d-lusion DrumStation 1.08

DrumStation has been around for a few years and hasn’t changed much in that time. As the name implies, it is a virtual drum machine and no more.
You get eight tracks and 16 steps per pattern. You can create up to 32 drum patterns which can then be arranged in a sequence of up to 99 patterns to create a song. Each track has its own settings for volume, pitch, attack, decay and a choice of effects.
These can be operated in real time, but you cannot store these modifications in a song. Instead, you need to stream your song to a wave file and play the tweaking live. This restricts you to one knob at a time, as you can only use the mouse to make modifications to the parameters.
These limitations may present an unappealing picture of the program, but this is a groove creator rather than a compositional tool. It has excellent shuffle controls which allow you to carefully create a swung rhythm and it is extremely easy to use.
The drum machine patterns follow the classic Roland TR909 style where a sound
is either on, off or ‘accented’. You can mute channels but not solo them. DrumStation is really geared towards being used in a live context. Its ‘song’ features seem so limited because it is more of a jamming tool.
Hence, you can play one pattern and edit another one at the same time. You can also trigger a drum sound manually by hitting keys on your computer keyboard, and channels can be muted in the same way. You can also select the pattern to play when the current pattern has finished.
Drumstation’s focus on real time applications is also apparent in its ability to synchronise with the d-lusion Digital Audio Server (DAS). DAS is a free program that allows you to run as many d-lusion programs as you like simultaneously, in perfect sync.
For example, you could run a couple of DrumStations and maybe add the d-lusion RubberDuck virtual synth, or possibly MJ Studio (a set of virtual MP3 DJ turntables). DAS can then be used to sync all of these possible combinations to any other music software via MIDI clock. The possibilities are limited only by your CPU
and RAM. It works on the same principle as masterBEAT and its accompanying virtual synth masterSYNTH, but unlike masterBEAT it’s not limited to one drum machine and one synth.
If you’re looking for a wave sequencer to use live, or at least in real time, in combination with other programs or outboard MIDI equipment, then DrumStation might be the answer. None of the other wave sequencers are really up to the task.