EastWest DrumX Groove Machine

In celebration of EastWest’s 38th Anniversary, the world-renowned music software developer is launching DrumX Groove Machine, featuring hundreds of exclusive grooves programmed by legendary hitmaker Jimmy Jam of the legendary production team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. This is a one-of-a-kind, exclusive collaboration — making DrumX the only place to access his signature rhythms in software.

DrumX brings together 10 of the most iconic drum machines ever created - including the LM-1, LinnDrum, TR-808, TR-909, TR-606, DMX, DR-55, DR-110, DrumTraks, and SP-12 - all meticulously sampled and reimagined for modern production. By combining Jimmy Jam’s legendary groove sensibility with EastWest’s award-winning sound design, DrumX delivers a new approach to beat creation - one that puts groove, feel, and musicality at the center of the process.

Few producers in modern music history have shaped the sound of popular music like Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Across five decades, the Grammy Award winning duo have written and produced 42 Billboard No.1 hits and over 100 gold, platinum, and diamond albums for artists including Janet Jackson, Prince, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Usher, Boyz II Men and many others. In 2022, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.

DrumX is designed to deliver the groove behind the hits directly into producers’ DAWs. While most drum machine plugins focus only on sounds, DrumX emphasizes feel, swing, and pocket first, offering hundreds of exclusive grooves covering R&B/Funk, Dance/Industrial, Pop/Ballads, Hip-Hop, and Electronic music. Each drum machine has been meticulously captured with multiple sampling layers, tape saturation stages, and machine-specific parameter controls - preserving the true character and behavior of the original hardware.

Doug Rogers, EastWest Producer: “Working with Jimmy Jam on DrumX has been an incredible experience. Every groove he created is more than just a groove - it’s a feeling. DrumX isn’t just a collection of sounds - it’s a collection of the machines that built modern music, brought together with the groove sensibility of one of the greatest producers of all time.” Jimmy Jam adds: “Groove is what makes people move. With DrumX, music creators can use my foundational rhythms and sonics to jump start their ideas, and then take them somewhere completely new. I’m excited to collaborate with EastWest on this partnership where my grooves can live in their iconic software. I can’t wait for DrumX to empower and inspire the next generations of music creators.

DrumX combines legendary groove programming with a deeply sampled collection of classic drum machines and a powerful modern production engine. Producers can:

• Customize grooves: Adjust swing, timing, velocity, and layering
• Build songs instantly: Drag-and-drop grooves or generate new rhythms with the built-in Groove Engine
• Access iconic sounds: Punchy kicks, snares, hi-hats, and hybrid textures drawn from 10 legendary machines
• Shape every detail: Use per-pad controls, machine-specific parameters, and a professional effects chain
• Integrate seamlessly: Works in all major DAWs for a fast, intuitive workflow

A built-in step sequencer and Groove Engine allow producers to create, customize, and export rhythms with ease - blending classic groove with modern production flexibility.

The expanded library gives producers:

• Diversity: Covering every major genre
• Inspiration: Each groove reflects the pocket and feel of decades of hit records
• Flexibility: Use as starting points or build complex, layered productions

With DrumX, the secret to hit-making - the groove itself - is now accessible in a single software instrument. Together, these instruments represent the rhythmic foundation of modern music - now unified in one powerful production tool.

DrumX Groove Machine will be available April 27 in ComposerCloud+, EastWest’s subscription service, followed by a general release a month later. The ComposerCloud+ $99/year special 38th Anniversary introductory offer is available to new subscribers starting March 24, 2026, and includes DrumX (upon release), other new releases, and access to over 43,000 virtual instruments.

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