BeatForge: Drum Machine & Sequencer Plugin

User Manual

This comprehensive guide covers installation, the user interface, and all features in detail to help you master BeatForge.

1. Installation & Activation

BeatForge runs a 14-day fully functional trial. After the trial, you will need to purchase and activate the plugin to continue using it.

• Mac: Open the downloaded .dmg file. Drag the BeatForge application to your Applications folder. Then, run the .pkg installer inside the DMG to install the VST3 and AU plugins.
• Windows: Run the installer from the downloaded .zip file. You will be given the option to install the standalone application and the VST3 plugin.
• After installation, open your DAW and rescan for new plugins. The first time you open BeatForge, you will see a welcome screen.
• Trial: Click "Start Trial" to begin your 14-day evaluation.
• Activation: To activate, enter the email you used for purchase and the activation code you received into the corresponding fields and click "Activate".

2. Core Concepts

• Tracks: The plugin supports up to 64 tracks. Each track is an independent instrument that can be a sampler or a synth.
• The Sequencer: Each track has a 16-step sequencer. You can create patterns that span multiple bars, which are chained together to form your complete sequence.
• Edit Groups: This is a powerful feature that lets you have different sound settings for different steps on the same track. Each step is assigned to one of 32 Edit Groups. When you adjust a parameter in a tab (like Pitch or ADSR), you are only editing the currently selected Edit Group. This allows for intricate per-step automation.

3. Interface Guide

Top Control Bar

• Add Track: Adds a new, empty track to your session.
• Track Selector Dropdown: Quickly select a track to focus on for detailed editing.
• Song Menu: Save/Load your entire session (all tracks, patterns, and settings) as a .drsong file. Also allows loading from a list of songs in the current directory.
• FX Mode: Toggles the global FX bus between Internal Reverb (using a built-in convolution reverb) and External Output (sending the FX bus to a dedicated stereo output pair in your DAW).
• Bar Navigation: Use the "+" and "-" buttons to change the total number of bars in your sequence and to navigate between the current bars for editing.
• Copy/Paste: Copy the pattern of the current bar and paste it to another.

Track Area & Sequencer

• Track Label: Displays the track name. Left-click to select a track. Right-click to open a context menu with advanced options (Delete Track, Mute Groups, MIDI I/O, etc.).
• Sample/Synth Selector: A dropdown menu that shows the loaded sample. Click it to load a new sample or switch the track to Synth Mode.
• S/M Buttons: Solo or Mute the track.
• Step Buttons (1-16): Click a button to activate a step. The color corresponds to its assigned Edit Group.
  • Left-Click: Toggles the step on or off.
  • Shift + Click: Selects multiple steps for batch editing. Toggling one selected step will toggle all others in the selection.
  • Right-Click: Opens a menu to change the step's Chance (probability of triggering), assign it to a new Edit Group, or set a Roll/Flam (from 1 to 16 sub-hits within the step).

Waveform Display & Pianoroll

The editor features two distinct areas for interacting with your sound: the Waveform Display (top) and the Pianoroll (bottom).

• Waveform Display: This area appears above the track list only when a single track in Sample Mode is selected. It allows for detailed sample editing:
  • Slicing & Resizing: Click and drag in the bottom portion of the waveform, or drag the handles at the edges of a selection, to define the start and end points of the sample slice that will be played by the current Edit Group.
  • Dragging & Duplicating: Click and drag from the top portion of a highlighted slice to drag-and-drop it. Dropping it on another track will replace that track's sample and settings. Dropping it on an empty area below the track list will create a new, duplicated track with that exact slice.
  • Use the Snap/Grid Toggles for precise, tempo-synced slicing.
  • Set the sample's original BPM for accurate time-stretching and its root Base Note for Keytracking.
• Pianoroll: Located at the bottom of the plugin window, the pianoroll is always available to play the currently selected track, whether it's in Sample Mode or Synth Mode. In Sample Mode with Keytracking enabled, it highlights the playable pitch range of the sample.

4. Detailed Feature Breakdown (The Tabs)

These tabs contain the sound-shaping parameters. Remember, all changes apply only to the currently selected Edit Group on the selected track(s).

