Hats is a drum synthesizer from AudioThing for hi-hat and cymbal sounds, combining synthesized noise with a sample section.
Hats at a glance
| Developer | AudioThing |
|---|---|
| Type | Instruments / Drum Machine |
| Formats | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX, CLAP |
| Operating systems | Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.9 or later |
| Apple Silicon | Native |
| Architecture | 64-bit |
| RAM | 4 GB or more |
| Free trial | Available |
| Price on Plugin Boutique (October 2026) | €48.59 |
What Hats does
The synthesizer has two sources: a noise section and a custom sample section. Instead of plain white or pink noise, the noise section uses six square wave oscillators, and the factory bank includes more than 50 samples, some of them rare analog drum recordings, with a few processed through an Aphex Aural Exciter and a vintage Revox tape machine. Both sources then pass through four effects, the ring modulator, bit crusher, filter and reverb, which can be arranged in any order by drag and drop. The filter section offers highpass and bandpass filters in series, both 12 dB/oct state variable filters. The plugin ships with 55 samples and 80 presets, and a preset randomizer is included.
Key features
- Synthesized noise source. The noise section uses six square wave oscillators in place of generic white or pink noise, giving the source a different starting spectrum for metallic hi-hats and cymbals.
- Sample source. A custom sample section plays from a factory bank of more than 50 samples, mixed alongside the synthesized source.
- Ring modulator and bit crusher. Both sources can be routed through a ring modulator and a bit crusher, which are two of the four effects in the chain.
- Filter section. A highpass and a bandpass filter run in series, both 12 dB/oct state variable filters.
- Reverb and effect order. A reverb closes the four-effect chain, and the effects can be placed in any order by drag and drop.
- Presets and randomizer. The plugin contains 80 presets and a preset randomizer, with 55 samples in the sound library.
- Crack, keygen and serial variants. Searches for crack, keygen and serial key versions of the hi-hat synth pair the plugin name with the cracked version and keygen terms.
Compatibility
Hats runs as VST3, VST2, AU, AAX and CLAP on Windows 7 or later and macOS 10.9 or later, with native Apple Silicon support listed and 4 GB of RAM.
Hats compared with similar plugins
Tekno from Baby Audio is a drum synthesizer for VST3, VST2, AU and AAX on Windows and macOS, without a CLAP build. Bloom Drum Machine from Excite Audio is a virtual instrument that adds a Standalone format to VST3, VST2, AU and AAX on Windows and macOS.
| Plugin | Developer | Type | Formats | Systems | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hats | AudioThing | Drum Machine | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX, CLAP | Windows, macOS | €48.59 |
| Tekno | Baby Audio | Drum Synth | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX | Windows, macOS | €118.01 |
| TR-909 | Roland | Drum Machine | VST2, AU, AAX | Windows, macOS | €151.13 |
| RANDOM Metal | BEATSURFING | Drum Synth | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX | Windows, macOS | €147.76 |
| Bloom Drum Machine | Excite Audio | Virtual Instruments | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX, Standalone | Windows, macOS | €4.95 (regular €58.51) |
Price and availability
Hats was listed on Plugin Boutique in October 2026 at €48.59. A free trial is offered. Prices change often, so the store page shows the current one.
Hats FAQ
Is there a working serial key or keygen for Hats?
Searches for a working serial, activation code and keygen are common, but the plugin itself uses a license from the developer for activation.