Download XLN Audio XO for Mac

In the edit

Over 8,000 one-shot samples sit inside XO, a drum sample browser and beat maker that runs as a plugin or standalone instrument. It works with VST, AU, and AAX formats, so it slots into Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools, or any other host you throw at it.

XO’s XO Space visual interface groups similar sounds together, so you can find a kick or a snare by eye as much as by ear. You build beats with the built-in sequencer, then export audio or MIDI straight into your DAW. Groove Templates and Playground mode are included for when you want to jam rather than program.

Good for:

• Quickly finding the right drum sound from a huge library
• Making beats without leaving the plugin
• Exporting your groove as audio or MIDI for further editing

Keep in mind:

• Version 1.8.10 fixes MIDI export with muted lanes
• A rare slow start-up issue is also sorted in this release
• Needs macOS 10.13 or later, works on both Intel and Apple Silicon

The Accentuator saves time on velocity tweaks

XO has a few touches that don’t get shouted about but save time once you know they’re there. The Accentuator, for instance, lets you push or pull the velocity of individual hits across your pattern — handy when a beat feels too rigid and you want a more human feel without manually editing every note.

Hot Swap is another one. If you’ve placed a snare in your sequence but want to try alternatives, you can swap it without losing the pattern. The new sample inherits the same position and velocity, so you audition different sounds mid-groove without rebuilding.

Playground mode deserves a mention here too. It turns the XO Space into a live performance surface where you can trigger samples by clicking around the visual map. It’s less about precise sequencing and more about finding happy accidents — useful when you’re stuck in a loop and need a fresh combination.

The preset system stores not just the sample selection but also the sequencer pattern, effects, and Accentuator settings. So when you come back to a beat later, it sounds exactly as you left it.

Why dragged samples don't appear in Space view

A few things catch people out when they first use XO. The most common is wondering why a sample you dragged in doesn’t show up in the Space view. XO needs a moment to analyse new sounds and place them by similarity — if you’ve imported a large folder, give it time to finish before expecting everything to appear in the right cluster.

MIDI export with muted lanes was a known issue before version 1.8.10, where muted hits would still appear in the exported file. That’s fixed now, so if you’ve been avoiding that feature, it’s worth trying again.

Another snag: audio export while playing in the host could cause hiccups in earlier builds. The same update sorted that, so exporting stems or full mixes while the transport is running should behave itself now.

The rare slow start-up issue that 1.8.10 addresses tended to happen when XO scanned a very large user library on launch. If you keep thousands of your own samples in the search path, the first load after an update might still take a moment — but subsequent launches should be quicker.

How XO fits with other apps and macOS features

Because XO supports VST, AU, and AAX, it works inside pretty much any modern DAW on the Mac. In Logic, it loads as an instrument plugin; in Ableton, you can drag MIDI patterns from XO straight into the timeline. Pro Tools users get AAX support, so it’s not locked to one ecosystem.

The standalone mode is worth having. You can browse samples, build beats, and export them without opening a full DAW. That’s useful when you’re just gathering ideas on a laptop or working in a space where you don’t want a heavy session file running.

macOS 10.13 or later covers both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, so XO runs natively on M-series machines without Rosetta. If you use Audio Units, the AU version registers automatically with the system, and your host picks it up without extra steps.

Export works as audio or MIDI. Audio gives you a rendered stem; MIDI keeps the pattern editable in your DAW, which is handy if you want to replace a sample later or tweak the groove with your host’s swing settings.

XO cuts search time for beat makers by grouping sounds visually

Beat makers and drum programmers are the obvious audience — anyone who spends time hunting for the right kick, snare, or hat across folders of samples. XO cuts that search time by grouping sounds visually, so you’re not clicking through a hundred files to find a punchy alternative.

Producers who work in multiple DAWs benefit from the cross-format support. You can build a beat in Logic, export the MIDI, and drop it into Ableton for a live set — the pattern travels with you.

Sound designers who collect their own one-shot libraries will find the similarity sorting useful too. Drop a folder of your own recordings into XO and it places them in the Space view, letting you discover connections you might not have noticed.

And if you’re someone who prefers starting from a groove rather than a blank grid, the included presets and Groove Templates give you a foundation to tweak. You get 240 editable beat presets and a set of rhythmic templates that you can modify, replace, or build upon.

Mac it needs

• macOS 10.13 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon