Instant Vibes

It lets drums, synths and other sequenced instruments be programmed on the grid, with results that are definitely not on the grid. Working this way makes editing easier and faster, because timing and velocity processing are handled in realtime.

Snap your notes into place and Instant Vibes will unsnap them, and give them vibe.

Used lightly, Instant Vibes can push things slightly out of time. Used heavily, Instant Vibes becomes a creative tool for off kilter, super wonky results that would be hard to create by hand.

It’s a MIDI groove unquantizer. It’s a realtime humanizer. It’s a “this is boring” into “this is alive” maker.

Subtle, randomised timing changes can alter how different sounds blend, because their phase relationship is changed. Some frequencies will be cancelled, while others might be reinforced. Timing can affect tone.

This is one of the reasons why modern, sample accurate sequencers can sound mechanical, but 80s drum machines with looser timing can have an undeniable vibe to them. They’re alive.

Instant Vibes lets you dial that in to taste, for each track that needs it.

For example, your kick can be perfectly in time, while your high hats and snare drift around a little.

Instant Vibes uses pseudo-randomness, which means randomness is matched across bounces and plays. It’s random, but with precise control and repeatability.

Time compression swing

Instant Vibes features realtime swing, using time compression and expansion. This is MPC-style swing. It warps the time between beats by compressing and expanding time. It’s different to how many music apps handle swing.

Multiple swing styles can be blended. A little bit of 1/8 note swing can sound great with some 1/16 note swing. There’s even 1/4 note swing! We haven’t seen that before. It sounds great and is the fastest way to make the backbeat drag.

A nice dose of swing, with a pinch of randomness gets into Dilla territory very fast.

Sequenced delay and velocity

Instant Vibes features a 16 step sequencer for delay and velocity. It’s a great way to delay certain steps, or quickly create repeatable accent patterns. The sequence length can be changed, to provide polymetric grooves.

There’s nothing stopping you from running two copies of Instant Vibes on the same track, with different step lengths, for some double polymetric action. We encourage that kind of reckless behaviour.

The sequencer works well with lots of source material, but really shines on arpeggios and drums.

Requirements

Instant Vibes is a MIDI plugin. It is available as an Audio Unit version 3 and VST3 plugin for macOS and Windows. It requires MIDI plugin support.

Instant Vibes works with a wide range of audio apps. We have setup guides for Ableton Live, Bitwig, Cubase, Logic Pro, and Reaper.

Not a subscription

When you purchase Instant Vibes, all 1.x updates are included. There’s also a 30-day free trial, so you can use it for a few weeks before making up your mind.

Instant Vibes and all our products are privacy focused, with no ads, no analytics, and no creepy tracking.