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Thanks to the advancements made in Drum VST plugins in recent years, it’s now possible to create high-quality drums on a computer or laptop. For many, this is more practical than recording an acoustic or electric drum set.
One criticism of drum VST plugins in the past was that they didn’t produce the natural feel of a real drum set. By using advanced recording techniques, the creators of these VST plugins have rectified this problem, and now they sound incredibly close to real drums.
In this guide, I’ve identified the best VST plugins for drums. You’ll find a diverse selection of plugins, some better for creating loops, some for digital drum samples, and others that are great for realistic-sounding drums.
What are the Best Drum VST Plugins?
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Most Comprehensive
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Most Immersive
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Easiest to Use
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Best for Adding Effects
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Best Visual Layout
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Best for Beginners
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Best for Premade Loops
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Best Dynamics
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Best Individual Samples
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Best Entry-Level
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How I Tested and Selected the Best Drum VST Plugins and Drum Software
When I tested these plugins and software options, the first thing I did was check how easy each one was to load onto my DAW. Compatibility is a feature that I highly value, so I’ve always loved plugins that are easy to use.
Once I had a plugin installed, I ran through all the samples to get an idea of the sound quality. From the subtle details of snare buzz to the resonance of toms, I sought a realistic and dynamic sound representation.
Realism and authenticity were key factors, as I assessed how convincingly the virtual drums replicated the acoustic characteristics of their physical counterparts. This involved scrutinizing not only individual drum sounds but also the overall coherence and natural feel of the virtual drum kit.
I also checked the sound editing features as well, so that I know how much control I have over what I can create. The ability to customize drum kits, adjust individual drum parameters, and integrate seamlessly with other virtual instruments were crucial aspects of my evaluation.
Ultimately, my assessment aimed to identify drum VST plugins that offer superior sound fidelity, realism, versatility, and user-friendly functionality.
In-Depth Drum VST Plugin Reviews
XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2: Custom Collection
XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2: Custom Collection Review
XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2 is the perfect drum library VST. It offers an incredible acoustic drum library that is packed with realistic and natural sounds, and the engine that powers the plugin is smooth and easy to use.
The sounds included with the XLN Addictive Drums Creative Collection are truly remarkable. They included rare and vintage kits that are so impressive.
I find the customization and fine-tuning of the VST to be astounding and it’s one of the best drum VST plugins around.
All you need to do is listen to the demos and sound clips of the drum kits on YouTube to hear how good the drums sound, and what they can add to your mixes. The drum sounds are without a doubt some of the most realistic available.
The drum software includes 6 of the most popular drum libraries from XLN Audio and over 6,000 grooves to help you find your perfect sound. The on board effects as well as Tone Designer and Transient Shaper are some of the best around.
If you’re ready to make the ultimate drum tracks for your mixes then the XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2 is the best drum VST software for the money, period.
Toontrack Superior Drummer 3
Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 Review
Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 is the most famous drum VST software on the market. It’s a powerful and intuitive engine that contains some of the finest drum samples ever captured.
Award-winning engineer George Massenburg recorded the drum sounds at Galaxy Studios in Belgium- renowned for its near-perfect acoustics. Included with Superior Drummer 3 you receive 230GB of raw, unprocessed sounds that were recorded with nothing but world-class microphones like the Neumann U87.
Superior Drummer 3 features a plethora of studio-quality insert effects and an on-board mixer, as well as a built-in grid editor for fine-tuning timing, velocity detail, and much more.
I find that it’s super easy to find the perfect groove also. It has an integrated browser and you can build and arrange drum tracks without leaving the program.
Superior Drummer 3 does it all. It’s the best drum VST plugin on the market that offers the complete solution for drum programming. It’s powerful, simple to use, and has some of the very best drum sounds ever recorded.
Toontrack EZdrummer 2 Virtual Drum Software
Toontrack EZdrummer 2 Virtual Drum Software Review
Toontrack EZdrummer 2 is the best drum software to buy on a budget. It contains a phenomenal drum and percussion VST as well as an expansive library of MIDI drum grooves. It also has a powerful interface that lets you combine these sounds and grooves for your style of music.
The drum sounds are true-to-life and detailed, with an enormous sound library to fuel your creativity.
The sound engine delivers incredibly realistic results with more flexibility than most other plugins that I’ve tried.
Toontrack brought on Grammy Award-winning engineer Chuck Ainlay to record 5 new drum kits that are included with the EZdrummer 2 drum VST. Each drum kit also has a huge array of snares, bass drums, and cymbals to choose from.
The powerful onboard mixing interface and effects make it easier than ever for you to build your perfect drum tracks and tones for your music.
