WELCOME TO RETROBEAT

THE SAMPLED SOUNDS OF YESTERDAY

VIDEO DEMOS
VST Instruments
Drum Sample Packs
Using The Samples & VSTs
Useful Downloads
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VST Instruments

RetroBeat has a large virtual instrument library of classic Drum Machines, Synths, Samplers and Artists. And as always, it is the primary aim of RetroBeat to keep them at incredibly affordable prices... always.

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Drum Sample Packs

RetroBeat has had the privilege of owning and borrowing many classic drum machines to sample and compile into quality sample packs. We also have friends all over the world who help us out with sampling their gear to add to our large drum pack library.

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FREE Stuff

RetroBeat has some free drum sample packs and VST instruments for you to test out and try in your DAWs. We update the free VSTs with our latest software updates to ensure that you can test the instruments in your chosen audio software. 

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Keep Up To Date

Click on the image above to see the latest news on products and compatibility updates.

VSTs in action...

Many artists around the world make good use of the VST instruments from RetroBeat.
Here we have a superb remix by John von Ahlen making good use of the Blue Monday & Nineteen80 VSTs...

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What, Where & Why...

RetroBeat began with a guy called Steve whose passion for 70s/80s/90s music inspired many musical productions and collaborations. After a while of producing and struggling to find that ‘exact’ sound from a certain song, Steve began to sound design, sample and recreate the sounds/drums for his own productions and remixes, but instead of keeping them locked away for himself, he decided to start to share them with the world. First of all it was the drum sample packs, then VST instruments were added.

There were a couple of other guys helping out with obtaining full sample sets from synths, samplers and drum machines, but they ended up busy with other avenues of work so it is now all produced by Steve.

Luckily, Steve very much enjoys recreating classic tracks and producing the sample packs and VSTs. The prices are kept extremely low for the amount of work that’s involved in compiling and creating a VST instrument. It took 8 months to create the ‘West End Girls’ VST instrument and it is only £8.99, but it delivers what the music lovers and producers of the same taste want. All Steve asks is that you don’t illegally share, modify or distribute. Simply enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please read the FAQs below first if you have a question as the answer is usually here. If it isn't, please get in touch.

  • Q. I use Pro Tools, why isn't the VST showing up? - A. The main VST types that Pro Tools recognises are AAX & RTAS. If you want to use VST or Audio Units, you will need Blue Cat Patchwork, or check out MetaPlugin to be able to use them within the DAW.
  • Q. Where is my serial number? - A. A serial number is generated and is inside the folder after you extract the compressed downloaded file. It is a text file called 'Your Serial'.
  • Q. The downloaded file is one big file, what do I do with it? - A. Your VST or Sample Pack is zipped up using either WinRAR or WinZip. If you don't have a file extractor on your computer, there are many free versions for you to use online. I have put two free versions on the website here.
  • Q. Do I get free upgrades? - A. You get free UPDATES but not free UPGRADES. An update is any repair or bug fixes. An upgrade is where the GUI gets a complete overhaul or more sounds have been added. This is one of the ways I can keep the prices so low.
  • Q. When I double click on my downloaded file, it's just a load of garbled text! - A. The RAR or ZIP file is not associated with an extraction program on your computer, so it is being opened in notepad or something similar. Download and install an extractor using the link in the previous question above. When you load it on it will associate the file with the extractor software.
  • Q. I haven't received any download link!! - A. Make sure that the email address connected to your PayPal account is the same as the one you are using for your emails. The download link gets sent immediately to the email address in your PayPal account.
  • Q. I'm using Logic and I can't see any Mac options to buy?! - A. Please see the 'News. page for up to date information for Mac users.
  • Q. I've put in my serial number but when I start the VST it says 'no sounds found?!' - A. When you copy and paste your serial number into the box, make sure that there isn't a space at the end of the number or the VST won't work. Just copy and paste the serial number only.
  • Q. The drum loops are not matching my project tempo. - A. Remember, these VST instruments are sample based, so you need to match your project tempo manually to the loops that you are using. There will be a Loop Tempo Chart with any VST that has drum loops to give you the exact tempo for each loop.
  • Q. If I change from Mac to PC or vice-versa, do I get the different platform version for free? - A. One of the ways that I can keep the prices so low is to charge for each platform/bit version. Other VST developers may give you cross platform installation but they are normally 5 or more times the price. Most users though will never need a different platform version. 
  • Q. Where do you get the MIDI Files from that you use in your demos? - A. I get asked this a lot, and the simple answer is that I never use pre-recorded MIDI files. I create the demo from scratch either using the sheet music or by ear if I can't obtain the sheet music. This way I can get the demo sounding as accurate as possible. I do sometimes export my MIDI information to a MIDI file and include them with the VSTs.
  • Q. Do you own every synthesizer & drum machine in your library? - A. I would love to have the space and money to own every single piece of gear that I've sampled! I do own some of them, but many are sampled when I get to use the instrument for 24 hours and other instruments are either posted to me to turn into VSTs or they are sampled by the owner and the samples are then sent to me.
  • Q. Why are the VST instruments so cheap? - A. I started RetroBeat to basically share my extensive library collection of drum machines and synthesizers. The minimal cost basically pays for the hosting of the files and the huge amount of time spent creating them. You always get quality sampling in every VST and sample pack. If it's suitable for me to use in my own productions, then it's good enough to go on the website!
  • Q. Why are some synthesizer VSTs in multiple volumes and not one big VST? - A. Once I've sampled a synthesizer completely, the sample file size can be enormous, and it is way too big for a single VST. Your DAW will struggle to open more than one instance of the VST as it takes too much memory. This is why I split the synth into multiple volumes.
  • Q. How many people run RetroBeat? - A. RetroBeat started with 3 of us sampling gear across the UK. It is now just myself! I manage the website, sample the instruments, and create the VSTs and demos. It's a lot of work, but I enjoy it!
  • Q. How many downloads do I get? - A. We give you 3 downloads just in case you lose your software for whatever reason. So please back up your software just in case of a hard disk failure etc.

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