AFK Audio Drumbeam

AFK Audio’s Drumbeam is a percussion pad with a difference.

MIDI percussion pads come in a whole range of shapes and sizes... except they don’t, really! Almost all follow the tried and trusted layout of nine or more square pads, in a grid format, with a central LCD screen and a selection of rear‑panel connections. That’s why your first sight of the Drumbeam, from German start‑up company AFK Audio, is genuinely a surprise.

At around 21 inches in length and one inch square, this unusual‑looking multi‑touch MIDI controller is designed to be played primarily with drumsticks and can be configured with up to 12 individual zones along its length. Each zone, when struck, can either send out MIDI notes or Continuous Controller messages. Bucking the trend is often commendable, but are looks deceptive — is this really something new, innovative and, most importantly, usable?

Beam Me Up

The Drumbeam is constructed from milled aluminium, giving it a professional, weighty feel that belies its compact form. The top ‘striking’ surface is covered with a thick silicon pad, and a series of 72 individual LEDs run the length of the unit on both the back and front, indicating the individual playing zones.

The underside of the device features an integrated mounting bracket that, along with the included multi‑mount adaptor, enables you to attach the Drumbeam to a standard M8 threaded cymbal stand or clamp. To the left of the mounting bracket are the connections to the outside world: a USB‑C socket that provides both power and MIDI connectivity to your computer, and two 3.5mm TRS sockets. By way of the included TRS‑to‑MIDI cable, they offer a standard five‑pin MIDI in/out connection. A further 3.5mm jack socket provides a trigger input that can be connected to an external drum pad or trigger.

To the right of the mounting bracket are two raised buttons that enable you to scroll back and forth through the eight presets that can be stored in the Drumbeam itself.

Make Light Work

When you first power up the Drumbeam, the LED strips spark into life with a colourful rainbow animation, before settling to display a default preset, in this case three distinct yellow zones, each separated by two blank LEDs.

Each Drumbeam preset can be configured with up to 12 individual zones along its length, each with its own LED colour. As I mentioned, each zone can send out MIDI notes and Continuous Controller messages. The unique and somewhat minimalist form factor of the Drumbeam precludes the inclusion of a display so any configuration is done within the Drumbeam app. Let’s dive in.

Although the Drumbeam connects to a Mac or PC via USB‑C for its MIDI connectivity (and power), it utilises a built‑in Wi‑Fi connection to communicate with its...