Below is a list of the best free and paid virtual drum software programs available to download right now.
Free mix vst. They are available for PC and Mac computers in plugin formats to use with DAWs and most operate as a standalone program as well.
. The 25 best VST/AU plugin synths in the world right now However, those who would rather stick with the regular DAW piano roll will be relieved to learn that in all cases, these internal playback engines can be switched off, effectively turning the plugin into a static sound module that simply maps each drum sound to its own MIDI note(s). But for free, Drumatic 3 is a fantastic source of synthetic drum sounds. E-Phonic Drumatic 3: VST plug-in for Windows. MT Power Drumkit 2 This is all about providing you with a solid, usable and high-quality sampled acoustic drum kit that sits perfectly in the mix.
Unless you plan on mastering the technique of recording an acoustic drum kit and finding a drummer to play for you all the time, having a good drum software plugin is one of the most important aspects of music creation.
It’s amazing how realistic virtual drum software has become over the years.
Drum software is also surprisingly versatile. You can create custom kits and sounds with endless variations.
You can use MIDI keyboards and drum pads to trigger drum sounds, and connect e-drum kits like the Alesis DM10 to play virtual drums in real time with an electronic drum set.
See below for some samples.Deep HousePhased Fender Rhodes 4. . It also has a nice phaser and chorus effect. Clavia LabThis is an electric piano a little different to your typical Rhodes and Wurlitzer sound. This is a hybrid style analog/physical model using experimental techniques to create the changing complex harmonic content found in an electric piano.It features the following. Free soul vst plugins.
There are several good choices when it comes to drum software. Some have more expansion packs than others, some offer larger MIDI libraries (ready-to-use drum loops), and others have more advanced editing and mixing tools.
Best Free Drum Software
Free synthwave vst. Sennheiser DrumMic’a – A surprisingly high-quality free drum kit plugin with variable mics, a mixer, and a number of included MIDI loops. It just requires setting up a free account to register the softwrae. DrumMic’a works with the free version of Kontakt 5 Player.
MT Power Drum Kit 2 – A former paid plugin, MT Power Drum Kit 2 has a number of included features, such as a built-in mixer and a bunch of high-quality MIDI grooves. MT Power Drum Kit 2 is available in VST and AU formats in 32 and 64 bit versions. There are some MIDI mapping presets available to use it with other drum programs as well.
Best Paid Drum Software
Toontrack EZdrummer 2 – Estimated price: $149 – EZdrummer is one of the most popular drum production software programs. It’s very simple to use and yet it offers a number of advanced features. The base version comes with 5 drum kits, two sound libraries, some MIDI grooves, and a mixer with effects. It works as a plugin and standalone program. There are tons of expansion packs for additional drum kits covering a wide range of genres.
FXpansion BFD3 – Estimated price: $349 – Another top choice is BFD3. It comes with 7 drum kits, with dedicated rock, metal, jazz, and brush kits. It has a fully-editable groove engine to make creating custom grooves quick and easy. BFD3 works as a plugin and as standalone software. It comes with an extensive virtual drum library with 55GB of sounds.
Addictive Drums 2 – Estimated price: $149 – If you’re looking for an extensive library of included beats, XLN Audio’s Addictive Drums 2 comes with over 5000 MIDI grooves ready to go. It has three custom drum kits, and features a Transient Shaper and Tone Designer and some included effects to fine-tune your sound. Addictive drums can be used as a plugin as as a standalone program.
Toontrack Superior Drummer 2.0 – Estimated price: $179 (on sale) – Superior Drummer is Toontrack’s more advanced version of EZdrummer, and it works with EZdrummer 2 expansion libraries. It offers more ways to adjust sounds and tweak individual parameters, and it comes with more effects and 20 GB of included drum samples.
Steven Slate Drums 4.0 Platinum – Estimated price: $149 – A virtual drum library with 100 included drum kit presets and a drum sampler to create custom grooves. Steven Slate Drums come in VST, AU, and RTAS formats.
Studio Drummer – Estimated price: $149 – Native Instrument’s Studio Drummer comes with three drum kits, a dedicated mixer with effects, and over 3500 included drum patterns. Studio Drummer works with the Kontakt 5 Player.
