Unison Drum Monkey v1.8.22 [WiN-MAC]

• Product: Drum Monkey
• Developer: Unison Audio
• Version: 1.8.22
• Format: Standalone, VST, VST3, AAX, AU
• Requirements: Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15 or later
• Source: unison.audio/drum-monkey

Drum Monkey is a generative drum loop plugin from Unison, producing a new pattern from a chosen genre and length across 30 genres plus a genre-fusing “???” option, drawing on 7,500+ MIDI drum patterns and 3,000+ samples. Generated loops drag into a DAW as audio or MIDI, run through a drum-specific saturator engaged by a “Banana” control, and carry per-sample ADSR shaping and panning. A built-in piano roll and Groove Saver support further editing and recall, and outside samples can replace the factory library entirely for generation and playback.

Key Takeaway

The core value is genre-driven drum loop generation with per-sample envelope shaping and a transient-preserving saturator built specifically for drums. Generated loops are royalty-free for use in a track, but factory samples specifically can’t be resold as standalone sample packs — that restriction doesn’t apply to loops built entirely from a producer’s own dragged-in samples.

Genre and Length, One Click Away

Drum Monkey generates a drum loop from two selections — genre and length — across 30 genres, plus a “???” genre that fuses elements from all 30 rather than following one genre’s conventions. Pressing generate produces a new pattern from that combination each time, drawing on a library of 7,500+ genre-specific MIDI drum patterns and 3,000+ samples combined through machine learning and pattern-recognition algorithms specific to Unison.

A generated loop drags directly into a DAW project as audio or MIDI, or exports for later use — MIDI export keeps every hit editable in the host’s own piano roll after leaving Drum Monkey, while audio export commits the loop as a rendered file with whatever saturation and shaping was already applied.

A Saturator Built to Preserve Transients

A saturator built specifically for drums sits inside Drum Monkey, engaged by dragging the “Banana” icon rather than a standard drive knob. It’s tuned to preserve each sample’s transient character while adding thickness and low-end power, rather than the general-purpose saturation curve a broadband saturator plugin would apply across any source material.

Because the saturator is drum-specific, its behavior is tied to preserving transient shape rather than offering a fully generic saturation curve — a producer wanting a completely different distortion character on the same loop still reaches for a separate broadband saturator downstream rather than expecting the Banana control to cover every possible drive tone.

Every Sample Shapes and Pans Alone

Each sample inside a generated loop carries its own ADSR envelope shaper and panning control, adjustable independently of every other sample in the same pattern — a kick’s attack and decay reshape separately from the hi-hat’s, and each element’s stereo placement sets on its own rather than the whole loop panning as one block.

That per-sample control is what lets a generated loop’s punchiness, tightness, or stereo width get dialed in after generation rather than accepting the loop exactly as it came out — reshaping one specific drum’s envelope changes only that element’s character, leaving the rest of the generated pattern’s balance untouched.

Your Own Samples Replace the Library

A built-in piano roll edits a generated pattern’s notes directly, with velocity adjustment, swing, and humanization parameters available on top of standard note editing. Groove Saver stores a favorite loop — full MIDI, samples, and settings together — into a user preset bank with one click, so a specific generated result recalls exactly rather than needing to be regenerated and hoped for again.

Dragging in outside samples onto the drum pads swaps them in for generation and playback, so a producer’s own kick or snare samples replace the factory library entirely for that pattern rather than only being layered alongside it — the 7,500+ MIDI patterns still drive the rhythm, but the actual sound source becomes whatever’s been dragged in.

Royalty-Free Ends at the Sample Pack

Drum Monkey sells as a single payment of $297, or through a rent-to-own plan of $14.99 a month across 22 months, totaling $329.78 — a smaller premium over the single-pay price than most installment plans carry, and the rent-to-own plan can be paused or canceled anytime with one click from the account dashboard.

Generated loops are royalty-free for use in released music, but factory samples specifically can’t be resold as standalone sample packs or products — a loop built entirely from a producer’s own dragged-in samples carries no such restriction and can be resold however the producer wants, but anything still using Drum Monkey’s factory library is cleared for use in a track, not for repackaging as new sample content. On the rent-to-own plan, a missed monthly payment also pauses the license and stops the plugin from functioning until that payment resolves.

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