Geist 1 and Geist 2 remain incredibly popular with beatmakers and producers but since the purchase of FXpansion by Seaboard manufacturer ROLI back in 2016 there’s been a lot of doubt and confusion about the viability of Geist as a product.
Geist 2 as a piece of software is still out there however, in DAWs around the world, and if you’re looking for extensions (or “Expanders”) you can still purchase them from the FXpansion store so let’s check out ten of the best:
1. Best Geist 2 Expander for classic hip hop drum machine sounds:
Geist Expander: Hip Hop Drum Machines. Get the sounds of vintage 80s hip hop gear in your tracks with this collection of classic ‘80s drum machine samples and sounds inspired by the sound of early hip hop production.
This Geist expander pack features goleden era hip hop samples taken from the Linn LM2, Oberheim DMX, Roland TR-808 and EMU Drumulator, to name but a few.
Expander contents:
- 6 Bass hits
- 25 Clap hits
- 22 Cymbal hits
- 36 Hihat hits
- 37 Kick hits
- 41 Percussion hits
- 13 Rimshot hits
- 40 Snare hits
- 8 Stab hits
- 33 Tom hits
- 5 Kit presets
2. Best Geist Expansion for Electro
The Geist Expander: 80s Electro & Hip Hop pack captures the sound of 80s breaking and scratching and features samples and loops that channel the electro sound. This pack includes melodic and rhythmic synthesizer loops and drum machines one shots.
Expander contents:
- 12 Bass hits
- 25 Clap hits
- 14 Cymbal hits
- 6 FX hits
- 45 Hi Hat hits
- 25 Kick hits
- 39 Percussion hits
- 25 Snare hits
- 8 Stab hits
- 34 Rhythmic loops
- 16 Melodic loops
- 5 Kit presets
3. Best Geist Expander for Techno
If you’re making techno with Geist 2 then Geist Expander: Techno is worth checking out. It’s a useful collection of processed hits, kits and loops with a hard, industrial edge. Boasting club ready kicks, fat basslines, crisp claps, dirty hats, sizzling FX, rhythmic loops this pack provides a handy jumping off point to quickly get your next techno floor filler off the starting blocks.
Expander contents:
- 12 Bass hits
- 20 Clap hits
- 5 Cymbal hits
- 7 FX hits
- 39 Hi Hat hits
- 44 Kick hits
- 4 Melodic hits
- 28 Percussion hits
- 25 Snare hits
- 20 Tom hits
- 30 Rhythmic loops
- 20 Melodic loops
- 5 Kit presets
(Want to make Techno without a computer? Check out my guide to the best standalone Techno drum machines.)
4. Best Geist Expander for Breakbeat:
Geist Expander: Acoustic Breakbeat is a collection of over 200 royalty free samples including vinyl-crackled breakbeats and single hits. The breakbeat samples and rhythmic loops boast plenty of authentic vibe and can be quickly sliced up in Geist 1 and 2 to taste plus you get crunchy drum hits galore with which to create your own unique breakbeats from scratch.
Expander contents:
- 9 Bass hits
- 10 Clap hits
- 20 Cymbal hits
- 12 FX hits
- 29 Hi Hat hits
- 25 Kick hits
- 47 Percussion hits
- 30 Snare hits
- 10 Stab hits
- 20 Tom hits
- 40 Rhythmic loops
- 5 Kit presets
5. Best Geist Expander for Trance:
Geist Expander: Trance contains ready to use basslines and punchy kick drums which are perfectly adequate to kick start your next trance track but I always struggle to find a use for pre-cooked trance melodies and riffs from sample packs as I believe it’s your own unique melodies, hooks and leads that are essential to crafting a trance track that can stand out from the crowd.
Stick to the pack’s basslines and drum one shots to get your track rolling with a solid foundation and then develop it further either inside Geist itself or by working in your DAW’s piano roll with the VST synth of your choice (I favor Dune 3 VST for my trance tracks) to create unique melodies that can’t be found anywhere else.
Expander contents:
- 12 Bass hits
- 25 Clap hits
- 16 Cymbal hits
- 47 Hi Hat hits
- 35 Kick hits
- 5 Melodic hits
- 33 Percussion hits
- 25 Snare hits
- 32 Rhythmic loops
- 19 Melodic loops
- 5 Kit presets
6. Best Geist Expander for Drum and Bass:
In my day job as a music and jingles composer, Geist Expander: Drum & Bass is one of most frequently used Geist expanders to date thanks to its excellent selection of upfront, edgy and energetic sounds.
Note that you can easily find a place for many of these sounds and drum hits in genres outside Drum & Bass too.
