Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which drums to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
VRAC+ by Beatsurfing is a drum instrument that auto-slices any audio and morphs it into kicks, snares, hats and claps across 16 pads with per-pad sound design.
Sampler / XLN Audio
XO by XLN Audio is a drum sampler and beat-making plugin that visually organizes one-shot samples and lets you build and audition drum patterns.
Score verdict
On the Dubspot Score, XO comes out ahead (8.6). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
| Signal | VRAC+ | XO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €149 | — |
| Dubspot Score | 8.1 | 8.6 |
| Formats | VST, VST3, AU, AAX | VST, VST3, AU, AAX, Standalone |
| Type | Sample-based drum instrument with drumification engine | — |
| Pads | 16 (free VRAC: 8) | — |
| Per-pad tools | Warp, Impact, Instability, Tone Shift, Super, 3-band EQ | — |
| Global controls | Tone Shift, low-pass/high-pass Filter, Transpose, Volume | — |
| Slicing | Auto Slicer with sensitivity; add, move, delete and jump to random slice | — |
| Recording | Direct from DAW or live input, up to 2 minutes | — |
| Max sample length | Up to 60 minutes (free VRAC: 60 seconds) | — |
| Velocity targets | Volume, Length and Tone Shift | — |
| Outputs | 8 stereo pairs (free VRAC: 1) | — |
| Export | Drag out a single pad or the whole 16-pad kit as audio | — |
| Sound library | Curated library recorded with a professional foley artist | — |
| macOS requirement | macOS 10.13 or later, Intel or Apple Silicon, 1.16GB free disk | macOS 10.13 or later (64-bit) |
| Windows requirement | Windows 10 or later, 2GHz processor, 1.03GB free disk | Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) |
| Licence | Activates on 3 devices; 14-day refund policy | — |
| Included sounds | — | 8700+ one-shot samples |
| Beat presets | — | 240+ fully editable beat presets |
| Plugin formats | — | 64-bit VST, VST3, AU, AAX, plus standalone application |
| Installation | — | Internet connection required during installation |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.