Mix Tab

• Volume: Sets the track's volume (-60dB to +12dB).
• Pan: Controls the stereo position.
• FX Send: The amount of signal sent to the global FX bus.
• Phase: Inverts the phase of the audio signal.

Time Tab

• Swing: Applies a global swing timing (50% to 75%). It delays every second 16th note in the bar.
• Nudge (Micro Timing): Shifts the timing of a step forward or backward by up to 50ms for fine-tuning the groove.

ADSR Tab

Controls the standard amplitude envelope for the sound.

• Attack: Fade-in time (0-20ms).
• Decay: Time to reach the Sustain level (0.01-1000ms).
• Sustain: The level maintained while a note is held (0-100%).
• Release: Fade-out time after the note ends (1-2000ms).

FX Tab

• Pitch: Adjusts the pitch from -12 to +12 semitones. Right-Click to choose the algorithm:
  • Resample: Classic sampler-style pitch shifting where speed changes with pitch.
  • TimeStretch: Modern algorithm that changes pitch while preserving the sample's length and timing.
• KeyTrk: Toggles Keytracking. When on, the sample's pitch will follow incoming MIDI notes, based on the Base Note set in the waveform view. The playable range is +/- 3 octaves.
• Distortion: Adds drive. Right-Click to choose from four algorithms: Soft, Hard, Foldback, and Hardcore.
• BitCrush: Reduces the bit depth of the signal (from 16 down to 2 bits) for a lo-fi sound.
• Phaser Rate/Depth: Controls a built-in phaser effect.

EQ Tab

• HP/LP Toggles: Enable or disable the High-Pass and Low-Pass filters.
• HP/LP Cutoff: Sets the cutoff frequency for the respective filters (20Hz to 20kHz).

LFO Tab

Each track has three independent Low-Frequency Oscillators for modulation.

• Enable Toggle: Activates the LFO.
• Freq Slider: Sets the LFO speed. Right-Click to switch between Hz (free-running frequency) and Per Beat (synced to the project tempo).
• Amp Slider: Controls the overall depth of the modulation.
• Menus (Right-Click Freq Slider):
  • Type: Choose the LFO shape: Sine, Square, Sawtooth, Triangle, or White Noise.
  • Targets: Choose what parameter(s) the LFO will modulate. You can select multiple targets, including Volume, Pan, Pitch, Filter Cutoffs, ADSR stages, and more.

Synth Tab

These controls are active when a track is in Synth Mode.

• Base Freq: Sets the fundamental frequency of the oscillator.
• Osc Type: Selects the oscillator waveform: Sine, Saw, Triangle, Square, or Noise.
• Pitch Drop / Drop Rate: Creates a pitch envelope, perfect for classic electronic drum sounds like kicks and toms.

5. Advanced Workflows & Context Menus

Right-clicking on the track label reveals a powerful context menu:

• Track Operations: Delete the track, clear its sample, or enable Random Sample Mode, which plays a random sample from the same folder on each trigger.
• Output Settings: Route the track's audio to different stereo outputs in your DAW.
• MIDI: Assign a MIDI note and channel for triggering the track. Enable MIDI Output to send the track's pattern out as MIDI data, so you can use BeatForge's powerful sequencer to trigger other plugins, external hardware drum machines, or synthesizers. Activate Synth Roll Mode to turn a sample into a playable pitched instrument where the sample re-triggers at the frequency of the held MIDI note.
• Mode: Manually switch the track between Sample and Synth modes.
• Mute Group: Assign the track to a mute group (1-8). When any track in a group is triggered, all other tracks in the same group are silenced. Perfect for open/closed hi-hats.

6. Troubleshooting

• No Sound: Check that the track is not muted, another track is not soloed, the step is active, and a sample is loaded (or it's in synth mode). Ensure your DAW is playing.
• CPU Usage High: High track counts, many active LFOs, or using the TimeStretch algorithm can be CPU-intensive. Bounce tracks to audio if needed.
• Activation Issues: Ensure you are using the exact email from your purchase and the correct activation code. Contact support if problems persist.
• Contact: For bugs, questions, or feedback, please email beatforgehelp@gmail.com.