BeatForge manual.

BeatForge runs as a Standalone App and as a VST3/AU Plugin. The installer handles placement automatically.

Installation

• Windows: Run the .msi installer. You can select which components to install (Standalone/VST3/AAX/CLAP). The installer will automatically place plugins in the correct system folder (C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3) so your DAW can find them.
• macOS: Open the .dmg file. Drag the BeatForge app to your Applications folder. To install the plugins (VST3/AU/AAX/CLAP), run the separate .pkg installer found inside the disk image.

Activation

• Free Trial: On first launch, click "Start Trial" to begin a fully functional 14-day evaluation.
• Purchase: Click the "Buy Now" button on our website. You will receive a license code via email from Lemon Squeezy immediately after purchase.
• Unlock: Copy the code from your email and paste it into the BeatForge activation screen to unlock your lifetime license.

Navigate using the large buttons at the top of the interface:

• Sequencer: The main hub. Manage tracks, sequencing, LFOs, and sound design (Mix, ADSR, FX, EQ, Filter, Synth).
• Mixer: A dedicated view for quick audio and MIDI routing. Use this to assign Audio Outputs and set MIDI Input/Output channels for all tracks side-by-side. The Volume and Pan sliders here are Master Controls that sit after the sequencer's internal mixing chain.
• Slicer: The advanced sample editor. View waveforms, detect transients, and slice standard audio loops. (Note: REX files are read-only in this view).

BeatForge integrates the advanced Beat This! AI algorithm to analyze samples instantly upon import.

• Drag & Drop: Drop any WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, or REX (.rx2) file onto a track slot.
• Auto-Sync: The engine detects the sample's BPM automatically.
  • If you play the loop unsliced, BeatForge automatically applies Time Stretching to lock it to your project tempo.
  • If you Slice the loop, synchronization is handled by the sequencer triggering individual slices at the correct time, keeping your transients crisp without stretching artifacts.
• Manual Correction: In the rare case the detected BPM is incorrect, you can click to enter it manually. You can also hold Shift and drag the grid lines near the end of the loop to fine-tune the BPM for a perfect match.

Create evolving patterns using Edit Groups, P-Locks, and probability.

Basic Sequencing

• Step Buttons: Click to toggle steps. Right-Click a step to set Hit Chance (Probability), Flam/Rolls, or assign an Edit Group.
• Grid Size: Right-click the Track Name to toggle the track between 16 Steps (Standard) and 12 Steps (Triplets/8T).
• Polymeters: Alt + Click a step to set it as the "Bar Endpoint." That track will loop independently at that step count.
• Track Speed: Set any track to run from 1/4× to 4× the pattern speed, including triplet ratios — half-time and double-time feels inside one pattern.
• Accents: Toggle the accent row to push individual steps harder, 808-style. Accents are preserved in MIDI export. What the global Accent slider does depends on the voice — see below.

The Accent Slider (AC LEVEL)

• Sample tracks and classic (Legacy) synth voices: a simple volume boost — an accented step plays up to the slider's value in dB louder, with the same timbre. Exactly as it has always worked.
• Circuit-modelled voices (the Eight-O kit): the slider is the 808's AC LEVEL pot. An accented step doesn't just play louder — it sends a taller trigger pulse into the modelled circuit, and each voice reacts the way the hardware reacts: the kick digs deeper and detunes slightly before it distorts, the toms start sharp and settle back, the rimshot jumps hardest of all, the maracas shakes about 50 % longer, and the hats barely change level at all. Different voices responding differently to the same accent is not a bug — it is what one AC LEVEL knob does on the real machine.
• The scale: 0 is the pot fully counter-clockwise (accents nearly inaudible on circuit voices, just like the hardware minimum); 10 is fully clockwise — the classic full-crank 808 accent you know from the records. The default of 6 sits at roughly 60 % rotation. Settings above 10 push the trigger bus past the pot's endstop, into modified-machine territory.
• Tips: for the classic 808 accent sound, set the slider to 10. In kits that mix samples with circuit voices, accents hit the samples harder than some circuit voices — a sample takes the full slider boost while a maracas takes what its circuit gives it. Balance with track volume or parameter locks if needed.

