Mac miniThe Mac mini is the closest to an Apple-based SBC you can get, so it lends itself to unusual portable computers. [Scott Yu-Jan] is back to tackle a portable build using the latest and greatest M4 mini.
[Yu-Jan] walks us through his thought process of how to maximize the portability of the system without all that tedious mucking about with setting up a separate keyboard, monitor, and the mini while on the go. With the more complicated electronics, the monitor risked tipping the keyboard over when attached, particularly since [Yu-Jan] isn’t a fan of batteries for his portables.
By affixing the Mac mini to the side of the keyboard, it makes the whole thing easier to slip into a bag without being overly thick. We get a peek into his iterative process as well when he evaluates the build and decides that the closing of the lid wasn’t what he was hoping for. By adding some TPU rests for the monitor to rest on in the closed position, he says it’s really brought the whole project up a notch. We certainly have had our own projects where one little detail really moves it from sketchy to polished, and we appreciate when makers clue us in on where that happened for them.
You may recognize [Yu-Jan] from our previous coverage of his older portable all-in-one Mac mini and this luggable version where he explains why he doesn’t like laptops. If you like your computers more stationary, how about some G4 iMacs with the newer internals from an M-series mini?

Musician Song Licensing TipsReady to release that cover or remix? Don’t hit upload until you’ve read these 8 musician song licensing tips from Symphonic's recent Easy Song masterclass.
The post Musician Song Licensing Tips appeared first on Hypebot.

"My 16 Years" is a ballad by a young Belarusian singer and streamer Pchёlsh.
Musically, it is a mix of all possible styles, but all of this can be described as pop-rock. It is quite obvious that Pchelsh sings about his life, and this is always interesting to listen to...

https://explore.publme.com/post/48/pchelshs-sixteen-years

#Upcoming #Artist @Pchelsh

Soundtoys SpaceBlender is FREE until May 22
Soundtoys offers the SpaceBlender reverb plugin for free until May 22, 2025. Soundtoys is one of the most generous non-indie developers on the market. I recall them offering the Soundtoys Effect Rack for free during the pandemic. And they provided various premium plugins for free on different occasions. Our reader Wiseman summed it up nicely [...]
View post: Soundtoys SpaceBlender is FREE until May 22

ToneLib releases TL BaxEQ, a FREE classic Baxandall EQ Plugin
ToneLib is back with another freebie after updating popular plugins TL NoiseReducer and TL TubeWarmth late in 2024. The developer’s latest freebie is TL BaxEQ, which pays homage to the late Peter J Baxandall. Peter J. Baxandall developed the Baxandall EQ over seven decades ago, and although successful, he never quite received the credit he [...]
View post: ToneLib releases TL BaxEQ, a FREE classic Baxandall EQ Plugin

‘My interest is purely about what’s right for the artist… who also happens to be my daughter.’Dugi Lipa is the manager (and father) of Dua Lipa, one of the most successful global pop stars of recent years. His own story is pretty incredible in its own right...
Source

Waves Audio releases Free Plugin Pack for Windows and macOS
Waves Audio has launched the Free Plugin Pack, bundling nine free plugins and virtual instruments into one convenient download. Waves Audio Free Plugin Pack is available for Windows and macOS users. While most of the included plugins were available for free on previous occasions, this is the first time they’ve been packaged together. And even [...]
View post: Waves Audio releases Free Plugin Pack for Windows and macOS

A Pi-Based LiDAR ScannerAlthough there are plenty of methods for effectively imaging a 3D space, LiDAR is widely regarded as one of the most effective methods. These systems use a rapid succession of laser pulses over a wide area to create an accurate 3D map. Early LiDAR systems were cumbersome and expensive but as the march of time continues on, these systems have become much more accessible to the average person. So much so that you can quickly attach one to a Raspberry Pi and perform LiDAR imaging for a very reasonable cost.
This software suite is a custom serial driver and scanning system for the Raspberry Pi, designed to work with LDRobot LiDAR modules like the LD06, LD19, and STL27L. Although still in active development, it offers an impressive set of features: real-time 2D visualizations, vertex color extraction, generation of 360-degree panoramic maps using fisheye camera images, and export capabilities for integration with other tools. The hardware setup includes a stepper motor for quick full-area scanning, and power options that include either a USB battery bank or a pair of 18650 lithium cells—making the system portable and self-contained during scans.
LiDAR systems are quickly becoming a dominant player for anything needing to map out or navigate a complex 3D space, from self-driving cars to small Arduino-powered robots. The capabilities a system like this brings are substantial for a reasonable cost, and we expect to see more LiDAR modules in other hardware as the technology matures further.
Thanks to [Dirk] for the tip!

