Showing posts with label best freeware drum machine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best freeware drum machine. Show all posts

Monday, August 2, 2021

FREEWARE REVIEW: Soundbridge RitMix. Freeware Drum's Best Kept Secret.

 




Fully featured drum machine instrument with 16 pads, step sequencing, comprehensive sound editing, and factory sound and pattern library. 

Seems almost too good to be true, but it isn't. Developed by the Soundbridge people, but it's a VST plug-in, so you don't need to be using Soundbridge to use it. It's available to download completely separately from their website at soundbridge.io

Like Soundbridge, it's attractively and professionally presented and arranged in the same style as Soundbridge. 

Any third party .wav drum samples can be loaded into any of the 16 pads so you don't need to stick to the factory sounds although 200+ are provided. 

In fact, all my electronic drum sample collections now come with kits developed exclusively for RitMix, so for this reason alone, you should get yourself a copy!

Lets take a quick look.......


Ritmix Step Sequencer.


Ritmix has a drum machine style step sequencer page that allows sequencing of the 16 pad sounds. Sequence length can be defined and four pattern slots are available which can be run consecutively or selected when required. Your DAW's automation recording facilities should allow you to record pattern selections as your song runs. 






Some basic sound editing features are available via this page including pitch and filter editing for each sample, velocity and panning, distortion fx, and random patterns can be generated. In fact, randomisation is available for most of the parameters here. 

Ritmix Sound Editing.





 

Ritmix's sample editing is as comprehensive as you like with envelope generators for amp, pitch and filter, four band parametric EQ can be applied, normalisation is available to optimise each samples level and loop playback is available. 

A visual stereo representation of the selected sample is shown. 


Ritmix Effects.


Reverb, delay and compression processing/effects are available and each of the 16 samples has a send level to each. Delay can be synced to your DAWs master tempo. 





Each of the effects has comprehensive parameter editing for fine tuning. 


Ritmix Mixer Page.





Ritmix has a mixer page which brings all the mix parameters into a single window so you can edit the sounds for patterns as they run without having to skip around different windows. Solo and mute are available for each of the 16 samples, pan, reverb and delay send, as well as gain/level for each sample can all be adjusted from this single window.


Conclusion. 


I don't know of a freeware drum machine instrument that really comes close to Ritmix. In fact, it's difficult to think of any features it's missing. As a reason user, I regularly use ReDrum and there's really nothing missing. In fact, Ritmix has more pads, on board effects, and far more comprehensive sample editing. Some may find the single set of outputs a bit limiting, but the on board effects (including compression) and mixing go some way to overcoming this limitation. 

It's really professionally presented with lots of colour to make navigation quick and easy and the logical editing windows allow adjustments to be made whilst patterns are running without jumping around different windows. 

I'd go and download yourself a free copy before they change their minds!    


Disclaimer:

The information contained within this blog post is offered on an informal basis and is correct to the best of my knowledge. I accept no responsibility for outcomes arising from the mis/interpretation or use of this information and/or associated download files. Always download files via security/scanning software.