Boom

User Guide

Manual Version 1.0

 Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................................. 3
System Requirements & Product Support ......................................................................................... 3
Installation ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Troubleshooting................................................................................................................................. 4
Operation .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Adjusting the Controls .......................................................................................................................... 6
Matrix Display .................................................................................................................................... 7
Instrument Section ............................................................................................................................ 8
Global Controls.................................................................................................................................. 9
Transport Controls............................................................................................................................. 9
Kit Selector ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Speed Switches............................................................................................................................... 11
Edit Mode Switch ............................................................................................................................ 11
Event Bar ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Info Display and Setup Button ........................................................................................................ 12
Creating a Drum Pattern .................................................................................................................... 13
Saving a Preset ................................................................................................................................... 14
Playing with Patterns .......................................................................................................................... 14
Controlling Boom with MIDI ............................................................................................................... 16
Playing Patterns Using MIDI ............................................................................................................ 17
Pattern Chains ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Setup Page .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Sync Mode ...................................................................................................................................... 19
Pattern Chaining On/Off .................................................................................................................. 19
MIDI Assignments ........................................................................................................................... 19
Trademarks & Licenses ........................................................................................................................... 20

2
Introduction

Boom is a virtual drum machine featuring a broad range of electronic percussion sounds, paired with a
simple, drum-machine-style pattern sequencer. Originally part of the AIR Creative Collection, Boom is
now available as a VST/AU plugin.
Drum patterns can be created from scratch, or adapted from one of the included preset patterns.
Patterns can be triggered and switched in real time with the mouse or using MIDI data, facilitating the
rapid creation of evolving drum patterns.
Boom comes with 10 drum kits inspired by classic electronic drum machines. Each individual sound in a
kit can have its volume, pan, pitch, and decay manipulated and automated in real time.
Sounds can be shaped to fit the needs of your production, and even given further animation over time
using automation.
Each pattern is one bar long, with sixteen 16th-note steps. Up to 16 patterns, along with kit and control
settings, can be saved with each Preset.

System Requirements & Product Support

For complete system requirements, compatibility information, and product registration, visit the AIR
website: airmusictech.com.
For additional support, visit airmusictech.com/support.

Installation

® ®
1. Double-click the .exe (Windows ) or .pkg (macOS ) installer file you downloaded.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions. If the authorization dialog box did not automatically appear when
opening Boom in your digital audio workstation (DAW), please see the following Troubleshooting
section.
Note: Use the iLok License Manager to authorize your installation of Boom.

3
Troubleshooting

In some cases, the authorization dialog box may not automatically appear when you open Boom in your
digital audio workstation (DAW). This can especially happen if you cancel the authorization procedure
before completing it, causing your DAW not to recognize Boom.
Please try the following solutions for your DAW and operating system.

To authorize Boom without opening your DAW:

macOS users: Go to /Applications/AIR Music Technology/Boom/ on your computer, and open

Boom Authorizer.app to start the activation process.

To make your DAW rescan Boom the next time you open it (which will also open the authorization dialog
box), follow the instructions below for your DAW:

Ableton Live™
1. Open Live.
2. Windows users: Click the Options menu, select Preferences, and click the File/Folder tab.
macOS users: Click the Live menu, select Preferences, and click the File/Folder tab.
3. Under Plug-In Sources, click Browse next to VST Plugin Custom Folder, and make sure
Boom.vst or Boom.dll is in that folder.
4. Set Use VST Plug-Ins Custom Folder to Off, and then set it to On again. (This forces Live to
rescan all plug-ins, including those disabled in a previous scan, which is different from just clicking
Rescan Plug-Ins.)
5. Close the Preferences window.

4
 ® ®
Apple Logic Pro X
1. Close Logic Pro X.
2. Go to ~/Library/Caches/AudioUnitCache/ and delete the file named com.apple.audiounits.cache.
3. Open Logic Pro X.

Steinberg™ Cubase™ or Nuendo™

1. Close Cubase or Nuendo.
2. Windows 7 or Windows 8 users: Go to \Users\[your user name]\AppDataRoaming\
Steinberg\[Nuendo or Cubase] and delete the file named Vst2xBlacklist.xml.
macOS users: Go to ~/Library/Preferences/[Nuendo or Cubase] and delete the file named
Vst2xBlacklist.xml.
3. Open Cubase or Nuendo.

5
Operation

The intuitive control layout for Boom lets you quickly get a feel for various sections within the interface.
Within no time, you'll be well on your way to creating fresh and exciting new drum parts.

