PowerFX has released Miracle Beats (Mac/Win; $99), which combines a sample CD, VST/AU plug-in instrument, and the company's LoopMorph technology. Miracle Beats includes over 5,000 individual samples from more than 500 drum loops. You can auto-stretch loops to any bpm, and in Preview mode the loops sync to the tempo of the host software. The instrument offers four stereo outputs: bass drum, snare, hi-hat, and percussion. Other features include real-time control over every drum element, including the ability to reverse samples; four limiters; 16th-note quantization; shuffle and humanize effects;, and 192 kHz compatibility.

A fully functional free version of Miracle Beats, containing the first 19 loops of Miracle Beats, is available at powerfx.com.