Make a neo-soul beat with real pocket.
Blue Smoke is already loaded below — an 88 BPM swung groove on the Blue Hour kit: rimshot backbeat, soft grand comping in D♯ major, an 808-glide sub walking underneath, and a harp pluck answering between chords. Press play, then sit in the pocket. No download, no account.
▼ THE NEO-SOUL BEAT IS ALREADY IN THE MACHINE BELOW — BLUE HOUR · 88 BPM.
Blue Smoke is loaded · or tap another starter beat
Free studio: 2 kits, drums + Keys in any key & scale with swappable voices, 16 steps, volume & mute, and standard-quality export — no account needed. The locked rows play in shared beats and audition on tap. Studio Pro unlocks all 7 instrument rows plus a sample row, 7 more kits, swing, panning, and clean stereo WAV export →
How to make a neo-soul beat in Beatloom
The starter beat above already follows these moves — pull it apart pad by pad, or clear the grid and build your own from the recipe.
01 / 03
Rimshot on the backbeat
Kick on the one with late, lazy answers; rimshot snare on 2 and 4. Neo-soul drums whisper — pull every drum a little down in the mix and let the keys lead.
02 / 03
Swing until it leans
Push SWING toward 18–25% so the hats fall behind the grid — the D'Angelo lean. Straight neo-soul isn't neo-soul.
03 / 03
Rich chords, walking sub
Soft grand comps on major-key chord tones (the starter is D♯ major, I–vi colors), a gliding sub walking I–IV–vi–V beneath, one harp answer per bar. Export free when it's smooth.
Free to play. $5 once to own the studio.
Everything you just played with — the sequencer, two kits, keys in any key and scale, mixing, and beat export — is free forever, no account. Studio Pro is a single $5 payment, not a subscription.
TIER 1
Free Studio
$0
- ✓ 2 drum kits — Neon 808 & Velvet Lo-Fi
- ✓ 7 tracks (drums + Keys), 16 steps
- ✓ Any key & scale, voice variants
- ✓ Export your beat (standard quality)
- ✗ Pro instrument rows, all 9 kits, swing, stereo WAV
TIER 2
Studio Pro
$5 once, yours for good
- ✓ All 9 drum kits — including Blue Hour
- ✓ 7 more instrument rows — bass, stab, pluck, strings, brass, bell & vox
- ✓ Sample & loop upload rows — slice, repitch, tempo-sync
- ✓ 32 steps, swing, panning & save slots
- ✓ Stereo WAV export — clean 44.1kHz masters
Pro preview · listening only
Hear the beat you just made with Pro entitlements — a Pro kit plus the locked bass, strings, stab & bell rows, audible right here. Playback only: editing and export stay locked until you unlock.
Neo-Soul beat questions
Is this neo-soul beat maker free?
Yes — the preloaded groove plays in full and the drums, keys, tempo, key and scale, and export are free with no account. Blue Hour is a Studio Pro kit ($5 once), which unlocks editing its bass, pluck, and vox rows plus swing, panning, and stereo WAV export.
What BPM is neo-soul?
Usually 65–95 BPM with heavy swing. The starter beat runs at 88 BPM with 18% swing — the pocket comes from the swing as much as the tempo.
How do I get neo-soul chords without a keyboard?
Set the KEY·SCALE control to a major or dorian scale and place Keys pads on chord tones — each pad labels its note name, so you can voice-lead by ear. The Blue Hour kit's soft grand is tuned for exactly this comping.
Can singers record over my exports?
Yes — exports are entirely yours. Studio Pro renders a clean 44.1kHz stereo WAV that sits perfectly under vocals in any DAW.
Make beats in another style
Same free studio, different starter beat already loaded.