FAQs
      Back to home
      1. Knowledge Base
      2. Natural Drums
      3. FAQs

      Product Functionality FAQs

      • What is Natural Drums, and how does it work?

      Natural Drums is an assistive AI co-pilot plugin that creates drum grooves in real time, as if a session drummer is right there with you in your studio bringing your ideas to life. 


      As part of the DAACI Natural Series, Natural Drums assists creativity, it doesn't replace it, and the genesis of every new beat always comes from you. Start with an idea and let the plugin enhance your initial input, generating new grooves in front of your eyes. Like working with a real drummer, you can jam along and make changes in real time, try things out, and create an end result that is entirely yours.


      Natural Drums is created by expert drummers and draws on their many years of experience playing music in live settings. In line with DAACIʼs approach to generative AI and unlike other drum sequencers, Natural Drums doesnʼt pull from a list of static precomposed patterns or utilise pure randomness. It thinks like a musician and rapidly creates beats that are entirely bespoke and unique to you.


      For more information see Natural Drums Product Manual. 

      • Does the plugin support different types of music genres?

      Yes, Natural Drums supports writing for any genre. However, it currently only supports 4/4 time signatures. We are working on adding more time signatures in the near future to expand its versatility.

      • How does Natural Drums differ from other drum programming software?

      Natural Drums stands out from other drum programming software in several key ways:

      • Our modules provide a wide range of rhythmic ideas, allowing users to generate and expand upon any musical concept. This flexibility supports a broader creative process.
      • Rather than just offering generic backings, our focus is on tools that augment and inspire the music creation process, giving users more control and creative freedom, and we don’t use any precomposed loops.
      • We don’t push users towards a specific sound. Instead, we empower them to lead the creative process, fostering a greater sense of ownership over their music.
      • Our approach puts the creative process at the forefront, ensuring that the tools we provide support and enhance your unique musical vision.

      • Is it possible to integrate my own drum samples with Natural Drums?

      Yes, you can integrate your own drum samples with Natural Drums. The plugin works with any sampler that accepts MIDI inputs. For detailed instructions on how to set this up, please refer to the relevant section in the Natural Drums Product Manual. We will also be exposing the in-built sampler in future releases, allowing you to customise the sounds inside Natural Drums as well as adding your own samples.

      • What time signatures does Natural Drums support?

      Currently Natural Drums supports 4/4 only. However we will be providing support for other time signatures in future versions.

      • How does Natural Drums generate drum grooves?

      The research behind the development of Natural Drums draws on decades of experience playing drums, and replicates the way a real drummer composes drum grooves. As Natural Drums composes on the spot, you can manipulate your beat in real time to create different musical effects, the same way a real drummer would.

      • Can I save and recall my presets in Natural Drums?

      Yes, Natural Drums allows you to save specific drum patterns and has 4 snapshots for working on different beats simultaneously. For more information, please refer to the Natural Drums Product Manual.

      • Can I use Natural Drums in a live performance setting?

      Yes, you can manipulate the plugin directly within your DAW or link parameters to a MIDI controller. For more details on automation and which parameters can be controlled externally, please refer to the Natural Drums Product Manual.

      • Does the plugin require an internet connection to function?

      You only need to be online to authenticate once every two months, and you can keep enjoying Natural Drums without internet connection in between authentications.

      • Does the plugin work with MIDI controllers and e-drums?

      Yes, there are various parameters on Natural Drums that are automatable and therefore can be linked to an external MIDI controller. We are making more parameters automatable with each release. Using “Thru” mode, you can use external controllers including electronic drum kits and drum pads to play the samples inside Natural Drums.

       

      Compatibility

      • Which DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) are compatible with Natural Drums?

      Natural Drums supports all major DAWs including Logic Pro, Ableton, Cubase, Reaper, FL Studio, Pro Tools and GarageBand. Natural Drums does work on other DAWs, but has not been fully tested. We maintain a full list of supported DAWs in the Knowledge Base.

      See Using Natural Drums in your DAW for more information and instructions on using the plugin in your specific DAW.

      • Which operating systems does Natural Drums support?

      DAACI Natural Drums is available for MacOS and Windows. Linux is currently not supported.

      For Mac, we recommend running DAACI Natural Drums on macOS 12 and above, however it is supported on macOS 10.15 and above. MacOS 10.14 and earlier are not supported.

      For PC, we recommend running DAACI Natural Drums on Windows 10 or above.

      • Can I export the drum patterns as MIDI files?

      Yes, you can export drum patterns as MIDI files by dragging and dropping them directly from the plugin into your DAW timeline. For more information on exporting, please see Natural Drums Product Manual.

      • Does Natural Drums support integration with other virtual instruments?

      Yes, the MIDI FX version of Natural Drums can send MIDI to any other plugin and the virtual instrument version can internally load Audio Units.