Percossa II: Free Chaotic Drum Machine VST3

Percossa II is a free Windows drum instrument from Creature From The Black that applies chaotic dynamical systems to percussion synthesis. Each of its four voices can access 36 chaotic systems, turning mathematical trajectories into kicks, snares, hats, percussion and less classifiable impacts.

Unlike a sample player, Percossa II generates its sounds. That makes it useful for producers who want electronic drums with movement and variation rather than another folder of fixed one-shots.

What Is Percossa II?

Percossa II is a four-voice percussion synthesizer. Rather than relying on traditional analog drum models alone, it uses chaotic attractors as the core excitation source. Each voice can therefore produce both recognizable drum roles and more experimental transients.

The instrument runs its internal synthesis at a high sample rate of 192 kHz, giving the non-linear and chaotic processes more room before the signal returns to the host project rate.

Four Independent Percussion Voices

The four voices are arranged around practical drum roles, but they are not locked into conventional sounds. A kick voice can move from compact electronic thumps to noisy low-frequency events; hats can become metallic clouds; percussion can drift into glitch and industrial territory.

Separate outputs are especially valuable in a DAW. Kick, snare, hi-hat and percussion channels can each be routed to their own mixer track for compression, EQ, saturation or external effects.

Chaos, Morph and Wild

Chaos-related controls define how strongly the underlying dynamical system departs from predictable behaviour. Morphing can move between states, while the more extreme settings encourage unstable transients and unexpected spectra.

This is where Percossa II differs from a standard synthesized drum machine. Rather than randomizing samples, it changes the process that creates the sound.

Transient, Filter and Drive Controls

Once a chaotic source is generated, familiar production controls help shape it into something usable. Transient processing adjusts punch, filters remove unwanted regions, and wavefolding or drive can increase density and aggression.

Velocity response means the instrument can react dynamically to MIDI performance. That makes programmed patterns less static, particularly when combined with subtle chaos settings.

Room Reverb and Stereo Movement

Independent room-style ambience can give each percussion element a sense of space without needing an external send. Stereo movement adds another dimension for hats and percussion while the main kick can remain focused.

Random Kit Generator

The random kit generator is useful as a starting point rather than merely a novelty. Because the sounds are synthesized, randomization explores parameter space instead of choosing from a fixed library. Save interesting results, then refine pitch, transient and processing controls to fit the track.

Best Genres and Uses

Percossa II fits experimental techno, IDM, industrial, glitch, electro, dark ambient and cinematic percussion particularly well. It can also provide unusual layers underneath more conventional drum samples. Blend a synthesized Percossa transient with a familiar kick or snare to add movement without sacrificing the anchor of the groove.

Video Demo

The official Creature From The Black demonstration below shows Percossa and its attractor-based drum synthesis in action.

Compatibility

How to Download Percossa II

1. Open the official Ko-fi product page.
2. Choose your contribution amount.
3. Download the Windows package.
4. Install the VST3 and rescan your DAW.
5. Enable multiple outputs in your DAW if you want separate mixer channels.

Final Verdict

Percossa II is a distinctive free drum synthesizer because its identity comes from chaotic systems rather than a familiar analog circuit model. The four-output layout, random kits and production controls make the concept practical enough for real tracks.

It is equally useful as a main electronic kit or as a generator of strange one-shots for resampling.