Human Timing
Context-aware micro-timing keeps fast rolls tight while slower grooves breathe naturally.
Product Guide
Online - Ready to helpThe real-time MIDI drum humanizer
Your programmed drums sound like a machine because they are one. HumBeat 2 rebuilds them in real time with ten engines modeled on how real drummers actually play — timing, dynamics, double bass, fatigue and feel.
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See it humanize a groove
Core Plugin Features
HumBeat sits before your drum sampler and reshapes MIDI timing, velocity, accents, flams, double bass behavior, groove pocket, and fatigue so programmed parts feel performed instead of quantized.
Context-aware micro-timing keeps fast rolls tight while slower grooves breathe naturally.
Instrument-specific velocity variation adds realistic ghosting, accents, and phrase-level contour.
Simultaneous hits can spread into natural stick technique instead of landing as flat MIDI stacks.
Single kick notes can become realistic left/right foot alternation with dominance and fatigue behavior.
Push snares behind the beat, rush hats forward, and keep kicks anchored for controlled feel.
Intensity, recovery, fills, and tempo drift add long-form movement across real arrangements.
Your MIDI drums sound fake. Here's the fix.
Producers burn hours nudging velocities and timing to make programmed drums feel human — and it still sounds stiff. HumBeat 2 does it instantly, with algorithms modeled on real drummer behavior. Draw a part, route it through HumBeat, and it comes out performed.
Real drummers never hit exactly on the grid—and neither should your MIDI. HumBeat analyzes patterns and applies context-aware timing variations: fast rolls stay tight (3-8ms), while slower grooves breathe naturally (10-20ms).
Constant-velocity MIDI sounds lifeless. HumBeat applies instrument-specific velocity variation: hi-hats get 40% more variance for ghosting, kicks stay consistent (40% less), snares fall between.
Flams are the signature of real stick technique—two sticks hitting almost simultaneously. When HumBeat detects simultaneous notes, it spreads them by 0-20ms, creating that "fat" snare sound.
At extreme speeds (200+ BPM), even the best drummers lose power. HumBeat's blast detector monitors note density and applies automatic velocity compression when notes arrive faster than your threshold.
HumBeat automatically alternates single kick notes into realistic Left/Right foot patterns. Configure your kick notes (L/R sliders in UI), set foot dominance, and watch as the engine applies fatigue accumulation.
The "pocket" is what separates a great drummer from a metronome. Push snares behind the beat (lazy feel), rush hi-hats ahead (driving energy), or anchor kicks to the grid.
Drummers get tired. After intense sections, velocity drops and timing loosens. HumBeat tracks cumulative effort—fast hi-hats drain stamina faster than quarter-note kicks.
Drummers alternate hands (RLRL) but no one is perfectly ambidextrous. HumBeat simulates hand dominance—one hand always hits slightly harder.
When drummers play fills, they naturally accelerate and crescendo toward the crash. HumBeat detects tom runs and snare rolls, then applies configurable tempo rushing and velocity curves.
Even with a metronome, human drummers drift slightly over time. HumBeat applies slow, organic timing waves using smooth sine-wave modulation.
Result: Your raw MIDI goes into HumBeat → gets humanized → comes out to your drum sampler → you hear realistic drums!
DAW-specific routing tips:
MIDI on HumBeat track → Inspector → Enable MIDI Sends → Route to sampler
MIDI clips on HumBeat track → I/O section → "MIDI To" → select sampler track
Sampler track → Inspector → Internal MIDI In → select HumBeat track
Piano roll on HumBeat → Wrapper settings → MIDI output port → sampler receives
MIDI on HumBeat track → right-click → "Send to Track" → select drum instrument
MIDI items on HumBeat track → Routing → Add send → MIDI to sampler track
| Platform | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) • macOS 10.15+ (Intel & Apple Silicon) |
|---|---|
| Format | VST3, AU (Audio Unit) AAX (Pro Tools) is not available at this time |
| Compatibility | Cubase, Ableton Live, Studio One, Reaper, FL Studio, Logic Pro X, and more |
| CPU | Minimal CPU usage—runs alongside your heaviest sample libraries |
The 2.2 stability update makes HumBeat rock-solid in every DAW:
Complete rewrite of state save/load. Your settings now restore flawlessly in every DAW, every time—even after loading factory presets.
Exported MIDI now includes tempo metadata, so timing offsets import correctly in any DAW.
New cleanup tool removes old 2.0/2.1 versions automatically. No more plugin conflicts in your DAW.
Improved text contrast, cleaner status messages, and custom font rendering across all controls.
Complete humanization engine with 10 processing modules.
Join thousands of producers who upgraded their tracks from “programmed” to “performed” — in a single insert.
Hear from professional musicians and producers who use our products.