PulseCode PCM Drum Machine

 

PulseCode is a PCM Drum Machine that pays tribute to the gritty, lo-fi sounds from the late 1980s. PulseCode takes a different approach to "sample-based drum synthesis", using strategic layering concepts that are based on the various techniques used by producers of that era to get massive drums sounds. All of the sounds supplied with PulseCode have been resampled using vintage 12 and 13-bit samplers to stay true to the era. Gated reverb is effortless with PulseCode, as each sound includes it's own sampled reverb layer recorded from a vintage unit from the same time period. These techniques can usually be tedious and time consuming to recreate, but with PulseCode they are second nature. PulseCode's Drum Editor lets you tweak and shape the different layers of each Sound Element to create totally new sounds from the original source sample. The result gives you that huge drum sound so prevalent in the 80s and often heard in EBM, Industrial, Electro, Coldwave, SynthPop and Synthwave. But PulseCode was also designed with experimentation in mind, and can easily be taken into uncharted territory for a more modern and unique approach to these styles and beyond.

PulseCode's Pattern Sequencer makes it easy to lay down a beat on the fly. From there, you can make polyrhythmic modifications with individual speed and length for each drum. Flams and Multi-Function Accents per step allow for even more interesting grooves. And for some realtime manipulation, Flow and Fracture controls can give your rhythm life or break it all down into chaos.

To accompany the Pattern Sequencer is a Drum Fill Arpeggiator, where fills and rolls can be played on your MIDI keyboard in time with the beat. In fact, PulseCode takes full advantage of MIDI controller functionality, integrating the use of the Modwheel and Pitchbender to control various functions.

PulseCode is a very expressive drum machine that is meant to be played like an instrument, inviting hands-on control and bringing the fun back to beat making.

 

 

PulseCode (v1.3)

VST/AU Drum Machine

**This plugin is NOT M1 compatible**
(Silicon update coming soon)

$89

+ VAT in EU

 

Looking for bundles? Have a look over here.

 

Demo Download

Download Demo for Windows 32/64-bit Download Demo for Mac VST/AU

 

(The demo version has the limitation of occasional sound dropouts and patch save functionality is disabled.)

 

System Requirements:

Windows: Windows XP or higher 32/64 bit

Mac: OSX 10.5 or higher 32/64 bit

 

Read the user manual online

 

See Update History

 

Features:

  • 8 Drum Engines for loading up a variety of Sound Elements
  • Each Element is made up of 6 layers: Core, Grit, Hit, Body, Reverb and Noise
  • All layers of each Element have been sampled in 13-bit using vintage gear
  • Compressor, Filter and Saturation per Drum Engine
  • 64-step Pattern Sequencer with lane for each drum
  • Unique Pattern Offsets for creating variations to your patterns
  • Multi-parameter Accents for each step
  • Individual Speed and Length for each Sequence Lane (allows polyrhythms)
  • Adjustable Flams per step
  • Flow: controls the movement and rhythmic flow of each sequence lane
  • Fracture: momentary buildups and breakdowns using snap-back controls
  • Drum Mixer with Multiple Outputs for each drum
  • Drum Fill Arpeggiator for automatic rolls, fills and more
  • Pitchbender & Modwheel integration of Fracture and Flow
  • Tight sync to Host tempo and position
  • MIDI Learn and automation of most parameters
  • Sub-presets: separate load/save settings for Drum Engine and Sequencer
  • Double Click Parameter Reset
  • Intuitive patch management system
  • Default bank of 128 example presets
  • Includes several Sounds Elements to start out
  • Expansion Packs available for new sounds

 

 

 

Drum Layering Techniques

Each drum sound supplied with PulseCode is made up of multiple layers that can be mixed and tweaked to taste to craft unique drum sounds. Add Grit for lo-fi crunch. Add Hit for top-end slap. Add Body for low-end boom. Add Reverb for a bigger sound. Sprinkle Noise where necessary.

Resampled for Maximum Crunch

All layers of each sound have been resampled with vintage gear to create a truly authentic sound with loads of character. Each sound has a special Grit layer designed to bring in the crunchiest aspects of classic lo-fi sampling.

