Metamyther Throws Down: Drumkid vs Stolperbeats vs IDUM – Who’s the Real IDM Overlord?

Drumkid struts in with a trick up its sleeve: not only can it sequence external voices, but it also lets you store and mangle your own samples. There’s an SD card slot for loading up your favourite sounds, and a set of controls—crop, crush, pitch—that’ll have your samples sounding like they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.

The real fun is in the performance knobs: chance, zoom, cluster, and magnet. These let you dial in everything from subtle groove tweaks to full-on percussive meltdowns. Want more hits? Crank the chance. Fancy subdivisions and ratchets? Zoom and cluster have you covered. Magnet reins in the chaos if things get too out of hand. It’s super playable, aleatoric, and perfect for live beat manipulation—just don’t expect it to behave politely.

Stolperbeats is the heavyweight champion of swing, with a design that’s all about groove and pattern flexibility. You get six drum voices, linear and shuffle modes, and a visual Etch-a-Sketch style pattern editor that’s as immediate as it is addictive. If you want your beats to stumble, trip, and generally swagger around like they’ve had one too many at the pub, this is your module.

Editing patterns is hands-on: twist a knob, press a button, and you’re off sculpting rhythms. There are 16 shuffle styles, multiple timing feels, and bonus envelopes for modulation mischief. It’s a brilliant collaborator for happy accidents, but it’s not the fastest for on-the-fly edits—best to prep your patterns before the gig, unless you fancy a fight with the interface mid-set. Still, for groove obsessives, Stolperbeats is a proper geezer.

IDUM may be the smallest of the lot, but it punches well above its weight. This box is all about complex rhythms and controlled mayhem, with eight distinct modes ranging from bursts and ratchets to bouncing balls and break algorithms. The interface is deceptively simple, but don’t be fooled—tiny tweaks can send your beats spiralling into new territory.

Metamyther points out that IDUM demands a careful hand: the chance and parameter knobs are sensitive, and finding the sweet spot is crucial. Go too far, and you’re in full-on chaos; dial it back, and you get intricate, evolving grooves. Some modes are less useful for straight drum work, but the sheer variety and immediacy make IDUM a top pick for those who want to push drum programming into uncharted, occasionally bonkers territory. If you want to hear just how mental it can get, you’ll need to watch the video—words don’t do the sonic carnage justice.

Metamyther wraps up with a scorecard, laying out the specs, quirks, and killer features of each module. Drumkid wins on sample storage and live playability but is held back by its sample size limit and some interface oddities. Stolperbeats is the groove master, loaded with shuffle options and pattern banks, but it’s the biggest and priciest, and not the quickest for live edits. IDUM is the chaos king in a tiny package, with wild modes and instant gratification, though it takes a steady hand to avoid total rhythmic meltdown.

Ultimately, the choice comes down to your taste for risk and your workflow. Want happy accidents and hands-on control? Stolperbeats. Need sample mangling and live jams? Drumkid. Craving compact, algorithmic mayhem? IDUM’s your mate. But let’s be honest—if you’re serious about IDM, you’ll probably end up with all three. Just don’t blame us when your studio sounds like a robot riot.