Drum Monkey
by Unison · Drum Instrument · AI drum loop generator
Not rated yet
Drum Monkey is a drum loop generator from Unison that creates genre-specific patterns in 30 genres with 3,000+ included samples, a piano roll and drag-and-drop audio or MIDI export.
It is on sale for $97 (regular $397) as a plugin for Mac and Windows.
Best for: Drums. Genres: Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM, Pop.
Keywords: AI/machine learning, loose, perpetual licence, tight.
What it does
Drum Monkey generates genre-matched drum loops with one click and plays them with its own sample kits. Unison builds the loops from a library of more than 7,500 genre-specific MIDI drum patterns, so the idea is speed rather than programming beats by hand.
- Generation: one-click drum loops in 30 genres, plus a hidden "???" genre that fuses all 30.
- Samples: more than 3,000 royalty-free drum samples, or drag your own samples onto the drum pads.
- Groove controls: velocity, swing and humanize settings to loosen or tighten the pattern.
- Per-sound shaping: an ADSR envelope and panning for each sound, plus a saturator designed for drums.
- Editing: a built-in piano roll for changing hits and patterns after generation.
- Groove saver: store a favourite loop as a preset with its full MIDI pattern and samples.
- Export: drag and drop into the project, or export as audio or MIDI.
It is sold with lifetime access and free updates, and has been on sale. There is no demo; Unison offers a 60-day money-back guarantee instead.
When to use it
Drum Monkey is the quicker pick when you want a full genre loop now and are happy to tweak it afterwards. Compared with XO, which also suggests patterns, it hands you a complete loop per genre but has far less kit design and sample browsing. Compared with Battery 4 and Nerve it does the writing for you, while those leave pattern programming and sound design in your hands. Unlike EZdrummer 3, it is aimed at electronic and hip-hop loops rather than realistic acoustic drums.
- Best for: fast drum loops for beat sketches and songwriting sessions.
- Genres: hip-hop, trap, pop and electronic.
- Look elsewhere if: you want deep kit design (XO, Battery 4) or acoustic drums (EZdrummer 3, Superior Drummer 3).
- Tip: load your own samples onto the pads to give the generated grooves more character.
What producers say
Reviewers see it as a reliable tool for quick drum ideas rather than a main drum instrument.
- AltWire (Derek Oswald, 2025) praised the fast genre-matched loops, the strong included kits, the Fatten control and the built-in piano roll.
- Criticisms: AltWire noted it sometimes takes several spins to get a usable loop, and it has no AI option for custom styles.
Where to buy
- Unison: $97 (regular $397)
Tutorials and reviews
- Unison Drum Monkey Walkthrough - Is It Any Good?
- Unison Drum Monkey - Review and Demo - Part 1
- Generate Instant Drum Patterns with Unison Drum Monkey!
- Most Useful Drum VST of 2021 - Unison Drum Monkey
- The 5 Secrets Behind Professional-Sounding Drum Loops - Unison Drum Monkey Preview Series (1/3)
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