Adjusting the Controls

Pattern
copy/
clear

Matrix
display Instrument
section
Global
controls
Kit
selector

Transport Edit Mode Event bar

controls switch
Speed Preset Setup
switches save/load button

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Matrix Display

The Matrix display provides a visual overview of the

current pattern in Boom’s sequencer, and is a
quick way to keep track of the pattern’s rhythm and
velocity, as well as what step Boom is playing at
any given time.

Each horizontal row corresponds with one of

Boom’s 10 instrument channels, and each vertical
column represents one of the 16 rhythmic steps
that make up a pattern.

When an LED in the grid is dark, no note is

sequenced to play the indicated instrument on that
step.

When an LED in the grid is lit red, the corresponding instrument is sequenced to play at that step. The
brighter the LED is lit, the higher that step’s velocity has been set.

You can click each LED directly to add or remove a note on that step. When a dark LED is first clicked,
that step is set to play at high velocity. Clicking it a 2nd or 3rd time will cycle that step through two levels
of lowered velocity, reducing that step’s volume. Clicking the LED again will silence that step, and turn
off its light. Right-clicking an LED will toggle its on-off state, preserving the current velocity setting.

The Pattern display above the Matrix shows which of the 16 patterns in the current preset is being
shown in the Matrix display.

The Copy and Clear buttons above the Matrix are used to copy or erase patterns when in Pattern Select
mode.

For more information on using the Copy and Clear buttons, see Creating a Drum Pattern and Playing
with Patterns.

7
Instrument Section

Each of Boom’s 10 instruments has a set of controls that set its pan position, volume level, tuning
(pitch), and decay (length).

• Pan: Sets the current instrument’s pan position

in the stereo field. Pan position

• Level: Sets the current instrument’s volume.

Volume level
• Tuning: Sets the current instrument’s pitch.

• Decay: Sets the current instrument’s length.

Tuning (pitch)
• S: Solos the selected instrument, letting it play
while temporarily silencing the other
instruments. More than one instrument can be Decay (length)
soloed at a time.
M (mute)
• M: Mutes the selected instrument, silencing it S (solo)
until the M button is pressed again. Adjuster
Sample selector
• Adjuster: Calibrates the sound of the current
instrument in varying ways. Instrument name

• Sample Selector: Sets the current instrument’s

Three instrument strips
sample (10 samples available for each
instrument).

8
Global Controls

The Global Controls affect all instruments at once.

• Shuffle: Adds a variable amount of rhythmic swing to the

currently playing pattern.

• Volume: Controls the plug-in’s overall output volume.

• Dynamics: Scales the difference in volume between the

pattern sequencer’s three possible Velocity levels.

Transport Controls

• Start and Stop: These controls start and stop Boom’s pattern sequencer. When
your DAW's transport is stopped, Boom’s sequencer can play and stop freely.
When your DAW is playing, pressing Play on Boom’s transport causes Boom to
play in sync with your DAW.

9
Kit Selector

The Kit Selector menu gives you access to the 10

preset drum kits in Boom.

The available kits are as follows:

Name Description

Urban 1 R&B-style sounds: Fat kicks, cracking snares.

Urban 2 Variations of the above.

Dance 1 Classic club-style drums: Fat, electronic, and punchy.

Dance 2 As above, but more organic, loopy and percussive.

Electro Electronic, noisy, distorted sounds.

Eight-O A classic analog drum machine kit.

Nine-O A classic analog/digital drum machine kit.

Fat-8 A more processed version of Eight-0. Aggressive and compressed, with a lot of impact.

Fat-9 A more processed version of Nine-0. Fatter and crunchier.

Retro Classic array of analog drum machine sounds.

10
Speed Switches

The Speed switches change Boom’s rhythmic relationship with the current tempo
set in your DAW.

The switch on the left has three modes. In X1 mode, Boom’s sequencer plays at
the same tempo as the master tempo in your DAW. In X2 mode, Boom plays
twice as fast. In X1/2 mode, Boom plays half as fast.

The switch on the right enables Triplet mode. In Triplet mode, Boom plays only the first 12 steps in the
sequence. The last 4 steps turn grey, indicating that they will not be played.

The 12 steps play in the same amount of time Boom would normally play all 16, for the creation of triplet
grooves.

Trying different combinations of Speed switch settings on-the-fly can create interesting rhythmic
variations.

Edit Mode Switch

The Edit Mode switch lets you select whether to edit the current pattern, or
choose between the 16 available patterns in the current preset.

• Pat Edit: Lets you create and edit drum patterns.

• Pat Sel: Lets you switch between the patterns in the current preset.

Note: Patterns can be selected using MIDI notes at any time, regardless of Edit Mode switch position.

11
Event Bar

The Event Bar is where most of the work of creating and playing patterns in Boom is done.

