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10 Inspiring Ways to Program Beats

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Get beyond your piano roll and step sequencer lanes with these innovative and exciting beat programming plugins

Sometimes, using the same creative methods over and over becomes monotonous and draining. As musicians, we need to continually put measures in place to keep ourselves inspired and to avoid falling into creative block.

That’s exactly why we’ve put together this carefully curated list of plugins to keep your beat programming process as new and exciting as possible. Once you’ve familiarised yourself with some of these, you’ll have expanded your options to keep your creative process fresh and inspiring.

HY-RPE2 by HY-Plugins

Try the built-in “Euclidean engine”, a goldmine for new beat programming inspiration

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	Alternative sequencer
Format:	VST2, VST3, AUv3
Features:	A traditional Grid sequencing engine, plus an all-new Euclidean sequencer

This neat sequencing plugin by HY-Plugins contains not one but two sequencers to help you program beats on the fly. Although, we’re specifically interested in its Euclidean engine here because it functions differently than its traditional Grid sequencer.

You can interact with the Euclidean Sequencer from three different interfaces, switchable at your leisure, and you have four LFO modulation parameters, plus four macro knobs to assign as you see fit. Overall, you have eight toggleable steps to engage/disengage. Each step can generate a MIDI note when triggered and be set to a single pitch, a recurring pattern, or randomise between notes. Ultimately, you’re getting a new way to interact with a sequencer, from within a fully resizable GUI.

XO by XLN Audio

A comprehensive and clever sequencer with revolutionary sample browsing under the same hood

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	Smart Sequencer & Sample Browser
Format:	AAX, AU, VST, and Standalone
Features:	Smart filtering of samples from within constellation-style browser, internal step sequencer with modulation and FX processing, external signal routing

There was recently a surge of sample browser plugins to hit the market, allowing us to house and navigate our sounds in a never-before seen way. To lay them all out in a visual spectrum, categorised by sample type and re-organisable using various filters. XO happens to be one of the most prominent of those plugins at the forefront of popularity, including an internal step sequencer with processing capabilities for lightning-fast beat programming.

You can add file directories of your own alongside the 8000+ factory samples, navigate between them with extreme efficiency, and then pretty much make entire beats from within the plugin. You can also route audio to and from your DAW, making XO a powerful beat-programming companion.

Playbeat 4 by Audiomodern

A next-gen drum designer with cutting-edge AI technology to truly take your beat programming into the future

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	AI-powered
Format:	AAX, AU, AUv3, VST3, and Standalone
Features:	AI-assisted algorithms, genre-specific sound selection and rhythm generation, randomisation, preset patches,

Audiomodern have really pushed the envelope with drum design and step sequencing with Playbeat 4, merging AI into the mix for a vast breadth of possibility. Relying on a plethora of advanced algorithms, ranging from sequencing style to sound selection and beyond, Playbeat 4 has more tools than you could imagine to keep you on your toes and feeling inspired.

With Random, Remix, Smart and Instant randomisation algorithms and genre-specific sound selection and rhythm generation, you paradoxically have complete control over your sounds, whilst simultaneously handing over a lot of the mechanism to AI. Essentially, you set the boundaries, and Playbeat’s AI will generate some top-tier results. You also have five independent value tabs for further layers of control. Not to mention you can export all your channels as stems straight into your DAW.

Liquid Music & Liquid Rhythm by WaveDNA

Program compositions with confidence by letting these intelligent plugins do the heavy lifting

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	Assistive MIDI Programming
Format:	AAX, AU, VST and Max for Live
Features:	Music theory assistance, MIDI generation (chords, melodies and rhythms), Sketch function

Liquid Music & Liquid Rhythm are a couple plugins you probably wish you’d found earlier in your career. If you’re still in the beginning phases, lucky you! Essentially, you can create across five different domains of control: Key, Chords, Voice, Rhythm and Sketch, ensuring harmony between elements.

Using the Sketch capabilities is what makes this thing stand out as a MIDI programming wonder. You literally set your parameters and draw as if sketching with a pencil. The design of the plugin ensures the results stay musically true, generating some impressive outcomes. When combining that with the other features of this plugin, you’re sure to be whipping up remarkable beats with minimal effort, all whilst maximising the fun!

Riffer 3 by Audiomodern

Apply advanced sequencing algorithms and customisation to external instruments, using Riffer 3

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	Step sequencer designed to pair with external instruments
Format:	AAX, AU, VST and VST3
Features:	External routing, preset patches, comprehensive parameter control and step sequencing

If Playbeat 4 wasn’t enough to convince you of Audiomodern’s plugin innovation prowess, they’re back with another entry. This time with Riffer 3. This plugin allows you to apply its MIDI step sequencing to any external virtual instrument (including drum samplers). So, you can route an instrument to Riffer and put it to work, generating melodies, chords, and rhythms.

