Drumkid (Eurorack)

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Drumkid is an aleatoric drum machine, now available as a Eurorack module. It generates rhythms using random numbers. The video below shows how it works:

What does it actually do?

Drumkid is essentially a standard drum machine but with the ability to add (or subtract) hits from a rhythm using probability. Imagine starting with a basic drum beat, then flipping a coin on each beat to decide whether to add an extra snare hit. Drumkid does this, but with fine control over, for instance, how often to flip the coin, which channels the coin flip will apply to, how likely the coin flip is to result in “heads”, etc. In practice, this gives you several knobs (and CV input signals) which can affect the flow of randomness in a way that feels intuitive and musical, producing a sort of hybrid between programmed and live drums. It’s also possible to push Drumkid outside the realm of human-playable rhythms and into weirder, glitchier beats that operate at high frequencies, creating oscillator-like sounds.

Features/specs

  • 2 x audio outputs (CD-quality, 44.1kHz, 16-bit)
  • 4 x trigger outputs
  • 4 x CV inputs
  • Clock input/output (adjustable)
  • 12 x parameter knobs
  • SD card slot for loading samples
  • Tap tempo
  • Live edit and step edit
  • Tuplet modes (triplet, quintuplet, septuplet)
  • 4-digit LED display
  • Open source design with editable firmware
  • 24HP, 55mm deep
  • Current draw: 55mA +12V, 20mA -12V
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Comparison with original Drumkid

The original, lo-fi, portable version of Drumkid was released in 2020. This Eurorack module version attempts to retain the core experience of the original, while adding a lot of new features. The key differences are as follows:

Improvements/additions

  • Better audio quality (CD-quality DAC instead of 8-bit PWM)
  • Two audio outputs (instead of one)
  • More knobs (12 instead of 4, so each parameter has its own knob now)
  • CV control
  • Trigger outputs
  • New randomness options (“magnet” and “cluster” allow more advanced control)
  • Better sample loading (SD card instead uploading custom firmware)
  • Better display (4-digit LED display instead of simple flashing LEDs)

Removed features

I removed the following features because I didn’t think they made sense in the context of a Eurorack module:

  • Drone
  • MIDI

Manuals

You can download the Drumkid Eurorack manual below:
Drumkid manual

Firmware

Please see the manual for details on how to update your firmware to the latest version.

Frequency asked questions

Coming soon