Below is a list of the best free and paid virtual drum software programs available to download right now.
They are available for PC and Mac computers in plugin formats to use with DAWs and most operate as a standalone program as well.
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.
To help you select the best software, we tested six popular photo-editing programs, all either free or under $100: Apple Photos, Corel PaintShop Pro, GIMP, Google Photos, Adobe Photoshop Elements. BEST Beat Making Software for 2018 Which this Beat Making Software is Best for 2018 DrDrum has been around for a good while now and lately has been making a lot of noise in the music world as a great tool for beginners who want to make beats.
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
Free music-making software is a great idea if you like the sound of getting musically creative on your computer without the financial outlay. Programs designed to help with the music creation process can be outrageously expensive, but they are the sot of tools that people use to make a living. That said, there is an impressive selection of free music-making software out there that will serve as a great introduction to what's possible without putting a strain on your pocket.
You might be surprised at the quality that's to be found here. Given the price tags often attached to music production software, you'd be forgiven for expecting free tools to cut too many corners to make them worth bothering with. Thankfully, opting for free music-making software need not mean making huge compromises.
In this roundup of free music-making software, we take in tools that are suitable for beginners, as well as those more suited to those who are more seasoned. The selection spans Windows, macOS and Linux, so you'll find something to help you with your creative ventures no matter what platform you're using.
1. Apple GarageBand
Compatibility: macOS 10.11 or later
Apple’s long-standing digital audio workstation has come a long way since we first saw it in 2004, and although it still lacks a couple of key features (such as MIDI export and the ability to control external hardware via MIDI), GarageBand offers more than enough to get you going.
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Apple has done a very good job at creating the perfect gateway drug into music production, and a clear path to Logic Pro X (Apple’s fully-functional professional DAW) is plain to see.
Shared features include Drummer, the seriously easy to use groove-maker, which includes multiple genres styles, easy controls and a ton of pattern and fill variations. You’re also treated to content from the Apple Loops sound library. And to further ease the transition, a familiar interface to Logic.
Although limited to 255 tracks per song, GarageBand is an immensely powerful and easy to use DAW that seems to be getting better with age.
2. Tracktion T7
Compatibility: macOS/Windows/Linux (VST, AU and Linux VST)
The folks at Tracktion seem to have hit on a rather canny business model by releasing older versions of their DAW for free, with nothing taken out.
The convention seems to be to make the version two iterations before the current one available to download without charge. You might not get all the latest features, but you'll receive an update each time the company updates its flagship DAW, which it does almost yearly.The latest version to have its price tag shaved off its Tracktion T7.
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Every section is scalable, so you can adjust to suit your workflow and the bottom panel changes to to display whichever parameters you've selected elsewhere on the screen.
Tracktion T7 also features an unlimited number of audio and MIDI tracks, all depending on your hardware capabilities of course, and is able to host multiple plugin formats including VST and Audio Units.
Note that Before you can download the software, you’ll be prompted to enter an email address and password to create an account. When you run the software for the first time after installing it, you’ll see a notification that it’s running in demo mode, but don’t worry – click ‘Unlock…’ then enter the address and password you set earlier, and all the features will become available.
3. AmpliTube Custom Shop
Compatibility: macOS/Windows (64-bit only). Standalone app and plugin (AAX, VST and AU)
AmpliTube Custom Shop from IK Multimedia might be a cut-down version of AmpliTube 4, but it's still a fully functional guitar rig modelling application. This free version comes with 24 models including a digital chromatic tuner, nine stompboxes, four amps, five cabs, three mics and two rack effects.
There’s plenty to keep any guitarist happy when recording directly into their laptop – not least the fact IK Multimedia has secured official guitar amp models from such giants as Fender, Ampeg, Orange, Mesa Boogie and many more.
AmpliTube's tones are authentic and there's an impressive level of customization available (including choice of microphone and mic placement), but perhaps the biggest boon is the Custom Shop feature.
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Okay, so at this point you're going to have to start shelling out some cash if you want to expand your collection of amp models, stompboxes and cab sims. However, the 'try before you buy' scheme is a welcome one.
4. Klevgrand SyndtSphere
Compatibility: macOS/Windows (VST and AU)
Klevgrand may not be a household name, but the Stockholm-based production company has certainly carved a name for itself with a slew of fine-sounding instruments featuring some rather esoteric interfaces.
SyndtSphere is no exception, and is one of the more accessible software synthesizers out there. Loaded with over 70 presets, the big fun here is the way you can morph between sounds using a nifty sphere-like object at the centre of the app.
More seasoned producers needn’t be be put off by the beginner-friendly feel; SyndtSphere has an impressive array of sounds lurking within. The unique morphing function allows for some rock-solid sound design, but you may find yourself playing around with it for ages before getting anything done.
5. BandLab Cakewalk
Compatibility: Windows
Cakewalk – formerly known as Cakewalk SONAR, was one of the first ever digital audio workstations, but its owner Gibson halted development last year. Luckily for music makers, cloud music creation platform BandLab snapped the software up in February, and has made it available to download free.
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Cakewalk is a complete music production package, with creative songwriting tools and instruments, advanced mixing and mastering tools, unlimited MIDI and audio tracks for your own recordings, and a full suite of editing tools. Once you've finished, you can publish your work directly to SoundCloud, Youtube, Facebook and many other sites.
It's a pity it's only available for Windows 10 at the moment, but we'll be interested to see where BandLab takes Cakewalk in the future.
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