Dillon Bastan Beast Repeat is a new free M4L device that supercharges the classic Ableton Beat Repeat with creative features.
The built-in Beat Repeater in Ableton Live is a classic device. You can use the FX to quickly experiment with ratchets, generate randomized fills, and also apply it to other signals like vocals.
The original repeater hasn’t received an update from Ableton yet. This task is now being handled by another developer. Dillon Bastan, best known for wild, original M4L devices, has just released the Beast Repeat, a beat repeater that makes you forget the original.
Dillon Bastan Beast Repeat
Beast Repeat is a new beat repeater device for Ableton Live on steroids. Dillon Bastan describes it as a remake or expansion of Ableton’s classic Beat Repeat device.
The new device features all the classic Ableton Beat Repeat features but also goes beyond, offering plenty of new ways to create repeats. It has four sections: repeat trigger, playback, effects, and a fourth with various other functions.
Repeat Trigger lets you customize how the repeats are triggered. Either with chance, with adjustable interval, chance and length, or with the repeat button that forces a repeat.
With the new variation knob, you can bring variations to the intervals, so more unpredictability. Dillon Bastan also added new selectable variation modes, giving the knob different behaviors.
Then, the playback engine offers the same features as the original device, like grid control (repeat length), plus some neat extras like new playback directions (backward or random) and the new variation modes.
While the Ableton Beat Repeat offers decay in pitch and volume, Dillon Bastan’s device offers decay across far more parameters. In this context, decay means that over repeated trials, its value decreases.
Nice, here it not only goes downwards but also upwards. With the new step (repeat) decay function, you can even set the moment at which the decay occurs. Plus, there is a new spray option to randomly change every repeat setting.
A Beat Repeat Station
The new width parameter gates the audio per repeat, depending on its setting. It also has a dedicated decay function. There are also new fade-in and fade-out parameters that are related to the width parameter. This allows you to create fade-in/out behaviors for each repeat.
Dillon Bastan also added the ability to pitch up the playback to Beast Repeat. A function not possible in the original Ableton device. An FFT and overlap mode let you maintain the same speed (Lo-fi) as well as the classic repitch speed mode.
Speed stretching is also available via the new stretch parameter with Lo-Fi granular or phase vocoder (FFT) stretch option. It also includes stepped decay and per-repeat envelope options.
On the second UI page, you can find five new effects: sample redux (crush), panning, 3-mode filter, formant and overdrive. These also have the stepped decay and spray options, which introduce sound shaping in the beat repeats.
So the beat repeats, not only changing its form but also acquiring a different character over time. Another wild new feature is the boomerang option for all stepped decay parameters. Once set, they boomerang back according to a fixed triangular distribution. The timing can be customized or match the gate.
Furthermore, there is a new snapshots system with eight slots that can be programmed with parameter settings. You can manually go through these states or automate them. A variation function is also onboard.
First Impression
The original Beat Repeat is a super creative tool used by many Ableton Live producers. Dillon Bastan’s version takes it to a new level, making it even more creative and experimental. A must-have for all Beat Repeat fans!
Dillon Bastan Beast Repeat is available now as a free download. It works with Ableton Live 10 (Suite or Standard + M4L license) or later.
More information here: Dillon Bastan
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