LFG-04 · Lo-fi sampler drums
Polvo
12-bit lo-fi drum machine
VST3 · Windows 10/11, 64-bit · browser version included
The gritty, sample-rate-crushed sound of classic boom-bap sampler drums. Polvo synthesizes each hit, then samples it through a crunchy converter, so tuning a pad down stretches the stair-steps exactly the way old hardware did.
About Polvo
Polvo has 12 pads: two kicks, snare, rim, clap, snap, closed and open hats, shaker, two toms and a percussion hit. Shape each one, then choose how much grit the converter adds, from a classic 12-bit, 26 kHz crunch to heavy 8-bit lo-fi or a clean 16-bit sound.
Vinyl dust, tape saturation and a master filter finish the lo-fi sound. Build beats in the step sequencer with swing from straight to a full triplet shuffle, then export the whole kit as crunched one-shots for any sampler.
Hear Polvo
Loops made with Polvo. Press play; each one loops until you stop it.
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Boom Bap120 BPM · 4 bars
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Head Nod120 BPM · 4 bars
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Dusty Break120 BPM · 4 bars
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Lo-Fi Study120 BPM · 4 bars
Headphones or good speakers recommended. Only one loop plays at a time.
Features
The pads
- Two kicks, snare, rim, clap, snap, closed and open hats, shaker, two toms and perc
- Pitch, sweep, decay, noise, tone and oscillator shape for every pad
- Sampler-style tune: lower is longer and grainier, like a real sampler
- A closed hat cuts off a ringing open hat
The converter
- Bit depth from 4 to 16-bit, and sample rate from 4 to 44.1 kHz
- Input gain for a squashed, saturated hit, and an optional input filter
- Presets: 12-bit · 26 kHz, 12-bit · 40 kHz, 8-bit · 11 kHz and 16-bit clean
- A screen that shows each sample and a close-up of its stair-steps
The lo-fi sound
- Vinyl dust: hiss and crackle while the beat plays
- Tape saturation and a master filter on the whole mix
- A gentle compressor that glues the kit together
Sequencer
- Up to 8 bars with accents, and swing from 50% to 75%
- Four built-in grooves: Boom Bap, Lo-Fi Study, Dusty Break and Head Nod
- Mute, solo and pan on every track
MIDI and your DAW
- The General MIDI drum map built in, plus MIDI learn
- In the plugin: the sequencer follows your DAW's tempo and saves with your project
- Separate outputs for every pad and the dust, and automation for every control
Export
- Export Kit: all 12 pads as crunched one-shots, 44.1 kHz / 24-bit
- Export a single pad
- In the browser version: the pattern as a seamless loop, or stems
A closer look
What you get
- The Polvo VST3 plugin
- The Polvo browser version, a single HTML file that runs offline
- The Polvo user manual (PDF)
- Royalty-free use of every sound you make
Requirements
- Plugin: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) and a VST3 host such as Ableton Live
- Browser version: any current browser on Windows or Mac; MIDI controllers need Chrome or Edge
- Install on up to three of your computers (see the license)
Polvo
12-bit lo-fi drum machine