The best thing about the EZdrummer 2 package is the unbelievable price. Lots of musicians debate over whether EZdrummer or Superior Drummer is better, but the truth is that while both are excellent, EZdrummer offers unbeatable value for money.
You receive incredible bang for your buck and I would recommend this as the best drum software for any musician writing music and programming drums.
FXpansion BFD3 (boxed)
FXpansion BFD3 (boxed) Review
BFD3 by FXpansion is another incredibly popular piece of drum software. BFD3 is a great choice because it is very easy to use and it has a wide variety of killer-sounding drum kits to choose from.
BFD3 has some of the most realistic drum sounds available, with features such as tom resonance and cymbal swell modeling.
I love how the drums and cymbals will help to add a lifelike and natural character to my mixes, even though I haven’t made the drum parts with a real drum kit.
Included with the 55GB library are 7 brand new drum sets including rock, metal, and jazz drum kits that will perfectly complement any style of music.
Making grooves and patterns is a lot of fun with the fully editable groove engine, which is fast and intuitive to use. I’ve found the whole interface is streamlined and it’s really enjoyable to work with.
If you are looking for drum software to create amazing and lifelike drum arrangements then BFD is a great tool. It’s packed with amazing sounds and much more all in an easy to use platform.
Steven Slate Drums SSD5 Virtual Drum Instrument Plug-in
Steven Slate Drums SSD5 Virtual Drum Instrument Plug-in Review
Steven Slate Drums SSD5 is an enormous drum sound library that has been used by some of the most successful producers and mixing engineers in the decade.
The SSD5 drum VST contains a huge library of hundreds of individual kick drum sounds, snares, toms and cymbals, all sampled in the finest studios and recorded at multiple velocities.
Steven Slate’s drums are the secret sauce behind the drum tones of the industry’s most well known hitmakers. Included with the SSD5 is an unbelievable range of natural sounding drums and cymbals that you can edit and mix to your preference.
Also included with the SSD5 is a new groove library featuring 1,000 drag and drop rhythms and fills to provide inspiration and help you find the perfect beats for your projects.
These drag and drop rhythms are my favorite aspect of the plugin, as they make it so easy to find good drum parts without making them myself.
The legendary SSD5 drum library is one of the most popular sound libraries used amongst hit record makers and songwriters. It’s the ultimate drum software containing a wealth of precisely sampled drum sounds.
GetGood Drums Modern and Massive Pack Drum Library
GetGood Drums Modern and Massive Pack Drum Library Review
GetGood Drums is a relative newcomer onto Drum VST market, and this drum software does not disappoint. This is a drum library containing some of the punchiest and heaviest drum tones that are designed to bring rock and metal music to life.
Included with GetGood Drums Modern and Massive is a selection of 9 snare drums, 6 kick drums, 14 toms and 2 sets of cymbals. These drum sounds are aggressive, punchy and full of life.
Whether you prefer your drum sounds processed or raw, the interface gives you enough flexibility and adjustment to choose exactly how you want your drums to sound.
The drum sounds were obsessively engineered at Middle Farm Studios in the UK, where I have personally recorded drums and I can say first hand the drum room is incredible.
The GetGood interface is clean and intuitive, and I felt like I had lots of control over each instrument and how I wanted to adjust the sounds.
Overall this is one of the best drum plugins available for those wanting huge sounding drums that are perfect for rock and metal productions.
In order to use GetGood drums you will be required to download the free Kontakt Player software.
Heavyocity DM-307 - Modern Groove Designer
Heavyocity DM-307 - Modern Groove Designer Review
The Heavyocity Dm-307 Modern Groove Designer is a popular drum VST that has made waves amongst composers, DJs and producers. It contains an enormous array of live and electronic drum sounds.
Included are 3,600 unique sounds ranging from live drums to synth drums and processed drum machine sounds. The DM-307 is an incredibly powerful tool for modern composers. It also comes with 1,500 custom sound presets.
In addition the DM-307 also includes over 1,200 drum grooves to offer inspiration and a bespoke 32-step effects sequencer that offers huge creative potential for creating grooves.
If you want to program drums for cinematic music, hip hop, electronic music, video games and more; then Heavyocity Dm-307 is a must-have drum software.
I particularly like this option for cinematic music. The drum parts and samples are just so big and epic.
AIR Strike 2 Virtual Drummer Instrument
AIR Strike 2 Virtual Drummer Instrument Review
AIR Strike 2 is an affordable drum VST that contains a catalog of natural and realistic drum sounds for you to use. This drum VST software is loaded with top-quality sounds and full mixing capabilities that let you tailor the sounds to your personal preference.
Included with the AIR Strike 2 drum VST you receive 19 natural and detailed drum kits, featuring over 30GB of samples that are perfectly suited for a range of musical styles: Jazz, blues, rock, pop, and more! All of the drums were recorded by AIR at Blackbird Studios, and the sounds are great.