Expander contents:
- 10 Bass hits
- 10 Clap hits
- 35 Cymbal hits
- 7 FX hits
- 40 Hi Hat hits
- 36 Kick hits
- 5 Pad hits
- 33 Percussion hits
- 25 Snare hits
- 30 Rhythmic loops
- 29 Melodic loops
- 5 Kit presets
7. Best Geist Expander for 8 Bit beats:
The 8 bit ‘chip tune’ sound remains as popular as ever and if you’re looking to get the classic sounds of vintage arcade games and consoles in your tracks then Geist Expander: 8 Bit has got you covered.
The sounds in this pack have been taken straight from the classic early gaming systems of the ‘80s and ‘90s and include chimes, noisy explosions, melodic bleeps and digital effects.
Expander contents:
- 10 Clap hits
- 11 Cymbal hits
- 55 FX hits
- 24 Hi Hat hits
- 25 Kick hits
- 17 Melodic hits
- 28 Percussion hits
- 25 Snare hits
- 30 Rhythmic loops
- 19 Melodic loops
- 5 Kit presets
8. Best Geist Expander for Lofi beats:
Geist Expander: Downtempo is another one of my favorite expanders. If you’re starting work on any kind of lofi, downtempo electronica or hazy, chilled out tracks then there’s enough quality material here to get things cooking nicely including 5 complete kit presets.
Expander contents:
- 12 Bass hits
- 25 Clap hits
- 16 Cymbal hits
- 47 Hi Hat hits
- 35 Kick hits
- 5 Melodic hits
- 33 Percussion hits
- 25 Snare hits
- 32 Rhythmic loops
- 19 Melodic loops
- 5 Kit presets
9. Best Geist Expander for House:
If you’re new to house production then Geist Expander: Modern House makes a great jumping off point into the sounds and beats of the world conquering dance music genre that shows no signs of losing its popularity with clubbers anytime soon.
Obviously you can find much bigger collections of ready to use house music samples out there but if you’re a Geist user then this is a really useful pack of well produced hits, kits and loops that work well together and is ideal for quickly creating house tracks.
Expander contents:
- 13 Bass hits
- 25 Clap hits
- 21 Cymbal hits
- 7 FX hits
- 30 Hihat hits
- 11 Melodic hits
- 26 Percussion hits
- 25 Snare hits
- 11 Tom hits
- 30 Rhythmic loops
- 17 Melodic loops
- 5 Kit presets
10. Best Geist Expander for Jungle
Geist Expander: Jungle Breaks brings you the sounds of classic early 1990s U.K. Jungle and drum and bass. In this pack you’ll find a treasure trove of snare rolls, ghost hits, sub bass, classic sirens, alarms and FX all ready and waiting to be dropped into your next old skool banger!
Expander contents:
- 12 Bass hits
- 15 Clap hits
- 15 Cymbal hits
- 21 FX hits
- 30 Hi Hat hits
- 23 Kick hits
- 6 Melodic hits
- 38 Percussion hits
- 25 Snare hits
- 15 Percussion hits
- 43 Rhythmic loops
- 10 Melodic loops
- 5 Kit presets
You can read more details about these and other Geist expansions on the official FXpansion website here.
Can I use Geist Expanders without Geist?
Geist expanders work with Geist 1 and Geist 2 and also include samples which can be used any software/hardware that supports 24-bit, 44.1kHz WAV, AIFF & RX2 files.
Is Geist 2 discontinued?
On the ROLI website they state that FXpansion instruments are now considered legacy products and as such will receive no further updates or support to ensure continued compatibility with modern operating systems and DAW hosts.
Is it still worth buying Geist 2?
Geist 2 remains a much loved piece of beatmaking software with powerful features and it continues to work just fine on my 10 year old i5 laptop running Windows 10 but because ROLI are no longer developing it or even supporting it you’d be wise to give it a miss if you’re on newer hardware.
Best alternatives to Geist 2:
Geist 2 has so many features that it is almost a complete DAW in its own right. If you’re starting beatmaking from scratch and looking for alternatives to Geist then you could opt for a DAW such as Ableton Live or FL Studio.
Ableton Live will give you access to drum racks – perfect for manipulating whatever drum samples you throw at it – while FL Studio has numerous tools for beatmaking including sample slicers, drum synths and the FPC drum machine.
If you’re already fully committed to a DAW but just want a Geist style beatmaking and sampling plugin then you could opt for Native Instruments Maschine of which Maschine Mikro running as a VST is a good – and cheapest – option.
If you want a standalone hardware alternative to Geist complete with pads to bash out your drums then you could opt for a Native Instruments Maschine+ or AKAI MPC.
Manufacturers official sites: