RANDOM Metal is a percussive monophonic synthesizer by Beatsurfing, developed with artists Phazz and Herrmutt Lobby. It focuses on experimentation, offering randomization, an expressive XY pad, dual trigger modes, and individual pad controls for creating unique percussive sounds.
Purpose and Core Concept
RANDOM Metal is a percussive monophonic synthesizer built around experimentation and sonic exploration. Instead of searching through endless samples, producers can generate percussive sounds with a click, then shape them to fit their track. The instrument encourages embracing chaos to discover distinctive textures that stand out in a mix, expanding creative percussive potential.
The synth offers dozens of percussive matter types, covering aggressive metallic cymbals, shakers, hi-hats, and odd percussive sounds. Its randomization button instantly transforms a sound, with adjustable deviance to control subtlety or dramatic shifts. This makes it a practical tool for quickly generating ideas or for deliberate sound design, moving beyond traditional sample-based workflows.
Key Capabilities and Controls
An expressive XY pad provides access to hundreds of dynamic parameters unique to each engine, allowing continuous manipulation of the sound in real time. Dual modes let users trigger twelve individual pads or play notes chromatically, offering flexibility for drum programming or melodic percussion. Seamless controls switch between these modes, supporting both rhythmic and tonal uses.
Each pad has individual parameters for instability, impact, decay, curve, gain, pitch shift, FX color, and type, giving detailed control over the character of each hit. Loud and quiet knobs adjust the amplitude of high and low frequencies separately, sculpting dynamic range. A dual dry/wet control allows separate FX mix levels for loud and quiet parts of the signal, creating a dynamic and evolving effect response. Pan and stereo controls position sounds in the field and adjust width and depth.
Workflow and Sound Design
The randomization function streamlines sound design: set the deviance amount, click random, and immediately audition a new percussive texture. This is useful for rapid prototyping in a session, quickly shifting between hi-hats, cymbals, and abstract metallic tones. The XY pad serves as a performance tool, letting you morph parameters expressively while recording or playing live.
Working with individual pad controls, you can craft each hit precisely, from impact and decay to pitch and stereo placement. The dual mix control encourages exploration of how effects behave at different amplitude levels, adding nuance to dynamic patterns. This combination of random generation and manual fine-tuning supports both intuitive experimentation and deliberate engineering of percussive elements.
Practical Applications
RANDOM Metal excels at creating basic percussion elements, but it truly shines in unconventional contexts. Producers can use it to design custom drum hits that sit well in electronic music, hip-hop, or experimental genres. Its ability to generate odd percussive sounds makes it suitable for sound effects, transitions, and rhythmic accents that stand out from standard drum libraries.
The collaboration with Phazz and Herrmutt Lobby shaped its character, likening the development process to crafting an album of engine prototypes. The result is an instrument that blends familiar percussion with the unexpected, inspiring new styles. Ideal for producers seeking to infuse their tracks with distinctive, chaotic textures, it offers a path to discover sounds that set music apart.
Key features
- Dozens of percussive matter types including metallic cymbals, shakers, hi-hats, and odd sounds
- Randomization with adjustable deviance for subtle or dramatic changes
- Expressive XY pad with engine-specific dynamic parameters
- Dual modes: twelve trigger pads or chromatic note playing
- Individual pad parameters for impact, decay, curve, gain, pitch, FX, and more
- Separate loud and quiet knobs to sculpt frequency amplitude
- Dual dry/wet FX mix and pan/stereo controls
Best for
RANDOM Metal is best for electronic music producers, sound designers, and experimental artists who want to move beyond samples. Its randomization and XY pad support rapid idea generation and live manipulation. It suits creating custom drum hits, rhythmic textures, and unconventional percussive elements for genres like techno, IDM, hip-hop, and experimental music.