Hits like a drum machine. Grooves like a drummer.

NEON is UJAM’s Virtual Drummer plugin for nu disco drums and dance-pop grooves. These are defined by their tight, snappy, on-top-of-the-mix drum sound in combination with a driving, forward rhythmic feel. Referring to the legends of 1970s disco like Chic and The Bee Gees, NEON’s rhythm engine gives you that organic liveliness only an actual human drummer can deliver. The recorded drum kits are original vintage kits from the most legendary makers like Ludwig and Rogers.

We recorded them in a small booth using era-specific mics and outboard processing like the Sennheiser MD 421 and Neve 1073. That pristine vintage drum quality is then processed by a state-of-the-art mixing console under the hood of Virtual Drummer NEON, which is macro-controlled by 6 mix presets. The combination of vintage recording and modern processing is what gives NEON its signature sound.

Hear NEON's nu disco drums in action

From nu disco to dance-pop, NEON offers the perfect danceable pop drums. The drum grooves in each audio example consist of 100% drum phrases and onboard processing from NEON, with no additional editing, samples, or effects.

Walkthrough for NEON

Watch how to select and trigger different drum phrases for each song part of your production. See –amongst other things – how to combine sounds from different kits, or how to route the drums to individual outputs.

Features

• 5 acoustic 1970s vintage drum kits
• 690 drum phrases in 30 nu disco styles: ready-made grooves for intros, verses, choruses, fills, and more
• Real/Glam-slider: change the drum sound from natural and open to processed and punchy
• 6 mix presets like Snap, Crunch, or Glossy to make the drums pop
• Optional separate outputs for close mics, overheads, and room

Built-in style phrases

Your studio companion

Unlike standard acoustic sample libraries that require meticulous velocity layering and manual ghost-note programming, a Virtual Drummer acts as a studio collaborator that responds dynamically to performance intensity and style input.

Pick one of NEON’s 30 styles to match your genre or song’s energy level, and select and combine drum phrases for intros, verses, choruses, and more to quickly build your drum arrangement.

Drag any of the 23 phrases per style into your DAW as a MIDI clip to edit and refine it. Or stay in the zone and trigger ready-made grooves – built from human performances – through single MIDI keys in time with your DAW’s tempo.

Special control

From raw to radio-ready

UJAM’s nu disco drum plugin NEON comes with a special Real/Glam-slider that allows you to change a drum kit’s sound from natural and acoustic to processed and almost electronic. The more “Glam” you add, the bigger and slappier the drums sound.

Drum kits & mix modes

Five kits, infinite character

NEON's five drum kits were selected, tuned, and recorded to sound as dry, tight, and punchy as possible. Each drum kit comes with its own vibe and includes seven individual drum instruments like kicks, snares, hats, toms, and cymbals, plus overhead and room mics.

Choose the right one for your track or combine drums from different kits to create your unique drum kit. Then pick one of six mix presets and shape your drum sound instantly, from snappy and dry to crunchy and slammed.

Did we mention claps? Hand clapping is a key feature of classic and modern disco sound.

Recorded live by a trio, NEON’s authentic claps combine a direct mono signal with stereo room and overhead mics to construct an ultra-wide stereo image. The original recording is designed to blend seamlessly with your snare.

Presets

Instant vibe, zero guesswork

Stay in the zone and use one of NEON’s 100 presets as a starting point that needs little tweaking to get you to the finish line. Just trigger a few drum phrases, all perfectly in time with your DAW, to match your production’s energy and elevate your song’s groove.

Or play NEON’s drums with your MIDI controller, edit the phrases in your DAW, and use separate outputs for each drum sound to dial in your mix your way.

Recorded by Bernhard “Böni” Hahn

35 years of drum recording excellence

Bernhard Hahn has worked as a producer, recording, and mixing engineer since 1991, on several hundred pop, rock, and indie productions with award-winning artists including Kim Wilde, Nena, and Tarja Turunen (Nightwish).

For NEON, Bernhard close-miked every drum, added overhead and room pairs, and tracked the nu disco drums through Neve 1073 and 1081 preamps and a vintage Studer 962 console.