| I am currently using Impact and some of the expanded soundsets on Exchange. I have got Impact working flawlessly and does most everything I need it to do. However, I am looking to expand my options beyond this app. I have looked around at Native Instruments, SoniVox and a few others.. just wondering what other are using and really like as their 'go to' app for percussion. Thoughts? Regards, Dave Dave Studio One Producer user FireStudio Mobile with Alesis RA-100 Power Amp and Monitor One speakers Akai MPK261 M-Audio Axiom 25 controller Fader Port Drums: Simmons Midi, Ludwig Drum Kits Guitars: Fender Strat, Gibson SG, Taylor acoustic, Ibanez AFJ91, Contreras classical Effects: Boss ME-50 Bass: Fender Squier |
| Authentic like 'real drums?' If yes, then BFD3 with some Platinum Samples expansion packs is the best for me by miles. They pretty much own the market for authentic rock drum sounds. If you're looking for something else, you need to be more specific about what type of drum software/sounds you're looking for. Real drum sounds of drum machine? Electronic? Techno? Hip hop? AMD Ryzen 3950X, ASUS Creator x570 Mobo, 32GB HyperX Predator RAM (3600mhz), Radeon™ RX 5500 XT 4GB GDDR6 graphics card, RME Fireface 800, Windows 10 Pro, Studio One 5, Reaper 6, Cubase 10.5, Avid Artist Mix (EuCon please), Behringer X-Touch One, MIDI Fighter Twister, various other MIDI control surfaces and hardware instruments |
| Try this: http://www.powerdrumkit.com/ This is a free drum VST, with lots of drum patterns, and has drum sounds designed to cut through a rock mix. On top of that, you can route it to use any Presonus soundset, or SFZ or SF2 instrument that you want. Even if this is not exactly what you want (but maybe it is!), it is a very useful instrument, and it's easy to use. * See the video on the site..it shows you how to use sounds from another instrument, which I think you'll definitely appreciate. My opinion: Many of the tweaking options that are built in to the best drum plugins can just as easily be done with Studio One's many features. So, while this plugin is simple, it is high quality. Atari 5200, 64K RAM S1PRO Radio Shack Cassette Recorder w/internal Mic, and too many plugins. |
| i agree BFD3 is the best.. but it ain't cheap. Consistently Inconsistent Ryzen 5 1600 : Asrock AB350M Pro4 : 32Gb 2400 RAM : Win10 64bit Macbook Pro 13 : 10th Gen Quad i5 : 512Gb SSD and 1Tb Glyph Atom SSD : 16Gb 3733 RAM : Catalina 10.15.5 iPad Air 3rd Gen : 64Gb : A12 Bionic : 10.5 inch Presonus 192 Mobile : Audient iD4 Ultrasone 900 Pro : Blue Lola : Blue Mix-Fi : AKG 240 Studio Samson Resolv 50a : Ik Multimedia iLoud Knot Hardly Productions ¯_ { ͡• ͜ʖ ͡•} _/¯ |
| BFD3 is my go to, so many tweaks if you want to dig in deep, a good selection of add on kits too. Remember demo's are your friend. Happy hunting!!!! Clive i5 @4.4Ghz, 16 GB Ram, GTX 550TI graphics OS:Win7 64 Focusrite Sappire Pro 24DSP,Nektar Impact LX88, KRK Rokit 6, Cakewalk MA-150. DAW S1 V3 Professional Synths: Reason, Plugs: Waves, Slate,Soundtoys, Eventide, Lexicon, Melda and various. |
| I bought steven slate drums for $US40. Very good sound. good reputation. Very customisable. Upgradable also but Im happy with the sound of the basic package. Macbook Pro i5 2013, Studio One Producer, Audiobox USB, Scuffam S gear, Steven Slate drums, MIJ Fender Strat with Kinman blues pickups, Yamaha E443 Keyboard, Sure SM58. |
| I have them all (BFD3, Slate, AD2, SD2)..Superior Drummer 2 is the best for me. Guitarist and composer: ---------------------------------------------------- https://itunes.apple.com/it/artist/davi .. d968493291 My system: ---------------------------------------------------- MacBook Pro i7, 16 GB ram Presonus Sphere |
| Funkybot wroteAuthentic like 'real drums?' If yes, then BFD3 with some Platinum Samples expansion packs is the best for me by miles. They pretty much own the market for authentic rock drum sounds. If you're looking for something else, you need to be more specific about what type of drum software/sounds you're looking for. Real drum sounds of drum machine? Electronic? Techno? Hip hop? Yes, something to simulate the real acoustic drum sounds. Most of the plug-ins have a wide-range techno and electronic sounds. I liked the NI Abbey Roads VST, but it doesn't easily integrate into S1 using a separate hard drive. Dave Studio One Producer user FireStudio Mobile with Alesis RA-100 Power Amp and Monitor One speakers Akai MPK261 M-Audio Axiom 25 controller Fader Port Drums: Simmons Midi, Ludwig Drum Kits Guitars: Fender Strat, Gibson SG, Taylor acoustic, Ibanez AFJ91, Contreras classical Effects: Boss ME-50 Bass: Fender Squier |
