New · 1.0

One engine. Infinite signature kits.

StepSampler is a 16-pad, 32-step drum sampler that ships as N artist-themed plugins — each with its own samples, theme, and personality. Pick a band. Hit play.

macOS · Windows · VST3 · AU · AUv3 · CLAP · Standalone
STEP / SAMPLER · DEMO BAND
BPM 124SWING 184/4
PAD 01
PAD 02
PAD 03
PAD 04
PAD 05
PAD 06
PAD 07
PAD 08
PAD 09
PAD 10
PAD 11
PAD 12
PAD 13
PAD 14
PAD 15
PAD 16
DELAY
FILTER
REVERB
DRIVE
PITCH
DemoBand edition — 1 / 4
The idea

Drum machines that belong to a band, not a brand.

Most drum samplers ship as one plugin with a sea of factory kits you'll never use. StepSampler flips that: one battle-tested engine, shipped as a family of plugins — each one built around a specific artist, band, or sonic identity.

Under the hood it's the same instrument: 16 pads, 32 steps, 32 voices of polyphony, a delay → filter → reverb chain, probability rolls, per-step velocity, choke groups, undo/redo on the grid, MIDI export by dragging the pattern to your DAW.

On top of that, each edition is its own world. The Kontravoid edition speaks in cold, modular grit. RockKit hits like a stadium. DemoBand is the open canvas. New editions are added the same way new chapters are written — one folder of samples, one manifest, one line of build config.

Built in C++ with JUCE, optimized for low CPU, runs as VST3, AU, AUv3, CLAP, or standalone on macOS and Windows.

Editions included

Four signature plugins. One purchase.

Every StepSampler license unlocks all current artist editions, and every future edition added in the same major version.

darkwave / industrial

Kontravoid

Cold, hammered hits and machine-gun hats from the live rig of Cameron Findlay. Built for synth-driven dance floors.

neon / modular

Kontravoid Mk II

The follow-up edition — brighter top end, granular textures, and a new set of one-shots sampled through a Eurorack chain.

live drums / room mics

RockKit

Acoustic kit captured in a 1970s tracking room. Stadium kick, snare with the floor under it, three toms, two crash sweetenings.

open canvas

DemoBand

The reference kit. Eight pads of clean, classic drum-machine sounds. Free with every purchase. Great for learning the engine.

Word on the street
The first drum sampler that doesn't feel like a Swiss Army knife. It feels like an instrument.
Placeholder Producer
Producer / sound designer
Sounds

Hear the editions.

Stock patterns made entirely inside StepSampler. No external samples, no post processing.

Night Patrol
Kontravoid · Pattern demo
Subway Pulse
Kontravoid · Pattern demo
Neon Drift
Kontravoid Mk II · Pattern demo
Granular Fields
Kontravoid Mk II · Pattern demo
Garage Floor
RockKit · Pattern demo
Stadium 4-on-the-Floor
RockKit · Pattern demo
Old Reliable
DemoBand · Pattern demo
Workbench
DemoBand · Pattern demo

Demo audio coming soon. Drop wav files into /public/audio and we'll wire them up.

Features

What's inside.

Sequencer

  • 16 pads × 32 steps with per-cell velocity
  • Per-step probability rolls
  • Selection, copy / paste / duplicate regions
  • Per-pad pitch, mute, solo, choke groups
  • Undo / redo on the grid (50-step history)
  • Built-in pattern presets per edition

Engine

  • 32 voices of polyphony, linear-interp resampling
  • Lock-free, atomic state — zero audio dropouts
  • Delay → filter → reverb effects chain
  • Per-pad sample replacement at runtime
  • MIDI in from host or controller
  • Drag pattern out as .mid to your DAW

Editions

  • All editions unlocked with one license
  • Each edition: own samples, theme, defaults
  • Free DemoBand kit for learning the engine
  • User sample folder per edition (drop wavs in)
  • Future editions free within major version
System requirements

Runs anywhere your DAW does.

macOS

macOS 11 or later

  • Apple Silicon & Intel (universal binary)
  • 4 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended
  • 200 MB disk space (per edition)
  • VST3, AU, AUv3, CLAP, Standalone
  • Internet connection for activation
Windows

Windows 10 or later

  • x64 processor (SSE4.2)
  • 4 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended
  • 200 MB disk space (per edition)
  • VST3, CLAP, Standalone
  • Internet connection for activation
Free demo: Fully functional 30-day trial. Plays a short burst of white noise every minute or so — otherwise unrestricted.