Full Bucket Music has released DrumTraqs, a software instrument that simulates the legendary Sequential Circuits Drumtraks drum machine from 1983.
DrumTraqs is available for Windows and macOS in VST2, VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP plugin formats. The code was written in native C++ for high performance and low CPU consumption.
I’ve always been impressed with how lightweight Full Bucket Music’s plugins are, both in terms of download size and low CPU usage, and DrumTraqs is no exception.
It’s also nice to see cross-platform support and the inclusion of the CLAP plugin format. CLAP seems to be picking up some speed lately.
Operates like the hardware
The product page mentions that the plugin emulates the original Zilog Z80 8-bit microprocessor used in Drumtraks and other drum machines of the era. I’m not a programmer, but diving into the DrumTraqs manual revealed some fascinating details about the plugin’s internals.
Essentially, the DrumTraks simulates the original hardware’s processor and operating system, using the original ROM for sounds. You’re basically getting the entire vintage Drumtraks system in your DAW, minus the physical hardware.
Sounds like the hardware
As for the sound, DrumTraqs includes the original factory drum hits and some additional ROM samples. I compared the plugin to various Drumtraks samples on my hard drive, and Full Bucket Music’s plugin sounds virtually identical to the original. That’s not surprising, given that it uses the original ROMs.
Perhaps more important than the sound is how DrumTraqs simulates the old-school method of sequencing patterns and songs.
Sequences like… the hardware!
While this might seem redundant in a modern DAW, I usually find these “vintage hardware” constraints inspiring. Sequencing a drum loop the old-fashioned way sometimes makes me come up with grooves that I wouldn’t typically create in my DAW’s piano roll.
DrumTraqs also offers SysEx and MIDI import/export support, along with MIDI learn functionality. The SysEx feature allows data chunks to be loaded or saved as files.
A Drumtraks/DrumTraqs SysEx chunk contains all the songs and patterns of the entire machine—loading a SysEx file replaces the entire content of the plugin’s active instance.
Download DrumTraqs
I love how Full Bucket Music has a knack for capturing the essence of vintage hardware in software form.
Their previous plugins are worth checking out if you’re after authentic vintage Korg hardware emulations. I still use the Mono/Poly plugin as one of the main sources of analog-style synth sounds in my projects.
It’s also great that you can download DrumTraqs directly from the developer’s website without creating an account or registering an email address. If you want to add some authentic 80s drum machine flavor to your productions, DrumTraqs is worth a spin.
Download: DrumTraqs (FREE)
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