| sirmonkey wroteTry this: http://www.powerdrumkit.com/ Thanks for the option.. checking it out now. Dave Studio One Producer user FireStudio Mobile with Alesis RA-100 Power Amp and Monitor One speakers Akai MPK261 M-Audio Axiom 25 controller Fader Port Drums: Simmons Midi, Ludwig Drum Kits Guitars: Fender Strat, Gibson SG, Taylor acoustic, Ibanez AFJ91, Contreras classical Effects: Boss ME-50 Bass: Fender Squier |
| To the OP. Authentic can mean many things, so I guess a question that crops up is what is your level of drumming? Are you looking to simulate drums, but don't actually play? Perhaps looking for only sample loops? Single samples? Multi layered? All of the above? Do you play, and use trigger pads with sticks and might be concerned with sample delays, or trigger delays which can be an issue? Are extensive library's important, or do you work around 3 or 4 kits? If you need more, do you want large percussive sounds, and dynamics of those sounds (ie the Tabla or tympani drums can have many dynamics vary in sound when played not only by pressure but by rate). Do you want multi layered drums, where the velocity where you hit the drum chooses a specific sample based on that sound/expression? These are just some of the dynamics drummers actually deal with. It might even help with your question, is the point. Personal favorites: Battery 4 (3 still great, but 4 is greatly improved. Also very fast reaction times). Strike (phenomenal real time expression, and now available as a VST). BFD3 (though I currently have 2, 3 is way better). Sorry but the free and scaled down versions from most any offering might sound authentic on a whole, but they're far from providing any real dynamic layering. A must when drummers think of realism, or 'most authentic'. S1 Pro 4.6.x, Laptop: VAIO i7, 8 core, Win 7 64x. Audio Interface: Audiobox 22 VSL, Audiophile 192 Controllers: Arturia Keylab 49 MkII, Novation SL25 MKII, Faderport 8, Roland JV-90, Roland GR-50, Roland Octapad, Akai MPD-18. MIDI Patchbay: MOTU 8x8, Monitoring: Mackie HR824, Yamaha HS-7, Mixer: Yamaha Promix 01, Rane HC-6. Latest song releases on Bandcamp - Latest albums on iTunes LP's 'Amber & Blue', and 'Reasonable Approach' available on all major distribution music services. Simply search 'James Conrad Tucker'. All songs copyright. Be safe. |
| I'm going with Toontrack nowadays .. Dolphin Blue - Songs of Tom Waits -------------------------------------------- Dropbox - Free Online Storage (Use this link to get us both even more free space.) |
| Thanks everyone for all the great options! I love thr MT Poer drummer too.. Great options for the free app. I answer to some of the other questions.. I am a guitarist that plays some keyboard and drums .. I have a real set and virtual kit, but like the option to lay tracks down using the pads on my AKAI MPK261. Dave Studio One Producer user FireStudio Mobile with Alesis RA-100 Power Amp and Monitor One speakers Akai MPK261 M-Audio Axiom 25 controller Fader Port Drums: Simmons Midi, Ludwig Drum Kits Guitars: Fender Strat, Gibson SG, Taylor acoustic, Ibanez AFJ91, Contreras classical Effects: Boss ME-50 Bass: Fender Squier |
| dschulz wroteThanks everyone for all the great options .. I have a real set and virtual kit, but like the option to lay tracks down using the pads on my AKAI MPK261. I see that you have some M-Audio and Akai hardware, so I'll mention a program called 'Ignite' by AIR Music Technology , which is free bonus for many Axiom and Akai controllers. Ignite is a standalone program, and is sort of like a mini-DAW. It's hard to describe, but you could say that it's like a simplified Ableton. It's easy to use, and has 275 instruments, including some great sounding drums. The program does have its limits, but I still thinks it's great. You can export tracks as wave, or as midi, but you can't import midi patterns. But you CAN import audio tracks into Ignite though. So I use Ignite for that pretty often for my drum tracks. Also, I have replicated on of Ignite's drum kits as an SF2 instrument, which Studio One's Presence instrument can play. It works perfectly. So, I would ask AIR Music for a copy. Here's a link to get you started: http://www.airmusictech.com/product/ignite#faqs Atari 5200, 64K RAM S1PRO Radio Shack Cassette Recorder w/internal Mic, and too many plugins. |
Best Free Drum Pad Vst
| sirmonkey wrotedschulz wroteThanks everyone for all the great options .. I have a real set and virtual kit, but like the option to lay tracks down using the pads on my AKAI MPK261. Thanks. I'll check out the AIR tech programs. I have the Hybrid alredy which has some nice patches. Thanks! Dave Studio One Producer user FireStudio Mobile with Alesis RA-100 Power Amp and Monitor One speakers Akai MPK261 M-Audio Axiom 25 controller Fader Port Drums: Simmons Midi, Ludwig Drum Kits Guitars: Fender Strat, Gibson SG, Taylor acoustic, Ibanez AFJ91, Contreras classical Effects: Boss ME-50 Bass: Fender Squier |
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