With today’s technology, creating a studio environment in the comfort of your home has become a reality for many. That’s why we put together a list of the best drum VSTs (or best drum plugins) to fuel your home studio sound. The goal? To make your drum sounds slap!
The backbone of this genre’s sound is often the drums. From rock to electronic video game kits, composers rely on various drum plugins to add desired percussive elements and grooves to their pieces.
The best part is that software instruments aimed at capturing the sound of acoustic drums in a studio environment are also incredibly affordable and hence give a comprehensive overview of the best acoustic drum VST. There are a variety of drum VST plugins to choose from, all within reach of a few mouse clicks.
Best Drum Plugins
Superior Drummer 3
SD3 is one of the best drum VST plugins available. Superior Drummer 3 was meticulously recorded by George Massenburg at Galaxy Studios in Belgium—it’s an impressively massive 230GB in size. SD3 includes six drum kits, additional percussion instruments, and approximately 350 vintage drum sounds.
Superior Drummer 3 also has the best product installer I’ve used to date. The Toontrack Product Manager lets you download and activate both SD3 and any expansions you end up buying—the interface works great and I’ve never experienced a headache when installing libraries
Pros
- Incredibly-recorded libraries
- Useful built-in tools
- Fully functional mixer with EQ, compression, verb, and more
Cons
- Takes up a lot of space
- A limited type of stick choices
- Big learning curve
Addictive Drums 2
Addictive Drums 2 is another one of my favourite acoustic drum VST plugins that drummers tend to use in a lot of sessions with bands. The samples sound incredible, and XLN continues to add expansion packs. The plugin includes a simple-to-use user interface complete with a mixer. Typically I don’t utilize the mixer included with sample libraries, as I route the outputs to Cubase, but the option’s there if you need it.
The interface loads fast and it’s simple to choose a preset that works with almost any genre of music. Like SD3, Addictive Drums 2 also works great with your electronic drum kit.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Tons of great-sounding add-on packs
- Built-in FX engine
- Lots of MIDI packs available for songwriters
Cons
- Some presets are overly processed
- MIDI is quite different from most GM mappings
GetGood Drums Modern & Massive
The drums are punchy and are perfect for heavier metal/rock productions. Just like AD2 and SD3, GetGood Drums offers extremely realistic drum sounds. The drum software plugin is built on the backs of the Matt Halpern packs, which to its credit, is also a wonderful library I own.
Here are some of the features:
- Perfect for contemporary rock and metal
- 9 snares, 6 kicks, 14 toms, two sets of cymbals
- Minimally processed for full creative control
- One-knob “turbo” for instant radio-ready production
- Trigger via electronic drums or program your MIDI
- Awesome GUI
- Blend close and far mics to taste
Pros
- Raw and processed samples included
- Mix-ready drums
Cons
- Requires use of Kontakt
- Limited customization in the GUI
Steven Slate Drums 5
Steven Slate Drums 5, aka SSD5, is the latest iteration of Steven Slate’s drum VST plugin library. SSD5 comes with a whopping 103 kick drums, 111 snares, hundreds of tom/cymbal/percussion sounds, and 1,000 grooves. Features include:
- A streamlined interface — super easy to load your favourite tones
- Advanced playback algorithm
- Deluxe 2 drum library — 50 new instruments, 10 new kicks and 10 new snares
- Easier routing
- Fader grouping
- Live preview — quickly audition sounds by clicking an instrument in the browser
In addition, there are plenty of expansion packs you can download from producers like Chris Lord Alge, Terry Date, and David Bendeth. SSD5 is one of the best drum VSTs around.
Pros
- Light load on CPU
- Easy routing to DAW
- Tons of great MIDI loops
Cons
- Poor user interface
- Feels dated
- Sounds may be overused, less unique
Room Sound – Beau Burchell
Room Sound’s Beau Burchell features a realistic room sound and allows controlling the individual mic channels and bleed for a truly immersive experience.
The drum VST plugin allows you to build your own custom drum kit with 26 unique pieces, including samples of drums. You can customize each drum to your liking by adjusting pitch, envelope, and MIDI dynamics, creating a one-of-a-kind sound.
One of the unique features of this VST plugin is its 16 individually controllable close, overhead, and room mic channels. This level of control over the mix allows for an incredibly realistic sound that captures all of the nuances of a live performance.