I think the AIR Strike 2 is an amazing value package that contains everything you need to produce highly realistic drum performances.
You have full control over the effects through the built-in virtual mixing control that enables you to find your perfect sound.
Strike 2 is one of the best drum software options out there. It’s really fun to get to grips with and it is packed with great sounds and killer features. Best of all is it comes with a highly affordable price tag!
EastWest Hollywood Orchestral Percussion
EastWest Hollywood Orchestral Percussion Review
EastWest Hollywood is a must-have drum VST if you are a serious composer. The Hollywood Orchestral Percussion VST contains a library of ultra-realistic percussion sounds that will seamlessly fit into any composition.
Included is a massive orchestral library of instrument sounds that will help breathe life into your arrangements. The instruments were meticulously recorded at EastWest Studio 1 in the heart of Hollywood.
You will receive an extensive range of percussion sounds including timpani, bass drums, snare drums, orchestral chimes, Mahler Hammer, church bells, cymbals and much more.
EastWest sample libraries are the No.1 choice of professional composers and producers that demand the very best quality sounds at their disposal.
I find this plugin particularly easy to use. It’s really intuitive, and I was able to boot it up quite quickly at first.
This drum software is powered by EastWest’s Play 4 engine that comes loaded with powerful effects and SSL processing.
WaveMachine Labs Drumagog 5 Platinum
WaveMachine Labs Drumagog 5 Platinum Review
WaveMachine labs Drumagog 5 is the go-to solution for drum replacement. It is packed with features including a more accurate triggering engine, a sample-accurate auto align algorithm, and an extensive 4gb sound library with room samples.
This drum software is not a sound library in and of itself, but rather an advanced triggering engine for fast and precise drum replacement. It is also perfect for layering samples onto drums for more dynamic variety.
I find the Drumagog 5 to be the best drum VST for fixing and enhancing live drum tracks.
All you need to do is insert it onto your drum track and select your favourite sample. Drumagog 5 takes all the stress and workload so you can focus on achieving great sounding drums.
Drum VST Plugins Buying Guide
Drum VST plugins can benefit songwriters and music producers who don’t have access to real drums.
The technology behind these VST plugins has come a long way in the past decade, and some are of such high quality that it’s difficult to tell them apart from acoustic drums played by a drummer.
As developers have gone to new lengths to capture the highest quality drum samples and grooves, this has led to a wide range of new VST plugins emerging to challenge the established options.
This buyer’s guide will help you identify the best VST plugins for your requirements, budget, and musical preferences.
Things to Consider When Buying Drum VST Plugins
Sample Library
The quality of the samples included in a drum VST plugin significantly impacts its overall capabilities more than any other aspect. The best acoustic drum samples are recorded in professional studios by renowned recording engineers, providing a natural sound.
Effects
If you want to process the sound of the drum samples and loops included in a VST plugin, look for one that includes effects and mixing tools. You can add compression, EQ, or reverb to the drum samples using the onboard effects.
Consider the style of the VST plugin
Drum VST plugins are either designed for multiple styles or specifically targeted toward a particular type of drumming. For example, orchestra VST plugins will be unsuitable for creating processed drums for electronic dance music.
What Features to Look for in Drum VST Plugins
Drum Sample Quality
The first drum VST plugins to hit the market had many innovative features, but one of their weaknesses was that the drum samples sounded robotic and unnatural.
Modern VST plugins have dramatically improved this aspect by using advanced recording techniques to capture various sounds. In many cases, the quality is so good that it can be challenging to differentiate the samples from a recording of a real drummer.
The most realistic-sounding drum VSTs contain samples captured by professional recording engineers in world-class studios. Hundreds of recordings are made of each drum set to produce the variation of a real drummer.
Using a variety of microphones placed in different locations within a room, the recording engineers can create a virtual drum set that sounds incredibly close to the real thing.
Grooves and Loops
Along with individual samples, Drum VST plugins also commonly include premade grooves and loops.
Accessing ready-made drum grooves can be hugely beneficial if you’re a songwriter or composer. You can use them as a blueprint to write material, then edit them later to suit your composition.
If you create music that features digital drums, you’ll need to ensure that the VST plugin includes a library of samples suitable for your style of music.
Drum VST Plugins FAQs
Do You Need a DAW for Drum VST Plugins?
Some VST plugins can be used without a DAW, but in most cases, they must be used together for the best results. The VST can be loaded into the DAW, and then you can add your drum parts into the sequencer and use them with other sounds and instruments.
Can You Use Drum VST Plugins With Real Drums?
Blending VST plugins with actual drum recordings can be effective, particularly if you want to create a more powerful sound. You can layer the real drums with samples, making them sound thicker.
