Wave Alchemy launched Triaz in 2022 as a drum machine for NI Kontakt. In our review, we praised the instrument's flexible sequencer and extensive sound library, calling it a "smooth and scaleable drum machine to boost your track-building".
This week, Wave Alchemy have redesigned Triaz from the ground up and relaunched the drum machine as a VST3/AU/AAX plugin for Windows and macOS. Though the interface shares similarities with its predecessor, we're told that the new version of Triaz has been built from scratch over two years of development, with an array of new features, effects, sounds and improvements to its workflow.
Arriving bundled with 15,000 drum samples and 700 presets covering acoustic drums, electronic drums and percussion, along with foley and experimental sounds, (that's 5,000 more than its little brother) Triaz comes with a vast array of sonic potential out of the box. You're also able to import and organize your own samples in Triaz, of course, and the plugin offers layering of up to three drum samples on each of its 12 channels.
The plugin's equipped with a powerful sequencer that's capable of crafting complex and evolving patterns through polyrhythmic and probabilistic sequencing, along with independent playback rate, swing, and step length per lane and advanced 'slop' controls to add humanization. There's a dedicated pitch sequencer for creating melodic patterns and a new motion sequencer that can be used to sequence any of the plugins' sound design parameters, which can also be modulated using the onboard LFOs.
Triaz has been kitted out with a considerable range of effects; alongside multi-mode filters for each channel, we've got two reverbs (an algorithmic and a convolution reverb with over 300 impulse responses), a stereo delay, a bitcrusher and saturator modelled on the classic E-mu SP-1200 drum machine, and a mastering section with an analogue-modelled bus compressor, transient shaper, OTT-style multi-band exciter and a four-band mid/side EQ.
There's a strong focus on randomization in Triaz; you're able to instantly generate new kits and patterns with the click of a button and randomize parameters such as volume, tuning, start position, panning and filter cutoff.
Triaz is available now for an introductory price of £79.
Find out more on Wave Alchemy's website or watch a video walkthrough below.
