GrooveGrid
Groovebox|Sample Editor|Sample Librarian
Easy theory. Clean UI. Happy accident machine.
A sketchpad for ideas and a workbench for samples — all in one application. GrooveGrid gives you a theory-aware sequencer, sample machines with per-step control, and a built-in editor for chopping and organizing your recordings. Streamlined interface that plays nice with a trackpad. Open it up in bed, on the couch, on a long flight, or on a break — standalone or as a VST3 plugin inside your DAW.
- Chord-aware sequencing — change the chord, chord tone tracks follow
- Three pitch modes: chromatic, scale-only, or chord tones only
- Per-step sample slot and slice sequencing
- Retriggers across samples, synths, and external MIDI gear
- Probability steps, euclidean rhythms, and cartesian pattern generation
- Polyphonic steps with relative voice offsets — strum with configurable patterns and timing curves
- Host VST3 instruments and effects, plus AU instruments on macOS
- Hardware sampler depth without the tiny screen
The sequencer
Program it. Shape it. Let it evolve.
Click steps on a grid, draw spans for longer notes, and let the theory engine handle harmony. Each scene carries its own tempo, key, and scale — duplicate a scene, change the chord, and your patterns reshape themselves.
- Chord degrees set per scene or automated per step — harmony at any resolution
- Per-step automation — velocity, pitch, slot, slice, MIDI CCs, and more
- Clock multipliers/dividers for polymetric and polyrhythmic patterns
- Polyphonic steps with relative voice offsets
- Strum steps with timing shaped by an editable envelope
- Note-level retriggers — works with samples, synths, and external MIDI
The sound engines
Seven machines. One grid.
Pick the engine that fits — sample playback, synthesis, your own plugins, or skip internal audio and drive external gear over MIDI.
- Oneshot and loop sample machines with time-stretching
- Granular synthesis — up to 64 simultaneous grains
- Palimpsest tape-loop layering with destructive resampling
- Plaits macro-oscillator: analog, FM, wavetable, physical modeling, drums, speech
- VST3 instrument hosting with native editor, plus Audio Units on macOS
- MIDI-only tracks for external hardware
- Built-in and hosted VST3 effect chains on tracks, groups, and the master
The sample editor
Slice it. Bookmark it. Use it everywhere.
Chop recordings, mark the good parts, and easily create collections and sample packs — all without leaving the app.
- Waveform editor with onset detection and snap-to-transient
- Named, colored bookmarks with per-machine settings
- Bookmarks stored as companion files — they travel with the sample
- Searchable library with tags, collections, and full-text search
- Export sample packs at original quality — with or without warping or resampling
GrooveGrid uses DSP code from Mutable Instruments by Emilie Gillet, licensed under MIT. Time stretching powered by SoundTouch (LGPL 2.1).