Smackbox V2 released - Drum synth - 50% off introductory offer

[stefancrs]

Smackbox V2 - The Resurrection of a 2007 Classic



Hello KVR!

I’m excited to finally unveil Smackbox V2.

Some of you might remember the original Smackbox project from way back in 2007. It was a SynthMaker passion project of mine that I poured hours into but never quite finished, and sadly it was stuck as a Windows-only 32-bit VST.

18 years later, it is finally done.

I’ve rebuilt it from the ground up in modern C++ to realize that original vision: a drum synth that combines the punch of analog-modeled oscillators with the texture of sample layering. It’s finally cross-platform, CPU-efficient, and ready for modern production.

Watch it in Action


Audio Demos

• Smackbox Acid Demo
• Smackbox Tech Demo

What makes it special?

• Hybrid Engine: Each of the 12 voices features a Phase Modulation oscillator (Sine/Tri/Saw/Square/TRH), a Sample Layer (drag-and-drop), and a dedicated Stereo Noise engine.
• Surgical Sculpting: Every voice has its own Morphing SVF Filter (LP/BP/HP/Notch), Distortion, and 3-Band Parametric EQ.
• Modulation Matrix: Deep velocity modulation mapping for Volume, Cutoff, Pitch, Noise, and FM amount—make your drums breathe and humanize.
• Modern Tech Stack:
  - Native CLAP Support (along with VST3 and AU).
  - Linux Support (Official .deb installer alongside Windows .exe and macOS .pkg).
  - Resizable UI: Vector-based, 4K-ready dark theme interface.

Call for Sound Designers & Beta Testers
I am looking for a few dedicated beta testers and preset designers to help polish the factory library and squash any remaining bugs.

If you are interested, please reply to this thread with:

• Your OS (Windows/Mac/Linux)
• Your DAW of choice

I will be contacting selected testers to grant a free NFR license for the full version.

Download the Demo / Learn More

You can also follow updates and leave a review on our KVR Product Page.

We'd love to hear your feedback on the new engine and the Linux support!

[LigetiFan]

Hi, Stefan - I've run into purchasing difficulties and the website doesn't seem to have any method of contacting you. Could you get back to me here and see if we can work it out?

[Nug Wrangler]

Sounds very good

[stefancrs]

Hi, Stefan - I've run into purchasing difficulties and the website doesn't seem to have any method of contacting you. Could you get back to me here and see if we can work it out?

The store was not approved yet, but now it is! I will have to set a few things up but I'll post an update here as soon as purchases are fully enabled.

[stefancrs]

Hi, Stefan - I've run into purchasing difficulties and the website doesn't seem to have any method of contacting you. Could you get back to me here and see if we can work it out?

The store was not approved yet, but now it is! I will have to set a few things up but I'll post an update here as soon as purchases are fully enabled.

Now it should work, let me know how it goes!

[lalo]

Great stuff! Would be great to have a Velocity->Attack modulation.
Sometimes is good to get a little slower attack on lower velocity levels (more realistic snare shuffles, retrriggered hats etc.)

[swindus]

Thank you for supporting Linux.

I noticed that the plugin size is not remembered/restored after reopening the plugin GUI or opening a new instance (Reaper, 4k screen, Linux). But overall the plugin works very well and sounds great.

Is it correct that the loaded samples are embedded in the preset data? Did some testing and it looks like it is.

[stefancrs]

Thank you for supporting Linux.

I noticed that the plugin size is not remembered/restored after reopening the plugin GUI or opening a new instance (Reaper, 4k screen, Linux). But overall the plugin works very well and sounds great.

Is it correct that the loaded samples are embedded in the preset data? Did some testing and it looks like it is.

Ooh, you're the first to try on Linux so thank you for that, glad to hear it worked!
Yes, samples are included in the preset data, so don't load huge stuff, it's meant for drums

I'll add the window size to the saved state in an upcoming version!

[pgwalsh]

I'm on Ubuntu 24.04 and Bitwig 5.3 using clap demo. In the demo none of the presets work and all sounds are the same for each instrument. Also when I load a .wav file it doesn't load. I tried to load a 909 kick but nothing.

[stefancrs]

I'm on Ubuntu 24.04 and Bitwig 5.3 using clap demo. In the demo none of the presets work and all sounds are the same for each instrument. Also when I load a .wav file it doesn't load. I tried to load a 909 kick but nothing.

That seems odd, did you also choose sample as the waveform for the oscillator? Perhaps we could debug this together?

[pgwalsh]

I'm on Ubuntu 24.04 and Bitwig 5.3 using clap demo. In the demo none of the presets work and all sounds are the same for each instrument. Also when I load a .wav file it doesn't load. I tried to load a 909 kick but nothing.

That seems odd, did you also choose sample as the waveform for the oscillator? Perhaps we could debug this together?

I did and it did load (my bad). Shouldn't that be automatic to switch to sample? Are there no presets in the demo? I tried it in stand alone, vst3 and clap and none load presets.

[stefancrs]

I'm on Ubuntu 24.04 and Bitwig 5.3 using clap demo. In the demo none of the presets work and all sounds are the same for each instrument. Also when I load a .wav file it doesn't load. I tried to load a 909 kick but nothing.

That seems odd, did you also choose sample as the waveform for the oscillator? Perhaps we could debug this together?

I did and it did load (my bad). Shouldn't that be automatic to switch to sample? Are there no presets in the demo? I tried it in stand alone, vst3 and clap and none load presets.

In the first release (0.9.0), there were no bundled presets, but in the 1.0.0 version there should be. Might be something off with the install script if that's the version you got.

You're right, it should auto-switch when you load, I'll fix that!

[stefancrs]

Ok, there's something wrong with how the installer bundles the presets (also in the 1.0.0 release). I will check what's going on and fix it.

[Ah_Dziz]

How much dollars?

[stefancrs]

How much dollars?

Introductory price is €39 which is about 46 USD. Standard price is €79, but introductory price is available throughout February 2026.