“Do we need another 909 kick drum? No we don’t”: Why Will Clarke opts for this obscure Russian drum machine when crafting beatsWhen it comes to choosing your beat-making hardware, is it best to pick something tried and tested like the Roland TR-808 or 909, or opt for something a little more obscure in pursuit of new drum sounds?
British DJ, producer and podcast host Will Clarke thinks it’s wiser to choose the latter, as he explains in the first episode of MusicTech’s My Forever Studio Season 7.

READ MORE: 19,000 sq ft music education campus opens in Shoreditch, with 13 studios, Dolby Atmos mixing facilities and a dedicated DJ space developed with Pioneer DJ

Speaking to MusicTech’s Chris Barker and Will Betts, Clarke notes how he opts for a little-known Russian drum machine – the AVP ADS-7 – when it comes to crafting certain elements for his beats.
Clarke first became aware of the ADS-7 – an analogue drum machine with an onboard sequencer, MIDI, CV and individual outputs – after seeing a clip online around 2018, when he was beginning to dip his toes into techno music.
“I was like, ‘I really want to change drums. I really want to have a specific sound of what my techno side sounds like.’ And I said, ‘What can help me get that?’” He reached out to AVP via DM, who said each ADS-7 is made by hand to order.
“So I ordered the MkI and it just rocked up from Russia on my doorstep,” he says. “It’s very easy to use. It’s a very unique sound – it’s very noisy.
“Everyone can get a 303, everyone can get a 909. Do we need another 909 kick drum? No we don’t. I still use it to this day.
In terms of what he regularly uses the ADS-7 on, Clarke replies: “Hats, all of my hats, all of my shakers. It’s just really noisy. I like twisting shit. I’m not a super nerdy synth guy [who knows] everything about synths, but I know what I need to know to get the job done.
Even the most seasoned synth nuts will attest to the intimidating nature of the ADS-7’s interface. As Clarke so eloquently puts it, “It looks Russian as fuck.”
“It’s not a clean sound,” he concludes, “but I’m not looking for a clean sound. I’m looking for something gritty. I’m looking for something to get textures that you wouldn’t get from a sample.”

[products ids=”46KMPPCynrf3lxfAakOBap”]
The My Forever Studio podcast – created in partnership with Audient – sees artists, producers, and engineers create their dream fantasy Forever Studio. However, hosts Chris Barker and Will Betts impose some strict rules. Our guests are permitted a limited number of items in their creative space, so they must choose carefully. There will be nostalgia. There will be anecdotes. There may be gags. But there will be no bundles!
You can subscribe to My Forever Studio on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and check out all episodes so far via MusicTech.
The post “Do we need another 909 kick drum? No we don’t”: Why Will Clarke opts for this obscure Russian drum machine when crafting beats appeared first on MusicTech.

Concatenator from Datamind Audio Datamind Audio have announced the launch of a new AI-powered plug-in that’s capable of creating complex new sounds and textures based on any audio file or input source. 

Sonarworks update SoundID VoiceAI With the latest update installed, SoundID VoiceAI is capable of generating up to eight unison parts from a single voice recording.

Best free plugins 2025: 14 free drum machines that’ll help you make beats fasterPhysical drum machines are brilliantly tactile and can give you punchy percussion sounds that aren’t always immediately available in your DAW. However, there are plenty of plugins that can get you in the groove and shake up your workflow with functions that most hardware is simply not capable of achieving. We love the charm of hardware, but sometimes it’s best to build interesting beats in the box and experiment with the power of software.

READ MORE: Best free plugins 2025: 15 free synths that you didn’t know you needed

What’s even better is there is a range of drum machine plugins out there that are free to download, with many compatible on both macOS and Windows. We’ve collated some of the most impressive drum machine plugins that come at no cost at all and are far more fun than lining up samples in your DAW’s arrangement window.
The best freeware drum machines at a glance:

Native Instruments Beats Collection
BPB Cassette Drums
99 Sounds Drum Machine
606 Koncept
Synsonic BD-909
AudioSpillage MiniSpillage
Beat Factory Drums
Drum Pro
MeldaProduction MDrummer Small
Manda Audio MT Power Drum Kit 2
Jamstix 4 Free
Speedrum Lite
Triaz Player
BFD Player

Native Instruments Beats Collection
Image: Native Instruments
NI’s Beats Collection is part of Native Instruments’ free Komplete Start plugin suite. It offers 288 pre-made Grooves across 90 kits for fast rhythmic patterns. You can play your own rhythms with a keyboard or pads, export Groove patterns with MIDI drag and drop, and customise drum sounds with studio-grade effects like chorus and reverb.
Features:

