Audiomodern

A virtual drummer like no other, Playbeat 3 not only suggests rhythmic strategies, but opens an online ecosystem of creative sample sharing

£50 PC MAC IPAD

It takes your breath away to think just how far music technology has come in the last 40-or-so years. While its many evolutions – from 8-track mixers to DAWs say, or hardware synths to soft synths – have proven beneficial for most musicians (particularly those wanting to reduce clutter!). But, there are still those who look back misty-eyed at the era when manual input machines were all the home music-maker had to work with. It’s likely that this type of nostalgist would find the algorithm-driven likes of Playbeat 3 an affront to their sensibilities. Audiomodern’s updated virtual groovebox relies on multiple intelligent algorithms which can instantly take the lead, and if you so choose it to, they generate fresh beats instantaneously.

While this pattern-shuffling randomiser has been the USP of Playbeat since version 1 in 2019, version 3 takes the inherent ‘cleverness’ to a whole new level. With the introduction of the ‘SMART’ algorithm, Playbeat 3 now studies how you use it to make beats, pens some studious notes and applies these observations into its choices of randomised groove that fit your own style. Yes, Playbeat 3 is the latest example in a growing trend in essentially living, learning music technology. It’s a trend that, for better or worse, is redefining the creative process.