6 Best Free Drum VST for 2021 which one is best for you?

Music production is usually a costly affair. Therefore, many music producers are turning to drum samplers and synthesized drums to help lower the cost and time needed. The costs involved are the main reasons behind the best free drum VST machines.

However, even the digital route has its own costs and challenges. The first step always includes downloading, installing, and setting up a digital audio workstation (DAW) on your computer.

Moreover, you will need to download some Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins to help you make a great production.

Despite being very versatile and helpful, many free plugins in the market will cost you a fortune. However, you can still find a handful that you can download free. Here some of the free drum VSTs.

Comparison Table for Free Drum VST

 IMAGE  PRODUCT  DETAILS  BUY
MiniSpillage MiniSpillage
  • 6-oscillator hi-hat generator
  • high-resolution 64-bit DSP processing
  • Electro Hi-Hat
Drum PRO Drum PRO
  • 20 drum kits
  • nine classic TR-808 and TR-909 sounds
  • volume and pan for each pad
Tama Speed Cobra HP310LW Double Pedal – Best for Speed Drumming MT Power Drum Kit 2
  • Intuitive and realistic sounds
  • High quality microphones
  • A total of 13 channels
Drumatic 3 Drumatic 3
  • Multi-Segment Graphical Envelopes (MSGE)
  • 6 stereo outputs
  • Uses subtractive synthesis
Line of Legends Line of Legends
  • 47 high quality drum samples
  • 8 individual channels
  • Release and pan knobs
Synth 1 Synth 1
  • Allows up to 12800 presets
  • 4 types of filters
  • 16 notes polyphony

Review about Best Free Drum VST

MiniSpillage

MiniSpillage

The MiniSpillage virtual machine is the ideal music production option if you are looking for a sleek and compact synthesizer. It comes with simplicity, small size but highly powerful.

Another feature you will love about this software is that it is fully loaded with three editable drum pads. The drum pads come in three different models: Electro Hi-Hat, Bass Drum, and Wood Drum.

Moreover, the wood and bass drum comes equipped with one oscillator. They also come equipped with other essential tools such as harmonic controls and pitch sweeps.

On the other hand, the hi-hat comes with a 6-oscillator hi-hat generator with noise source filters and dual resonant.

That is not all! This is among the vintage drum VSTs that can put all your tracks through a high-resolution 64-bit DSP processing. This feature ensures that each of your drum sounds and tracks comes out clean and professionally.

It is no wonder that the MiniSpillage virtual machine is among the ideal free plugins for Music producers.

If you are a music producer, this free VST machine is a source of great confidence. All your tracks and effects that pass through it will come out clean.

Again, the kicks and basses always come out full and punchy. On the other hand, your cymbals will always come out crispy, pleasant, and loud.

Download it here.

Drum PRO

Drum PRO

Drum Pro is a vintage drum machine plugin that is easy to use, according to many music producers. The sampler comes with a ray of sampled drum kits inside an MPC style interface.

This drum machine plugin comes with 20 drum kits. All these kits have a design for electronic and urban beats.

Moreover, it has nine classic TR-808 and TR-909 vintage drum electronic machines sound.

With this sampler, you will be able to load your kit, slap the keys or pad controller with ease. What’s more! In no time, you will be busy banging your beats.

For this sampler drum, each kit carries with it 12 pads sounds, which are loaded in 12 pads for each. The free plugin allows you full mixing control across its bottom as well as an envelope at the top.

 Besides, it allows you to dial in since it comes with a global ADSR or reverb. If you are looking for a free drum sampler that is easy to use, this could be your ideal option.

Again, Drum Pro offers you volume and pan for each pad. Moreover, you are at liberty to add a few paid expansion tracks if you feel like doing it.

It will produce for you great and unmatched sounds. It is, therefore, ideal for Hip-hop, EDM, and Trap genres of music.

Download it here

MT Power Drum Kit 2

MT Power Drum Kit 2

If you are looking for more intuitive and realistic sounds, MT Power Drum Kit 2 could be your ideal option for such sounds.

This drums sampler’s microphones are of high quality, producing the quality sounds. The crash, the hi-hat cymbals, and the ride will give the crispest sound ever. At the same time, the kick and the snares will give you power.

It is among the drum VSTs that come with massive sound libraries. Its sound library is fully packed to overflowing with pre-programmed drum loops and grooves.

 The MT Power Drum Kits also come with an array of other sounds that you can choose from. This makes it among the best drums sampler around for sounds.

You may be asking how it holds all those sound packs, instruments, and effects. This free plugin has a total of 13 channels that you can modify individually or as a set with ease. Moreover, you have full control over all these channels.

Download it here

Drumatic 3

Drumatic 3

Drumatic 3 another is another of the ideal drum machines that features a great GUI. Although it may appear simple, it comes brimming with different unique features.

To begin with, this drum plugin is jam-packed with a variety of drum sounds. You will find sounds ranging from bass drums to rimshots.

Moreover, this drum machine allows you to put together whatever sound you may want. You will surely enjoy using this drum machine.

It also stands out from the competition thanks to its ease of use. If you got it now and started fumbling with it, you will have known all it offers in two days.

Another feature that this drum machine comes with is the Multi-Segment Graphical Envelopes. This feature makes it easy for you to tweak almost every element through various knobs and  harmonic modifiers.

Also, this feature makes it easier for you to apply distortion music effects.

Moreover, this plugin comes with 6-stereo outputs. This number may not be too shabby, especially if you compare it with other paid drum VSTs plugins.

The other feature that you will find in this drum machine is that it uses subtractive synthesis. It means this virtual drum machine does not use samples at all.