In addition to the comprehensive control over your drum sound, the VST plugin also includes a large library of customized drum grooves. You can audition and select drums in the kit select area, and there is a customizable key mapping page for alternate MIDI mappings and electronic drum kits
Pros:
- High-quality drum samples
- Customizable
- User-friendly interface
- Multiple mix presets
- MIDI compatibility
- Realistic drum sounds
Cons:
- Limited to specific genres:
- Heavy on CPU
- No advanced features
- Learning curve
EZDrummer 3
EZDrummer 3 is by far the most prevalent drum sample library. It’s affordable and sounds pretty good. The program features a stock metal preset that’s production-ready out of the box.
As with SD3, EZDrummer 3 also has four expansions you can pick up for metal, including Made of Metal, Metal Machine, Metal!, Metalheads, and Modern Metal.
Pros:
- High-quality sounds
- Groove Library
- Song creator
- Advanced humanization
- Flexibility in genres
- Compact yet powerful
Cons:
- Limited advanced control
- Less flexibility with effects
- Basic mic bleed control
- No direct drum recording
Steven Slate Drums Free
Steven Slate’s free VST does the job perfectly here. It sounds incredibly solid and realistic, offers you 3 mix-ready presets, and allows for maximum customization of your sounds. With this drum kit, you’re all set, no matter for which genre you need it.
MT Power Drum Kit
The MT Power Drum Kit is a free drum sampler offering the powerful, high-quality sounds of an acoustic, realistic drum kit. Samples have been specially recorded and processed to make them ideally suited for use in pop, rock and metal productions.
JAMSTIX
This ground-breaking virtual drummer runs synchronized with your DAW as an instrument plugin and features in-depth real-time modeling of various genres and human drummers with their own habits, accents, timing feel and fill characteristics. Put aside those static MIDI loops and easily create realistic drum performances with unmatched nuances, feel and dynamic responsiveness.
FAQs
What is the best drum software for finger drumming?
Here’s a brief overview of some top drum software options for finger drumming:
Battery 4 (Native Instruments)
Battery 4 is excellent for finger drumming due to its responsiveness with MIDI pad controllers. It offers an extensive library of drum kits and percussion sounds across various genres. While primarily focused on sample playback and manipulation, it’s highly customizable and lightweight, making it ideal for real-time drumming.
MPC Beats (Akai Professional)
MPC Beats is specifically designed for finger drumming and pairs perfectly with Akai’s MPC hardware. It’s free, with an intuitive drum pad mode optimized for fast triggering. Though its sound library is limited, expansions are available, and the built-in sequencing makes it a great choice for beatmakers.
Addictive Drums 2 (XLN Audio)
Addictive Drums 2 excels at providing realistic, dynamic drum sounds that respond well to velocity changes, making it a favorite for finger drummers seeking authentic acoustic kits. It’s easy to map to pad controllers and covers a wide range of genres, but it focuses more on acoustic than electronic sounds.
Maschine 2 (Native Instruments)
Maschine 2 is perfect for finger drummers who want an integrated production workflow. It pairs seamlessly with Maschine hardware but also works with other MIDI controllers. With a vast library of drums and instruments, Maschine 2 is ideal for both finger drumming and full track production, though it requires some learning to master.
Do electronic drums sound like real drums?
Yes, electronic drums can sound like real drums, especially with high-quality drum modules or software. Advanced kits use detailed samples and velocity layers to capture nuances, making them quite realistic. Mesh pads also enhance the playing feel. However, budget kits might sound less authentic due to simpler sounds and less responsive pads.
What is the best synth for drums?
The best synth for drums depends on the style you’re aiming for, but here are some top choices known for creating excellent drum sounds:
Elektron Analog Rytm MKII
A hybrid analogue/digital drum machine known for its powerful drum synthesis and performance features.
Roland TR-8S
Combines classic TR-style drum sounds with modern digital sampling, making it versatile for a wide range of genres from house to hip-hop.
Arturia DrumBrute Impact
An affordable analogue drum synth with punchy, raw sounds. Ideal for analogue drum enthusiasts who want hands-on control.
Nord Drum 3P
A unique drum synth focusing on performance, capable of producing a broad range of percussive sounds, from acoustic emulation to experimental electronic tones.
Korg Volca Drum
A compact, affordable digital drum synth, great for more experimental or glitchy sounds. It’s portable but surprisingly powerful.