Edit Groups (32 per track)

Each track has 32 Edit Groups — 32 fully independent sound configurations that can be assigned per step. Every knob position, synth type, distortion mode, EQ setting, and macro is stored separately per group. Use them for true per-step sound design within a single track:

• Switch Active Group: Use the Group selector at the top of the Sequencer to choose which group your knob edits affect. The synth tab, FX, EQ — everything reflects the currently selected group.
• Assign Steps to Groups: Scroll on a step button to assign it to a different group. The step shows a small group number when it's not Group 1.
• Use Cases:
  • Tight short kick on the downbeats, longer distorted kick on the off-beats — all on one track.
  • Build a whole drum fill on one track by varying the synth type per group.
  • Create ghost notes with different velocity, decay, and filter — without touching another track.
  • Layer accent variations: open hat on beat 2 and 4, closed hat everywhere else, same track.

Parameter Locks (P-Locks)

Automate any knob per-step without complex menus:

• Select Step(s): Hold Shift and click a step button (or multiple) to select them. They will remain highlighted.
• Lock Parameter: With the step(s) selected, move any slider (Pitch, Filter, Decay, etc.). The slider will indicate a lock is set for those steps.
• Clear Lock: Right-Click any step to turn off its locks. To clear multiple steps at once, Shift-Select them first, then Right-Click.

P-Lock Lane Editor (4.3.2)

The lane is a graphical way to draw the same parameter locks — bars under the step grid instead of shift-selecting steps and turning knobs. It reads and writes the exact same lock data, so anything you draw in the lane shows up on the knobs and vice versa.

• Open It: Click LANE in the dock bar under the sequencer. BeatForge remembers whether you had it open.
• Pick a Parameter: Click the lane’s title to choose any lockable parameter — volume, pitch, filter, decay, delay send, anything with a lockable knob. By default the lane follows whichever lockable knob you touch; pin it from the same menu if you want it to stay put.
• Draw: Click or drag across the steps to set values — a readout shows the exact value as you draw. Solid bars are locked steps; the ghost line behind them is the track knob’s own value, which unlocked steps follow.
• Erase: Right-Drag (or Alt + Drag) across steps to remove their locks — those steps fall back to the track knob. The title menu also has Clear for the whole lane.
• Velocity Lanes: Want classic per-step velocity? Pick Volume as the lane parameter — that is exactly what it is, and it stays fully compatible with locks made the knob way.

Every song holds 16 pattern slots. A pattern stores the full sequence — steps, ratchets, probability, accents, group assignments, parameter locks and bar layout — but never your sounds, so switching patterns can't cut ringing tails or change the kit.

The Patterns Panel

• Open it with the Patterns button on the dock bar (bottom edge).
• Switch patterns: Click a slot. While the DAW is playing, the switch waits for the end of the current pattern loop and lands seamlessly — no gaps, no cut-off tails. Stopped, it switches instantly.
• Save / clear: Right-click a slot to save the current pattern into it or clear it. Your edits always belong to the slot you're on.

Chaining & SONG Mode

• Build a chain: Drag slots down into the chain lane (or Shift + Click a slot to append it). Drag chips within the lane to reorder; Option/Alt + Click a chip removes it.
• Play the song: Turn on SONG and the chain plays through in order, advancing at each pattern's end, and loops.
• Export the arrangement: With SONG on, Drag Sequence MIDI renders the entire chained song into one MIDI clip — drop it on your DAW timeline and the arrangement matches playback exactly.

Play your beats in live instead of clicking them in — like tapping a hardware drum machine.

• Arm REC (next to SEQ ON above the step grid) and start your DAW's transport.
• Play: Drum on your MIDI controller, the on-screen keyboard, or open the Pads dock — one big pad per track, tap with the mouse. Pads light up with each track's output, so you can see the groove.
• Grid snap: Every hit is written to the nearest step — tap slightly early and it still lands on the beat you meant. The pattern overdubs as it loops, so you can build a beat layer by layer.
• Accents: Hard MIDI hits (velocity 110+) record as accented steps. On the pads, Shift + Click plays and records an accent-strength hit.
• Audition anytime: The pads always play their track, armed or not — they're also the quickest way to preview sounds while designing a kit.

The GEN tab writes patterns for you — as a starting point or a finished groove.