288 pre-made Grooves across 90 kits
Customisable drum sounds with studio-grade effects
Dedicated parameters for tweaking built-in effects
Grooves page for pattern playback adjustment

Find out more at Native Instruments.
BPB Cassette Drums

The BPB Cassette Drums plugin bundle includes three digital drum machines, using sounds sampled from BPB’s Cassette 606, Cassette 808 and Cassette 909 drum sample packs. You get Roland TR-606, TR-808 and TR-909 replicas that sound pretty convincing. Not bad, considering you’re not paying a dime for them.
Each of these lovely-looking and easy-to-use plugins have three modes, effectively giving you nine separate drum machines to play with. The clean original sounds of each drum machine are available, while the Warm and Hot modes give you saturated recordings and have been re-sampled from an audio cassette deck, giving each engine a slightly different feel.
Features:

Compatibility: VST/AU, 32-bit, 64-bit, PC/macOS
Number of voices: 7
Clean, Warm and Hot kits
Release and volume knobs
Options to route drums to individual outputs
On-screen keyboard

Find out more at BedroomProducersBlog.com.
99 Sounds Drum Machine

The simply named Drum Machine by 99Sounds is a nifty little thing used, in the developer’s video tutorial, to make bright, energetic EDM beats. But, of course, it can be used to build drum patterns for any genre and style, so long as you spend the time getting to know it.
It boasts 12 kits with the ability to include eight drum sounds per kit, with each sound being sourced from the 99Sounds Drum Samples library. Users can pan each drum sound, or the whole pattern, to their preference. There is also a low-pass filter and a high-pass filter, giving you options to tweak your sound within the plugin.
Features:

Compatibility: 64-bit VSTi/AUi Host, macOS & PC
Number of voices: 8
12 drum kits
Low filter & high filter
Multiple outputs

606 Koncept

Sample Science’s 606 Koncept plugin is a free 606 emulation with its unique own processing capabilities.
You can pitch sounds down or up using the plugin’s intriguing pitch control feature, change the decay of each track, and set the individual levels and panning. There are multiple LFO options including the depth and rate of filters. You can add glide, reverb and set the cutoff of your drum sequence, and, on top of all that, users are able to add vinyl, tape and sub sound layers to provide a layer of texture over everything.
Features:

Compatibility: 64-bit VSTi/VST3/AUi Host, PC & Mac
Number of voices: 7, each with polyphonic, monophonic and legato modes
Vinyl, tape-hiss & sub sound
Multi-pitch sum mixers
LFO & room reverb effects
Amplitude range controls

Find out more at Sample Science. 
Synsonic BD-909

You didn’t think we could possibly do a freeware drum-machine round-up without including at least one TR emulation, did you? This is (obviously) a 909 emulator, but only the actual kick drum from that machine. Okay, that’s not a lot, you might think, but the 909 kick has backed tens of thousands of dance tracks and there are plenty of controls to shape it into just any incarnation of that sound you can imagine. There are 16 presets, too, if you think you need them.
Features:

Compatibility: macOS and PC, 32/64-bit
Multiple tweaking controls: pitch, accent, decay, tune decay, attack, hold, tune depth, noise decay, distort
Distortion effect
MIDI control
Factory presets

Find out more at Synsonic.
AudioSpillage MiniSpillage

A returning drum favourite and must inclusion is MiniSpillage, a synth/drum plugin. It’s still macOS only, we’re afraid, but an essential download for that platform. It’s a cut-down version of AudioSpillage’s DrumSpillage with three drum pads for kick, hat and hollow drum. It comes with several kits and synth features – LFO, filter, modulation and distortion – to stretch those kit sounds far and wide. It’s been around for aeons, but several updates keep this as one of the best macOS drum/synth freebies.
Features:

Compatibility: macOS (AU), 64-bit
LFO, filter, modulation & distortion
12 exclusive drum models
Classic analogue, physical modelling and FM synthesis

Find out more at Audio Spillage.
Beat Factory Drums

Some of our free drum plugins do dance music, some rock – and Beat Factory Drums is designed to fill in the gaps, since it’s aimed primarily for hip-hop, dubstep and more. It features 10 kits, limited but essential sonic tweaks and hands-on MPC pads. It sounds great and is very well worth the 50MB download, which gives you the kick sounds and a plugin that runs on any system, old or new.
Features:

Compatibility: macOS & Windows/ 32/64-bit
10 drum kits
120 drum hits included

Find out more at Beat Skillz.
Drum Pro

Make no mistake, Drum Pro is unashamedly a shell drum machine to add paid-for kits later, but it does come with 20 kits sampled from nine drum machines (from Roland, Boss, Novation and more) so you get a very decent start, without paying a thing. You get MPC-style pads and basic mixing and while it won’t quite cover all your drumming needs as developers Studio Linked claims from the off – but will with their paid-for packs – it still delivers a great variety of beats, for free.
Features:

