A groove instrument for your DAW

Make drums that move.

Give every pad its own pocket. Gruuvr is a standalone MIDI performance app for macOS that lets you play, shape and perform timing, velocity, repeats, patterns and fills—all locked to your DAW.

Download for Mac Licence key required for MIDI Purchase available soon Gruuvr Full · coming soon See how it works

Built by a Radio 1-played producer. Proven in real releases, worldwide touring productions and VR.

macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon · MIDI Clock sync

Gruuvr application window showing the pad performance surface

Music made with Gruuvr has travelled

Created with independent producers, then broadcast, released, performed and featured across real projects.

BBC RADIO 1

Music produced using Gruuvr has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1.

LOWAVE RECORDS

Used across Lowave Records productions released to a worldwide audience of more than 9 million.

DANANDPHILBEATS

Used to create music for DanAndPhilBEATS and the Terrible Influence worldwide touring production.

DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

Music created using Gruuvr features in the Dance! Dance! Dance! VR experience.

All names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. References describe where music made using Gruuvr has appeared and do not imply endorsement of Gruuvr or Kinkajou Audio.

Your drums are in time. So why don’t they feel right?

DAWs are brilliant at putting notes exactly where you tell them. But the music that moves us rarely lives perfectly on the grid.

Gruuvr puts timing, velocity and repetition under your fingers, helping you find the pocket while you play—not after the idea has disappeared into an edit window.

From input to pocket

Play it. Shape it. Perform it.

Play

Trigger Gruuvr from a compatible MIDI controller, its 16-pad surface or keyboard mode.

Shape

Give every sound its own timing, velocity, repeats and behaviour. Blend groove variations without stopping the performance.

Perform

Trigger patterns, fills and linked sequences while Gruuvr follows your DAW’s tempo.

Performance surface

Built for playing, not programming

Every pad has its own pocket

Push a snare behind the beat, tighten the kick, loosen the hats and shape velocity independently—without forcing the entire kit into one groove.

Gruuvr pad inspector showing per-pad timing and velocity controls

Patterns you can perform

Move between note repeat, patterns, fills and linked pads in real time. Gruuvr is made for discovering ideas through playing.

Gruuvr pad grid and performance controls

Locked to your session

Follow your DAW tempo through MIDI Clock and keep repeats, patterns and fills moving with the music.

Gruuvr interface ready for tempo-synced performance

More than a drum pad

Switch between pad and keyboard performance, build melodic patterns and control separate MIDI destinations from one focused instrument.

Gruuvr full interface with pad and keyboard performance surfaces

Selected Gruuvr credits / 01–04

Built in real projects. Proven in the wild.

DANANDPHILBEATS

Created for a 70+ performance world tour

Gruuvr was used to create music for DanAndPhilBEATS, including music for the Terrible Influence worldwide touring production.

EUROPE · NORTH AMERICA · AUSTRALIA · NEW ZEALAND · UK & IRELAND

BBC RADIO 1

Broadcast on BBC Radio 1

Music created by Gruuvr’s founder using Gruuvr was later played on BBC Radio 1.

LOWAVE RECORDS

Released worldwide

Used across Lowave Records productions reaching an audience of more than 9 million worldwide.

DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

Featured in VR

Music created using Gruuvr appears in Dance! Dance! Dance!, an immersive dance experience available for Meta Quest.

What producers say

“Love it! It’s in every project I use.”

Warren Hudson Producer whose work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1

“Such a refreshing tool to battle stale, stagnant drums.”

Dan Stephens Producer & DJ

Built from the inside of a real workflow

Built by a producer because nothing else worked this way.

Gruuvr was created by Ben Johnson, founder of Kinkajou Audio and the producer known as PCTURE.

A classically trained pianist, developer and co-founder of Lowave Records, Ben has helped oversee the production and release of more than 1,000 tracks. His music has been heard on BBC Radio 1, created for worldwide touring productions and featured in a VR dance title.

Gruuvr grew out of that daily production work: a need for drums and MIDI performances that could feel human quickly, without drawing every detail into a piano roll.

Before you plug in

Is Gruuvr a VST?

No. Gruuvr is a standalone MIDI performance app. It runs alongside your DAW and sends MIDI into your instruments.

Does Gruuvr make sound?

Gruuvr generates and transforms MIDI rather than audio. Route it into a drum rack, sampler, synth or other MIDI instrument in your DAW.

Which DAWs can I use?

Gruuvr is designed for DAWs that can receive MIDI from another application and send MIDI Clock. Routing details vary between DAWs.

Do I need a MIDI controller?

A controller provides the most expressive way to play Gruuvr, but you can also explore and operate the interface directly.

Which Macs are supported?

Gruuvr currently supports Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 14 or later.

Is there a Windows version?

Not yet. The initial release is for Apple Silicon Macs.

Is Gruuvr a replacement for my drum sampler?

No. Gruuvr controls the instruments you already use, adding performance, timing, velocity, patterns and groove before the MIDI reaches them.

How does activation work?

Gruuvr opens without a licence so you can explore the interface. MIDI output unlocks after activation with your email address and licence key.

Stop fixing the groove after you play it.

Put timing, movement and feel under your fingers with Gruuvr.

Download for Mac Licence key required for MIDI Purchase available soon Gruuvr Full · coming soon Installation guide

Apple Silicon · macOS 14+ · Standalone MIDI app · Licence required for MIDI output