• Euclidean Fill: Turn the HITS knob to spread that many hits as evenly as possible across the track. You hear the pattern update live while turning; release to commit, or leave the knob where it started to keep your original pattern.
• Dice & Density: DICE rolls a new random pattern, DENS sets how busy it gets. The same dice value always produces the same pattern at a given density, so you can dial density up and down without losing a roll you like.
• Rotate: The arrow buttons shift the whole pattern left or right by one step. Modifier keys change what gets rotated — try them with Shift and Alt held.

Everything the GEN tab writes is a normal pattern afterwards — edit steps, add parameter locks, assign edit groups as usual. And if you don't like a result: full undo/redo has your back.

BeatForge ships with 30+ circuit-modeled drum synths. Switch any track to "Synth" mode and pick from the dropdown.

808 Kit (Eight-O)

Full 808 model: Kick, Snare, Closed Hat, Open Hat, Cymbal, Cowbell, Clap, Low/Mid/Hi Tom, Low/Mid/Hi Conga, Rimshot, Claves, Maracas.

909 Kit (Nine-O)

Full 909 model: Kick, Snare, Rimshot, Clap, Low/Mid/Hi Tom, Closed Hat, Open Hat, Crash, Ride.

Bass & Lead Synths

• Vintage DCO: Classic analog-style oscillator. Warm, characterful, great for chiptune and 80s tones.
• Hoover: The iconic gabber/hardcore lead. Detuned, raw, ready to mangle.
• Reese Bass: Thick, detuned bass with wobble character. Drum & bass essential.
• Supersaw: Seven detuned saws stacked. Trance/EDM/euphoric leads.
• FM Kick: Frequency modulation kick for punchy, modern electronic kicks beyond what 808/909 can do.
• Karplus Snare: Physical modeling with coupled drum skins (A/B interaction) and snare wires for realistic acoustic response.

Macro Knobs

Every synth has 4 macro controls: Shape, Timbre, Color, Aux. The exact parameters they control vary by synth, but the macros are always musically useful — twist them to discover the engine's range.

BeatForge features two distinct slicing engines depending on your file type.

1. REX Files (.rx2)

REX files are loaded Read-Only. There is no need to open the Slicer tab for these, as the slice markers are pre-defined (use Reason Studios' ReCycle to edit them). Instead, focus on the Playback Mode (S/L/C) toggle next to the track name:

• Slice (S): Play individual slices using MIDI notes. (Tip: Ensure your track's MIDI Input Channel is set correctly in the Mixer Tab to receive notes from your DAW).
• Loop (L): The loop plays continuously, locked to the host tempo.
• Sequence (C): "Creative" mode. Allows you to select a specific start slice/sequence and trigger it using BeatForge's internal step buttons. Drag in the waveform to set a play zone — playback starts at the zone and stops silent at its end — fully independent of the Slicer's loop brackets.

MIDI Export: You can drag the REX MIDI pattern directly from the track to your DAW timeline.

Working With Slices

• Mute a Slice: Option/Alt + Click a slice to mute it in place — it stays muted until you unmute it or load a new file. Great for thinning out busy loops.
• Slice Parameter Locks: Select a slice and move any knob to lock that setting to the slice. Slice locks apply both in the internal sequencer and when triggering via MIDI from your DAW.
• Link Groups: Right-click a slice to tag it into a colored group. Shift + Click a group chip to recall its settings on every slice in the group.
• Per-Slice Outputs: Right-click a slice (or a link group) to override its audio output. Anything without an override falls back to the track's Main output.
• Random Slice Mode: Enable Random on the track and every trigger picks a fresh slice — muted and empty slices are skipped automatically.

2. Audio Slicer (WAV/AIFF/FLAC)

For standard audio, open the Slicer Tab to access the full editor.

• Editing: Use the Sensitivity slider to auto-detect transients, or manually Move, Delete, and Lock slice markers directly on the waveform.
• MIDI Export: Once you've sliced the loop, drag the MIDI pattern directly from the track to your DAW timeline to generate a matching MIDI clip — one note per slice.

High-quality time-stretching and pitch-shifting are powered by Signalsmith Stretch by Geraint Luff / Signalsmith Audio, used under the MIT License.