What makes Riffer 3 stand out even more is its expansive set of customisable parameters. You can really go to town with all the possibilities here. Set the musical key, add or remove certain notes, alter the octave range, randomise/humanise velocity, note length, note frequency and much more – all from within an intuitive and welcoming GUI by Audiomodern.

DrumComputer by Sugar Bytes

A typical drum sequencer at face value, with a few noteworthy features under the hood

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	Drum synthesiser with advanced sequencer
Format:	AAX, VST2, VST3, and Standalone
Features:	Three synth layers, eight step engines, preset patches, MIDI drag-and-drop, advanced pattern programming

Yes, DrumComputer pretty much functions as a traditional drum sequencer, albeit with a pretty in-depth array of customisation. However, it’s managed to make its way into this list because technically it does stand apart in a couple of ways.

Firstly, DrumComputer doesn’t rely on samples - it synthesises ALL of its drums within its engine. Secondly, all of its patterns operate as distinct living systems rather than stagnant loops. That means you get a plethora of modulation, processing and more parameters to shape and fine-tune your patterns that would traditionally be missing. On top of that, this thing allows for MIDI drag-and-drop. Overall, it really is one of the most full-fledged drum computing systems on the market - hence the name!

Tronic by Sampleson

A drum synth with three powerful generation algorithms and neatly-packed filter and modulation controls

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	Analog Drum Synth
Format:	AU, VST3, and Standalone
Features:	AI rhythm generation, in-depth modulation controls, semi-modular connectors

Yet another drum synth, this time using AI to generate sequences according to one of three selectable algorithms that you can then sculpt from within the interface. This bad boy produces typical EDM-style drums, and even looks like it was sent from the future.

Tronic does a superb job of allowing you to really fine tune your sounds, using the onboard controls. Being a synth, this is exactly what you’d expect, however, Tronic goes one step further with its semi-modular connections that allow any parameter to interact with sequencer notes or velocity. So, what are you waiting for? Choose from the Hit Maker, Rave Master or Synth Hero algorithms and generate a hard-hitting EDM rhythm in a matter of milliseconds.

Addictive Trigger by XLN Audio

Replace any drum samples with a vast variety from XLN Audio’s Addictive Drums library in a matter of seconds

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	Drum Replacer with Smart Algorithms
Format:	AAX, AU, VST
Features:	Drum replacement, fine-tuning controls, high compatibility with other popular drum plugins

Okay… this one might be slightly cheating as there’s a valid argument to be made that it’s got nothing to do with the programming of your beat. However, one thing’s for sure: Addictive Trigger still qualifies as a revolutionary tool to keep your beat-making inspiring and probably become a staple addition to your beat-making process.

What does it do? You can run any loop through addictive trigger and the plugin detects the transients for each respective percussion element (kick, snare, hi-hat, etc.) and then allows you to completely replace the audio with one of XLN’s upper echelon drums from their Addictive Drums library. Better yet, using its SuperStart algorithm, you can auto apply most of the fine-tuning using AI. So… even though you’re technically not programming with this plugin, it has the potential to become a go-to cherry on top for some beats.

Strokes by Cong Burn

More than a typical drum sequencer, Cong Burn go above and beyond with the latest version of Strokes

Platforms:	Windows and Mac
Type:	Sequencer with Extra Quirks
Format:	AU, VST
Features:	High external compatibility, in-depth modulation and FX processing, intuitive GUI

Strokes was initially only compatible with external instruments, however, it has recently received a beefing up, allowing users to load in samples from the virtual interface and sequence beats completely standalone. That’s not to say that Strokes wasn’t a beast before this update. It still took beat programming to a fun and inspiring place by encouraging pairing with external hardware and featuring extensive control parameters per step.

Strokes’ drum sequencing itself is nothing to undermine with its modulation, FX processing and randomisation generating living and breathing beats - similar to DrumComputer. In short, it encourages human randomness — the instrument is expressive, pushing for complex and diverse outcomes hard to find elsewhere.

Sequence: Hip Hop beat creator by Big Fish Audio

If hip-hop is your bread and butter, you’re sure to find this well thought-out sequencer a comfortable spot in your plugin library

Sometimes, non FL Studio users can get a bit jealous of its native drum sequencing tools, like the Channel Rack. Well here’s a solution that even FL Studio users might prefer to make hip-hop beatmaking even more effortless and fun. That solution is Sequence: Hip Hop Beat Creator by Big Fish.

Sequence comes with a whopping 64 total fast-programming steps and includes many hip-hop-targeted capabilities, like the ability to automatically program trap-style triplet patterns. Not to mention it comes pre-packed with 4000+ handpicked samples, making it an optimal purchase just for the sample library (if you’re a hip-hop head). Lastly, we’ll mention that this thing has an internal 16 channel mixer with FX processing for you to shape at your leisure. At an affordable price, what’s not to like?