The only addition that would make this drum software better would be a more robust library of sound presets.

Download it here.

Line of Legends

Line of Legends

Line of Legends is one of the plugin machines that less technical than the rest. However, it is still a great drum machine.

This plugin comes with 47 high-quality drum samples from the eponymous free sample pack. Moreover, it boasts 8 individual channels, including the snare, snap, kick, clap, ride, hi-hat, toms, and crash.

Again, it also comes with release and pan knobs, as well as punch knobs. All these are crucial in ensuring you can tweak the sound.

You also need to note that each channel uses its sound output. This feature makes it easy to handle when doing a production.

To get sound, you may have to set up the output channels in your DAW. You, therefore, need to look at the manual keenly to know how to go about this.

Download it here.

Synth 1

Synth 1

Synth1 is among the plugin machines with the highest downloads. The motivation behind the creation of this drum machine is a synthesizer called Clavia Nord Lead 2.

This free plugin is very popular among aspiring music producers. However, for some of those who have used it, they have mixed feelings about it.

Synth 1 is a decent synthesis powerhouse that possesses numerous potential.

It is very functional and has a good organization. Also, it allows you to set the color of the panel and the text separately.

Synth1 drum plugin machine comes with many sound presets. You can download tens of thousands of presets that come in huge music preset packs.

This drum machine allows you to add a huge number of 12800 music presets, minus the factory set presets.

The other unique feature about this drum machine is that it can read each patched file while still compressed. This feature spares you the time you would have used to unzip the music preset banks.

With the high number of presets, you will likely find a sound that fits your needs well.

However, it still has several downsides in terms of synthesis.

For instance, filter envelope velocity changes are sometimes responsible for drastic volume changes. This drastic change quickly distorts a music preset.

The other challenge is the sudden change in the sounds. This patch sound distortion may happen even without you having touched anything.

Unfortunately, this free drum free plugin offers no option of resetting the knob perimeter.

Download it here.

Free VST Plugins User Guide

If you want an efficient workflow in music production, you need the right software. Additionally, you also need to know how to use free software correctly.

It is crucial, therefore, to familiarize yourself with the free drum machines. Here the few steps that you need to follow.

In the home studio it’s really convenient to have midi keyboard with pads for recording drum tracks.

Choose the Right DAW

The first step is to ensure you have the right digital audio workstation (DAW). When choosing a DAW, you need to keep in mind the workflow.

Here are a few questions that will help you to get the best DAW.

  • Does it have an intuitive interface?
  • Is the control layout logical to you?
  • Does the application have every feature that you require for recording and mixing?
  • Can the DAW host VST plugins?

Some of the ideal free digital audio workstations ion the market currently includes Tracktion 7 and Cakewalk. These applications can comfortably load VST plugins.

Downloading Free VST plugins

After picking the right DAW, you can now build a collection of drum machines. Remember to choose quality over quantity.

Downloading too many plugins and hoarding them in one hard drive is a big mistake. This affects your workflow and slows down your productivity.

To remain organized, choose and download only the best free plugins. Avoid downloading too many unnecessary plugins.

A small but versatile collection of software that covers all your production needs is all you need. Take time to examine all the plugins closely on offer. You can go for the ones we have reviewed in this article since they are among the ideal.

Ensure your mixing toolbox remains lightweight and efficient. For high efficiency, you can have a maximum of three virtual compressors, synthesizers, equalizers, etc.

Again, ensure you install and learn to use only those tools that suit your workflow.  Make yourself conversant with the manuals and the attached videos. Also, take some time to experiment with your free plugins.

Keep Checking for Updates of your Plugin

The other crucial thing is to keep your free plugin up to date. In most cases, developers will often update their versions of freeware plugins.

The updated version always comes with additional features as well as bug fixes. As such, they are always a better version of the previous one.

An updated plugin version is also more efficient and effective. As such, ensure you are not stuck with the outdated version.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best drum VST?

To know the best drum plugin, you will have to identify your need first. Once you have identified your need, it will be easy to know which drum CST fits you well.

For instance, you may need a one for a specific genre. iZotope BreakTweaker is a good plugin for EDM and hip-hop genres. On the other hand, Addictive drums work well for Rock and blues.

Another factor to consider is whether you want a drum machine for live setup or home studio recordings. Each of these will lead you to a particular different plugin.

What is a drum VST?

VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology. It is an audio plug-in interface that helps to integrate effects units and software synthesizers to your Digital Audio Workstation. (DAW)

This technology uses digital signal processing to help you get those traditional hardware effects into the software. The VST plugins exist in their thousands.

Some of them are free to download while others are commercial.

What are the best free VST plugins?

There are several free VST plugins. The ones we have reviewed in this article are some of those in the market.

However, your needs determine the ideal VST sampler for you. The MiniSpillage virtual drum machine, the Drum Pro, and the MT Power Drum Kit 2 are among the ideal free options.

Is EZ Drummer free?

No. EZ Drummer is not free. The EZ Drummer 2 costs $179 for new buyers and $99 as an upgrade form the EZ Drummer. It comes with updated and modernized sounds and kits, new sound libraries, and selected percussion sounds.

However, for new users, you can download a free trial version. This free trial version lasts for ten days, after which you will be required to purchase it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is possible to get a good free VST that will give you almost similar service as that of pricey ones.  

However, you need to understand your needs quite well to make the best choice. Again, it may take you some time to understand the technicalities of a VST plugin fully.  

The free VST samplers we have discussed here are among the best. They can serve you effectively according to your various needs.