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As a music producer, you know that drums are the heartbeat of your tracks. Whether you’re producing rock, hip-hop, electronic, or jazz, having the right drum sounds can make or break your mix. It's like the mattress of your tracks. Sometimes, finding the right drummer or percussion instruments can be expensive or difficult to get. This is where Drum VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plugins come in. They provide an extensive array of drum sounds and tools that can help you create realistic and dynamic drum tracks when it's hard to access the real thing. Here is a list Musiversal experts have created on the best drum VST plugins available in 2024 to elevate your rhythm game.
At Musiversal, we provide musicians with the best tools to elevate their music production. Drum VST plugins offer exceptional versatility and quality, essential for creating professional drum tracks. Here’s our curated list of top drum VST plugins for 2024, catering to various genres and needs.
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Toontrack’s Superior Drummer 3 offers an extensive 230GB sound library with six drum kits and additional percussion instruments, all recorded at Galaxy Studios. Its advanced Tracker technology and comprehensive mixing options make it an industry favorite. You can purchase it on Toontrack for $399.
Why We Love It:
Toontrack’s EZ Drummer 3 is user-friendly and versatile, featuring a 15GB library of drums, cymbals, and percussion sounds. Its Bandmate feature helps generate grooves based on your input, making it ideal for songwriters and producers. Cheaper than Toontrack’s Superior Drummer 3, EZ Drummer 3 costs $99 and is user-friendly, perfect for beginners!
Why We Love It:
Addictive Drums 2 by XLN Audio offers a comprehensive set of tools for rock and pop productions. It includes three high-quality drum kits, a versatile mixer, and numerous expansion packs, making it a favorite among producers. This easy-to-use VST costs $149 and is our CMO's favorite (and he's a drummer).
Why We Love It:
GetGood Drums Modern & Massive is perfect for rock and metal genres, providing nine snares, six kicks, 14 toms, and two sets of cymbals. At a price of $149, it offers both raw and processed samples for maximum creative control.
Why We Love It:
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Steven Slate Drums 5 combines a vast library with 103 kick drums, 111 snares, and hundreds of toms, cymbals, and percussion sounds. Its advanced playback algorithm ensures a realistic drumming experience, and you can get it for $149.
Why We Love It:
Nerve by Xfer Records is a powerful beat manipulator with a diverse sample library. At $149, it is the perfect option for electronic music. Nerve allows extensive sample processing and sequencing, making it a top choice for dance music producers.
Why We Love It:
Room Sound’s Beau Burchell Signature Series Drums offers realistic room sounds with 16 individually controllable mic channels. At a price of $149, this highly customizable option is perfect to achieve detailed drum sound design.
Why We Love It:
Drumforge Classic provides high-quality drum samples sampled in a professional studio, offering a range of presets and customizable options. Drumforge is one of the most affordable drum VSTs at $99, and it is a versatile option for various music genres.
Why We Love It:
Spitfire Labs Vintage Drums offers simplicity and quality for free. With two classic kits sampled in analog studios, it provides a warm, authentic sound with minimal tweaking required.
Why We Love It:
Sampleson Brushify Pro fills the niche for brushed drum kits, providing a nuanced, jazzy sound. At $39, this budget-friendly, minimal interface with gentle percussive options makes it ideal for soft, detailed drumming.
Key Features:
Playbeat 3 by Audio Modern is an intelligent groove machine that generates infinite beat variations based on your preferences. At $69, Audio Modern’s Playbeat's adaptive algorithms and flexible sequencing make it a must-have for creative beat-making.
Key Features:
At Musiversal, we strive to help musicians become the artists they aspire to be, which is why we curated this list of our top drum VST picks. However, we also know that while VSTs offer fantastic versatility and are essential tools for many producers, they come with their limitations. No matter how advanced a VST is, it will never fully replicate the nuance, feel, and dynamic presence of a real drummer. It can take countless hours to find the right VST for your specific track, and even once you do, programming it to sound just right is often a tedious and time-consuming process. The reality is, nothing quite beats the real thing when it comes to capturing the authenticity of live drums.
Our award-winning session percussionists come ready with professional setups, so all you need to do is join the livestream session, give your input, and watch your song come to life. In just 30 minutes, you’ll get 3-4 full takes that capture exactly what you're looking for—without the time-consuming hassle of programming VSTs. It’s an easy, efficient way to get the real sound and feel of live drums, for the cost of a cup of coffee. With real musicians playing on your track, your music will have that extra spark of life that VSTs just can’t deliver. So why settle for almost when you can have the real thing?
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to explore our picks for the best piano VSTs and discover even more insights on the Musiversal Blog, where we dive into everything from songwriting techniques to production tips, gear reviews, marketing advice, and more.
Happy Drumming!
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