Distortion (5 modes)

Right-click the Distortion knob to select one of 5 algorithms:

• Soft: Warm saturation with rounded peaks. Default character.
• Hard: Aggressive digital clipping.
• Foldback: Wave-folding distortion that adds metallic, resonant harmonics.
• Hardcore: Extreme high-gain drive (10x boost) with a soft-knee limiter.
• Tube: Authentic Koren 12AX7 valve modeling. Asymmetric saturation with real second-harmonic content. The most musical of the five — use for analog warmth and natural character.

Vintage Lo-Fi (Bitcrusher + Decimator)

Two sliders give you authentic hardware-sampler character:

• Bit Depth: Reduce from 16-bit down to 2-bit. Right-click to select shape:
  • Arcade: Clean digital quantization.
  • Vintage Sampler: Aggressive noise-shaped quantization with vintage character.
  • Crunch: Hybrid — between clean and vintage.
• Sample Rate: Hardware-accurate downsampling with proper anti-aliasing, zero-order hold, and DAC-style reconstruction filtering. Get authentic SP-1200 or MPC60 character without digital nastiness.

BeatForge Sculptor EQ

Five drum-tuned bands targeting specific musical frequencies:

• Sub (60Hz boost + 100Hz cut): Classic Pultec sub trick. Adds weight without mud.
• Thump (120Hz): Chest-hitting punch.
• Clean (400Hz): Boxy lower-mid control.
• Crack (3kHz): Aggressive transient snap.
• Air (10kHz): High shelf routed through asymmetric tube exciter for harmonic sizzle.

High Pass / Low Pass: Standalone resonant filters for additional tone shaping. Fully automatable.

Per-Track Delay (4.3.1)

Every track has its own Elektron-style delay on a dedicated DELAY tab:

• Tempo-Synced Times: Delay time follows the host tempo in musical divisions, so repeats stay on the grid at any BPM.
• Ping-Pong: Toggle to bounce repeats between left and right.
• Filtered Feedback: High-cut and low-cut sit inside the feedback loop — repeats get darker (or thinner) as they regenerate, the classic tape-echo behaviour.
• Fully Lockable: The delay send — and the delay parameters — work with parameter locks and edit groups like everything else. Throw a single step into the echo and leave the rest of the pattern dry, or give one edit group its own delay character.
• Tails: Repeats ring out naturally when the pattern stops, and they are rendered in full when you bounce offline.

Advanced Envelope (AHDSR)

Precision transient shaping with a 5-stage envelope:

• Stages: Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain, Release. The "Hold" stage keeps the volume at max before decay, essential for punchy body.
• Tension Curves: Adjust the slope of the Attack, Decay, and Release stages independently. Morph from Logarithmic (snappy) to Exponential (lazy).

BeatForge gives you 10 LFOs, each with a fully editable shape and a deep routing system.

LFO Shape Editor

• Draw Your Own: Click to add nodes, drag to position them. Mid-segment handles control curve tension (logarithmic to exponential).
• Presets: Sine, Square, Saw Up, Saw Down — all built from the same node system, so you can modify them after loading.
• Sync Modes: Tempo-synced (1/16th, 1/8, 1/4, etc. with triplet/dotted options) or free-running in Hz.
• Trigger Modes: Global (always running), Trigger (restart on each note), Envelope (one-shot on trigger).

Routing

• Drag & Drop: Drag any LFO onto any knob to assign modulation.
• Bipolar/Unipolar: Right-click to toggle modulation polarity.
• Bypass: Right-click "Bypass LFO" to temporarily disable without losing your depth setting. Perfect for live A/B comparison.
• Live Visualization: The modulated knob shows the LFO's current value as a moving dot on the ring.

BeatForge has deep MIDI integration designed for hardware-first workflows.

MIDI Learn

• Universal Assignment: Right-click any knob, button, or step to assign a MIDI CC or Note.
• Mute/Solo Buttons: Assign to hardware buttons for tactile mixing.
• Step Buttons: Assign to pads or step sequencer hardware for direct programming.

Launch Control XL Integration

Native support for Novation Launch Control XL with bidirectional LED feedback:

• Sequencer Flash: Hardware buttons light up in sync with the playing step on the selected track.
• Mute/Solo Sync: Hardware LEDs reflect current mute/solo state.
• Track Selection: Switch tracks via MIDI and the hardware automatically follows.

MIDI I/O

• Per-Track Input: Each track listens on its own MIDI channel for triggering.
• MIDI Export: Drag any pattern or REX slice arrangement directly from BeatForge to your DAW.