Gated Reverb

Each drum sound includes it's own reverb layer, captured from a vintage effect unit and resampled from a classic sampler. The reverb can be pitched, filtered and gated, giving your drums the perfect backdrop for that huge 80s sound.

Pattern Sequencer

PulseCode uses a versatile 64-step Pattern Sequencer for beat creation and performance, utilizing Accents and Flams in interesting ways. Each drum can alter it's sequence speed and length, making Polyrhythms and odd-timings a breeze. Pattern Offsets allow for the adjustment of the Pattern's starting point, with the ability to create four different pattern variations that can be triggered in realtime.

Flow

Instantly give your static sequences movement and variation with a single Flow control. Under the hood, Flow can be tweaked and offset to modulate volume, decay and panning. Top it off by adding a bit of swing to the sequence.

Fracture

Fracture lets you change the beat with builds, breaks and wild stutters using a single snap-back control for each drum. Slide the control right for a buildup of craziness, slide to the left for a total breakdown of the sequence. Let the control go and it snaps back on beat.

Drum Fill Arpeggiator

Create custom fills and rolls that can be played on a midi keyboard, perfectly on beat with the Pattern Sequencer. Use the Velocity Grid to give it some movement. The Pitch Envelope will sweep the pitch up or down for classic drum roll effects. Set the speed independently of the Pattern Sequencer for fast rolls or slow fills. Trigger multiple drum notes at once to create cycling arpeggios and uncommon grooves.

Drum Mixer

Mix down the whole beat with individual volume and panning, as well as routing each drum to it's own audio channel for adding external effects.

Total Control

Map Fracture to the Pitchwheel, Flow to the Modwheel, and Pattern Offsets to a single slider, all while playing the Fill Arpeggiator on your keyboard and you're totally in control of the drum machine.

Expansion Packs for PulseCode

Electro is an expansion pack for PulseCode containing over 300 multi-layered Synth Drum Elements, 256 Drum Presets and a bank of 128 patches.

 

Brutalist is a collection of 100+ lo-fi, 8-bit drums for PulseCode

 

 

 

Update History

 

PulseCode v1.3 update

This update includes several new features, including big improvements to Fracture, various sound improvements, new Elements, Template presets and Sub-presets.

  • Fracture Revamp.
  • Pitch Fracture has new Mode allowing Random, or Linear modulation.
  • Step Fracture expanded with new Number, Pattern and Offset controls, which greatly improve the Fracture functionality overall.
  • Sub-Presets added to Flow and Fracture for each sequence lane.
  • New Sequence Shift controls for nudging steps left or right.
  • Mute/Solo Cancel switches for controlling multiple buttons at once.
  • Choke Targets for each drum.
  • Boost switches on mixer for volume increases.
  • VU meter readouts.
  • Master Tune (Pitch) for controlling entire kit.
  • Fill Arp: New Loop function for Pitch Envelope.
  • Fill Arp: Added Length control to Velocity Sequencer.
  • Bank and Preset buttons for quick access.
  • Preset sub folders now supported.
  • Fixed a file sorting issue on Mac (High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina).
  • Fixed an issue with Ableton Live adding all sequencer parameters to automation list when using copy/paste/repeat.
  • Sound improvements for Kick, Snare and Tom Elements
  • Includes: Several new Template Presets for various genres with recommended tempo.
  • Includes: New Sub-Presets for Drums, Patterns and more.
  • Includes: New Elements (Snares, Percs,Toms and HiHats).
  • Includes Custom MIDI Map (reference in manual).

 

PulseCode v1.2 update

PulseCode's first major update introduces Swing, Humanize, Fill Arpeggiator enhancements, workflow improvements plus several extra goodies.

  • Left/Right arrows for quick Element browsing
  • Independent Swing control for each drum
  • Flow Offsets (alters the min/max level of the flow wave)
  • New Humanize feature added
  • Hard Gate mode
  • Direct Mode allows Air to send directly to Mixer, bypassing drum effects
  • Drum Fill Arpeggiator now includes a Velocity Sequencer + Sub-presets for saving custom fills
  • The Sequencer now has Global Copy/Paste, which can transfer all Sequencer settings (Pattern, Flow, Accents, etc) to other presets