In Pattern Edit mode, the sixteen numbered Event Switches that make up the Event Bar each
correspond with a 16th note step in the current pattern. The rhythm of the currently selected instrument
is shown. By default, in an empty pattern, all of the Event switches will be dark, indicating that the
selected instrument will not play on any of the 16 steps.

When an Event switch is selected, it lights to show that the selected instrument will play at that step in
the pattern.

Clicking (or triggering via MIDI or a control surface) a step’s switch a 2nd or 3rd time will cycle it through
two levels of lowered velocity, reducing that step’s volume. Clicking the switch again will silence that
step, and turn off its light.

Right-clicking an Event switch will toggle its on-off state, preserving the current velocity setting.

In Pattern Select mode, the Event switches choose between the 16 patterns in the current preset.

Info Display and Setup Button

At the bottom of the window is an information

display that shows the setting of the currently
selected control.

To the right of the Info display is the Setup button, which opens the Setup page, which offers control of
Boom’s synchronization behavior and of the Pattern Chain function.

12
Creating a Drum Pattern

This section will get you started on the process of creating beats with Boom. First, you’ll need an empty
pattern to edit.

To clear a pattern:
1. Set the Edit Mode Switch to Pattern Select mode.
2. Click one of the Event switches to select the pattern you want to clear. For now, click the Event
switch marked 1.
3. Click the Clear button above the Matrix display. All notes in the selected pattern will be cleared.

To create a new pattern:

1. Set the Edit Mode Switch to Pattern Edit mode.
2. Press Play on Boom’s transport.
3. In the Instrument Section, find the first instrument whose pattern you want to edit, and click its
Instrument Name area. The selected Instrument Strip’s background color will become highlighted,
indicating that it is selected.
4. In the Event Bar, try out various rhythms by toggling the Event switches on and off.
5. When you have a satisfying rhythm created for your first instrument (such as Bass Drum), select the
next instrument you want to add to the pattern (such as Snare Drum), and repeat the above
process.
6. Continue adding parts until you’re satisfied with the pattern.

13
Saving a Preset

Boom, like all DAW plug-ins, can save its settings, (in this case, your
drum patterns and instrument settings) as plug-in settings files (.tfx), or
presets.

To save the pattern you’ve created, click the "Save" button to the right of the Info Display, choose a
name for your preset, and click "Save".

Playing with Patterns

Now that you’ve started creating patterns, let’s take a look at how to switch between and create
variations of them.

To switch between patterns on-the-fly:

1. Press Play on Boom’s transport.
2. Set the Edit Mode Switch to Pattern Select mode.
3. Click the Event switch marked 2. A different pattern will start to play, and its notes will appear in the
Matrix display.
4. Press Event switch 1, and you’ll see and hear your original pattern return. Make a copy of it, so that
you can create a variation of the pattern.

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To copy a pattern:
1. Click the Copy button above the Matrix display. Event switch 1 lights up red, and Event switches
2–16 blink, indicating that they are available to receive a copy of the selected pattern.
2. Click Event switch 2. The Event Bar returns to its normal state, and pattern 1 will be copied to
pattern 2.
3. If you decide before doing so that you don’t want to copy the pattern after all, just press any other
button or move any other control besides the Event switches, and the Copy action will be
cancelled.
4. Press Event switch 2, then set the Edit Mode Switch back to Pattern Edit mode. You’ll see that
you now have an identical copy of pattern 1 to work with. Make a simple edit to the pattern, by
adding a rhythmic fill.

To create a simple fill:

1. Select Snare Drum, and toggle Event switches 13–16 to on. This
will give you a simple 4-note snare roll at the end of the pattern.
2. Try switching between patterns 1 and 2 to hear the new pattern
and the fill you’ve added.

15
Controlling Boom with MIDI

Boom becomes much more powerful when controlled using MIDI. Boom responds to two main ranges of
MIDI notes. The first set of notes lets you play and sequence Boom’s sounds directly like any other
software instrument. The second set lets you switch between and create sequences of Boom’s patterns.
• C1–D#2: Plays each of the instruments in the current drum kit. Used primarily when using MIDI or
instrument tracks to control Boom, rather than Boom’s built-in pattern sequencer. These mappings
closely match the General MIDI standard, for ease of use with pre-existing MIDI sequences.

Name Description Name Description

C1 Kick G#1 Clsd Hat
C#1 Rim A1 Hi Tom
D1 Snare A#1 Open Hat
D#1 Clap B1 Hi Tom
E1 Snare C2 Hi Tom
F1 Lo Tom C#2 Crash
F#1 Clsd Hat D2 Hi Tom
G1 Lo Tom D#2 Ride

• C3–D#4: Each note triggers one of the 16 patterns in the current preset, switching between them
on the fly.

