D16

16 years after the original came out, version 2 is here. But does Andy Jones really need yet another 909 drum machine emulator?

Some software updates are a surprisingly long time coming – we’re thinking NI’s Massive, for example. But D16’s latest Drumazon update is probably a record breaker in terms of the time it’s taken to leap to version 2 – a full 16 years! And it’s only another bloody 909 drum machine, right? So how can it possibly be worth that length of waiting time? Well, Drumazon 2 goes back to basics, updates the concept and comes up with a software instrument that doesn’t just leave the original hardware in its wake, but is totally the 909 for the 2020s and could well be the drum machine of this decade.

Simple is best, right?

Yes it’s packed with huge amounts of sounds, patterns and drum kits, but it’s what you can do with them, and how simple it is to make a pattern totally unique to you, that are what sets Drumazon 2 apart and above other drum plugins. If you were to rate a product based on how quickly you are inspired by it, then Drumazon 2 scored a 10 within about 10 seconds of booting it up. But let’s not get too carried away, too quickly. Deep breath.