Number of voices: 12
Compatibility: macOS and PC, 32/64-bit
Attack, decay, sustain & release
Global ADSR/ reverb

Find out more at Studio Linked.
MeldaProduction MDrummer Small

Melda doesn’t seem to be shouting about MDrummer Small as much as it once did, but you can still download it from the download/archive part of the company’s website. It’s well worth it, featuring hundreds of drum sets, components, multisamples, rhythms and loops and some of the features from the larger, paid-for MDrummer. So it might be worth downloading fast before it (possibly) disappears.
Features:

Compatibility: macOS and Windows
30 drumsets
500MB of samples
400 drumset components
AI engine loads new editable loops (2,500 available)

Find out more at Melda Production.
Manda Audio MT Power Drum Kit 2

It was all getting a little bit too electronic around here, so how about a piece of freeware to rock your world? This will still shake your cones like any TR drum machine, though, because MT Power Drum Kit 2 is all about power sounds, albeit from a pop, rock or metal perspective. You get plenty of kit sounds and groove, fill and rhythm MIDI files to get you up and running. It’s a great real and acoustic option if your world is to machine led.
Features:

Compatibility: macOS and Windows
32/64-bit
Number of voices: 13
1000s of assorted rhythms
In-built compresser
Easy-to-use Composer tool
DAW-like track dashboard
MIDI capability

Find out more at Power Drum Kit.
Jamstix 4 Free
Jamstix 4 Free. Image: Press
This lite version of Rayzoon’s drum modelling instrument has no restrictions that will slow you down – just a smaller content set than the paid version. In VST and AAX formats for Windows only, it has 8 drummers and 21 style models as well as 200 acoustic drum samples. Focusing on the feel and style of a real drummer, it provides 3D models of real drums that sound great when programmed by MIDI or played by hand.
Features:

VST for Windows
Onboard sequencer
Onboard FX
200 drum samples
Can be upgraded to the full version with all content

Find out more at Rayzoon. 
Speedrum Lite
Speedrum Lite. Image: Press
This cool MPC-style sampler instrument comes for macOS, Windows and Linux. Designed to be quick and easy to use with a fast workflow, it provides 16 MPC-style pads onto which you can drag and drop samples, plus swap samples between pads.
There are a couple of filters and mono or poly voice modes, and flexible pad behaviours, including cut and cancel for more advanced performance styles. Edit waveforms inside the plugin and route each pad to one of 16 outputs if required.
Speedrum Lite has support for all major audio formats so you don’t even have to convert files first – just get making beats and loops! Also check out Transperc by the same developer, a transient shaper that pairs well with the instrument.
Features:

16 MPC-style pads
Supports multiple audio file formats
Onboard sample waveform editing
Cut and choke groups for pads
Multiple audio output routing

Find out more at Apisonic Audio. 
Triaz Player
Triaz Player. Image: Press
Triaz Player by Wave Alchemy is a surprisingly fully-featured free version of Triaz, a sample player plugin for macOS and PC. It comes with 4,000 samples and 200 presets and lets you tweak sounds with filters, envelopes, LFOs and other effects. You can import expansion packs, and though some features of the full instrument are disabled in this free version, you are able to export beats by dragging and dropping audio stems, mixes, one-shots or MIDI right into your DAW. While the full version offers more content, this free one has a ton of cool stuff to get you started.
Features:

4,000 samples
200 presets
Mac or PC plugin
Sound tweaking
Drag and drop from plugin to DAW

Find out more at Wave Alchemy. 
BFD Player
BFD Player. Image: Press
BFD is a legendary “real” drum plugin, and the Player version is completely free! With a slick interface based on the paid version, it runs as a plugin or in standalone mode, and the developers have provided a mixture of professional drum kits sorted into separate elements and grooves to get you up and running, making beats in no time. It also supports expansions, should you want to grow your sound set in future.
Though you can play it manually, BFD Player encourages you to use any of the 340 bundled grooves across the different kits to make a backbone for your tracks. Then, use the built-in mixer to tweak your sound, even routing the drum sounds out individually for more processing with your favourite effects plugins.
Features

Plugin or standalone for Mac and PC
340 bundled grooves
Expandable with new packs
Built-in mixer
Kits split by drum element

Find out more at BFD. 
For more buyer’s guides, check here. Looking for more freeware? Head this way.
The post Best free plugins 2025: 14 free drum machines that’ll help you make beats faster appeared first on MusicTech.