Note: Please see your DAW's documentation for details on how to assign MIDI controllers to Boom’s
control parameters.

16
Playing Patterns Using MIDI

Much like you can switch between patterns by clicking on various Event switches, you can play and
switch between patterns using MIDI data.

This lets you create interactive changes in your beat over time, and record the MIDI data so that the
same sequence can be played back and edited once it’s been recorded.

To play patterns using a MIDI controller:

1. Record-enable the Instrument track on which Boom is inserted.
2. Use the octave switches on your MIDI controller to make sure you have access to MIDI notes C3–
C4. You may need to play a number of notes to find the right range, but once you have, you’ll
notice that Boom plays a pattern each time you play a note.
3. If you press and hold a note, the corresponding pattern plays until you release the note.
4. If you play legato within that range while holding down the first note, Boom switches patterns,
starting the new pattern at the same rhythmic step where the previous pattern left off.
This MIDI data can be recorded and edited using the MIDI sequencer in your DAW, letting you
create complex sequences of drum patterns.
If you do not have a MIDI controller, you can use the Pencil tool in your DAW to create a sequence
of MIDI notes to trigger patterns over time.

Note: Please see your DAW's documentation for instructions on how to use MIDI and instrument tracks
to control instrument plug-ins.

17
Pattern Chains

Pattern Chains let you to create sequences of drum patterns in real time, either with the mouse and
keyboard, or with MIDI notes.

To create a pattern chain with the mouse and keyboard:

1. Press Play on Boom’s transport.
2. Switch Boom into Pattern Select mode.
3. Click the Event switch that corresponds with the pattern you want to start the chain with.
4. Hold Control on the computer keyboard and click the Event switches that correspond with each
pattern you want to add to the chain.
5. Boom will play the patterns you’ve chosen in the order they were added to the chain.
6. To remove a pattern from the chain, hold Control and click its Event switch.
7. To go back to playing patterns individually, click any Event switch without holding down Control.

To create a pattern chain with MIDI notes:

1. Press and hold a MIDI note between C3 and D3 on your MIDI controller, triggering a pattern.
2. Press and hold a second note in that range along with the first. A Pattern Chain will be created, and
Boom will alternate between playing the first pattern you chose, and the second.
3. Press and hold another note, and it will be added to the chain. Boom will play all three patterns in
sequence. If you hold down more notes, their patterns will be added to the chain.
4. If you let go of a note, its pattern will be removed from the chain. If you let go of all but one note,
the chain will stop, and Boom will go back to playing one pattern repeatedly.
This MIDI data can be recorded and edited using the MIDI sequencer in your DAW, letting you more
easily create sequences of drum patterns.
If you do not have a MIDI controller, you can use the Pencil tool in your DAW to create a sequence
of MIDI notes that can trigger Pattern Chains.

Note: Pattern chaining can be turned on and off in the Setup Page. When off, the above keyboard and
MIDI behavior does not occur.

18
Setup Page

Click the Setup button to view the Setup page. It has three parameters you can set that
change Boom’s behavior.

Sync Mode

This sets the way Boom synchronizes with your DAW when patterns are triggered using MIDI notes. The
modes are as follows:
• Beat: Boom starts playing the selected pattern from the step that corresponds with the incoming
MIDI note’s place in the current bar.
• 1/16: Boom starts playing the selected pattern from one of the first five steps in the pattern,
corresponding with the incoming MIDI note’s place in the current quarter-note.
Notes played on the first or third quarter note of the current bar will trigger the current pattern from
step 1. Notes played on the 2nd or 4th quarter note will trigger the pattern from step 5.
• Off: Boom starts playing the selected pattern in sync whenever triggered by a MIDI note, without
synchronizing to your DAW's transport.

Pattern Chaining On/Off

This lets you turn the Pattern Chain function on or off.

MIDI Assignments

Nearly all of Boom's controls can be re-mapped (“MIDI-learned”) to the buttons, knobs, or sliders of your
MIDI controller. This is done by right-clicking the onscreen control and selecting Learn MIDI CC and
then using that control on your MIDI device.
If you have several different MIDI controllers that you wish to use with Boom (for example: a small,
lightweight keyboard for live performance and a large “master” keyboard for studio use), use the Save
and Load buttons to quickly save or load “learned” MIDI mappings for each controller. The Reset button
removes all custom mapping and returns Boom to its default state.

19
Trademarks & Licenses

AIR Music Technology is a trademark of inMusic Brands, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Ableton is a trademark of Ableton AG.
Cubase, VST, and Nuendo are trademarks of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
iLok is a trademark of PACE Anti-Piracy, Inc.
Logic and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
All other product or company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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airmusictech.com